She chuckled. “I’m not gonna make a habit of it.”
When she pushed her bag close enough for him to reach, he dragged it toward him. Then his hand was there, waiting for her. Callie crawled the remaining distance, and once her head was clear of the ceiling, she placed her hand in his, allowing Urkot to help her to her feet.
She’d emerged in another tunnel, perpendicular to the one she’d just exited. A fast-running stream lay before her, its waters flowing downslope to her left. Its surface shimmered withreflected light from Urkot’s crystal. The air was damper here, carrying that clean, freshwater smell.
“We can rest here and wash,” Urkot said, gesturing to the water. “I will check your hurts.”
Callie nodded, grateful for the respite. She was eager to get the gritty dust off her skin, certain that it would chafe her inner thighs were she to walk much farther.
She removed her boots and studied the stream. The water was clear, and she could see the pebbles at the bottom, but the faint reflections of the walls and ceiling made it difficult to judge the depth. “Is it deep?”
Urkot grunted, extended a foreleg, and dipped it into the stream. When it stopped, the water hadn’t even reached his first leg joint. “No.”
“Great. And, uh…there’s nothing in there that’s going take a bite out of me? Nothing venomous?”
Fuck. She hadn’t even considered all the unsettling creepy crawlies that’d be skittering around this place. Thankfully, they hadn’t come across any.
Yet.
“In small water like this, only small fish.” To demonstrate, he lifted his upper hands, holding his palms only a couple inches apart. “It is safe.
“If any fish nibble on my toes, you can’t blame me for screaming,” she warned as she stepped into the stream. The water rushing past below her knees was colder than expected, making her skin break out in goosebumps. She wiggled her toes; the pebbles on the streambed were thankfully smooth.
Bending down, she splashed her legs, biting back a hiss even though she took care with the abrasions behind her thighs. Despite the flares of pain, the cool water was a balm to the wounds. In front of her, Urkot set the crystal on the ground and stepped into the stream to clean the dust from his hide.
She washed her arms and scrubbed her face. Short of dunking herself under the water—which she wasn’t about to do—there was nothing to be done about her hair and clothing besides a brisk shake and a pat down.
Once they’d both washed off most of the dust, Urkot approached Callie. Without a word, he braced his hands on her hips and lifted her out of the water.
Callie gasped.
He set her on her feet at the water’s edge and turned her away from him. It wasn’t even a moment before his palms were on the outsides of her thighs, raising the back of her skirt.
“Urkot!” she squeaked in surprise, looking at him over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Tending you.”
Why did those words sound so fucking sexy?
Because he can tend to me any way he wants.
“Oh.” She faced forward. “Okay, um…tend away.”
He curled his big, rough hands around the fronts of her thighs, fingers hooking over the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs, and spread her legs farther apart. Her heart fluttered in response, and heat kindled low in her belly.
It wasn’t just the position of his hands, no. It was their strength, their surety.
The shadows on the cave floor shifted as he moved the crystal. He leaned closer, and she felt his hot breath on the backs of her legs, the sensation pronounced by the cold water clinging to her skin.
His upper hands shifted to her outer thighs and slowly slid down. So, so slowly. Their touch was startlingly light, which made it all the more delicious. She’d never experienced such sweet friction.
When he hummed unhappily, she swore the sound vibrated into her, threatening to coalesce in her core. One of his thumbsbrushed the back of her thigh, just beneath a scrape, and the tip of his claw grazed her.
Callie barely suppressed a shudder as that inner heat flared.
His hands continued their downward trek with remarkable steadiness.
How? How could he be so calm and in control when this simple touch was building pressure in her core, pooling desire in her belly, and setting her every nerve alight?
