Her slick, oiled coated hand returned to his body, over the raised scar where his lower left arm had once been.
Urkot’s hearts stopped. When they resumed beating, they pounded so fast and hard that they would surely burst from his chest.
This was more than mere kindness, more than the warm touch of a friend. Her gentle hands bore unspoken care and quiet familiarity. That she would tend to him this way, even to this part of his body…
His cock throbbed, his slit bulging with the pressure it exerted, and Urkot groaned low and deep.
“Feel good?” Callie asked, caressing and kneading his hide.
He could only hum in appreciation. That was fortunate, as the only adequate words that came to mind were human ones he’d heard from Cole many times—fuck yes.
“Good.” Her voice was huskier than he’d ever heard it, and it came from much closer, her warm breath brushing the back of his neck. She withdrew her hands. “All done.”
It took a moment for him to make sense of her words as his body mourned the loss of her touch. He craved her hands on his hide, yearned to draw her closer and place his hands onher.
Slinging her leg back over his hindquarters, she slid down to stand between his bent legs.
Urkot snapped his eyes open and turned his head toward her.
With a wide grin, Callie stepped in front of him and held out the jar. He accepted it absently, unable but to stare at her.
“Have a good night, big guy,” she said with a playful tap on his chin.
After gathering her belongings, she walked out of the chamber.
Urkot’s eyes remaining on the empty entryway through which she’d left the temple.
Fire roiled inside him, along with a deep, gnawing hunger that no food could ever satisfy. Something had changed within Urkot. Something had awoken within him. And he wasbeginning to understand that it would not be lulled back to slumber.
His hide pulsed and tingled. He could almost feel Callie’s weight upon him, her hands moving over his back, her warmth. Almost... And that only made the desire he felt for her vaster than the Tangle and hotter than any flame.
Perhaps seeing two of his friends claim human mates had compelled Urkot to reflect upon what he was missing. The happiness Ketahn, Ivy, Rekosh, and Ahmya had found flooded Urkot’s hearts with joy, but there was a part of him which that joy could not reach. An empty space that could not be filled.
A loneliness his friends could not cure.
To think that Callie could fill it, that she would choose to do so, seemed foolish. Yet he could not deny that both his body and his hearts reacted to her in ways he could not ignore.
It seemed this long day was destined to become a longer night.
CHAPTER 4
“Ta da!”Callie held up her first completed grass basket of the morning. “Look upon this masterpiece. It’s perfection.”
The morning sunlight highlighted the basket’s green leaves, setting them aglow as she turned it from side to side.
Lacey, who was weaving her own basket as she sat beside Callie, chuckled. “Remarkable improvement from the first one you ever made.”
“That”—Callie leveled a finger at her—“shall not be discussed. It never existed.”
“Whatever you say.” Lacey coughed into her fist as she said, “It was terrible.”
“I heard that!”
“What was terrible?” Will asked as he approached, carrying a large wooden platter bearing an array of fruits and vegetables, eldernuts, and smoked fish. He wore woven, knee-length shorts, gifted to him by Rekosh, their white fabric complementing his dark brown skin.
Lacey and Callie also wore Rekosh’s creations. Lacey’s was a yellow, sleeveless dress, which was striking against her pale, freckled skin, and Callie’s was a green tank top and shorts with laces on the outer thighs.
Though some of them still had their HWI jumpsuits, all those garments were either worn from heavy usage or had been altered to better suit the climate. Rekosh had made it his mission to weave clothing for all the humans. It was a challenge he delighted in. Of course, he saved the best outfits for Ahmya, and she was the only one who wore clothing made with his silk.
