Page 124 of Tempting Fate

So do I.

I swiped two fingers through the mess between his pectorals and brought them to his lips, pressing them inside, where he suckled greedily. “Then you should lick yourself clean with that amazing tongue, shouldn’t you?”

He caught his upper lip with his tusks, that little gesture I’d found adorably cute from the moment I’d first seen it. “Marni, I can scent you,” he whined.

“Of course you can. You did so good for me, put on such a good show for me.”

“Let me do something for you, please.”

I stiffened my face and voice to keep them from falling apart. “You can lick yourself clean like my good kitten.”

With a soft moan in the back of his throat, he slicked out that incredible tongue, sliding it over his chest, feeding his cum to himself with shameless, pure delight.

I gave him the next “good boy” but swallowed the rest.

I stood, wavering as I went lightheaded, my cunt burning with need.

“Moonlight, please. Let me look after you too.”

My voice was too bright as I said, “This is about you, love, about getting you through kalidi. You don’t need to worry about me. Let’s finish cleaning you up.”

My comm chirped.

Kira

Can’t tomorrow. Couple of days?

My heart rose and fell. Unless I worked something out, we had five more days together. Five more days of me guiding him through it. Five more days to tell him how good he was, of watching how beautiful he was when he came apart.

Five more days of teaching him to cope without me.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

So Much Code

Airida

THE MORNING SUN lit the field in shades of yellow and green, the colours catching on the row of swaying headspines in front of me. Small waves lapped the lakeshore and birds sang from nearby trees. It should have been peaceful, but everything was wrong.

I stepped through the training forms without thinking, my body moving in a natural flow, synchronised with the lines of people in front and behind me. I had been pushed to do this regardless of how much I ached or how tired I’d been. I’d resented it then—but now, with my body feeling more alive than ever, I relished it. This, at least, brought some calm.

Not as much as it should. My mind tangled over the many problems even as I tried to ground myself in the familiar movements and grass under my feet.

It had been two days since Imani had first helped me to use my own hand. She still sat with me as I took care of my own kalidi, though in truth I didn’t need her there—at least, not physically. Listening to her beautiful words as I stroked myself was bittersweet. I would take whatever crumb of her I could get, but oh, the idea I might never be inside her again was more than I could comprehend, and knowing I had to leave her behind on this planet was more agony than I could bear.

I refused to believe it was truth.

Even her current absence left me empty, though she was only in town trying to secure accommodation.

A bird squawked overhead, jolting me out of my thoughts.

Enough. There was no more time to brood over how wrong any of it was.

As soon as the exercises were complete, I marched back to the village, ignoring the armed and armoured shaa’ith behind me or the hint of forcefield over the sky.

Once back in my room, I made a mug of tea, settled into the comfy chair, and called Shohari on the secure line.

“Airi.” She flashed a tight smile. “How are you?”