“Do you not want some markings to tell of your tribe and family?"
“How do you know what to draw?”
“Some of the markings will be the same, such as your position in the family. Others, I will need to make up, because there are no markings for the human colony, or for being a scientist.” He pauses for a moment and touches just beneath his collarbones. “Mated couples also get a marking.”
“A tattoo with your name?”
“No, it indicates the status of their mate. There isn’t one for a woman with a banished warrior.”
I put my hand over his. “You will not be banished when we return to the colony. You will be part of my tribe.”
He frowns as he thinks about that for several heartbeats. “True. We need to come up with a symbol for the human tribe.”
That will give us something to do and fill a little time. “Let me see the one for yours.”
He takes his shirt off and drops it next to me. I draw in a breath and feast on his bare chest. I lift my hand, needing to touch him, but stop before my fingers make contact. “Can I?”
“Yes.” His voice is rough.
My hand rests over his heart for a moment, before gliding over to the markings on his shoulder. “Which one is your tribe?”
He glances at his shoulder and traces the sweeping lines. They look nothing like his letters when he writes.
I’m so busy studying his markings that it takes me a while to realize he is studying me. “What is it? Are you having second thoughts about being my mate?” It is still weird to say.
“No, I was wondering if I could convince you to make your claim.”
“Make my claim?”
His hand cups my cheek, and he kisses me. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, and I would very much like to know what it is to have a mate, if only for a few days.”
My heart lurches at the idea of his death. But he is so used to living with that reality, it doesn’t bother him to say aloud.
“Unless you have changed your mind because having an alien mate will prevent you from being accepted by your tribe.”
Asking people to accept the help of an alien is very different from dating one. And from being mated to one. I’m sure there will be some people who hate both ideas. But I’m also sure there will be some who are jealous.
“I haven’t changed my mind, and as you said, we don’t know what’s going to happen.” So I can either seize this chance or continue to live in fear. The whole idea of changing leadership is so that we can be free. And that includes having an alien boyfriend. “But it’s much more serious for you than for me.”
“I have been thinking about it a lot. And I'm not sure if this is the perfect timing or the wrong timing. It is traditional for newly mated couples to spend a few nights away from the rest of the tribe, so they can indulge in mating.”
I give a nervous laugh. “And here we are, away from both our tribes.”
His thumb brushes against my cheek, then over my lip. “We are. I missed your touch and have dreamed about tasting you often over the last month.”
My mouth goes dry as my panties grow damp at the thought of him going down on me and tasting me.
He leans in and kisses me again. His tongue teases my lips and dips in. Each move is slow and sensual. My heartbeat quickens, and I’m sure he can sense all the changes he is causing. If he wanted me to imagine what it would be like for him to lick my pussy, he has achieved.
When he draws back, I am breathless.
“If you are sure…” I murmur.
He pushes me onto the blanket and moves over me. The hard length of his cock presses against my thigh as he takes another kiss. For a moment, all I can think about is how big his dick is, and how it’s been a while since I’ve had sex. But then he’s kissing along my throat and undoing the buttons of my shirt, licking, and tasting every inch of newly exposed skin. He palms my breast, teasing my nipple into a hard peak, before sucking on it through the fabric of my bra.
My back arches. I need to feel his tongue on my clit.
He slides my bra straps over my shoulder, exposing my breasts. The way he watches me, I wonder if I am completely different to what he is used to.
