“Does that mean you had a good time watching her?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.
A smile crept over his face. “Yeah. More than I thought I would.” He met my gaze. “And you know what? After my initial panic passed, I wasn’t nervous at all. It was actually kind of... fun,” he added, as if that was a brand-new word in his vocabulary.
I looped my tentacle across his back. “I am happy to see you happy.”
When the knock came at the door, Jaeyoung sighed and rose for the dreaded exchange of the infant. I stood by his side to support him.
Levi opened his mouth to greet his friend, then paused when he saw Jaeyoung sulking. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“Dai’zee is perfectly fine,” Jaeyoung said listlessly. “She was a pleasure to babysit.”
Levi frowned. “Um, that’s great. But why do you look so upset?”
Zat’tor gave me a knowing look. He suspected the same thing I did—that Jaeyoung was now convinced he needed his own baby.
Jaeyoung took a breath and smoothed his expression. “I’m all right, really. We just had such a good time today, so...”
Understanding dawned on Levi’s face. He broke into a kind grin. “So, you don’t want to hand her over, right?”
Jaeyoung nodded weakly.
“I get it. She’s pretty special,” Levi said, cuddling his child. “But you know, there’s always the option to...” He winked. “You know.”
He left the words we were all thinking unspoken.
After we said our goodnights, the den felt a bit emptier. I took Jaeyoung’s hand and led him to
the bed where I embraced him.
“There, there,” I murmured, stroking his back. “You’ll see Dai’zee again. She’s not far. Just a few dens down.”
Jaeyoung remained silent. He tracked his hand down my forearm then laced his fingers with my own.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said.
My heart flipped as Jaeyoung looked up at me, his eyes blazing with determination.
“I’m ready to go through with the final experiment,” he stated. “Linn’ar... My filum. I want you to impregnate me.”
11 /Jaeyoung
I wasn’t ready before,but I sure as hell was ready now.
Except... there was one last thing missing before we could start.
“Could you do something for me?” I asked.
“Anything,” Linn’ar growled.
I felt my heart racing in my throat. Ihadto say it.I didn’t want to be ashamed of my desires anymore. I would tell Linn’ar exactly what I wanted.
“That aphrodisiac fruit we ate at the feast,” I said. “Is there any way you could find some?”
Hunger lit up Linn’ar’s face. His magenta eyes seemed to glow with desire. He stood up faster than seemed possible for his bulky size.
“Wait right here,” he ordered in a low, thick voice. It sent a chill down my spine. The way his sweet personality took an edge during sex made me go wild.
It didn’t take him long to return. By the time I clambered out of my onesie and sprawled across the bed, Linn’ar barged back inside with a handful of familiar fruit. It was the same fruit I gorged myself on during the feast... and paid the price for later that night with a long-lasting, embarrassing erection. I wasn’tready that night to indulge with Linn’ar—but tonight, that was all I wanted.
