Chapter 43: Aisha & Quinton

AISHA

Aisha set her splock down next to her finished meal and dabbed her mouth with her napkin. Quinton finished his meal alongside her. After her meeting with the others in the helmet room and the ensuing awkward conversation, she hadn’t really seen Quinton since, except when he’d escorted her back to their room.

It had made for a very lonely, boring day. However, it had given her a chance to think.

“So, did you find out anything about the Wrilings? About why we help?” she asked.

Quinton shook his head. “Nothing. Most of the specimens have died and those still alive are dying. I don’t know if we’ll ever figure out why.”

“But we’re still alive. You could always study us.”

Quinton gave her a wry, unexpectedly sultry smile. “Did you want us to examine you?”

Aisha felt the burn rush up her throat. She tried to speak but choked on her words.

Quinton half rose from his seat. “Are you okay?”

“I—I’m fine,” she gasped. “J-just went down the wrong hole.” She took a sip of water and was annoyed at how much her hand was trembling.

Quinton sat back down with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

Aisha met his yellow eyes, then took in his long, gleaming blond hair spilling over his broad shoulders, the hard muscles in his arms, that astonishing, unreal face. She tried to imagine what it would look like half-slumped the way hers was, his skinny legs, the shudder in his speech.

He was too beautiful. He was too kind.

Aisha looked away, shaking her head as the tears rose in her eyes.

“Did those women say something to you?” he asked.

She shook her head again, this time biting her lip as she tried to force back her tears, but it didn’t work. Aisha clapped her hands to her face.

“Aisha!” he said. He stood and came over. He gripped her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I can’t do it. I can’t do it!”

“Do what?”

“I can’t love you!”

He released her shoulders. “What do you mean?”

It was hard to speak. She wanted to say so much, but her damn mouth wouldn’t obey. Her stupid body. Her stupid brain!

“U—u—useless! U—u—u—useless!” She yanked at her hair, then grabbed at her ears, wrenching at them.

Quinton grabbed her wrists and pulled them away. “Tell me what’s wrong!”

“I’m t-t-trying!” Ripping away her right arm, she thumped the side of her fist against the table, again and again. “Y-You don’t…y-you don’t…” Just say it!

She stood, staggering as she spun around. She jabbed a finger at her face. “This! You can’t have this!”

Quinton stared. The tears were streaming down Aisha’s face. She wiped them irritably away.

“You must take me—you must take me back.” It hurt, it hurt so much to say. It felt like a kick in the chest. Aisha turned away, away from those bright yellow eyes before she could crumble.

“That’s not going to happen,” Quinton said quietly.

Aisha glared at the floor, her tears dripping onto the carpet. “Y-You must!”

He gripped her shoulders and spun her around to face him. She tried not to do it, but she did it anyway—meeting his eyes.

“I already told you that it doesn’t matter,” he said.

“It matters to me!”

He smiled. He actually smiled! “I’m afraid that’s just not good enough.”

“I—I can’t—I can…”

Aisha sucked in a breath as he kissed her. She tried to wrench away, but he grabbed onto her face and kissed harder. She tried to shove him back, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

She was stuck. She was helpless. And for the first time, it was everything she wanted to be.

The tears kept rolling down her face, but it didn’t seem to bother him as he kissed them away from her cheeks, from her chin, from her eyes and lips.

“S-stop. S-Stop!”

“No!” He was grinning as he arched back her head and kissed her on the throat.

Aisha moaned. “Stop.”

“No,” he whispered back, pecking at her bottom lip.

Her heart was racing. She was burning hot.

She had to stop this. This was selfish. This was wrong! She had to stop him! But as usual, her body wouldn’t obey. Aisha groaned as he pressed his lips to the base of her neck.

Any control she might have had over her body was gone as she lay limp in his embrace, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn’t even hold her own thoughts. They seemed to slip away.

There were things she needed to tell him, but she couldn’t remember what they were. Was this what it felt like for everyone? Or was it just her?

The ceiling lurched as she felt her feet lift from the floor. The feel of his arms made her body tingle. The heat of his chest seemed to burn against her side.

She turned her head to stare at his throat, particularly at his Adam’s apple, somehow finding it the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

“Stop,” she murmured as he laid her on the bed. “Stop.”

He sat beside her, smiling down on her as he wiped away her tears.

“You can’t,” she said.

He touched her face. “Don’t tell me what to do,” he said. He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t think I’ve considered this? What gives you the right to determine what should be important to me?”

He stroked her face. Aisha opened and shut her mouth. She choked as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

She turned her face to meet his lips. And then they were kissing. Aisha closed her eyes as she gripped onto his arm. He leaned over further so that his body was hovering over hers—she could feel it.

There was his weight. He moved over her and she could feel his knees braced on either side of her hips. There was his breath upon her neck. Aisha opened her eyes with a gasp.

She found herself looking directly into his eyes. His long blond hair was pouring down his left shoulder, tickling her neck.

He was so close his lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “Do you want this?”

“We s-sh-sh-shouldn’t.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what I asked.”

Aisha felt her legs jerk as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Y-yes! Y-yes!”

She burst into tears as he kissed her on the throat. Then he was kissing her down the chest, pushing his big, warm hands up her shirt as he did so. Aisha sucked in a breath as he laid them upon her breasts.

She stopped crying, hiccuping, as her eyes whizzed in her head. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It ~shouldn’t~ be happening.

She should have said no. Didn’t she love him at all?

“You need to stop thinking,” Quinton said.

A tear rolled down Aisha’s cheek. “We sh-shouldn’t…”

He kissed her again before she could finish. Then he was pulling off her shirt, and Aisha didn’t stop him.

She didn’t stop him when he pulled down her pants either. Nor her underwear.

And when he pulled off from the bed to strip himself, Aisha couldn’t stop staring.

Quinton stared back, his hands by his sides, his blond hair tumbling down his bare shoulders. “Are you okay?”

His erection seemed to fill her vision. It seemed to fill the room. It was bigger than she expected.

Was it usually that big? Then there were the big muscles in his thighs and arms. Even his torso was thicker than she’d thought.

He seemed much larger out of his shirt. She was so much smaller in every way.

His forehead furrowed. “Are you okay? Aisha?”

She jerked her eyes to his. Did she look frightened?

His eyes were darting over her body. Aisha tried her best to ignore the instinct to cover herself.

He sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded. He reached over to lay his hand upon her hip.

Aisha released a breath. It was big and warm, and it sent an electric shock down into her groin.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, his voice thick as he traced his eyes over her. “Out of all the women…” He shook his head. “I feel the luckiest.”

“I’m lucky,” she said hoarsely.

Quinton smiled. He slid into bed beside her. They rolled over to face each other, his hand still upon her hip.

Aisha gazed at him. She’d never seen a naked man before except on T.V. It was nothing like T.V.

The emotions were different. The anticipation. The ~fear~.

“I know you’re scared,” he said.

“I’m—I’m not scared.”

“This is your first time.”

“Yes.”

“They said that it hurts.”

“M-maybe. B-but it’s not what I f-fear.” Her throat swelled. “Not anymore.”

He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “You fear for me.”

She nodded, then turned her face into the pillow to wipe away her tears.