Rain of Tears by Viola Grace

enjoyed it far more than a good meal or a glass of wine.
    With her body clean and her hair giving her memories of lazy summers, she stepped onto the drying vents and blasted herself clean with concentrated bursts of air.
    Brushing out her hair was the most complicated part of the whole procedure. The lavender waves were soft, and in theory, they had been designed to look dramatic while the wind was whipping her skin. She never let the wind get that close, to hell with drama.
    When she was clean, her suit was hanging in the refresher and she had her nerves together, she went out into the bedroom and crawled into bed next to Unrik.
    He turned and faced her, his dark eyes intense. “I was beginning to think you were moving into the Guard Base.”
    She caressed his jaw as he leaned in to kiss her. “They offered, but I told them I had something to do back at the Citadel.”
    He laughed and kissed his way down her body. “I am not sure that being called a thing is flattering, but I am not in a mood to argue.”
    Reyan wanted to laugh, but as his mouth worked at her skin, all humour fled. She focussed on his mouth, his hands and, when he moved over her, his body. She didn’t really appreciate keeping him at full height once he slid into her, and after that, she made a mental note to let him shrink just a little.
    The first coming together was fast, hard and took the edge off.
    He laughed softly and caressed her hip. “Did you have dinner?”
    “No. Fixer ate it all.”
    He snickered and got to his feet, walking over to the dispensing unit next to the desk. After keying in his selections, he looked around. “What is that?”
    “It’s a personal portable skimmer. Mala let me test it out.” She watched him lift it and admired the play of muscles in his back.
    “It’s light.”
    “That is the idea. It would get you where you needed to go and is light enough that you can carry a spare for extraction assignments.” She stretched and tucked her hair up in a loose knot held only by friction.
    “I don’t think we will get many of those.”
    She chuckled. “You never know when a good fog bank will be desirable.”
    To prove her point, she created a fog bank in the bedroom as she slipped silently out of the bed. She stroked his thigh and felt him jump. Reyan wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulders. He shivered and shuddered in her grasp, and she had fun with his inability to see where she was going to touch next.
    She played with him, touching, retreating and then touching again until the dispenser chirped and told her that the food was ready. Having worked up an appetite, she waved the fog away, and it proved to be a tactical error.
    Unrik growled and lifted her where she stood, bringing her down until she surrounded him. He pressed her to the wall and rocked into her until they both shuddered in release.
    Note to self—Teasing will lead to sudden movement. Do it often.
    Dinner had now become dessert.
    They came together all night, sometimes she initiated, sometimes he did, but they always ended up together.
     
    Sitting in the dining room the next morning, they drew a fair share of attention. She was wearing her black, gold and scarlet master’s robe over the bodysuit, and she smiled brightly and spoke softly to anyone who came up to introduce themselves even though her food was stone cold by the time she made it through.
    Her wrist cuff chirped.
    Unrik smiled slowly.
    She pressed a button and tried not to watch Unrik as he watched her. Their joining was still new, and his obsession with her would soon wane. She hoped. He was very intense.
    “Hello?”
    “This is Turnari, I wanted to speak to you about a situation that has arisen.”
    “Specialist Hobbs and I are on our way to your office.” She disconnected the call and scowled at her lover. “Stop looking at me in that tone of voice.”
    He laughed and helped clear the table before he offered her his arm to escort her up to the