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Instead of pulling back, she moved closer. She leaned forward and kissed the horn stump.
Loka jerked back. His head slammed into the wall.
Heather gasped and shuffled backward.
He noticed then that she wore a tiny vest top and shorts.
“Sorry. Did that hurt?”
“No. Why did you do that?” His hand went to the stump. He pressed his palm on it, still feeling the electric surge of Heather’s kiss.
“To show you I still think you’re handsome. Was that the wrong thing to do?”
Loka’s hand lowered, and his claws scraped absently at the bedsheet. “How can you think that?”
“Because I do. You forget I’m different to your planet’s females. I think your horns are lovely, but I’m not used to them. Human males have no horns.”
He risked a glance at her. “You don’t mind that I’m missing a horn?” Loka couldn’t believe that. He must look ridiculous with only one horn. He would be the subject of jokes among his kind. If he was missing one horn, he must be missing the same amount of brain power.
Heather tilted her head from side to side as she studied his single horn. “I’ll admit you look a little off-balance. Maybe we could try a hat?”
Loka snorted. “I am not wearing a hat.”
“You don’t have to. I do know how important Picar horns are. It will take getting used to.”
“I will never get used to missing a horn.”
Heather ducked her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Loka was silent. One hand stroked up and down his remaining horn. It gave him little comfort. He’d always been so proud of his horns. Now one was gone, he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel whole.
He looked at Heather, who sat patiently on the edge of the bed, her arms tucked around her knees as she watched him. She was still here. She’d watched over him as he’d healed. She had been there for him when he’d woken and discovered his loss.
Pushing down some of the sadness he felt, Loka reached a hand out toward her. “I’m sorry.”
Heather grabbed his hand and shuffled forward. “What for?”
“For being a... jerk? Is that the right word?”
A small smile played on Heather’s lips. “It might be. What do you think you’ve been a jerk about?”
He pointed at the horn stump. “This. I appreciate you taking the time to be here to tell me what happened and for pretending you still consider me handsome.”
“I don’t have to pretend.” Moving slowly, Heather shifted onto her knees. Her fingers traced across the horn stump. “Does it hurt when I touch it?”
Loka was too captivated by how close her chest was to his mouth to speak for a few seconds. Only a thin layer of fabric separated him from her beautiful body. “It’s a warm sensation when you touch it. It’s like you’re not touching my horn, but a different part of me.”
“Which part?”
He felt her fingers trace around the edge of the horn stump. His cock was rock hard. He shifted on the bed, suddenly realizing he wore no clothes.
Heather stopped playing with his horn stump and knelt back on her heels. “You didn’t answer me.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch, and her eyes widened. “Oh! Right! I touch your horns, and you literally get horny. I might have to use that as your new nickname.”
“Maybe we should only use it when we are in private.” Loka enjoyed the fact Heather still stared at his crotch. He traced a hand up her arm.
She sighed and leaned into his touch. “You need more rest. You might still feel some of the aftereffects of the sedative the Banti pumped you full of. The doc said, if you’d been a smaller alien, you would have died.”
“I feel rested enough.” The urge to bellow bubbled up Loka’s throat. Whenever he bellowed, Heather always appeared alarmed. He kept the noise inside, emitting a low rumble instead.
