by Lea Linnett
Helik’s eyes followed her every move, his throat working, and it was the tiniest flex of his knuckles on the chair beneath him that finally made up her mind.
In one nervous breath, Ellie dropped the dress, letting it fall in a pool around her feet.
Between the waves of warmth coming from the heat lamp and Helik’s burning gaze, she might as well have been standing in a furnace. The levekk’s eyes were wide, so much so that the light of the globe reflected in them danced like flames.
The room stilled, until Ellie wondered if time had stopped completely. Helik’s gaze dragged across her uncovered skin in halting bursts, as if he were fighting himself all the way, and Ellie resisted the urge to cover her midriff. She wanted this, and she was ready to work to get it, but still the doubt clung to her. Had she read him wrong? Was he really not interested?
Worse, was he disgusted?
She’d thought that she could make it through even if he was, but now she wasn’t so sure. His face was impenetrable, full of too many emotions for her to pinpoint just one. What if it was all in her head, and she’d just thrown away the biggest opportunity she’d ever have to make something of herself?
Her attention was brought back by the flash of a tongue, and Helik stood, wetting his lips as he gazed down at her. He seemed taller than ever, towering over her as he stepped closer.
She caught herself cowering and bit back the fear, straightening her shoulders. She fisted her hands at her sides, gaze tracking from his feet to his face as he moved into her orbit. Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed his hardness, tenting the thin cloth that was still tied around his waist. She was flooded with equal parts relief and trepidation at the sight, but they soon made way for anticipation, and she licked her lips.
“You’re curious?” Helik finally echoed, his voice rumbling over her like an earthquake. She had to crane her neck back slightly to look at him. This Helik was different from the ones she was used to; there was no plastic smile smeared across his face, and no hesitant, throat-clenching awkwardness. There was nothing but a guarded intensity, the icy blue of his eyes almost eclipsed by deep wells of black that Ellie thought she could fall into.
Belatedly, she remembered he’d asked her something, but there was only one answer on her lips. “Yes.”
The globe was hot against her back, and she wondered if Helik could see her sweating. Did levekk sweat? Would he find it gross? Her eyes followed him as he reached up, wrapping a lock of blond hair that had fallen free of her bun around one claw. Her breath stuttered as the wicked-looking digit hovered by her face.
“You know how dangerous it would be if someone found out?” Helik asked, effortlessly commanding her attention. “For both of us.”
Ellie gulped, but she held his gaze when she whispered, “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Helik inched closer, but he didn’t look happy. He was looking past her, staring at the miniature sun that shared the room with them. His hand moved to her face, and the claws that had so terrified her before skated harmlessly across her cheekbone, far blunter than they appeared.
“You don’t really want me,” the levekk mumbled, suddenly sounding more like the Helik that averted his gaze while she ate, or ran from the room when Ellie looked at him too long. “I’m a weak male.”
“You’re not weak,” she argued. “I think you’re brave, to do what you do for us.”
For a flash, Helik looked pained. “Please don’t tell me that’s why you’re here.”
“It’s not.”
The flats of Helik’s fingers were running along her neck now, and they were far warmer than the day he held her after her run-in with the burnisher. In fact, his entire body emanated heat, as if he’d been basking out in the sun all day.
She looked up at him, her lips trembling, and wondered when they’d gotten so close. They were almost breathing the same air. Her gaze was drawn to his lips, wishing he would kiss her. She knew levekk did. Or, at least, she knew her sister and her levekk did. Would Helik like kissing? Would she have to teach him?
He paused, his hand on her pulse. “You’re scared,” he remarked. Indeed, her heart was pounding, her insides squirming in that way that told her she should run.
“So are you.”
The levekk stared at her, his lips parting.
“But we’re here anyway,” she whispered. “That’s what counts.”
Some final barrier between them snapped at her words, and Ellie felt strong arms embrace her, pulling her closer to the levekk’s hard, scale-covered body. His lips met hers, and a hand behind her head reeled her in as she opened up for him.
She’d been kissed before—but never like this—and she knew she wouldn’t have to teach him anything. Helik’s mouth was hungry, his flat tongue insistent as it caressed hers, and she answered in kind. Her own hands abandoned their place at her sides, instead coming up to grip whatever part of the levekk they could and pull him closer.
The kiss was so intense that Ellie forgot to breathe, and when they finally parted she was left gasping, her eyes glued to the levekk’s sandy-yellow lips.
“You’re hot,” Helik muttered, and Ellie quickly realized that the remark was one of concern, not appreciation, when he reached behind her. He drew one claw down the side of the globe and it dimmed, radiating a comforting warmth rather than the blistering heat from before. The room darkened gradually around them as the lamp’s glow faded, casting new shadows in the corners.
They were still pressed close together, and with each heaving breath, Ellie became more aware of the way her nipples brushed the alien’s chest. A fire completely separate from the heat of the globe sparked inside her.
She hooked a finger into the cloth at Helik’s waist. “I want to see.” She waited for the levekk’s short nod, and then tugged. The cloth fell to the floor, revealing Helik’s straining cock, which bobbed between them. She took a hold of it with shaking fingers, enjoying the way he hissed as she pushed back the sandy-colored foreskin, revealing a glistening pink head. There were no scales, no unexpected sharp edges—only a thick vein running up the underside. Feeling bold, she ran her finger up the length of it, and felt Helik gasp.
“Kiss me again,” she breathed, her eyes rising to meet his. His pupils were flat disks, almost hypnotic, and Ellie leaned into the levekk without thinking.
She was embraced again, the levekk’s mouth covering hers as he backed them up towards the wall. His cock brushed her stomach as they walked, sending a thrill of excitement up her spine. It felt heavy and smooth against her skin, and if she wasn’t preoccupied, she’d be craning her neck to see it better.
Helik’s legs hit the bench with a soft thunk, and his clawed hands gripped Ellie’s ass, heaving her up until they were seated with her in his lap. With her legs spread, she could feel how excited she was, and Helik’s length was hot and urgent between them.
The levekk’s mouth had left hers, and she felt a hint of teeth on her earlobe. She gasped, but the pressure was already gone, his lips now traveling down her neck. His odd, plated brow brushed her skin, and it wasn’t rock-hard like she expected. She felt a tug on her hair, and then the elastic holding it snapped, spilling her golden locks around her shoulders.
“Mmm,” Helik hummed, kissing her jaw. “I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks.”
Ellie giggled. “See me with my hair down? You could have asked.”
Strong hands stroked down her back, skating lower to grab a handful of her ass and making her gasp. “Seeing it now is better,” he growled. Another hand landed on her backside, pulling her cheeks apart and making her back arch.
Helik touched her like a starving man devouring his first meal. Every slide of his palm seemed to be both admiring her and consuming her, as if she was the only thing in his world, and somehow, it bolstered her confidence.
She pried herself up, her hands gliding down the levekk’s scaled chest and grasping his hard length. She rose up on her knees, fitting him against her folds, and
was about to sink down when his grip tightened on her waist.
“N-no!” he gasped, his arms flexing with her weight as he held her above him. She froze, straightening, and looked at Helik with wide eyes.
“What? I thought we were…”
Helik’s eyes glazed over for a moment, fantasies no doubt playing through his mind, but the look was quickly replaced by one of frustration. “We can’t.”
Ellie’s brow dipped. “What do you mean?”
The levekk shifted, putting his lips close to her ear again. “Can you imagine what would happen if you got pregnant?” he breathed, and his words were like ice trickling down her spine.
She jerked back. “T-that’s real?! That’s not just a rumor?”
Helik gave her a long look, and she could practically see the blinds shutting, his hungry desire being folded down and packed away. “We should stop,” he said, beginning to lift her off him.
But Ellie clung to him, gripping his shoulders. “Wait, please.” She paused, looking him dead in the eye. “Talk to me first. Don’t just decide.”
He opened his mouth, about to argue, but hesitated. “It’s bad enough that we’re doing this at all. If you don’t know what you’re agreeing to, I can’t…”
“Okay. Then explain. We’re…” She gulped back the lump in her throat. “Compatible?”
Helik nodded, his eyes returning to calm slits. “Yes. But it can’t happen. The punishment would be…”
Ellie looked away. She didn’t know what happened to humans or other sub-species caught fraternizing with levekk, and that was almost scarier than knowing. They were certainly never heard from again.
“We can stop,” Helik whispered, cradling her face with gentle claws. “We can pretend this never happened.”
“No,” she said, surprised at the strength of her voice. She seated herself in his lap again, sighing at the friction as their skin brushed. She looked into his eyes, pleased to see the hunger creeping back. “I want this. I’ve wanted this for weeks.” She licked her lips. “There must be something else we can do?”
Helik’s gaze darkened, and the hands that had been hovering gently over her skin grasped her again with an alarming intensity, as if holding himself back had been torturous. He kissed her shoulder, his fingers wandering around to tweak at her nipples and making her breath hitch. Her skin broke out in goosebumps, despite the warmth of the heat room, and she wrapped her arms around him, fingers gliding over his scales.
“In that case,” she heard him breathe, and then her world shifted as he moved her on his lap. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, and gasped as her lower lips parted wetly around the shaft of his cock.
“I-I thought we couldn’t—”
“As long as nothing goes in, we should be fine,” he said, catching her eye. “As long as you’re okay with this?”
Ellie blinked, wondering how she could ever not be okay with this. Helik’s cock was hot and hard between her legs, and she could feel herself beginning to throb pleasurably somewhere deep in her core.
“I’m fine,” she said, her breath catching with excitement. “Tell me when you’re about to…”
“Got it.”
Helik kissed her again, and it was somehow even fiercer than before. His tongue was practically invading her, tangling with her own. Clawed hands edged her closer, and she took the hint, rolling her hips and dragging herself along his length.
She gasped, her clit lighting up with the sensation. She knew her body pretty well by now, so she wasn’t surprised that it felt good, but she wasn’t expecting just how satisfying it would be to feel the entire length of the levekk grazing against her.
They moved easily against each other, the path made slick by her own excitement—and Helik’s. There was a steady trickle of fluid squeezing from his cockhead, more than she would have expected. But her curiosity fell away as she picked up the pace, grinding herself on Helik’s cock and gasping into his mouth.
His hands gripped her ass, helping her keep up their rhythm, and as they quickened, she felt his hips start thrusting up to meet hers.
It wouldn’t be long now, the pressure burning hot against her clit, and when Helik broke their kiss to let out a grunt of pleasure she knew he wasn’t far off either.
“Together,” she gasped, and Helik’s gaze scorched her when their eyes met.
“Yes,” he breathed, and then Ellie was over the edge, her nerves catching alight in the heat of the room around them. Helik’s groan rumbled through their connected bodies, and she felt the moment the levekk tensed beneath her, his orgasm twitching against her folds.
Their bodies held taut for a moment, before relaxing in a unified rush. Mindful of the danger pooling between them, Ellie pulled away, sliding back towards the levekk’s knees to inspect the damage. With a sigh of relief, she found that his seed had gone nowhere except on his stomach. She leaned forward to kiss him again, but he stopped her, brushing her lip with one claw as he caught his breath.
He leaned to the side, balancing her on his lap as he reached for another length of cloth from the pile that Ellie had stacked just yesterday. After wiping the mess from his stomach, he drew her in close, finally letting her sag against his scaled chest.
She realized now that she’d barely thought about his strange skin. It was smooth beneath her fingertips, but she could feel the edge of every diamond-shaped scale. He was still warm to the touch, and she nuzzled his neck. The fear she’d felt earlier was entirely absent now, and Helik seemed relaxed as well, his heart beating slowly and steadily beneath her cheek as she rested.
“I could get addicted to this,” she breathed, closing her eyes as Helik threaded his fingers through her hair.
“I think I already am,” he replied, and his tone was almost sad, his heart rate picking up almost imperceptibly beneath her ear. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
She looked up at him curiously, but whatever he was feeling, it was locked behind an impenetrable expression, his eyes dulled.
“Are you all right?” she asked, trailing her fingers down his side.
Helik blinked, his pupils sharpening. “I’m fine,” he finally said, a smile cutting through his pensive expression.
She squeaked as she was hauled up onto his lap again, but then the feeling of weightlessness continued. Ellie found herself floating in mid-air, gripping Helik’s waist with her legs while clawed hands supported her backside.
“If you’re still curious,” he said, speaking into her neck. “Then I think we could move this somewhere more comfortable. Does that sound agreeable?”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a grin, and the levekk groaned.
“Don’t do that,” he drawled, and clutched her closer. “Or I’ll start having accidents at work.”
Ellie couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up inside her then, and she let him carry her out the door towards his bedroom.
14
Helik woke with a crick in his neck and a warm body pressed to his chest. For one panicked moment, he forgot where he was, who the woman in his arms was—even what decade he was in. But then the memory of the night before eased into his thoughts, and relief hit him like a wave. He arched his neck, stretching the sore muscle, and settled in beside Ellie. It had been a long time since he had to share a bed with anyone.
He didn’t mind it. In fact, as he breathed in the scent of the little human who was doing her best to sleepily burrow into his neck, he found he quite enjoyed it.
Sunlight streamed in through the one-way glass, giving her a halo as it passed through her golden hair. He watched with fascination as she pressed closer to him and muttered incoherently, all without waking.
She was stunning. Of course, he’d noticed that much when he first saw her, but with her cheeks ruddy from pressing against his scales all night and her lips gently parted, she looked like one of the flushed beauties from a rare, pre-Settlement human painting which he’d once seen in his grandmother’s collection.
&nb
sp; Carefully, he lifted a finger, trailing his claw through a wispy whorl of Ellie’s blond hair. This was one of the most fascinating things about her; levekk didn’t have hair at all, let alone the long, wavy locks that humans sported. It suited her, framing her face in gentle waves.
Her scent was also fascinating. It was a fine blend of human musk, levekk cleaning products, and fruity soap, and it wafted around them, intoxicating him as he buried his face in her hair. This was the aroma that had been hounding him for weeks, unraveling his fine thread of control and pervading his home, but now it felt as comfortable as a fresh blanket.
He still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. He’d feared she was catching on, discovering his deviant desire for her, but never would he have thought she’d come to him. With her naked before him, he hadn’t been able to find the strength to say ‘no’ any longer.
He searched himself for the familiar bubble of shame in his gut, but found it absent. In the heat room, he’d clutched her to him knowing with absolute certainty that he’d regret it, but now he wasn’t so sure. Nothing had happened. There were no enforcers screaming through his windows to arrest him, and the apartment hadn’t crumbled down around him. There hadn’t even been a hysterical call from Roia telling him that everyone knew what he’d done and that his campaign was now in tatters.
He was just laying there in bed, with Ellie sleeping peacefully in his arms.
And if this—whatever it was—stayed here within the safety and privacy of the penthouse, then it could continue. No one would have to know.
Because now he wasn’t sure he could give it up.
A sleepy sound erupted from the human in his arms, cutting through his thoughts as if they were as immaterial as the wind. Her hand ghosted up his side as she reoriented herself, and the touch was smoldering against his cool skin. She twisted in his grasp until her neck was resting against his bicep.
“Mornin’,” she said, blinking the sleep from her eyes.
“Morning.”
She rubbed her palm along his side again, one of her fuzzy eyebrows quirking. “You’re cold.” Her fingers gripped the sheets, yanking them up from where they’d fallen around her waist until they were both covered to the neck.