That shuts her up for a while. She seems lost in thought, replaying the whole night in her head.
But while she replays that disastrous evening in her mind, I’m slowly waking up to the exquisite sensation of having her in my arms. She’s smaller than me, more delicate. But it’s not weakness that defines her—it’s her softness and grace.
Unfortunately, my body reacts to her closeness all on its own. She looks up at me, clearly unsettled. Yeah, Purrsong, that’s what you do to me. If you’re not into it, you can back away now… But she doesn’t.
My mind flashes back to that conversation with Kiran. I couldn’t care less about his ban. Not even a little.
But I do remember what led us into that discussion—that old Earth movie with ropes and that infamous spanking scene. AndI had made a mental note of the… let’s say particular preferences some Human females seem to enjoy.
So I raise my hand—and land a sharp smack right on her lovely backside.
She freezes. Looks at me, stunned.
Then—SMACK—she slaps me hard across the face and storms out of the shower like a thundercloud on legs.
I stay there, alone, looking like a total idiot, trying to process what just happened.
She had been in my arms, shivering not from the cold anymore, but from something else. She was into it. She was present. And then—bam!—one spank later, and I get nothing but outrage and disappointment.
Did Kiran lie to me? Or is that old Earth movie just a load of misleading nonsense?
Next chance I get, I’ll rewatch that “Fifty Shades of Grey” thing—with way more attention this time.
If I want any hope of understanding Human mating customs, I’d better do my homework...
Or I might just screw up whatever is going on between Neela and me.
***
Last night didn’t end on a high note. Neela, instead of talking things out, wrapped herself in offended dignity and went to bed after a bowl of hot soup. I took the opportunity to watch that movie again—the one that got me into this mess. Apparently, some Humans enjoy certain… particular activities. But most don’t.
Still, I did identify with the male character—especially his urge to control every detail of his partner’s life. If Neela weremine, I never would’ve let her go out last night. Nobody risks their life for a sprained ankle. Not on my watch.
So this morning, I turned off her alarm, blacked out the windows, and let her sleep as long as she needed. It’s the first day of the weekend anyway—she’s earned some rest. I even disabled her CCC after two calls came through asking where she was. What was I supposed to do—wake her? Answer and reveal myself? No thanks. I expect someone to come knocking soon, but at least she’ll have had some peace and quiet.
Sure enough, my ears swivel at the sound of the front door opening. I wait a moment—yep, it’s Kiran. I know his scent anywhere.
He walks in, looking worried. I raise a finger to my lips and gesture toward the bedroom. Then I lead him into the greenhouse. His eyes narrow with suspicion.
“What did you do to my sister?” he demands.
“Neela’s sleeping off an exhausting night,” I reply with a smug little smile.
He lunges at me. Punches flying.
“Again? You sure love putting your hands on me. I thought your thing was spanking, not face-slapping.”
“Damn furball! Don’t mess with me. Stay away from my sister!”
“Relax, Human. She got in an accident. Her snowmobile crashed into a drift, and she got lost. I found her unconscious. She’s resting now. If you wake her, she’ll insist on going to the med unit to check on her patient instead of taking care of herself.”
“She’s hurt?”
“She’ll be fine. Just a bump and a bad case of hypothermia. Let her rest.”
I see tears welling in his eyes. Huh. Didn’t expect that. She’s safe—why’s he getting all emotional?
“You saved her life,” he breathes.
