“Come on, buddy,” she said, stripping off her muddied top. “Let’s get clean.”
Ranek
Ranek carried a bundle in his hands, a soft shirt folded neatly with a few nutrition bars tucked under his arm. It was the last clean shirt he owned, threadbare but still serviceable, and he already knew he’d be scrubbing his own mud-stained clothes by hand tonight.
He stepped into the medical office and was surprised to still hear the sound of running water. She must be running the cleansing cycle a second time. She was properly caked in mud, so maybe she needed it.
Curious, he couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting over to the clear walls at the front of the steamy stall. The mist clung to the glass, blurring her outline just enough to tease, but not enough to hide the way Maya’s body moved beneath the spray. Water streamed over her bare skin, sliding down the swell of her breasts, tracing the curve of her waist, and dripping from her hips. She was radiant, her face flushed from the warmth of the water as she tried to wrangle the dragus pup. The little beast darted and splashed, snapping at the streams of water, tail wagging furiously.
Her laughter filled the room, so light and carefree despite the deadly situation she’d just survived, and it had something tightening in his chest.
Ranek froze, the shirt and food bars clutched tightly in his hand. After their ordeal, the laughter caught him off guard. He found himself watching, mesmerized, his eyes tracing her curves. That sound was addictive, and he wanted it directed at him, wanted to be the reason she laughed.
Was it crazy that he was feeling envious of a dragus pup? Hell, until today, he’d never thought the creatures could be so well trained.
The pup barked as the rinse cycle ended and warm air blew down from the vent above. Maya bent, scooped the creature up with both arms, and then tried to hold him up unsuccessfully to the vents. The pup struggled, clearly preferring to splash in the water rather than to be dried by air. Giving up, she let him go and stood under the vents, drying herself instead.
The droplets caught the light as they slid down her curves, highlighting her rich, brown skin. Ranek clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to storm in there and press his hands over every bit of her slick, exposed skin.
Her efforts to dry were dashed when the dripping wet pup shook the water off himself furiously, making her squeal.
“Commander Chaos! Now I’m all wet again!”
The smile on her face made Ranek’s breath catch. All he wanted was to step closer, to be part of her laughter instead of a silent shadow at the door.
The pup pawed at the door. Maya opened it, her eyes still on the pup as she stepped out.
“Fine, we air dry. Maybe I can find a towel somewhere.”
Commander Chaos, eyes wide and excited by the new surroundings, bounded across the room.
“Hey! Wait up!” She ran after him, running right into Ranek.
Ranek stopped her gently with two firm hands on her shoulders before she could crash into his still-muddy chest. Though if she ended up dirty again, he would love to help her get clean.
“Oh! I didn’t even realize…” Her words trailed off.
The air between them thickened as their eyes met. The smell of her, the faint sweetness of her skin mixed with the cleanser from the cleansing unit, circled his head like a cloud. Her lips parted slightly, and her brown skin turned just a hint redder.
Didn’t they say that humans were shy about their bodies and all things even remotely related to sex? If Maya were Tallean, he would simply initiate sex and see how she responded. But he’d learned during his short time in Kean’s stronghold in Vosthea that while some human females reacted well, some did not appreciate such forwardness.
He’d also learned of how humans kissed mouth-to-mouth. Talleans put their mouths on each other’s skin during sex and foreplay, and while sometimes the lips did touch, it was in passing. They didn’t kiss the same way.
How would a mouth-to-mouth kiss feel with this buxom beauty?
“I brought you a top to wear, but you are welcome to continue frolicking around naked if you prefer.” He held up the shirt to her.
She narrowed her eyes at him before taking the shirt out of his hands. “I was not frolicking. I was…” she looked around, worry stiffening her posture. “Where’s Commander Chaos?”
“He is behind you, playing with a roll of bandages.” He released her reluctantly. “The medical ward is safe. It was where I stayed last night. There are no exposed wires or anything that could hurt him unless he opens the cabinets. There aren’t any doors leading to the actual mines.”
She relaxed. “He hasn’t learned to open cabinets yet. But I can’t guarantee that today isn’t the day he figures it out. They are very intelligent, and he learns quickly from watching others.”
“I am surprised someone tried to domesticate them. I have seen them attacking grown Tallean males in videos.” Ranek was glad that the attention was on the pup and not on his reaction to the closeness of her naked body. If Maya looked down at him directly, she’d see a rather large tent at the front on his pants. He focused on the pup as it batted at the roll of bandages.
Her grin was infectious. “That's why we’re doing it! We thought that if the colony had its own resident dragus, the wild ones would be less likely to attack.”
“You are from Reka 5 then?”
