Kneus: A Terraneu Novel (Book Four) (6 page)

Gwen was struggling to keep the exam professional.
The thought of Kneus before her in that medical gown, with nothing on
underneath, her equilibrium was shot. She had started off watching him take off
his clothes and had to turn away when he got to his pants. She hadn’t wanted to
disgrace herself by jumping across the room and taking a huge bite of his
muscled ass! (Don’t judge, she would have kissed it better!)

Now after finding nothing wrong with him, and a whole lot that was just
right, she couldn’t keep her mind on Kneus the patient...it was all over Kneus
the man. He was radiating heat like a mini-sun, his eyes were flashing purple
smoke and his body was just muscled perfection!

She had accidentally tickled him, and then moved to examine his ribs and
abs.

““Uh. Gwen.” His voice sounded thick and throaty.

Deep in thought she almost jumped when he spoke, “Yes?” Her eyes flew up
to meet his. How could she ever forget how beautiful he was? His smokey eyes,
his sooty black eyelashes and full ‘pillow’ lips. His eyes flashed down his
body then back to meet her gaze. She followed where he was looking, saw her
fingers still playing absently with his abs and gasped.

“Kneus. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize I was doing that.” She went
to pull her hand away and was startled when it was suddenly pressed flat
against his stomach. Her eyes flew to his face and she only had time to
register that his eyes were now sparking purple flames.

“Gwen.” Kneus groaned her name just before he pulled her fully against
him, her hand trapped between them. Then before she could say anything his
mouth crushed against hers.

Gwen stood immobile against Kneus’ chest, her eyes wide in shock. He was
kissing her and he was good at it! She let her eyes flutter closed and gave
herself up to the embrace. When his lips parted, she followed his lead and
allowed her tongue to spar with his. Whatever she had imagined kissing Kneus
would be like was nothing compared to the reality of it. His lips were hot
against hers and she could feel every inch of his skin pressed against her, the
material of the medical gown was nothing compared to his heat. His arms were
around her one pressed against her shoulders, the other her waist. She was
cocooned in his warmth and had no room for thought. One hand was free and those
fingers were tangled in his hair, enjoying the feel of the silken strands. The
other hand that was trapped against his abs felt the jumping and bunching of
those muscles. When she got the chance her fingers moved further down his
stomach, coming into contact with his arousal. Her mind snapped awake at the
knowledge that he had broken through the sexual block, then she went right back
into hazy with passion when her fingers made it under his medical gown.

Professional ethics be damned, this wasn’t Earth and she didn’t have to
answer to anybody but her own conscience, and that was screaming at her to go
for it! She wrapped her fingers around his steely shaft, her fingers barely
making contact with each other. She wasn’t a small woman, and though feminine,
her hands were not petite. For his girth to match her hand size meant he was a
well-endowed man. Gwen groaned against his mouth and their passion flared
higher. Kneus answered her with a rasping groan of his own when she squeezed
him harder.

Her excitement was so high she was hearing a ringing in her ears. Then it
dawned on her that it wasn’t desire causing her ears to ring. The computer was
beeping to let them know the medical results had just been posted. Well it
could just wait. Only Kneus had stilled in her arms and with a sigh she opened
her eyes and saw that he had opened his too. She noticed with satisfaction that
his hair was disheveled, his lips even more plump from her suckling them and
his eyes were a fiery purple. She imagined she looked much the same. His
fingers had been fisted in her hair, and her lips were probably just as “bee
stung” as his appeared.

Gwen released her hold on him and took a shaky step back. With sexual
tension arcing between them she was the first to clear her throat, “Uh. The
computer...” she swallowed and tried again. “I think your results are in.” Gwen
put shaky hands to her head and tried to smooth her appearance. Her palms were
sweaty and that was nothing to the moist ache between her legs. She was going
to have to get to her dome and take a cold shower.

Kneus put his finger against her lip. “I should not have kissed you Gwen.
I don’t think it was fair.” He moved off the medical bed, and grabbing up his
clothes walked to the computer. “Our emotions are high from the twins’ birth,
and the fact that I confided in you about the nightmares. I don’t think either
of us are acting rationally right now.” He pushed a few buttons and the
computer stopped beeping, and then sat in a chair facing the computer.

Gwen had stayed quiet long enough, she wasn’t about to let Kneus talk
around this encounter. “Desiring someone isn’t supposed to be rational Kneus.”
Gwen moved to read the results on the computer console. “It is exactly as I
thought. You are dehydrated and your cell count is low. There is also some
minor energy reading from your brain, but that could be explained by your
thoughts during the scan.” Gwen sat in the chair next to him, and turned his
chair so he would have to face her.

“We are going to talk about what happened just now between us.” She
placed both her hands on his knees, “I am not expecting you to apply for a dome
in New Haven and declare mate status because of one kiss.” Holding his gaze was
hard but she forced herself to do it. “I think it is safe to say that you know
I am attracted to you, I have been for a long time and it has nothing to do
with the “emotion” of the twin’s births or you confiding in me.”

His shocked look didn’t help her confidence in continuing, but she
charged ahead anyway. “I think it is also safe to say that you are attracted to
me, for whatever reason you want to put on it. I will wait for you to come to
terms with your feelings, and it is up to you to make the next move. I won’t
pressure you into any relationship, physical or otherwise that you aren’t ready
for or don’t want.”

Gwen stood up and pushed her chair back in. “I promised I would stop in
to see the new sacath and check in on Mairi.” Gwen strode to the door. “Get the
sun that I have prescribed, and the water. We will work on the nightmares if
they keep occurring after you work on getting more of those two things.” Gwen
smiled weakly then hurried to leave before she made more of a fool of herself.
“Think about what I said.”

Kneus sat there for a long while after Gwen had
left. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. The desire to hold her in his arms was so
strong he couldn’t fight it. Nightmares and consequence be damned he had just
wanted to feel her lips against his. Sighing loudly he moved away from the
console and left the technology dome. He agreed with Gwen that he needed to get
more sun and water if he was ever going to get better. With that thought in
mind he started back to his dome. Saying hello and talking with friends he
passed along the way it took a while but he finally made it home. Taking the
reader from his bedside, and a huge glass of water from his bathroom he went
out onto his balcony to relax.

“Desiring someone isn’t supposed to be rational.” Gwen had said. He
supposed that made sense. His brother Kniam wanted Amber from the moment he saw
her, against all rational thought. His brother’s Knaleg and Knollig also were
not rational in their choice of mates either. Were there no grounds for the
attraction? If he thought on the reasons he desired Gwen he supposed there was
sense to it. She was intelligent, compassionate, funny, loyal, honest...the
list just went on and on. So maybe he had been fighting an attraction to her
all along, and he was using the birth of the twins to try to avoid
entanglements with her?

How could he explain the violence of the nightmares then? If
subconsciously he wanted a relationship with Gwen, why had he been choking her
in the dream?

Realizing this wasn’t relaxing him Kneus put his thoughts aside for the
time being. He grabbed his reader and started at the point in the book he had
left off. He read until his eyes started to cross, and then decided to take a
break. He glanced at his now empty glass and smiled to himself. He had refilled
it twice while reading, so Gwen would be happy that he had met his water quota
for the day.

Standing and stretching his muscles he decided to visit Knollig and Mairi
first and then swing by and see the new sacath.

“
Are you up for visitors?”
He quietly whispered to his brother,
knowing he wouldn’t wake him if he were asleep.

“I wondered when you would stop by. Yes we are awake. The others are
all here and we will announce the names we have chosen for our daughters when
you arrive...so hurry.”
There was such happiness in Knollig’s voice that he
felt his chest tighten.

“I will be right there.”
Kneus assured his brother as he freshened
himself up quickly then left his dome.

Walking as fast as he could to the medical dome in New Have Kneus arrived
in no time. Opening the door he wasn’t surprised to see both council’s present.
Amber, Kniam, Thian, Jen, Knaleg, Catherine, Asteen, Ailech and Gwen. Callum
McPherson was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Mairi was on one of the
medical beds with a cover draped over one shoulder. Knollig was standing by her
side holding the dark haired twin. He couldn’t see the other twin and was
instantly alarmed.

“Where is the other baby?” His voice cracked with concern. “Has something
happened?”

“Nothing is wrong, she is eating.” Gwen hurried to answer him. Her
reassuring smile had his heart rate easing. He looked for someone holding her
with a bottle and couldn’t find her again. He stopped himself from asking where
she was and decided to observe. Looking around the room again, he noticed the
drape on Mairi’s shoulder move slightly.

“She is able to feed the baby at her breast?”
He asked his brother
telepathically.

”Yes.
” Knollig answered giving him a smile,
“She just finished
feeding Celeste...damn it, you didn’t hear that. Act surprised when it is
announced.”

Kneus fought back the laugh at his brother’s slip of the tongue, and
smiled around the room.

Mairi got everyone’s attention when with a few movements under the
blanket, she drew back the drape to gently place the red haired baby over her
shoulder. “I think it’s time to announce the names Knollig.” She beamed at her
mate. “I will let you do the honors.”

Knollig cleared his throat and with his gaze fixed on Callum McPherson he
said, “We have decided to name our daughters Celeste and Chloe after their
grandmother and great-grandmother. Both women showed great love for Mairi in
their own way, we want their names to live on.”

All eyes in the room had swung to Callum McPherson to see how he was
taking the news. He had jerked forward in his seat at the mention of the names,
then his eyes misted and he fell back against his chair.

“I...” his voice broke with emotion, “I don’t know what to say.” He stood
up to embrace his granddaughter tears were falling down his cheeks. Trying to
hug her around the baby in her arms he started laughing. “Your mother and
grandmother would be so proud to have their names honored like this.” He had
moved to embrace Knollig as well. “Which is Celeste and which is Chloe?” He
wiped at his tears.

“I am holding Celeste.” Knollig said.

“Knollig is holding Chloe.” Mairi started to say then frowned.

Both of them looked at each other.

“No, you are holding Chloe.” Knollig insisted.

“No, I am holding Celeste.” Mairi’s frown deepened.

“I’m surprised all right.
” Kneus couldn’t stop himself from
teasing his brother.
“Surprised you can’t remember what you named your own
daughters.”

“That is not funny Kneus. Stop distracting me!”
Knollig smiled
weakly at his mate. “We decided that our first born would be Celeste and the
second would be Chloe.”

“Yes. That makes you holding Chloe and I am holding Celeste.” Mairi
insisted.

“I am sorry my love, but I think I am holding Celeste and you are holding
Chloe.” Knollig was just as sure.

Kneus decided to try to intervene before it got any more confusing. “The
first born was the dark haired baby. The second born was the fair red head.”

In his mind he sent to the males in the room,
“There that might help
clear things up.”

“We really need to start marking them at birth as they are born.
Especially with all the multiples, it can be confusing.”
Kniam spoke in
mind to all the males.

“Agreed.”
Thian
answered.
“It would help with moments like this.”

“Now you think of that!”
Knollig snapped in mind,
“You could have thought of this
yesterday.”

“Well it’s not like we knew you were going to name
them by birth order.”
Kniam shot back.
“And
then forget that order.”

“I had a lot going on Kniam!”
Knollig defended himself,
“Give me a break.”

“You really need to pull yourself together
Knollig.”
Knaleg got into the teasing.
“Imagine
how forgetful you will be years from now if the birthing has done this to you.”

”Says the man the color of grass through the whole
thing.”
 
Knollig shot back causing all the males to laugh.

“You are talking in
mind aren’t you?” Mairi was looking at the males...back and forth.

“We were not.” They
all stated as one.

Her eyes narrowed
and she said, “So...I was right. I am holding Chloe and you are holding
Celeste.” She looked smugly at Knollig.

“Uh...” Knollig
started only to stop when the males yelled at him,
“Don’t do it! Don’t
argue.”
Kneus saw him swallow hard, “Yes love.
You were right.”

“There now that is
solved I need to get to the fabricators. I have a surprise for the twins and I
need to get it finished before you are released.” Callum slapped Knollig on the
back one last time and headed for the door. “When does she get to go home doc?”

Kneus looked over
to Gwen who looked to Mairi and Knollig. “I think this afternoon. They are all in
great health and should be able to go home by then.”

“Don’t you need to
fix their heads before they are released?” Thian asked.

“What?” Jen looked
sideways at her mate. “What are you talking about?”

Thian gestured at
the babies, “Their heads are broken. The triplets had round, normal heads...”
Gwen tried not to laugh as his comment trailed off.

“Thian.” She held
up her hand to get his attention, “Babies that are pushed through the birth
canal have different shaped heads than babies born via c-section.” Smiling at
him she continued, “Celeste and Chloe’s heads will not stay the shape they are
now.”

“Oh.” Thian
muttered disgruntledly, “Well how was I supposed to know that?”

“Well then.” Callum
saved Thian from any more embarrassment, “I will see you at your dome this
afternoon Mairi girl.
I’ll have my
surprise ready for you.” Callum called his good-byes to the others and left.

Kneus moved closer
to Knollig, “May I hold her?” He asked his brother.

“Yes, of course.”
Knollig carefully handed the baby over to him.

Kneus looked down
at the small bundle and couldn’t believe how life had changed for the males of
Terraneu. Such a short time had passed since Amber had dropped onto that port
pad. Now he had two nephews and three nieces! Never in his wildest imaginings
could he have foreseen this. Grasping the little hand in his fingers he felt
his eyes get misty. It was worth thousands of years to be able to experience
this moment. Glancing up his gaze met and held Gwen’s for a second before he
forced himself to break the contact.

After holding
Celeste he got to hold Chloe. They were both beautiful babies and were going to
give Knollig fits when they grew up. And he had to admit that it was going to
be fun to watch! Since the males of the council were all in one place the
conversation shifted, as always to matters of the community. They talked again
about safety, shielding, weapons and different matters of state. He noticed the
females were also talking, he supposed about the same things.