Page 78 of Badass Alien Boss

Dr. Kurur was at his desk when they entered. “Ruyn, Michaela, have a seat.”

They took their places, still holding hands. Hers were clammy, sweaty, and cold at the same time. His were dry and warm. He radiated calm.This is how he is in an emergency,she realized.This is the deadly calm, badass alien warrior. He’s at his best when the heat is on.

A twisted bundle of anxiety, she was not at her best right now.

“The test results have come in,” Dr. Kurur said. “As you recall, Ruyn received four doses of the experimental nanocyte neutralizer delivered by injection a week ago. The serum was developed by Dr. Stratos on Oberia—”

“For god’s sake! Did it work or didn’t it?” Michaela burst out.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“It worked,” Dr. Kurur said. “All traces of the nanocyte are gone.”

Gravity seemed to vanish, and Ruyn felt as if he could float out of his chair. He let out a whoop, as Michaela burst into tears. They hugged each other hard. She lifted her face, and right in front of the doctor, they kissed their first real kiss since the diagnosis. It was the best kiss of his entire life.

Dr. Kurur cleared his throat, but when they broke away, the doctor was smiling. “Congratulations. You’re a very lucky man.”

“I’m totally cured, right?” Trust, but verify. “All traces are gone forever?”

“Forever—unless you get reexposed, but now we have a treatment. But I wouldn’t recommend reexposure.”

“From this point forward, I’m not eating at any cafés run by Prellim Cartel members.” He could joke about it now.

“Thank you, Doctor!” Michaela wiped her eyes.

“Yes, thank you,” he seconded. “And please extend our gratitude to Dr. Stratos.”

“I will. As I said, he’s brilliant. If anyone can figure things out, he can.”

Ruyn couldn’t stop grinning as they left his office. In the hall, they clung to each other in a tight, full-body hug. “It’s over,” she said. “It’s really over.”

He’d come close to losing hope many times, but she had remained strong and prevented him from doing something stupid he would have regretted for the rest of his life. “Thank you for not giving up on me, for not letting me give up.”

“Never. We’re a team.”

“I love you so much.” His heart swelled with emotion.

“I love you.”

“Let’s go home,” he said.

* * * *

The hovercab let them off outside their apartment building. They hadn’t wanted to stop for dinner—they could order delivery. Crossing the lobby, he noted how much brighter and lighter everything appeared. He smiled at residents as they passed.

Alone in the booster, she regarded him with a seductive, suggestive smile.

“I hope you’re thinking what I’m thinking,” he said. Desire had begun to hum as soon as they’d headed for home. He needed her, craved a physical connection in a way he never had before. Physical release was the least of it. His feelings could not be expressed with mere words, and he needed reassurance that he was, in fact, cured. He believed the doctor, but until they had sex and she was perfectly fine, there would be residual worry.

“Oh, I think we’re on the same track.” She slipped her arm under his and hugged him. Her breast pressed against his biceps.

He palmed into the apartment, and clothing melted away as they kissed their way to the bedroom. The bed sprawled invitingly, but the doctor’s former dire predictions peeked out from the shadows of his mind, causing him to freeze for an instant.

“It’s over. All in the past. Don’t think about it.” She kissed him, swaying against him and rubbing her breasts on his chest. When she grasped his cock, he caught his breath. Heat coiled in his belly.

They sank onto the bed and found their familiar groove. It was as it had always been, only sweeter, his awareness heightened, his appreciation greater. He doubted he would ever take her or sex for granted again. He kissed her intimately, deeply, wetly because he could.

He cupped her breasts, pinching the beaded tips with his fingers, before dipping his head and sucking on them.