My mind froze on the word boyfriend. Mindy was my boyfriend. I smiled, but fear ticked in my chest like a doomsday clock. If Mindy lost interest in me, it would hurt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. But more than that, if someone hurt him, I wouldn’t handle it well.
My mouth went bone dry. Someone could hurt him. That alien or… my mind ripped back to the fighting ring. The strong smell of piss and fear that soaked the walls. Me and Vince huddling close. The smacking of flesh as the two aliens in the ring fought. Neither of them wanted to, but collars on their necks forced them to obey or they would deliver painful shocks.
Vince had gripped my hand tightly as people shouted and called out their bets. If Agk had gotten tired of us… that was our fate. To be beaten until we stopped breathing.
Fingers traced my back, and I practically leaped out of my skin.
“Flower, did I hurt you?”
Pulse pounding in my ears, I tried to force the past away. “No.”
He kissed my neck. “Where were you?”
My first instinct was to lie, but Serlotminden had asked me for the truth. He wouldn’t force me to speak of it, and yet… he deserved it, even if it terrified me. I whispered, “Before.”
“Before what?”
“Before you saved me.”
Mindy kissed my neck again. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” If I opened my mouth, I feared everything would spill out and I’d never stop. What would he think if I told him everything?
“When we get home, you can speak to a doctor if you’d like.”
I didn’t respond. Home meant different things to us, and I wasn’t sure if we’d ever leave this place.
Carefully, he traced the bruises. It didn’t hurt, but the feel of his scales dragging over my skin formed goosebumps on my arms and sent tingles of electricity racing under my skin. My breath turned harsh when he moved to stand behind me, his fingers sliding over my sides and up my stomach. One brushed the edge of my belly button, and I jumped, panting.
“You’re still hurt. Your shoulders are swollen.” He pressed a kiss to each one.
“I’ll be alright.” My voice was sandpaper. My thoughts whirled as he continued to caress me. Every inch of me was alive in a way I’d never felt as he stroked and touched me. The cold air was nonexistent in the face of the warmth of Serlotminden. He bent lower and his breath rushed over my neck as his thumbs rested on the dimples at the base of my spine.
His lips ghosted over my skin at the nape of my neck, and I leaned my head to the side to give him more space. Serlotminden kept his touch whisper-soft as he pressed kiss after kiss against my neck. He kept a hold of my hips, but he did not grip or squeeze me; he simply held me securely.
I melted.
I pressed against him and moaned when his scaled tongue touched the sensitive skin behind my ear. A whimper, a fucking whimper, ripped out of my mouth as he sucked on my earlobe, scraping me with his sharp canines.
“Serlotminden,” I said, breathless.
“Teddy?” He kissed the nape of my neck again.
I was going crazy. If he didn’t stop, I was going to turn around and mash my lips to his. If that happened, this date would probably go a very different way, even though I’d told him no sex. But I could not move away.
No. I’d already decided to wait, and I needed it. I needed more time.
I pulled away, and he instantly let me go.
“Bartholomew?” The question was obvious in his voice.
I did not answer, shaking. I eased into the warm water. My joints practically groaned at the feel. How long had it been since I soaked? I couldn’t remember. I sank in, staying near the bank so the water wouldn’t sweep me away.
Serlotminden entered beside me in nothing but his briefs. He was as beautiful as ever—all lean muscles and purple scales. He hissed when his side hit the water and jerked back up.
“Are you alright?” I asked, getting to my own feet.
“My skin is sensitive, and my scales haven’t regrown yet.” He sat on the edge, not looking at me, and took deep breaths.
