Chapter 6
Natasha woke the next morning with a strong desire for eggs and crepes with plenty of fruit. She knew it was her body and the nano-machines working feverishly to heal her, but even knowing this didn't affect her appetite.
It was early still. There probably wasn't anybody else awake on the ship just yet she knew. She'd always been an early riser and usually preferred to work out before breakfast, but her stomach was having none of it!
She slipped out of her bed naked as usual, feeling comfortable in her skin but this time put on a light silk robe. She had company on board and didn't want to embarrass herself or one of them. Then she headed for the kitchen. Maybe afterward she would have the energy to exercise a little.
Karl hadn't been able to sleep much with Mallory potentially and probably still on the planet. So it was, he found himself sitting in the living area in the near pitch dark and sipping a cup of a spicy chi tea blend. And thus, he was there to see a nearly nude Natasha as she ghosted into the living area and through it toward the kitchen. She was in an almost sheer short silk robe that hid little and accentuated her curves beautifully. He'd seen her in a tiny swimsuit, but hadn't had time to really appreciate her beauty then. He'd been too worried about whether she would live to even pay attention. Now however...
She never even noticed him as she made her way to her destination and set about programming an early breakfast for herself. He couldn't see much of her until she passed in front of the door on her various errands. He didn't know if he should say anything or not, but finally decided it would only be polite. She probably wouldn't appreciate being surprised in that way in her own home. "Good morning beautiful." He said in an easy voice. She jumped a little at the sound and whirled around to see, but the surprise on her face wasn't so much funny as happy.
"I didn't see you there," she said as she brought up the lights a little in the living area and smiled at him, "I didn't expect anyone to be up this early. Oh, you look like you've been awake awhile. What are you drinking?"
"A cup of chi tea." He replied with a mild grin for her. "I guess either I'm not the only one who doesn't sleep much, or you're a really early riser."
"This is early, even for me!" Natasha giggled, "I was hungry! Care to join me for breakfast?" At his nod of thanks, she made a couple of adjustments to the auto-kitchen programming before joining him in the living area with a hot cup of coffee.
It was then she realized he wasn't wearing much. Then a second later exactly how little she herself was wearing. She hadn't really expected to run into anyone at this time of night and so, her clothing selection had been more for forms sake than anything. He was wearing only a pair of bike shorts which nicely confirmed her observations on the station. He was slim but corded with wiry muscle that was probably deceptively strong. Even relaxed, he looked magnificent.
He seemed in reasonably good control of himself and a furtive glance at his groin showed an impressive but soft looking bulge in the right place. His shorts left very little to the imagination. It was a bit exciting, but at the same time a bit of a letdown too. She'd always enjoyed the anticipation of her first sight of a partner's anatomy, especially when he was hard. She knew she was going to sleep with him, the only question was when it would happen. She wasn't disappointed by what she was seeing by any means, she just knew she would miss the anticipation. It was always like waiting to open a gift. Sometimes the gift was good, other times not so, but that was all part of the fun. Still, his not being hard did leave some of the anticipation... She realized she was still staring and hid her blush behind her coffee cup, drinking slowly but deeply to hide her embarrassment. There was no way he could've missed where her eyes were looking.
Karl hadn't missed it either, but hadn't wanted to embarrass her any more than she already was. Too, her attention was flattering. He took the opportunity of her distraction to take a look at her as well. He was more successful in hiding his action, but his physical reaction almost gave him away anyway. It took all he had to suppress it enough not to be obvious what he'd been doing. They reached for each other's hands at the same moment, each giving the other a respite from the momentary awkwardness. Each knew what the other had been doing though and they both found themselves laughing quietly together. That broke the tension and the next thing they knew they were kissing passionately, all inhibitions forgotten for the moment.
When they broke, they were both breathing hard and flushed. This was going way too fast for both of them. Neither had been prepared or even looking for anything like this when they'd come to Aphrodite. They both started to speak at once and ended up laughing again.
Karl was the first to recover and begin speaking again for which Natasha was thankful. She didn't want to be the one to say what had to be said. Her heart was screaming at her to rush into it and worry about the consequences later. "It looks like we both agree at least, or I hope so anyway. Otherwise, I'm making a very big mistake I'll probably never be able to forgive myself for. But, this is going too fast. I think maybe we should try to slow it down a bit. Take a little more time getting to know one another, you know? I don't want to take a chance at ruining a really good thing because we were impatient."
"Exactly." Natasha agreed looking relieved. She wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tight this time. He returned the hug and they stayed that way for a long while before relaxing into the sofa and snuggling together comfortably. When the auto-kitchen alerted them, their breakfast was ready, they got up hand in hand and moved to the table. Karl seated Natasha as he had the night of their dinner date before going and retrieving their food and drinks.
They ate slowly but heartily, talking quietly, sharing small anecdotes and jokes.
When they finished, they placed their dishes in the sanitizer and Natasha greatly daring and knowing it could jeopardize everything, led him down to the gym deck and to the spa. She set it for hydrotherapy and a rapid heating cycle.
Karl watched her curiously. He was wondering what she had in mind when she stood slowly turning to face him. He immediately saw she was untying her robe sash. "I know I'm taking a chance here, but come in with me?" She let her robe fall to the mat at the spa side, standing there in front of him gloriously nude.
The look of trust and hope in her eyes made it clear he didn't have a choice short of hurting her. He couldn't have said no if he'd wanted to anyway, but that clinched it. "You're absolutely beautiful Tasha! I'd love to and I'm deeply honored by your trust." He too removed what he was wearing.
Natasha stayed where she was, giving him time to look at her as much as he wished. She made it clear what she was doing and he did the same for her. She watched him looking at her and enjoyed every second of it. His eyes followed her robe to the floor first, then made two quick passes up and down her body, taking her all in. She watched as his eyes stopped at her chest on the second pass, and he smiled as he took in her breasts. She was unashamedly proud of them too, and in this situation, she loved being looked at. His scan of her body seemed to flow downward until his eyes reached her nethers. His detailed examination brought her center to liquid attention and she was afraid she was going to start dripping onto the matts.
At the same time, Natasha couldn't help smiling when she saw his penis come erect. He was actually bigger than she'd expected after her experience that night at the restaurant. Even more interesting, his groin was completely hairless. The rest of his body had the usual hair, even a little more than some. She could only think of one reason he would do that...
The atmosphere in the gym deck was electric with sexual tension, but both thought they could handle it, if not easily. Finally, Karl came forward to take her hand again and they stepped into the rapidly warming water together. It was already at body temperature and it swirled around their legs as they moved to the pair of loungers to either side of the swim channel and settled down.
This wasn't good, they were too far apart. So, without having to ask, they agreed and moved to the more upright seats at the other end of the spa and on one side. Here they could at least touch and carry on a quiet conversation if they wished. That had been their intention, but they found themselves simply enjoying the silence and the privacy. Tasha settled against Karl's side and his arm went around her shoulders and they sat in quiet contentment while the hot water worked its magic, relaxing and soothing them both. Natasha was seriously considering the acquisition of a new spa with a friendlier seating arrangement.
Bona woke the same time Natasha did, though in her own room and heard her get up and head for the kitchen. Giving her a few minutes head start, she too left her room. She was just in time to hear Karl startle Tasha and all of the subsequent conversation, the rapid developments and the sudden stop. She was disappointed. She knew these two humans were perfect for one another, why were they putting things off? Humans could be so obtuse sometimes!
When they'd finished their meal, Natasha again surprised her by inviting him down to the gym and her favorite appliance on the whole ship. She knew where that usually led and her hopes began to rise again. Once again, she gave them a bit of a head start, then followed them down to the next deck.
