“Let your wings out,” I ordered.
Slowly, two wings burst from his back and stretched. They were the same shade of royal-purple as his scales; they each had a black talon on the bend and delicate scales along the top. They were massive, nearly stretching from wall to wall.
He groaned. “I needed that.”
Unable to stop myself, I brushed one. The leathery texture slid under my fingertips, supple and smooth. Mindy pressed against me, bringing his wing closer, so I continued my exploration, tracing the membrane, the small veins, the scales, and the sharp talon.
“I like that,” he said.
“Hmm.” I kept petting him, enjoying the soft feel.
His wings enclosed me, and warmth seeped into my bones. I moaned before I could swallow it. God, he was so warm, like my own personal space heater, which on this balls-cold planet was a fucking miracle. I crossed my arms behind him to keep him where he was, and Serlotminden placed a hand on the small of my back, fingers stretched wide.
We stayed snuggled together while he occasionally stretched his wings, neither of us in a rush to move. It was cozy. One of my hands began to wander up his spine to explore the knobs and theexpanse of his hard muscles, which contracted under my touch. Serlotminden nuzzled my cheek, and my pulse spiked.
How was this happening? It was like one of the romance books I so enjoyed where the hero suddenly liked his romantic interest. But that wasn’t real. Then again… I hadn’t believed in aliens two years ago either.
Eventually, he slid his wings back into his shirt, and I stretched the blanket over him. “There.”
“Thank you.”
I placed my arms around his waist again, palm flat against his back. “What’s in the crates?”
“One has a couple of weapons, and the other has my racing…” He trailed off. “I don’t know the word.”
Probably racing junk. I nodded. “Junk.”
“Junk?” The word sounded distorted but understandable.
“Yep.”
“We can empty the bigger one and fill it with snow.”
“And we would do this, why?” That sounded like a ton of work that I didn’t want to do.
“I can melt it, so we can bathe.”
“So I do smell.”
“No.” He pressed his nose against my neck and took a deep inhale, groaning. “You smell of something… I cannot say. I do not know the words.”
“Foul.”
“Is that bad?”
“Yes.”
“Then no. You smell wonderful.”
He was allowed his bizarre opinion. I wouldn’t join him, but I wouldn’t stop him either. “Instead of filling a crate with snow, we should do a bowl. Much more reasonable.”
He grumbled something I didn’t understand, and I didn’t bother to question him. Mindy wouldn’t be loading or meltingsnow any time soon. Besides, his focus should be on healing, then fixing the computer. We needed the beacon to be operational so his boyfriend could find us. I had to get back to Vince.
“Let’s go back,” I said. “You need to eat and rest.”
“I have to check the cockpit.”
“Tomorrow. Maybe.”
