“No!” he interrupted, and she stifled a giggle at his apparent eagerness. “I’d love to go with you. Let me gather my things.”
Oh, what a beautiful afternoon it was.
After spending a few hours searching for and picking mushrooms, she had been exhausted, and Apodis had carried her to a beautiful vista on the edge of a slow-moving creek.
“It’s pretty hot out here,” Gemini said, hoping he’d catch her drift, but sweet Apodis was as clueless as ever.
“It’s heat season,” he said, a strange look coming over his face for a moment before he settled back into a relaxed grin. “Lumeris won’t cool down for another two orb cycles.”
She nodded at the water with a devious smile.
“Is it safe to swim?”
“Oh, yes, very safe. There are no large predators or venomous creatures, and the current is gentle in this portion of the river.”
Gemini cocked a brow, amused that he still hadn’t figured it out.
“Well? Can we go swimming? It would be nice to cool off for a bit.” She peeked past him at Zenith curled in a ball under a shaded tree, eyes closed and chest rising and falling in a rhythmic motion. “Z is sleeping, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Apodis nodded, his peculiar rectangular pupils darting around the scene before focusing back on her.
“I suppose that would be alright. We don’t have any swim clothes, though.”
Oh, that wasn’t going to be a problem. Not in the slightest. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but the warmth of arousal was pulsing higher each moment she spent with Apodis, her body tensing as tight as a bowstring while she waited forhim to make a move that would probably never come.
Of course not, because he wasn’t interested in her in that way, and that was fine. She was a mature adult. She’d been rejected before, and in a far more embarrassing way than this.
She was just trying to cool down, quell the heat burning inside her that didn’t seem to subside even when she was in the chill of Apodis’ home.
Gemini slipped off her overshirt, dropping it in a pile beside her before peeling off her tank top as well. Beads of sweat clung to her like morning dew, and the slight breeze was delicious against her bare skin.
Her bra and panties weren’t the cutest thing she owned, but at least they matched, the black, butter-soft fabric featuring a white trim and deep plunge, showing off her cleavage.
Apodis sure seemed intrigued, his eyes darting all over her upper half like he wasn’t sure where to look.
With care not to hurt her already injured ankle, she shimmied off her shorts, her core twisting with need as he raked his gaze over her, a subtle—and not at all becoming—pride that she could have this type of effect over a male.
It was so different from the men on Earth with their noses in their consoles, their hearts devoted toAI bots who were trained to tell them exactly what they wanted to hear.
Apodis gave her his full and undivided attention—whether she was clothed or not—and it made her feel like he was truly interested in her, even if it was just as friends.
“Are you going to get your clothes wet?” she asked when he didn’t make a move to undress.
Apodis swallowed hard, shaking his head as if trying to clear a fog, then quickly removed his top, pausing for only a moment before following with his pants.
He wore black shorts underneath, tight enough to show everything if he’d just move his hands out of the way. Before she could hobble to her feet, he was standing over her, slipping his arms under her shoulders and knees and heaving her into the air.
That weightless sensation had her core clenching, the heat of Apodis’ skin making her head swim. Carefully, he stepped into the water, striding until she felt the cool caress against her bottom, a chill that took her breath away.
It eased the ache in her ankle, calming the fire raging within—at least a bit—her arms circling his shoulders as the water reached her breasts.
They were both silent for a long while, taking in the view of brightly colored birds dancing along the riverbank. The water was as refreshing as she’dimagined it would be, and she sighed into Apodis’ grasp, letting every worry leave her mind.
She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’tneedto say anything, just bask in the presence of this purple alien with his powerful arms wrapped around her, his golden gaze as he gave her the most beautiful smile.
“Is it as nice as you thought it would be?” he asked.
“So nice,” she murmured, a low moan rumbling in her chest before she realized what she was doing.
