T’raat stood just inside the door with a pained expression on his face, but that wasn’t what shocked me.
No, it was the double tents in his pants that had my jaw dropping and my pussy wet.
Two?!I knew Xalanites were rumored to have something extra, but … two?! The second teepee was smaller, shorter than the main one, but it was distinct enough that I realized he was sporting more than the one package a human would have.
“Oh! I, uh, I guess I should, um, go …” I covered my eyes with my hands and stepped backwards, missing the mark by a mile and landing square on my butt outside the ship. I cried out at what I knew would end up being an embarrassing bruise, and before I knew what was happening, T’raat appeared and crouched at my side. He scooped me into his arms and carried me onto the ship, which closed behind us without him pressing any buttons.
We crossed through a small room and down a narrow corridor before he deposited me on a small, padded table. He tapped a panel on the side, and his eyes flitted back and forth as he watched a small screen. I leaned over and saw a human-shaped thermal image that had a bright red spot on the ass.
My ass.
T’raat pointed at the spot. “You are injured.”
Well, duh. “It’s nothing. I’ll probably get a bruise, but it’s not like it’s broken or anything.”
“Bruise … Ah. Yes. I have something for that.” He turned and rummaged through a drawer that he pulled out of the wall. I didn’t see any handles or knobs sticking out, but somehow he opened it without any trouble. Weird.
After a few seconds, he gave a triumphant shout and held up a small, round metal jar. He held it out to me with a broad grin.
“Here.Vritzoil is the best cure for a bruise. It should help your tender human skin to heal.”
I had some choice words in mind for the “tender human skin” comment, but I kept them to myself. Something was bothering T’raat, bruised butt aside, and I felt like it was myfault. I took the jar and turned it over in my hands for a moment as I tried to find the right words to ask him what was wrong.
“I’m not worried about my ass. Growing up on a farm, I’ve had a lot worse. What I’m worried about is you. Something that I said upset you, and I want to know what I said that was so wrong.” He started to turn away from me, but I grabbed his arm and held fast. “Uh-uh. No running away. We’re two different species; we’re going to have communication problems at some point. This is clearly one of those points. Just tell me what’s upsetting you.”
He raked his other hand through his hair with a sigh. “I am just disappointed. You said that we must court for us to mate, but you rejected my attempt at courting this morning. So, we cannot mate.”
Wait, he was trying to court me with the dead weeds and Mom’s demolished rosebushes? I had a moment of confusion before a lightbulb went off inside my head, and I slapped my forehead as realization hit. “You were trying to bring me flowers.”
“Severed plants are a desired gift for humans, yes?”
“Kind of. I mean, certain flowers are desired, like the roses, but some of what you had there were weeds. And you don’t just rip the flowers apart. You’re supposed to cut the stems. What you did to Mom’s rosebushes …” I stopped and bit my lip to keep from crying at the thought. Now that the morning had slowed down, I had more time to process the damage he did, unintentional though it was. “She’s been dead for years, but Dad and I have kept those bushes as healthy as we could. They were her favorite.”
T’raat frowned. “Your mother is deceased?”
I nodded, and a tear slipped down my cheek. I moved to wipe it, but T’raat beat me to it. His touch was gentle despite the slightly rough texture of his scales. I turned into the touch andkissed his palm. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t rejecting you, T’raat. I was just so upset that you destroyed her plants, and I was terrified Dad would hurt you if he found out.”
“So, we can still court?”
I offered him a shy smile. “I’d like that.”
T’raat grinned and leaned in closer. “We can kiss, yes?”
My heart thundered in my chest. I tipped my chin up to meet him, and his lips descended onto mine. A jolt of electricity shot through me as we kissed, and when his tongue joined mine in my mouth, I moaned.
I’d kissed boys before. Tim and Jim each at one point or another, boys at school, that kind of thing. But kissing T’raat? That was a whole ‘nother experience.
I’m pretty sure my soul left my body at some point. Wherever it was, anyway, it wasn’t on planet Earth.
He cupped the back of my head with his hand. Put his other hand on my waist. Pressed his body to mine. Every single touch lit me on fire, and before he finished I was a pile of putty in his skilled hands.
Hands so skilled that I didn’t even notice when he took the jar ofvritzfrom me until he slid his oil-covered fingers down the back of my pants.
I yelped from the shock of the cold gel on my hot body, and T’raat pulled back.
“Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
“That stuff isfreezing!” I shouted.
