He nodded against me.
I pursed my lips as I tried to think of things I didn’t want. It was hard when Bartholomew was so distracting and my body craved him on a cellular level, but I had to be honest with my mate. “I’m not fond of my feet being played with or kissed. I like…” What was the human word? Caleb, Seth, and Edith had truly neglected sex terminology lessons. “Before sex fun.”
“Foreplay?”
“Perhaps. I also like being brought to close to pleasure, then denied, then teased again and again without my satisfaction.”
“You like being edged,” Bartholomew said.
Fucking permissions weren’t needed right now, and there was more, but we could wait. “We can discuss sex permissions later.”
“So what else do you not like?”
“Being left alone.”
His forehead crinkled. “What?”
“I’m often alone with my races or my diplomatic missions, and I don’t like it. I get lonely. I don’t like being ignored or forgotten. Not that you have to be with me all the time, but—” I broke off, trying to think of the words I needed. “Being left behind hurts. I often feel as if my brothers are leaving me behind or I am leaving them. I don’t like it. I love racing and my work, but I don’t like being forgotten.”
“Do they forget you?”
“Not intentionally. But they’re busy.”
He drew my lips to his, gently kissing me. “I will never forget you, Mindy. I won’t leave you behind.”
“Thank you.” I nuzzled him, breathing in our mixed scent as well as his spend. It was a heady fragrance. I licked the mark I’d left. “We should clean you, then eat, and go on our date.”
The color returned to his cheeks, and I laughed. While I didn’t understand his embarrassment, it was adorable.
Chapter 25
A first date to remember.
We were completely silent as we went to the river, and the silence didn’t bother me, neither did my early climax, well, after we’d talked. Serlotminden had liked it, though I wished our… intimacy, I guessed, had lasted longer. But whatever.
No, what was stressing me out was going to the river when there was an unfriendly alien. God, it was so stupid, but I had a hard time saying no to Serlotminden, especially when he gave me a puppy-dog smile that made me want to kiss and smack him at the same time.
The moment we stepped under the trees, I tugged the blanket off and folded it over my arm. I stayed close to Serlotminden’s side as we walked. I wanted to drag him back to the shuttlewhere that four-armed alien was unable to hurt him or me, but that would make him sad.
Fuck. Emotions sucked. Romance sucked. Why anyone wanted this was a mystery to me. WhyIwanted this was a mystery. I liked Serlotminden. I liked his smile. I liked his laugh. I liked his touch. I liked how he raced about. I liked how his mind worked.
I supposed that was answer enough.
The river gurgled peacefully as steam came off the water in waves. Serlotminden scoured the edge, tail flicking. The crab-rocks were nowhere in sight. They had been freaky as hell, but I didn’t think they’d hurt us.
He pulled out a type of scanner with limited range that I’d seen him use before. Mindy growled. “The scanner doesn’t work well, but from what I can see, the temperature and microbes in the water are safe for me. We shouldn’t drink it. It might make us sick, though more likely you. Maybe if I boiled it. I’m not sure. And I’m not certain if the water is safe for you. Seth is mostly compatible with our environment.” He stared at me, teeth playing with his lip ring.
“I’ll be fine.” I started to pull the hem of my shirt up, and he froze, tail thrashing. He was nothing if not obvious. He’d seen me naked before. He’d licked me all over, for the most part. Thinking of his tongue had me blushing, so I forcefully shoved the memory away.
I wasn’t going to give him a show, nor was there much to see underneath. I was skinny as hell. The nutrition bars kept me alive, but they didn’t help me gain any weight. There was also the fact that Agk had barely fed me or Vince, and I’d given some of my food to Vince. He’d needed it, and I hated the thought of him being hungry.
God. Vince. I hoped he was alright. Safe. As safe as possible in the situation I’d left him in.
Without ceremony, I stripped my clothes off, leaving the briefs where they were. Serlotminden watched with burning eyes. His gaze lingered on my swollen shoulders and elbows as well as the bruises decorating my back. He reached for me but hesitated.
“You can touch me,” I said in a low voice as my dick began to perk up. I fought it; I did not want to pitch a tent in these tight briefs. “You won’t hurt me. No licking, though.”
What world had I stumbled into that I needed to specify that my boyfriend couldn’t lick me?
