Interstellar
12

After a few hours of raucous playtime, Nova convinced the pups to come inside for lunch. The lack of sleep had caught up to her, her eyelids drooping further with each passing second. Laken and Salem each carried in a sleeping toddler, placing the youngsters back in their beds before joining their younger sisters at the kitchen table. The triplets were worn out and cranky, snapping at each other over what they wanted to eat, what dishes they each wanted, why what another had was better and needed to be handed over. Nova rustled through the refrigerator and pantry, hoping to replace something quick and easy to toss at the pups so they would go down for a nap, which meant she could take one, too.

Stella entered the kitchen as Nova was shoulder deep in the fridge. “Want me to take over?”

Nova’s relief was audible, “Yes, please. I feel like I could pass out and sleep for days.”

“Thank you for watching them this morning.” Stella slid up behind Nova and grazed a delicate hand along the younger woman’s lower back, fingers tracing a small sliver of exposed skin. “Yo’re welcome to rest upstairs where it’s quieter.”

Nova nodded and slowly made her way up to the master suite. She could see Leon’s form beneath the thick blankets. She dropped into the bed beside him, remaining on top of the covers. Her skin still radiated warmth from hours in the morning sun.

Leon had slept fitfully all night, dreaming up the horrific scenarios Novas had briefly shared with him and his mate. He struggled to sleep once the sun rose and buried himself under the blankets, hoping in vain the darkness would allow him a chance to rest. The anger he had felt the previous night had simmered, concentrating into a deep rage, twisting his stomach into nauseous knots. When he felt the mattress dip beside him, he left his den of blankets and peeked at the woman beside him. She must have slept poorly, too. He knew that he felt was a fraction of her pain, a ghost of the torment she had experienced. He turned to face her and watched her sleep, her breath slowing to soft snores the moment her head hit the bed. He brushed thick curls away from her face draping the hair across her shoulder and took in her features. Everything about her looked soft, from the gentle angles of her face to the wider curves of her figure, but he knew her strength. She had been the first woman to physically overpower him, the memory of which filled him with excitement. he continued to watch her sleep, a smile slowly spreading across his face, until he was able to doze off beside her.

Leon woke a couple hours later to replace himself wrapped around the young woman; her hip nestled firmly against his arousal. He rubbed a hand up and down her spine, burying his fingers in her fair before trailing them beneath the waistband of her denim shorts. She stirred awake after a few fleeting touches and turned to face him, her heavy-lidded stare and soft pout amplifying his desire for her. He fought the urge to rip off her shorts and mount her right then and there. “How are you holding up?” he asked instead.

Nova sighed, her eyes briefly fluttering shut, “Hanging by a thread. You?”

“About the same.”

Nova waited a few minutes before speaking, making sure she planned her words carefully. “I have been happy here, but I’m not sure I’m ready to accept the offer. I need time to figure out if this is what I want. I don’t want to take advantage of the hospitality you and Stella have shown me, and I don’t want to lead you on if this is something I ultimately decide against. I don’t know what to do.”

Leon drew in closer, his lips hovering an inch from hers. “Let me show you how badly I want you to stay.” He captured her mouth in a gentle kiss. She moaned against his lips before pulling away to sit up, leaving his face wanton in her absence.

“I need you to promise me this is okay.”

“I promise,” he panted breathlessly.

“Promise me you meant it, when you said you needed me. Promise me you feel something real, something deep, something permanent. Promise me I’ll be enough, that I won’t have to share you with anyone but Stella, that we are everything you will need.”

“I promise,” he repeated, reaching out to hold her hands. He squeezed her fingers for emphasis, “The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew I needed to have you, and that if I got the chance, I wouldn’t be able to let you go. You became a part of me that day before I ever even knew your name. I know you don’t feel the same, not yet, but please let me show you. Let me help you feel it.” He released her hands and pulled himself into a seated position beside her. He buried his face in her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, removing all the space between them. “I will do anything you ask if it means you’ll stay with me, with us.”

Nova wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her cheek against his temple, relaxing into his embrace. “Will I feel it if you claim me?”

He remained quiet for a few seconds. The idea intoxicated him, but he couldn’t allow her to make the decision lightly. He couldn’t take anything else from her without her full and knowing consent. “You will. It’s what I want, but I can feel your indecision. I already marked you without considering your feelings. I will not claim you by force, aa well.”

Nova smiled, comforted by his admissions. She believed him, but still felt the sting from the shattered trust between them. She hoped to forgive him in time, to completely untangle his actions from the events of her past he’d triggered. She was unsure of how to respond to him, whether to further express her reservations or to trust he understood where she stood. Without realizing she said it aloud, Nova softly said “I don’t deserve it.”

Leon’s hands dropped to her hips, thumbs rubbing circles on the exposed skin just above the waistband. He wanted to throw her onto her back, to exclaim that she deserved whatever he gave her, to sheath himself fully and immediately the moment he tore off her shorts. Instead, he continued his gentle massage. He ignored the howling desire inside him, knowing if he didn’t wait for her now, he would never have a chance to feel the ecstasy of being with her again.