Threatening to extrude.
Eyes flaring, he drew his claspers tight against his hide to keep his stem confined.
Callie turned, facing him, and his eyes fell upon the slit between her thighs, where darker folds of flesh were exposed from within.
His longing intensified eightfold, and he pressed his claspers around his slit hard enough to feel their tips digging into his hide. A tremor wracked his body.
This was desire, need, unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was instinct, yes, but it was so much more. It washer. His Callie. He’d never wanted, had nevercraved, anyone like he did her.
And it wasn’t simply a need to touch her.
He needed to rut her. To take her body in his hands, bind her in his silk, and thrust his stem into her slit.
To claim her as his.
Callie’s sharp gasp broke through his lustful haze. Urkot’s gaze shot up to meet her wide, brown eyes, which were made all the darker by the cavern’s shadows.
“Shit!” She quickly banded her arms across her chest and ducked into the pool until her breasts were submerged.
An uncomfortable sensation skittered beneath Urkot’s hide. Shaking his head, he stepped forward only to halt. He lifted his arms, pressed his forearms together, and struggled to find the right words in English.
“Calm, female.” His deep voice rumbled from his chest, resonating within the room.
She narrowed her eyes and eased toward him, keeping her body beneath the water. “Urkot?”
He nodded. “Sorry. I did not mean to scare you.”
Callie chuckled. “You just startled me. I didn’t expect anyone to come here this late.”
Urkot chittered, lowering his arms. “That is why I come. For quiet.”
“Oh. I’m almost done. I can hurry so you can have the place to yourself.”
His insides sank at the thought of her rushing away. Solitude in this place had been a welcome idea only moments ago, but now it was more than he could bear. “Stay. Please.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’ve been in here for a while now, and I’m probably allprooneeanyway.”
“But who will help if I sink like stone when I go in?”
Her laughter was like music, flowing straight into his hearts and making them feel full.
Callie’s lips stretched into a wide grin, revealing her blunt white teeth. The expression made tiny, adorable indentations appear on her cheeks—dimples. “The pools are only a few feet at their deepest. Even if you sat down, most of your body would still be above the water.”
She moved to the edge of the pool, her grin taking on a teasing slant as she gazed up at him. “I think you want me to stay because you like me.”
Without meaning to, he moved closer to her, drawn by something he could not see, smell, touch, or hear—a tether made of silk so fine it was invisible, running from his heartsthread to hers. And he felt its pull down in the deepest parts of his soul.
His mandibles lifted. “I most like you.”
“Ha! I knew I was your favorite.”
“You must not tell the rest. They will be…jelly?”
She shook her head with a chuckle. “It’s so strange hearing that word come from you. But no way am I keeping this secret. I’m going to rub it in Cole’s face.” Her smile faded as she held his gaze. “For real though, are you sure you want me to stay? I know what it’s like to want to be alone. I won’t take offense.”
“Stay, Callie.” He placed a hand on the stone lip at the pool’s edge, as close as he could bring himself to touching her. “It is everything else I want to be alone from.”
Her features softened, and she nodded. Water dripped from her hand as she lifted it and gestured up and down at him. “Why are you all…white?”
