I watch the sokker competition for a few minutes longer, before my gaze drops to my hands, callused and scarred, then travels over to Leelee. I feel a thrill at the challenge mirrored back at me from her warm eyes. “Leelee, have you competed in sokker?” I ask.
Cryzorian females, especially ones of breeding age, are sequestered when they come of age on my planet. They are rarely seen in public and never without assigned protectors and guardians. So, to see a group of females battling in what is clearly a physically taxing, and possibly dangerous, activity is so shocking that I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Leelee gives me another mischievous grin and nods. “Leelee luvz sokker.”
That seems like a pretty solid yes from her. I don’t know what else to say so I sit back to watch the sokker competition. I have much to think about.
I’ve never had a day of leisure and pleasure. Every day of my existence has been filled with long, lonely flights in the cold dark of outer space with the occasional battle, if I’m lucky. Ensuring our species’ complete domination of the universe, and my place within it, felt predestined. But now I am beginning to feel unsure, my thoughts feel like they’re swimming against a torrent without end. And tomorrow, once I locate my ship, it is very likely that I will be leaving this planet, and Leelee, behind. With that thought putting a heavy weight in my gut, I decide to push it away and enjoy this small break.
Leelee gets us each a large bowl of the ‘beef stu’.
The first mouthful stuns me into silence. It’s delightful, the texture unfamiliar, yet the warmth spreading in my belly feels undeniably comforting. I indulge in another helping, guilt gnawing at my insides as she offers up more of her rations with a wide, beaming smile. But the simple pleasure etched on her face reassures me, making me want to grasp onto this alien experience a bit longer.
As night falls, Leelee tugs on the edge of the blanket until I share it with her. Images flicker on the screen of two human males engaged in fierce combat. Leelee is observant becauseshe’s already figured out that I enjoy the bokzing the most out of all the sportz she’s shown me so far.
As the fight continues, I feel a gentle pressure against my side. I force myself not to stiffen as she leans against me, resting her head on my shoulder with an ease that leaves me dumbfounded. I’ve been in close contact with her before, of course, but this is different. All the other times, Leelee had been trying to help me, but this is just closeness for no purpose. Her eyes are starting to droop, and I don’t think she realizes that she’s resting against me so intimately. Propriety would have me making space between us, but instead, I savor the sensation of her soft breaths on my skin. Since I am most likely leaving tomorrow, I tell myself there is no harm in enjoying this moment.
Her trust strikes a chord within me, a sensation far more powerful than I have words to explain. For the first time, I allow myself to relax, to embrace the warmth of her body against my side. Leaning back against the couch, I find myself treasuring this simple, peaceful moment with my sweet Leelee.
CHAPTER 29
Lily
Iblink awake, my confused gaze darting around as I try to orient myself. It’s dark, much darker than I’m used to in my apartment.Marcus often complains about the location of our downtown apartment because of all the lights. With a jolt, I remember that I’m not in my tiny apartment anymore, and Marcus and all his complaints are no longer my problem. Lublin Harbor, the woods, the quiet… I’m in the cabin.
I close my eyes to go back to sleep when the warmth beneath my cheek registers. Lifting my head, a ripple of surprise washes through me when my chin brushes against a surprisingly warm, solid surface. Where’s my pillow?
I place my hands on the surface beneath me. I think I’m touching hard muscles, but that can’t be right. I think I’m touching Marcus for a millisecond, but I know his body, and this isn’t it. A foreign, masculine scent fills my nose. I blink repeatedly until my vision adjusts to the dark.
Ravok. Holy shit. I’m lying across Ravok’s chest. A throbbing embarrassment swamps me – I am sleeping on top of my patient. My heart does a double take, but I freeze, not wanting to wake him. I’m half mortified and half thankful that he appears to be deeply asleep, oblivious to the woman splayed across him. How the hell did we end up here?
His steady heartbeat is a soothing rhythm against my cheek. I hesitate to move, worried to wake Ravok. As I slowly and carefully sit up halfway, I tuck the blanket around his torso so he doesn’t lose heat. I study the cabin’s furnishings as they become more discernible in the darkness. We have somehow turned lengthwise on the couch, and I’m lying almost entirely on top of my alien patient.
Absentmindedly, I gaze at the laptop, the only light source in the room. Its glossed screen casts a bluish hue around the room. It illuminates Ravok’s face, the harsh lines of his visage softened by slumber. My breath hitches in my throat as my eyes roam his face – the rugged jawline, the faint creases on his forehead, and the angular, high cheekbones. I admire the shade of his charcoal-gray skin.
I’m glad Ravok’s not awake to catch me staring, so I take a moment to admire him. He’s so damn hot he should come with a warning label. I’ve been trying to frame him as only a patient in need. But, alone in the quiet of the night, I can finally admit to my attraction. He’s so fucking sexy it should be illegal.
I allow myself a moment longer to look at him. I get lost in the mesmerizing sight of this otherworldly male. My computer’s soft, ambient glow highlights his peaceful, sleeping face. I want to touch him, but I refrain.
It had been such a lovely lazy day with him, watching sports, eating, and playing chess. I hadn’t had such a nice day in a very long time. Even though we don’t speak the same language, when he watched me for every tiny response, I felt like he was‘listening’ to me better than any man had before. And even though I talked his ear off all day, Ravok never seemed annoyed with my inane chatter.
I’m unable to tear my gaze away. A moment of weakness, perhaps, but I’m only human after all, and he’s just so damn pretty. My breath catches in my throat when his glowing, intensely white eyes suddenly snap open. I’m caught mid-transfixed stare, my heart seizing at the unexpected attention.
“I… I…” I stumble over my words, heat pooling in my cheeks as embarrassment wrenches me back to reality. Instinctively, I start to scramble to my feet. Only to freeze in place as Ravok wraps his arms around my middle. My name rolls out of him in a rumbling, sleepy purr. “Leelee.”
I think he might still be asleep.
Instantly, my tension dissolves, replaced by a shiver that tiptoes across my skin, curling my toes. Ravok tugs me back against his chest, his movements as smooth as silk despite his drowsy state.
His hands – huge with scarred knuckles – card gently through my curls. His claws gently scrape against my scalp. The sensation is pure, unexpected bliss, so much so that it draws a soft, sighing moan from deep within me.
Enveloped in Ravok’s embrace, the heat of his body seeping through my clothes, a sense of surreal contentment washes over me. His heartbeat, slower than a human’s and slightly out of sync with mine, resonates under my cheek, its rhythm lulling me into a soothing trance. Enclosed protectively in the circle of his arms, I succumb to the pull of sleep once more, utterly secure in the warm and dark cocoon created by Ravok’s hold. It’s bliss.
The next timeI open my eyes, the cabin is filled with early morning light. Wakefulness comes gently, like the gradual ebb of a tide. My eyes flutter open to find myself in an unfamiliar yet strangely comforting embrace. There’s a solid wall of a body beneath me, radiating an uncanny warmth that feels… lovely. Protective. I lift my head just a fraction, and my gaze meets an expanse of fascinatingly pewter-silvery skin. A barely audible gasp leaves my lips as realization dawns.
Memories of the night before flood back. Without thinking, my hand moves, skimming over a muscle-ridged torso that feels as hard as stone yet as alive as me. I still my movements, afraid that my touch might awaken him. I’m scared that once he wakes, Ravok will be upset at my invasion of his personal space. God, I’m plastered across him like frosting on a birthday cake.
But his arm, thrown across my waist, only tightens. His fingers are firmly bunched into the fabric of my t-shirt as if he fears I would vanish if he let go. It’s almost cute, shocking even. I try to slowly and carefully slither out of his grasp, but Ravok tightens his hold like I’m his favorite stuffy.
