“Thank you. You are generous.”
She shrugs. “You’re my husband now, right? What’s mine is yours.”
That is quite a declaration, but I take it in stride. I scoop up her hand in mine like I did at the preserve and wind our fingers together. That was so pleasant, and I want to return to that place where it was just the two of us, alone.
“Fiona,” I say to her, taking her other hand, too. Now I’m holding both of them, and she’s gazing up at me with her pure blue eyes. Such an unusual color, so deep and full. “I do not take my vows lightly. When I am truly your husband, in mind, body, and soul, I will never let my oath to you out of my sight.”
Her brows rise. “Oh. That’s really thoughtful. I know we’re married, but I guess it’s not quite…” She trails off.
“It is marriage in name, but not yet in heart,” I say.
“Yes.” She smiles brightly. “Exactly.”
I squeeze both her hands, then bring them closer to me. She follows until we are only a foot apart. “I am eager to learn more of you, Fiona. I greatly enjoyed learning more about you today, and this world I’ll call home.”
Her face reddens. I love earning this reaction from her. “I did, too. With you.”
I wonder if now is the time. I watched a human movie on the flight here, a romance story. When the two humans had pressed their lips together, I audibly gasped. This is how they expressed their affection? On Arshur, we lean our foreheads together to display attraction, but our mouths are not involved in the equation.
Perhaps it would be better to ask first, rather than charging in the way I did trying to make breakfast this morning.
“Excuse me for not knowing the rules of human courtship, but…” I swallow, trying to get the words out. “Could I kiss you?”
She blinks up at me. “You know what kissing is?”
“I have seen it done. That is all. But I would like to try it with you.”
The pinkish hue of her cheeks darkens into red. “I… um… I hadn’t thought about it, but… sure! We did have a lovely date.”
I lean in closer to her, and her talking stops. Then, with supreme gentleness, I press my lips to hers.
Vakha. What am I doing? I have no idea how to kiss. Of course, it’s not until my mouth is on hers that I realize it. Now I’m stuck here, unmoving, trying to figure out exactly what I’m supposed to do with my lips.
It looked so much easier in the movie.
Underneath me, I feel a vibration against my mouth as Fiona giggles.
“Shathar,” she whispers. “You have to move your lips.”
I blink. Move them how?
“Like this.” Fiona’s arms curl around my neck, which brings us closer together. Then she leans in and presses her lips to mine softly before retreating. Then she does it again, her soft mouth on mine sending an electrical current straight through my body to the tip of my tail. I gasp against her before remembering that I need to mimic her movements. I press my lips to hers again, then retreat, like she did.
It is awkward at first, but soon we settle into a rhythm, our mouths moving against one another in a synchronic dance. Her lips are so soft and sweet, wonderfully pliable under mine, that I sink deeper into it, pressing more urgently and asking for more.
So she gives it to me. To my near mortification, Fiona licks my lip. That buzzing sensation at the base of my tail spreads, and without a doubt, my cock is getting the message and sliding out of its slit. I temper my reaction, and instead of retreating, I give her own lip an experimental lick. Fiona’s arms tighten around my neck, so I think this was the right move. Now she’s returning my ardor, sucking my top lip between hers and then releasing it. Her tongue occasionally joins the dance, and so I bring out mine to play, too.
Soon our tongues are touching, then tangling between us, and I desperately hope I don’t hurt her with my fangs. But it seems as if my mouth knows what to do, keeping them safely locked away while we kiss just like the people on the movie screen. I find my tail curling around her leg, keeping her anchored to me.
Eventually, Fiona pulls away and gazes up at me through her lashes. Her lips look swollen from my attentions.
“Wow,” she says, bringing two of her fingers to her mouth. “That was great.”
I preen, glad that I got this human ritual right after a few tries. Her arms lower, and I take her hand in mine before she can go.
“Thank you, Fiona,” I say, reaching up to push back some of the short hairs that have fallen over her eyes. “For letting me into your home and your life.”
“I’m glad to have you, Shathar.” She leans into my hand, and now I want nothing more than to kiss her again. “And I can’t wait to learn even more about you.”
