Spreading her fingers, she pressed her hand more firmly against the surface. There it was again. A subtle, rhythmic pulse.
She ran her hand along the pod, trying to determine the source of the vibration. It seemed to be strongest about a third of the way down. A rhythmic pulse against her fingertips.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Her breath caught. No, that wasn’t possible. And it was too slow, much slower than a human heartbeat. But then the pulse increased, growing faster and stronger.
Startled, she stumbled back a step just as the leaves began to unfurl, rapidly falling away to reveal… A body?
I must be hallucinating.
Unable to look away, she stared at the body nestled in the pod. A hard angular face. Golden scaled skin with the same metallic sheen as the leaves. Broad shoulders. A powerful chest, heavily muscled, rising and falling with slow, steady breaths. She gulped as her gaze drifted lower. A huge ridged cock resting heavily against his thighs.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
He was so still, more like a statue than a man. And yet, that heartbeat… Before she could second guess herself, she placed her hand over his heart.
Bum, bum. Bum, bum.
She started to take a step back, only to find her hand enclosed in a firm, powerful grip. Her eyes flew to that hard, alien face. His eyes were open. Startlingly blue eyes with vertical pupils. Not human eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her heart race.
CHAPTER FOUR
Afracture in the darkness. Another presence. A warmth, a sweetness hovering at the edge of his consciousness. Something about it called to him, pulling him up from the darkness that surrounded him.
More sensations returned. The weight of his body. The rush of blood through his veins. His heart rate increased. The slow, distant rhythm in his chest began to strengthen, to quicken. He struggled harder, trying to break through the fog engulfing him.
A soft touch on his chest, and his skin suddenly came alive. He could feel the air surrounding him and the structure cradling him. The sweetness that had reached him before filled his lungs.
The hand resting on his chest started to withdraw.
No!
He fought harder, forcing his body to respond. He grabbed the hand that had touched him, and placed it back against his chest. The contact sent another jolt through him, and his eyes flew open.
A small female was staring at him, her eyes wide and startled. Something about the eyes was wrong, but they were warm and appealing. A mask covered part of her face, but he could see her mouth—small and pink and tempting. His gaze traveled down to lush curves beneath strange clothing. Curves? Something about that was wrong as well. And yet… Not wrong. An unexpected rush of desire shot through his body.
Her skin was pale and smooth, too smooth, and the hand trapped beneath his was impossibly soft. Everything about her was wrong and yet he wanted to pull her closer, to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe.
“Who… are you?” he rasped.
The words felt strange, thick in his throat, as if he hadn’t spoken in a very long time.
Her eyes widened again.
“You can speak. Who are you?”
He didn’t recognize the words, and yet there was a distant echo in his head, as if their meaning hovered just out of reach. He shook his head.
“I don’t understand you.”
Blunt little teeth clamped down on a full pink lip.
“Let’s start with the basics. I’m Alina. Alina,”she repeated, tapping her chest.
A name.
“Alina,” he repeated carefully, and she nodded.
