The First Starfighter

her eyes. “You heard that? You heard everything we were saying?”
“As I said, the training is real.”
She stopped her pacing, faced me, and stared. Blinked some more. I wasn’t sure if she had something in her eye or if she was wondering if I would disappear if she did it enough. “You’re real.”
I closed the small distance between us and took her hand. Felt the softness of her skin, her warmth. She gasped.
“I’m real and I’m yours.” I still held the Starfighter crest but didn’t give it to her because she pulled her hands back again when I held it up for her to see. “This is yours, proof that you are an Elite Starfighter. That we are now a bonded, fighting pair. That we will work together to save Velerion.” I took another step closer, shifting so that our chests almost touched. “And so much more.”
“Um… yeah, about that. The things I said…”
Standing this close, the difference in our sizes was significant. She barely came to my shoulder, and her gaze was on my chest. The pink in her cheeks indicated that she was embarrassed at what she’d said about me to her training team. I grinned, remembering. I’d gotten instantly hard at the way she’d shared how “hot” she thought I was. I’d had to work on my Earth slang through my cipher implant to understand she was attracted to me. And when I’d computed that, there had been no going back. Skilled and sexy in one sassy, beautiful, fearless female.
I couldn’t count the number of times I’d rubbed my cock to less-than-satisfactory completion thinking of her image on the replays. Her voice. Everything about her.
Reality was even more acceptable than the screen. I could smell her, a hint of something sweet. I could feel her. Warm and soft. Pliant yet sturdy. I could see the nuance of her emotions, not only hear it in her voice.
She was multidimensional now, as I was to her. It was hard to take in, and I could understand how the leap for her to this new version of reality might be intense.
Reaching up, I gave myself over to stroking her hair, the silky tresses catching between my fingers. I wanted to grab hold and tug, tipping her head up for my kiss.
I groaned and that had her looking up at me, heat and surprise flaring in her eyes because I did nothing to hide how I felt about her. The need, the eagerness to make her mine in all ways. To return her to Velerion to begin our life together. To see her flying prowess for real. To revel in the knowledge that one so brilliant and capable was mine.
“Alex,” she breathed. It was the first time she’d said my name with this breathy voice. She was the only one to shorten it, but I loved it this way. Only when she said it. If the others back home tried, I’d knock them flat.
“As your fighting partners told you, say yes.” I ran a knuckle down her soft cheek, and her eyes fell closed.
“I can’t just leave my life here.”
“Your life is on Velerion. You proved that when you completed the training.”
“But—”
“Stop thinking,” I said, cutting her off because I didn’t have all that much patience after all. “Feel. Just like when we flew the missions together.”
“It was just a game!”
I shook my head. “No. It was a training simulation, one at which you excelled. You’re ready now for your life as an Elite Starfighter. Your life with me. Velerion needs you and so do I.”
“I must be crazy because I want to go… I mean, the game is all I am really interested in here on Earth. My job is just a paycheck, and I’m a total hermit when I’m not at work.”
“You have no family?” It was not something that had been considered as part of the training program, or something I’d wondered about. I’d only thought about Jamie.
She shook her head and gave a sad little laugh. “My mother’s a drunk. She chose the bottle over me, and I haven’t talked to her in years. My father left us when I was little. It’s just me.”
I did not like the idea of her being alone. Of her mother being… less than maternal. But I was grateful she did not mention a male in her life. She did not mention a lover. But she had me now, and I would give her anything she needed, in bed and out. I would not let her down.
I set my hands on her shoulders, turned both of us, dropped into her chair, and pulled her onto my lap. She gasped, then wiggled.
“Jamie,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “My desire for you is obvious. Are you trying to torment me?”
She stilled then. “You… you want me?”
My hand was on her hip, and I gave it a gentle squeeze. It seemed my rock-hard cock wasn’t enough proof to convince her. “I was with you through your entire training. We sat side by side. We spoke. We fought. We failed. We won. You chose me from a statistically large number of Velerions. I desire you. My hard cock is an obvious indication. I crave your physical form. Your spirit. Your mind.”
She stiffened. “You’re not going to let me say no?”
“You already said yes,” I countered.
“But that wasn’t real!”
It was clear now that there was a flaw in the training program. The training simulation provided an intense and realistic fighting experience. I had no doubt Jamie could take control of her ship and succeed in battle. But at the end of the simulation, when the vow and acceptance of a pair bond occurred, humans might not feel obligated to uphold the oath between a bonded pair.
When I’d accepted Jamie as mine, I knew the consequences, exactly what was involved. A lifetime of fighting and living together, closer than any other lovers on Velerion. The bond between Elite Starfighters was unique and strong, made stronger each