My mouth opened to tell her yet again, but laughter erupted from behind me.
“She doesn’t understand you, Kal. Besides, Lucy will play until she literally drops.”
“What do you suggest?” I shifted my weight to my heels and bumped into Seth’s chest. He tensed but didn’t shy away. His arm came around me and took the ball from my fingers.
His mouth was practically against my neck as he said, “Drop the ball, and she’ll get it.” Seth let the ball go, and Lucy poked it before she began to lick her paw. “See.”
I shifted until I pressed against him, pleased that Seth’s arm remained around me. Moments passed, but slowly, he relaxedand his forehead dropped to my shoulder. I leaned my head against his, nuzzling him, and Seth released a long breath.
The combination of his breath against my neck plus the tangy citrus of his scent stoked my desire, making my cock harden, but I ignored it. This closeness was enough for me. I wanted to remain like this forever; food could wait. Except, Seth was hungry, and he was my responsibility to care for.
“We should eat.” I truly did not want to shift in the slightest.
“Hmm.”
His face pressed tighter against my neck, which made my soul quicken. I slid my fingers along the arm around my waist until I reached his hand. With another long breath, he wrapped his other arm around me, cradling me snugly to his chest.
“Kal,” Seth said, though it came out as more of a groan.
“My Seth,” I whispered, rubbing my palm along his arm.
“I don’t understand.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
I squeezed his arm, trying to encourage him to speak, but Seth hissed and moved away. I tried to touch him, but he jerked back.
“What’s wrong?”
“You squeezed my bruise.”
“I didn’t mean to harm you.” I nudged up his chin with my tail. “I’m sorry.”
Seth smiled, but it was tight. “It’s fine.”
“Did you still want to go eat?”
“Yeah.”
With my tail, I stroked his cheek. “Thank you.”
His brow furrowed. “For what?”
“Being you.”
His mouth fell open before he snapped it closed. “Sure.”
I stayed by Seth’s side with my tail curled around his ankle. Seth seemed calm enough, though tense, as he peered at the crowd without a hint of anger about my earlier blunder. I truly hadn’t intended to hurt him. Iwouldnever hurt him.
I let go of his ankle to stroke his arm. Seth’s eyebrows raised in a clear question, and I smiled at him, making sure not to show my canines.
Seth bumped into me yet again, a tad paler than usual. At his nervous expression, anger surged up my spine. Swallowing a growl, I scoured the crowd, ready to rip whoever was scaring him apart, but I found nothing.
The mass of people had grown, though I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The promenade wasn’t even close to full capacity, as this had been a rushed departure going to the outer realms. The ship could hold more than ten thousand passengers.
As people edged toward us, Seth pressed against my side. My eyes moved from him to the crowd, and suddenly, I understood. He’d mentioned something about social anxiety, and while I didn’t truly comprehend the words, I now grasped part of their meaning.
