The General looked at me, then down at the hand of Brittany/Jessica on his arm and then back at me.
I’d come to my feet, my skin rippling.
He looked back down at his arm and removed her hand gently. He took a step away from her and towards me. The growling stopped. I hadn’t even known it had been continuous until the silence. It had been instinctual and out of my conscious control.
“Maybe no one touch him,” Callie said, her eyes on me.
Make that three times I’d blushed in my life.
“Tiffany, why don’t you come sit down with me? We can ask General At’ens about the food processor later,” Sam said to the overly friendly, touchy-feely woman that had her hand on my alien.
I cleared my throat and grimaced. ”Sorry guys. I don’t know what that was.”
Lies.
Callie snorted in disbelief.
Patty touched my arm and steered me to a seat at a table on the far side of the room, away from the others.
Everyone awkwardly got back to eating and talking among themselves again.
Eyeing me like I had three heads, Patty skirted the table and sat down across from me. She put her elbows on the tabletop and leaned forward. “So what was that?”
I rubbed my hands down my face and sighed. “Territorial mating behavior. It’ll go away after we bang it out.”
Patty nodded and grinned at me. “So you want to fuck the alien? Damn girl, you work fast. Got over that fear real quick when you got an eye full of his big dick, huh? Oh, you think I hadn’t noticed? Hard to miss it with it lit up like a holiday candle and swinging around in the open air.”
I didn’t punch her in the face, but it was a struggle. “Don’t look at his dick,” I said, glaring at her.
Patty’s peals of laughter swirled around me, lifting me out of my embarrassment. I smiled, then chuckled, and then I laughed right along with her. We laughed so hard, tears streamed down my face. I banged my fist on the table and fought for breath.
It took forever for us to calm down.
We grinned at each other when we could breathe again and warmth spread through my chest. I was really glad Patty was here.
“Thanks, Patty. I needed that.”
She reached across the table and gripped my hand. “Yeah, me too.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Your alien hasn’t stopped staring at you.”
I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the General waiting by the door with his arms crossed across his chest, well away from the other women. His lights were off and his tails swished lazily around him. Tentacles waving behind him like they were caught in a breeze. He caught me looking and cocked his head, bioluminescence lighting faintly.
I turned back to Patty and made a face. “What do I even say? Hi, I’m pretty sure you’re my once in a lifetime mate and I really want you to fuck me?”
Patty nodded her head sagely. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Why beat around the bush or keep it all bottled up? The worst he can say is no.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers and sigh, “I mean, that would be pretty bad, Patty. Did you miss the ‘once in a lifetime’ part? He could say no, sure. But he could also say hell no, you disgust me, alien female!” I whisper-hissed the last part, pulling my hand from hers and curling it into a fist.
“I’m already pretty conflicted about being ready and willing to get down with an alien. Being ready, and willing, and being rejected? Brutal, dude.”
“Would you just go talk to him? He’s waiting so patiently and everything! It’s adorable! I ship you guys so hard!” Patty said as she got up from the table and abandoned me to go sit with Sam and Callie. Both of them were eyeballing me. I flipped them the bird and laughter erupted from the group.
I may love them.
Alright. Don’t be a sack.
I sucked in a breath and stood. He was still waiting for me by the door. When I approached, he glowed a little brighter. Please be a positive sign.
I stopped in front of him and gestured out the door, “Can I speak with you? Privately? We could go to the bridge or whatever and talk.”
