. . .
Emily
I watchedKex return to his side of the fire and fiddle with more of the plants he’d gathered. I wanted to follow him, maybe straddle his lap, and see what his tongue tasted like, but this didn’t feel like that moment. We had just shared something tender, and I wanted to sit in the warm glow of it for a short time.
I sat very carefully, worried my skirt would bust apart, but it held. I watched Kex as he hollowed out a squash similar in size and shape to the one he used for a water bottle. He carefully scraped the inside, depositing the seeds on a flat rock, then sprinkled something on them from a pouch. Once done, he set the rock on the edge of the fire and stuck the squash upside down on a stick that leaned against the spit roasting our dinner. Every few moments and in between every task, he glanced up at me, maybe to make sure I was still there.
He pulled something fuzzy from his belt and stretched it out before him, then began scraping a rock along it. It took me a moment to realize the green, fuzzy thing must be the fur from our dinner, and he was scraping the flesh from the inside. I grimaced and focused on the fire; the flames sparking violet as ifreacting to some chemical in the wood of this alien planet. It was lovely.
Bored, I pointed at the fire. “Fire,” I said.
Kex glanced up, as if surprised. “Fire,” he repeated, fitting his mouth around the words. He pointed his finger at the cooking meat. “Fire eat ninx.”
I frowned and pointed at the meat. “Ninx?”
He nodded, a little more naturally than the last time, as if learning the gesture.
I pointed at the fur in front of him. “Ninx?”
He nodded again and grinned. He lifted the fur and made a motion as if it were hopping, then lifted his arm as if throwing a spear and dropped the fur in the same motion with a little squeak, then he crossed his eyes and dropped his head to the side. “Ninxgaveupitslifesothatwecannoweat!” he said, and I burst out laughing. He grinned at me and went back to his scraping.
He pointed at the water bottle next to me, and I lifted it. “Water,” I said, and gave it a little shake, then handed it to him. He repeated the word but shook his head. I lifted the bottle and drank the rest, then moved over to the waterfall to refill it with water that I hadn’t bathed in. Once done, I returned to Kex and gestured at the pouches on his belt. They were well made, all from tightly woven plants. I wondered if he wore clothes made from furs. Maybe that was what he was working on now. Would the weather get colder, and would warmer garments be needed? As the sun dropped, the air was definitely cooler. If it wasn’t for the fire, I’d be tempted to put on my wet clothes, even though they were still decidedly gooey.
Kex pointed to one pouch on his belt, but didn’t reach for it, as his hands were gross. I leaned in close and carefully opened the pouch, pulling out a few of the pine-needle-looking plants I’d seen him use before. His warmth pressed close to me, and Ithought for sure he sniffed my hair, but when I pulled back, his eyes were warm and focused on mine. I showed him the herb, and he nodded exaggeratedly, and I added it to the water, closing the top and giving it a shake. Then I set it down and made a stay gesture at it. “Wait,” I said.
“Wait,” he repeated, and we shared a smile.
I sat a short distance away and focused back on the fire, relaxing in its warm glow. This wouldn’t be the worst life. I wasn’t the kind of woman who liked roughing it by any stretch. If the weather got any warmer, I would curse a life without AC, but this, sitting by the fire, learning a few words every night, maybe this could become a life worth loving. When I wasn’t so exhausted, I could get Kex to teach me how to weave, maybe learn the herbs he used for cooking, and become the forager. As long as he didn’t expect me to mess with any alien rabbit skins, I could make do.
The thought made my heart race. It was terrifying to think I would never make it home again, so I tried hard not to dwell on it.
Some time later, the sun disappeared below the trees, and Kex spread the furs out next to the fire. He rose and went to the pool to clean up, then returned with my wet clothes. He draped them over nearby bushes, and I tried not to blush as he carefully handled my underthings, then he stuck my shoes onto sticks, as he had done with the drinking squash, and leaned them against the spit. That done, he fished the potato-like roots out of the fire with a stick and worked to carefully skin them. He sprinkled on some herbs from a pouch and then removed the ninx from the fire. He blew gently on a section of meat, then carefully removed a tidbit with his claws and held it out to me. I tried to take it, but he bypassed my hand and held it to my lips.
“Eat,” he said, in that deep voice that threatened to rattle my chest. My lips parted and he carefully placed the meatagainst my tongue. I bit down and a burst of flavor filled my mouth. I moaned, not realizing how hungry I was. The meat was tender and juicy in the best way, and the herbs he’d used were unfamiliar but complemented the meat perfectly.
Kex watched me chew with fire in his eyes, and he nodded.
“Good,” I said, and he repeated the word. He pulled off another piece and continued feeding me. It felt odd, but also sensual in a way eating had no right to be. After a few more bites, he fed me a piece of the root vegetable. It was light and airy, with a slightly earthy taste like beets.
When nearly half of the first ninx was gone, I realized what Kex was doing and took the ninx from him. He frowned as I ripped a piece off myself, but as I held it up to him, he smirked and opened his mouth. His sharp fangs glinted in the firelight, but they didn’t scare me. Slowly he closed his mouth over my fingers and sucked. His eyes on mine, he groaned and licked my fingers before releasing them.
Was his tongue textured?
My clit pulsed, but I ripped off another piece of ninx as if unbothered. I made as if to eat it myself but, at the last moment, brought it to his mouth again. He grinned and took this piece with just his teeth before licking his lips temptingly.
We ate like that until full, teasing each other with every bite. Then Kex stacked more rocks around the fire, setting the remainder of the meat to smoke, and we went to the pool to wash up.
As we returned to the fire, my heart raced at what would come next. I’d seen the one sleeping space Kex had set up, and it was cold enough that I didn’t disagree with the arrangement, but I didn’t feel ready for anything more than sleeping. I mean, parts of me were ready, but a part of me was still hesitating, and that was enough for me to want to wait.
Kex led me to the sleeping spot he had set between a protected wall of stone and the fire, and removed his leaf covering, setting it aside. I gasped. He was hard, but not like, completely erect. Still, it was a sight even in the low light. Kex turned to me, and I tensed. But he just put his hands on my shoulders.
He pointed to himself. “Kex.” Then he pointed at me. “Emily.” Then he pointed at the fire. “Fire.” Lastly, he pointed at his head and nodded, then waited.
I nodded. “Yes,” I said.
“Yes,” he repeated. He pointed back at his head and shook it side to side, as I’d done several times that day.
“No,” I said, and shook my head, with a slight grin. He repeated it.
