Shadow Cipher

11. Jake

It's dark and cold, and I don't want to get in a firefight and attract whatever else is out there right now, so the best chance for us is to flee. Which I hate. I tell Nova to stay where she is, and I sneak over to where they are keeping her things and grab them. Then I grab Nova's hand and take her to a cave nearby that I saw. When I passed it earlier, it was empty, so it should be safe for the night. Then we can make it back to the ship tomorrow. Nova is freezing, I can't believe they left her tied to a tree practically naked. I also can't believe these are the men she called on for help.

When we get to the cave, Nova is practically frozen. We can't risk a fire, the guys after Nova will see it. I think through ideas as I set up a basic alarm system at the cave entrance. She isn't going to like my idea. I look through the bag she packed and find a blanket. "Look, I know you are going to hate this..." I start.

"You think we should use body heat to stay warm?" She asks through chattering teeth.

I rub the back of my neck, somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah. We can't risk a fire, and it's sort of our only option other than this blanket."

"Start stripping then," she says. I can tell she is trying to put on a brave face. Or perhaps she is just putting off her breakdown. I take off my shirt and pants and lay on the ground, opening my arms for her to curl into. She hesitantly curls up against me, being the little spoon as I wrap my arms around her. She's practically an ice cube.

"Are you okay?" I murmur into her ear.

"Not at all."

My arms wrap tighter around her. "Can I do something to help?" I ask.

"You already are. Thanks for rescuing me back there."

When she says that, guilt hits me right in the heart. She wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't taken her from her home. Eventually she falls asleep. Once I hear her breaths even out, I fall asleep as well, trusting the alarm I set up at the cave entrance to alert us if anyone comes in.

I'm awoken to s****l moaning and someone's ass grinding into my crotch. In my half awake state, I don't think about it before I'm grinding myself against the body I'm holding. As awareness comes back to me I realize just who I'm grinding into and who is moaning. f**k. This would be a dream come true if... I shake the thought from my head. No use dwelling on that right now. I attempt to shake Nova awake. "Nova, it's time to wake u-" I'm cut off when she turns around and kisses me. She still seems to be asleep. I don't respond at first, then her tongue glides across the seam of my lips and my control snaps. I kiss her back. I open my mouth to her and her tongue dives in and tangles with mine. My hands are at her hips, guiding her hips as I grind into her. There isn't any penetration, but the friction of our bodies rubbing together is euphoric. God, this woman is perfect. She is everything I've ever wanted. She's smart, talented, brave, and god, that mouth. At some point she wakes up, but she doesn't stop. It seems like she's been feeling the tension between us too.

She gets on top of me to straddle me and continues to grind against me. I throw my head back and groan. "Nova, please don't stop."

When I look at her she has a look on her face that mirrors how I'm feeling. Completely and utterly wrecked. Then she comes apart, moaning loudly and I realize that she just climaxed. God, she's gorgeous. I sit up and nuzzle my face into her chest. I lick the space between her breasts, loving the feeling of her boobs against my cheeks. She tastes divine. I turn my head to nip at one of her breasts, then her n****e. Then I suck it into my mouth, flicking it with my tongue. She moans even louder. My hands reach around to grasp her ass and lift her just enough to where my c**k can line up with her entrance, and she stops moving, then she's scrambling off of me. s**t. I took things too far.

"I'm not going to f**k my abductor," she says, and my heart breaks in two. I kick myself for forgetting just who I am to her and nod.

"Makes sense. Your loss. Let's get dressed and head back to the ship," I say, trying to sound nonchalant.

She looks through her bag, grabs leggings, a shirt and a pink sweater that I've seen her wear multiple times. It must be her favorite or something. Then she puts on grav boots from the ship. Huh, I didn't realize she got into our storage locker. I'll need to get Franklyn to secure it a little better with her around. She slings the bag onto her back and she looks at me like she's waiting for something, then I realize I'm still naked. I go to my clothes and get dressed myself and we head out. I try to make conversation, but she gives noises or one-word responses. I cacn't blame her, but it really does make things more awkward for me. Once we get to the ship, she practically runs inside like she's being chased by rabid beasts. When I get to the command room, she's already in the pilot's chair, so I sit in the Captain's chair. I watch what she does very carefully, ensuring she puts in the correct destination. When we're back in space and on our way to Toresqoro, she leaves the command room. I watch her on the security cameras as she heads to her room. I sigh, wishing I could change things, but I can't. I need money, and her bounty is too good to pass up.