Adiron (Corsair Brothers 1)

She lets out a soft little cry, and then her arms are around my neck and we're kissing again. "Stop that. You’re smart. You’re brilliant and clever and I love you, too," she says between kisses, and her hips rock against mine. "I love you. I love you. I love you. And our kids would be lucky if they were as smart as their father. So lucky." She licks at my parted lips, all intensity. "Just like I'm lucky to have you."

Jade rubs her body against mine, the tips of her nipples dragging across my chest. Our kissing grows more intense, and she's in no hurry to leave her spot on my lap. If anything, her movements become more obvious, her body rocking down against mine. My cock realizes it might be getting lucky again and starts to pay attention once more. I kiss my mate harder and run my hand lightly over the controls, making sure that the pod is locked.

The world outside can just wait.

Epilogue

Weeks Later

ADIRON

I always thought not much changed in the universe. That we race around in crazy circles for this or that, but nothing ever truly changes. As we disembark on Jerrok's station, though, I can't help but notice that things are very different.

Jerrok's clean, for starters.

It shouldn't be a big deal, of course. Everyone bathes. For the last several years, though, every time I'd visited Jerrok, he seemed to have a new layer of filth on his skin, his clothing equally dirty, his hair long and stringy. He didn't care about being clean, he said. Why did it matter when he never saw anyone? Who wanted to look at him anyhow?

But when the Jabberwock arrives, Jerrok greets us with a smile, and he's wearing clean clothing. His skin glows a brighter blue than I've ever seen, and his long hair is carefully braided between his horns, tucked out of the way. And he's holding hands with Sophie.

So…I guess that happened.

Sophie looks good, at least. Her cheeks are pink and she smiles shyly at the crew of the Jabberwock as they visit and chatter and work on refueling the ship. They won't stay long. The Buoyant Star is floating in space, tethered and hidden behind a nearby asteroid, and Jerrok has plans to put a neutralizer on the ship that will disguise it from any readings. We've sent a comm out to Lord sa'Rin on Risda III informing him of our findings, but it'll take some time for him to get back to us.

In the meantime, Jade and I will stay here. Once we figure out what to do with the Star—and the Little Sister, who's also docked here, is ready to go—we'll head out and look for my brothers. We'll be out of Jerrok's hair soon enough…but something tells me that he'll mind less than he normally does. He seems almost like a different person. If it weren't for the prosthetics and the mismatched eyes (and the surly attitude) I'd think he'd been replaced by a clone of himself.

The station is busy as the Jabberwock pays Jerrok for new fuel cells. Tarekh and Alyvos install them while my sister Zoey and Tarekh's mate Cat spend time with Sophie, talking about books and seeds. She takes them to see the terrarium, and I squeeze Jade's hand as they head inside. "You sure you don't want to go?"

"Positive," Jade says, and leans against my shoulder. She hasn't left my side, and I have to admit, I don't mind at all. I never get tired of Jade's company, and I like having her next to me. There's nothing for us to do except wait; the crew of the Jabberwock has everything under control and the Star is in limbo. So I sit down on a bench in the cargo bay, tug Jade into my lap, and we watch everyone work. She slides an arm over my shoulders and presses a kiss to my ear. "Did you know that Sophie and Jerrok were together?"

"The last time I saw Jerrok, he smelled like a trash scow. Looked like one, too." I shake my head. "Maybe Sophie feels sorry for him."

Jade pinches my earlobe. "Or maybe she realized he was sad and lonely and they fell in love? And now that he's not depressed and full of despair he's taking care of himself again?"

"Or that," I say easily. I'm not going to argue with my mate. She's the smart one.

Eventually, the hustle and bustle dies down, and the crew of the Jabberwock return to their ship. We say our goodbyes and Zoey hugs me for so long and so hard I feel that keffing breeze making my eyes water again. "I'm going to comm the Sister every day," she tells me, a stubborn note in her voice.

"I won't get it every day. If we're farther apart, there might be a delay."