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He shook his head. “Not really. I have no ties.”

“There’s no one waiting for you on your home planet?”

His laugh sounded bitter. “I am alone.”

That was something they also shared. Hayley had known nobody when she’d taken this job. All her contacts were on Earth, as was her remaining family member. She’d been terrified when stepping aboard the transport ship, not knowing what she’d discover on Prodigy. But she had to try. She would not give up this fight. Hayley would not lose her sister because she was scared.

“We can be alone together,” Elias said softly.

Hayley bit her bottom lip. She was drawn to him. There was something about his quiet intensity she loved. The fact he wasn’t constantly leering at her, like some aliens she worked with, was another bonus point. Elias valued her brain, as well as her body.

“Are you available?” Elias asked.

She sucked in a breath. Don’t do it. Don’t get involved with this gorgeous alien. “I am busy with work. I don’t have a lot of spare time.”

“Are you available as in you’re not seeing anybody? You are not in a partnership?” His intense gaze made Hayley’s insides quiver.

A shiver of heat ran down her spine. She should lie and say she had somebody. Hayley didn’t want to let Elias down and couldn’t be distracted by him, but still, she felt tempted. She wanted to get to know this Retar. She could see he felt pain and was so lonely. Maybe he was right, and they could be lonely together.

“I’m not in a relationship.”

Elias nodded, his gaze fixed only on her. “Then I have a question for you.”

She smiled and nodded. “Okay, ask away.”

“Can we do oral?”

Chapter 8

Sitting in the quiet calm of the auditorium and having Hayley so close to him had lessened Elias’s concerns about being intimate with her. Everything felt better when they were together. Even so, he could tell by the look in Hayley’s eyes that the question he’d asked had spooked her.

“What did you say?” Hayley’s mouth was open, and she blinked at him rapidly.

“Oral,” Elias said again. “Isn’t that what you do with other humans?”

“You want me to go down on you?” She jerked back in her seat, and her gaze went to his groin.

“I believe that’s a term I’ve heard to describe it. I’ve seen an info pod about it. The woman gets on her knees in front of the man. She takes his—”

“You don’t need to describe it to me. I know what happens during oral sex.” Hayley shoved her hands through her hair. “But it doesn’t just happen like that. And you don’t ask someone you barely know to suck you off.”

“Why not? It looks pleasurable, especially since humans don’t bite. Are you certain you never use your teeth when giving oral pleasure?”

Hayley shook her head. “I do not use my teeth. I also don’t go around giving oral pleasure to any guy who asks. I have to like them and be in a relationship with them before that happens.”

“That wasn’t mentioned on the info pod.” The initial rush of excitement Elias felt by asking Hayley if he could pleasure her disappeared. “I thought it would be a way we could get to know each other better. I suck you off. Is that the right term?”

“No! You’ve got this wrong. I suck you off.” Hayley’s cheeks glowed. “I mean, if we were to do that, I would pleasure you with my mouth. It’s called sucking off because, well, oh, this is so embarrassing. It just is. You can visualize it yourself and see why it’s called that.”

“You don’t find it enjoyable? If a man is between your legs and using his mouth on you? From what I saw, it will make you scream.”

Hayley groaned and sat back in her seat, covering her eyes with a hand.

“Yes, just like that. That noise you made, I’ve heard it on the info pod.”

She lowered her hand. “Really, you can’t ask that question.”

“Not even if I wish to do it on you? If you aren’t interested in using your mouth on me, I would like to learn how to pleasure you.”