Almost.
If not for the comment about him keeping her safe and she wasn’t safe going back.Thatmade it sound like it was just an offer of shelter.
Which was definitelynotsomething she would turn her nose up at! She might not know exactly what was in the wind, but something damned sure wasn’t right!
But she wanted more, greedy thing that she was! She wanted to believe he cared about her, that he loved her. She didn’t want this to be about a trade for safety in exchange for comfort.
Notjustabout that anyway.
Because she had realized when she thought that damned zorph had killed him that she loved Zhor. However crazy her family might think it, oranybodyback home, she adored him and she wanted to be adored back.
She bumped her pelvis against his suggestively. “This isn’t just about sex, is it?”
Zhor grinned and pulled her more tightly against him while he ground his erection into her pelvis. “Much this! Plenty! Zhor hoppy to gibe dis!”
Annika couldn’t help but laugh. She punched his shoulder playfully. “Cut it out! That’s not what I meant!” She sobered. “Do you care about me? Do you love me?”
Zhor frowned, clearly struggling with interpreting what she’d asked. Finally, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. “Dah. Love Ah-na.”
She studied his face hopefully for a moment before disbelief set in. “You don’t know what I’m talking about,” she said, looking away.
He redirected her attention with the pressure of his hand. “Do know. Unnerstan. I love dis poor little wingless alien woman. Stay wid me, Ah-na. I try very hard make you hoppy.”
Annika felt like weeping with joy. “You really don’t mind that I can’t fly? It isn’t a turn off?”
“Turn off?”
“Never mind,” she responded, sighing with resignation.
He caught her face with one hand and made her look directly into his eyes. “Dead serious. Love fuck you.”
Annika bit her lip, struggling with a mixture of amusement and irritation, but then it dawned on her that he was telling her he desired her, that he didn’t think anything about her was a turn off. “I love you, too, you know? I think almost from the first.”
She thought he might not understand, but then he placed a palm directly over her heart.
“Feel here? Take Zhor here?”
She smiled at him tremulously. “In my heart, yes. I love you.”
He caught her hand and brought it to his chest. “Ah-na here.”
She swallowed against a hard knot that welled in her throat. Hedidlove her! Hedidunderstand!
Then he moved her hand down and placed it over his erection. Laughter danced in his eyes. “Wid dis, too.”
Annika laughed. “You ass!”
He struggled to contain his amusement and give her a reproving look. “Wat dis ass?”
“A braying beast with long ears.”
He looked confused.
She grinned. Half the fun of messing with him was knowing he didn’t know what she was talking about.
And of course, the other half was when hedidget it but didn’t know enough English words for a comeback!
* * * *
