A Day in the Life: Stella Felicity Heaton
Copyright © 2010 Felicity Heaton All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. The right of Felicity Heaton to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First printed February 2010 First Edition Layout and design by Felicity Heaton All characters in this publication are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Cover by Felicity Heaton
The following short story is based on:
Sons of Lyra: Stranded Captain Lyra III is known for his vicious attitude and brilliance in battle. Second youngest of the infamously passionate and handsome sons of Lyra, he’s a born leader and doesn’t take no for an answer. Except this time. Acer is facing a future that seems like a nightmare, a future that has shaken him and made him realise that the one thing he truly wanted in life may have just slipped through his grasp—his engineer, Stella. Stella fell for Acer the moment she was transferred to his ship by his brother, Captain Lyra II. A year on his ship and never being noticed by him unless she’s done something wrong, she’s come to accept that she won’t be the one to tame this prince’s passionate heart, but it doesn’t make her feelings disappear and doesn’t stop her dreaming that she might capture him yet. Attacked en route to Lyra Prime they find themselves stranded alone in the middle of deep space and things reach boiling point when the climate control breaks down. Trapped with only each other for company, it’s not long before the truth comes out about their feelings for each other and Acer’s reason for returning to Lyra Prime. When Stella discovers Acer is duty bound to marry a woman of Lyran aristocracy, she offers him a night to remember her by, but will it be enough or will it cause them more pain than pleasure? Returning to Lyra Prime, will Stella’s heart falter or will she rise to the challenge and fight for Acer? Will Acer be able to find the strength to forsake his family in the name of true love? Read an excerpt or buy here: http://bit.ly/aKlI4M SAVE 25% on this story by entering this code during checkout:
STELLA
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
A Day in the Life: Stella “I thought you said this would never happen again.” The stern edge to those words made Stella’s fists clench. She blew upwards, trying to get the strands of her long brown hair out of her face but they stuck to her sweaty skin. Above her, the display panel glowed blue, lighting the tunnel she was laying in and adding to the heat. The diagnostics on the panel read just fine, but the Achelon class fighter ship was dead in space. “I swear, this isn’t my damn fault,” she snapped, tired from the temperature of the access tube and the frustration of not being able to fix the fault. Stella swore at the panel and then hit it with her posidriver. She was about to hit it again for good measure when Acer grabbed her ankle and yanked her out of the tunnel, dragging her along on her back. She was ready to fly at him until he came into view. Acer was as handsome as ever, his aquamarine eyes sparkling with mischief or amusement. Did he think that this was funny? She would have asked him had it not been for the fact that he had undone his tight blue and black flight suit, tying the arms around his waist and leaving him topless. He stood over her, glorious against the dark backdrop of the engineering room’s pipe and vent laden metal ceiling, and she couldn’t form any words to express her anger. Not when he was looking at her with eyes that were beginning to show a flicker of passion. 1
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
He looked delicious, and she remembered how they had got together all those months ago in exactly this sort of situation. It was happening all over again. They had dropped the crew off two days ago on much needed shore leave and were en route to Lyra Prime. Just them. Just her and Acer on the whole ship. Only this time the climate control wasn’t broken. Not that it had stopped Acer from getting half-naked, and not that she was complaining about that. He had the body of a god and she never tired of looking at it. There wasn’t a man as handsome and perfect as him in all of the galaxy. “What’s the matter, Princess, Snrikik got your tongue?” Acer grinned at her. Stella refused to blush at the smile he was flashing or the pet term for her. He wanted her to blush. He was challenging her. Instead, she got to her feet, brushed down the backside of her tight flight suit, and fanned herself with her hand. When she had his attention, she made a fuss of unzipping her flight suit down to just beyond her breasts, exposing part of her low-cut white vest, and tugging the sides open to let in some cool air. Acer was gawping like a Gavaelian carp when she snuck a glance at him. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who could get the other flustered. His jaw tensed and he reached for her, passionate intent written all over his face, but Stella sidestepped out of his reach. “Captain, I have work to do here,” she said and turned around to go back into the access tunnel. Acer grabbed her from behind and pulled her against him. The feel of his hard body against her back made 2
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her eyes close but she snapped them open again, refusing to play into his hands. He cupped her breasts, a reminder that she was already in his hands. “This really isn’t helping,” she whispered when he kissed her neck and cleared the tangled threads of her long dark hair from it. He was thorough, pressing wet open-mouthed kisses against every millimetre of her throat, as though he wanted to devour her. Stella held her moan back when his thumbs swept over her breasts, teasing her nipples. She really did have work to do. “Captain,” she whispered on an exhale of sheer pleasure. Acer’s hands were gone from her breasts in an instant, clutching her upper arms instead and spinning her to face him. She expected him to look angry because of her use of his rank rather than his name. He didn’t. His pupils were wide with desire, his bow lips blush from kissing her throat. There was only wanton hunger written across his handsome face and it made her knees tremble. His grip on her arms tightened. The Gravi-Drive whined and the gravity in the ship lessened enough for him to push off and float gently with her to the engine block. Acer pressed her to it between the access tunnel and the boxy Gravi-Drive. Before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers, tongue probing deeply and making any shred of sense she’d retained drift away. Stella gave up her fight and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her tongue played with his, tangling softly and slowly, stirring fires in the pit of her belly that demanded satisfaction. 3
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The sort of satisfaction only Acer could give her. It felt too long since they’d been alone like this. In fact, it had been months. Stella kissed him deeper and Acer obeyed her silent command. He slanted his head and stole her breath away with his ardent kisses. She had to remove one of her hands from his neck and grasp the grab-rail to her left to stop herself from floating away on the feel of his mouth against hers and the promise of things to come. She’d missed this. They hadn’t been alone since she had rescued him from his arranged wedding and they had flown away together on this very ship, the Nephis-Lyra, destined for Vega Three. They hadn’t made it to the pleasure planet on the other side of the galaxy. Just as they had reached Vegan space, the Vegan’s had switched on the barrier. Acer had flown the ship straight out and back into Lyran space with a few Vegan fighters hot on his tail. He had been so incredibly sexy in that moment, protecting her above everything. He hadn’t cared about what would have happened to him if they had been caught. He’d only cared about the law that had appeared overnight, the one that stated all Lyrans in the black zone would be executed. He had done it to stop that from happening to her. Since then, the Nephis-Lyra had been under orders to lead the investigation into what had happened. They never had managed to have their shore leave. Months on and they still hadn’t been back to Lyra Prime. There had been no mention of a wedding. Acer’s mouth left hers, kissing a delicious trail down her neck that made her ache inside. She wanted more. She wanted that wedding. 4
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
Now they were heading back to Lyra Prime for the birth celebrations of Sebastian’s daughter. But Acer hadn’t mentioned getting married. In fact, he hadn’t mentioned it since the day she had rescued him. He pulled back and frowned at her, his beautiful aquamarine eyes dark with confusion. “What’s wrong?” he whispered and stroked her cheek, soothing her hurt even when he didn’t know what had caused it. Stella dropped her gaze to the metal floor of the engine room. “It’s nothing, really. I just need to get the engine fixed.” She slipped free of his grasp and grabbed her tools. She smacked the Gravi-Drive with a wrench on her way past. It instantly kicked back on, sending her feet slamming to the ground. Acer stood there, watching her, the frown still etched on his face. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, Stella slipped back into the curved access tube. He didn’t leave. She could almost hear him trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Was there something wrong with her? Stella sighed, blew the strands of her brown hair from her face, and started to work on the access panel again, her fingers dancing over the buttons and trying to get a response. Now that Acer had her, was he really going to marry her? 5
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
He moved around in the engine room, his heavy footsteps echoing off the walls. She tried to focus on her work but it was difficult with him pacing so nearby. Perhaps she should confront him. It had been almost a year since that day. He had told her then that his parents would expect a replacement wedding within a year. Acer had given her the impression that it would be sooner than that. “Cruskin,” Stella muttered under her breath so he wouldn’t hear her and dashed away the tears that had formed at the corner of her eyes. It wasn’t Acer’s fault. Perhaps she was being too hard on him and reading into things too much. They had been on missions ever since the Vegan barrier had been erected, and they hadn’t been anywhere near the Lyran system. He was a prince, one of the sons of Lyra. He had to marry on Lyra Prime in front of an audience. Or did he? If he really wanted to marry her, he wouldn’t care about what his parents wanted. He would marry her wherever he could. She sighed again and tried to focus on the panel. The air in the access tube was hot and stifling. Sweat beaded on her chest and brow, and she struggled to keep her concentration on the lights above her. She didn’t understand it. There was nothing wrong with the engine but it had stopped working. She’d been on the bridge at the time, flying the ship. They were only ten thousand leagues outside the Lyran system. She had tried to raise a distress call but the communications system didn’t work. 6
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
A whole day had passed since then. If she didn’t fix the ship soon, they were going to miss the start of the celebrations. Stella reminded herself that she didn’t really want to get to Lyra Prime. Being there was only going to hurt her even more. Acer wasn’t going to marry her. “Stella?” His voice was pure honey, soothing to her ears. She loved the way he said her name sometimes, with a melody that sounded like happiness and adoration. “Do you want me to have a look?” Stella raised her head and stared down the length of her body at him where he crouched at the end of the tunnel near her feet. The blue lights from the panel made his eyes even brighter. He was so handsome, his dark hair wild from their moment of passion, his torso bare, and his gaze fixed on her with intensity. She loved the way he looked at her now, with barely restrained hunger. Instead of answering him, she unzipped the top of her flight suit and wriggled out of the arms. Acer’s eyes darkened just as she’d wanted them to. Teasing him was always fun. He was terrible at hiding his passion for her. The entire crew had taken barely seconds to realise that something had happened between them when they had picked them up after escaping the Vegan system. Stella had borne the malicious rumours and snide remarks about her from the other female crew members. As long as Acer kept staring at her whenever she walked into a room, growing oblivious of any other woman, she didn’t care what people said about her. It was all jealousy anyway. Everyone wanted Acer, and she had him. Stella smiled at him and his eyes narrowed. 7
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“I can come in and help you.” There was a look on his face, an air of wickedness and sin, that said he wouldn’t be helping so much as hindering. Iskara, she wanted him when he looked at her like that. His hand grazed her thigh when he got onto all fours and she shivered with anticipation, her eyes half closing. She coughed to clear her throat and shifted her eyes to the panel. “I seem to recall you breaking something last time you tried to help—” Stella squeaked the last word as he grabbed her ankle again and pulled her out of the tube. She stared wide eyed up into his blue eyes. He grinned and leaned over her, planting his hands firmly either side of her head. “What are you doing?” she said and her eyes widened further when he stood, stripped off his flight suit, and looked down at her. Iskara, he looked amazing in nothing but a pair of white tight hip-hugging trunks, his body taut and honed to perfection. Stella swallowed, her temperature shooting up. “Captain?” she whispered, not quite able to breathe, and clutched her posidriver to her chest. “I thought I said not to call me that,” he husked and knelt beside her on the metal floor. Stella swallowed again when he removed the cylindrical tool from her hand, his fingers lightly brushing hers, and tossed it across the engine room. He leaned down and 8
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
kissed her throat and then worked his way down to her chest. One hand ran down her arm while he supported himself with his other. Stella gasped when he lightly ran his fingers over her right breast and her stomach. He unzipped the rest of her flight suit and she swore he grazed her groin on purpose. “Or I shall start calling you Engineer again,” he whispered from her breasts. She groaned when he wrapped his mouth around her left nipple and sucked it through the white material of her short top. His hand delved lower, sliding into her flight suit, teasing her mound. His hand and mouth disappeared from her and she lay staring at him as he tugged the flight suit down her legs. He pulled her boots off, threw them across the room, and then yanked the flight suit off too. “I want you out of this damn thing just like back then,” he muttered and she wondered if he was talking to her or himself. There was a sparkle of mischief in Acer’s eyes when they met hers. It melted her insides and brought her to boiling point. She wanted him too. Iskara, she needed him. And she didn’t care that it was about to happen on the floor of her engine room. Acer smiled, charming and wicked. Stella melted into the floor when he leaned over her, sliding his leg between hers and pressing his hips against her pelvis. He was hard. Iskara. Before she could form her question again, his mouth was back against her 9
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
throat, driving her further out of her mind. She burned for him, caught up in the inferno of his love for her. His hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, edging her ever closer to begging him to take her. “Acer,” she whispered into his ear when he kissed her throat, lavishing attention on it that made her squirm beneath the delicious weight of him. She needed more. “What are you doing?” He drew back and smiled brilliantly at her, handsome and charming, wicked and sinful, everything a son of Lyra should be and more. “I’m seducing you,” he said in a deadly serious tone. Stella stared blankly at him. “We’ve been together a while. It’s a little late for seductions.” He laughed and she couldn’t help smiling along with him. “It’s like back then all over again,” he whispered and lowered his mouth to her neck, kissing her throat so softly that she ached for more. “I’m going to seduce you properly this time.” Stella surrendered to him, letting him strip her small white vest off and groaning when he brushed his thumb over her nipple. He could seduce her all he wanted. It was better than worrying about the stupid engine malfunction and it had been so very long since they had been alone together. Acer kissed down to her chest and her breasts, lavishing them with attention, kissing and suckling her nipples until she was close to holding him to her and pleading him for more. She moaned again, arching her back so her breasts pressed against his 10
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mouth and his fevered kisses. Iskara, she needed him now more than ever. She tilted her head back into the metal floor and gasped when he playfully nipped her breast, torturing the nipple until she quivered. Her eyes shot open and she stared into the access tunnel. A moment later her eyebrows knit together. Something wasn’t right. She cocked her head to one side and frowned at the mass of wires and connectors. Something was missing. Stella shoved Acer off her and glared accusingly at him. He smiled, boyish and handsome, and ran his hand around the back of his neck. She sighed. “In Iskara’s name... you only had to say you wanted some time alone together. You didn’t have to sabotage your own ship!” His smile didn’t falter. He knelt in front of her, delicious and enticing with his muscles so tensed and pronounced, and it was difficult for Stella to keep her focus. She held her hand out. “Where’s the part?” Acer grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, so her bare breasts pressed against his broad warm chest and she was melting all over again. “Later,” he whispered against her throat and kissed it again, licking and nipping at the soft flesh. He slid his hand around the back of her neck, strong against the nape, and held her. She knew she couldn’t escape him even if she tried. She leaned into him instead, into the 11
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kisses that were gradually driving her anger to the back of her mind again. “I just want to be alone with you, Stella. It’s been so long since we’ve been alone.” The earnestness of his tone made her heart warm and her anger disappear. She couldn’t be mad at him for wanting something desperately enough to take drastic measures to achieve it. It was sweet in a way. His mouth met hers and she kissed him softly, showing him that she wasn’t angry with him because she had wanted to be alone with him too. The part he had taken from the ship wasn’t vital and she knew he was aware of that. It was only a breaker circuit that connected the main drive to the panel. Enough to stop the ship and get him his wish of time alone with her. Acer laid her down again, covering her slender body with his own and deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, smiling against his mouth and still not quite able to believe he had gone so far just so they could be together like this. Acer kissed down her throat, sliding his hands around her back and pulling her body close to his. “It’s a shame you’re not so intent on marrying me,” she mumbled, afraid he would hear her. He pulled back and stared down into her eyes. There was no anger in his but no spark of amusement either. He was serious again, reminding her of the way he’d once been around her all those months ago before they’d got together. “Who says I’m not?” he whispered and stroked the hair from her face, his look melting to reveal concern. “Stella... don’t tell me you think... Iskara, it’s been 12
A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
murder having to wait so long to make you officially mine. I’ve wanted to from the moment you crashed my wedding and took me away from a future I didn’t want to one I did with all of my heart.” Stella cursed him for his sweet earnest words and the tender look on his face. He kissed her nose, her forehead, her lips, and then drew back again and sighed. “We’re going home now, back to Lyra Prime, and you honestly think I’m going to let you leave it again until you’re mine?” “I already am yours,” she whispered back at him. Acer shook his head. “Not in the way I need you to be. Iskara no tatui sem do skiattai aishin.” Tears slipped down from the corner of Stella’s eyes. He had remembered what he’d said to her all those months ago. She wanted it too. She wanted him to love her and to be forever hers. “Didn’t you wonder why I gave everyone three standard weeks leave?” He smiled at her as though she was an idiot and Stella realised that she might have been. She hadn’t considered that three weeks was a long time for a celebration. Was he really planning what she thought he was? Stella studied his blue eyes, trying to read them and see if he was. His smile widened, his kiss blushed lips luring her in and making her want to continue what they had been doing just moments ago before she’d ruined it.
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A Day in the Life: Stella – Felicity Heaton
“Three weeks is just enough time to get a wedding together of the magnitude you deserve, Princess, and I’m not letting you out of my sight or off Lyra Prime until you’re my bride. You’re going to marry me.” Acer grinned, dipped his head and kissed the breath from her. Stella smiled against his lips, warmed by his words and the feel of his love for her coming through his kiss. How could she have doubted him? She’d been so caught up in thinking bad things that she hadn’t noticed the good. She should have realised that he wouldn’t let her leave Lyra Prime without marrying him first. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closer, still smiling over the commanding nature of his words, the hard determined tone he’d said them in, and the intent that had been in his eyes. She kissed him, pulling him down until his body was flush against hers, knowing that he was telling the truth. He wasn’t going to let her leave Lyra Prime until they were married. And she wasn’t about to refuse. After all, no one said no to a son of Lyra. And there was only one word Stella knew when it came to Acer. She leaned her head back, held his mouth to her throat, and sighed in pleasure as he kissed it. “Yes.” The End
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About the Author: Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances. Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures. To see her other novels, visit: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk If you have enjoyed this story, please take a moment to contact the author at
[email protected] or to post a review of the book online Follow the author on: Her blog – http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com Twitter – http://twitter.com/felicityheaton Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/feheaton Grouply – http://felicityheaton.grouply.com
Enjoyed this story? This short was based on:
Sons of Lyra: Stranded Captain Lyra III is known for his vicious attitude and brilliance in battle. Second youngest of the infamously passionate and handsome sons of Lyra, he’s a born leader and doesn’t take no for an answer. Except this time. Acer is facing a future that seems like a nightmare, a future that has shaken him and made him realise that the one thing he truly wanted in life may have just slipped through his grasp—his engineer, Stella. Stella fell for Acer the moment she was transferred to his ship by his brother, Captain Lyra II. A year on his ship and never being noticed by him unless she’s done something wrong, she’s come to accept that she won’t be the one to tame this prince’s passionate heart, but it doesn’t make her feelings disappear and doesn’t stop her dreaming that she might capture him yet. Attacked en route to Lyra Prime they find themselves stranded alone in the middle of deep space and things reach boiling point when the climate control breaks down. Trapped with only each other for company, it’s not long before the truth comes out about their feelings for each other and Acer’s reason for returning to Lyra Prime. When Stella discovers Acer is duty bound to marry a woman of Lyran aristocracy, she offers him a night to remember her by, but will it be enough or will it cause them more pain than pleasure? Returning to Lyra Prime, will Stella’s heart falter or will she rise to the challenge and fight for Acer? Will Acer be able to find the strength to forsake his family in the name of true love? Read an excerpt or buy here: http://bit.ly/aKlI4M SAVE 25% on this story by entering this code during checkout:
STELLA
