by Ruby Dixon
“You needle him, too,” Georgie says. The baby takes that moment to barf on her top, and I feel a little stab of envious glee at the sight. She makes a face then whips out a towel and mops up her tunic and the baby’s round little blue face. “I’m just saying—“
“I know, I know,” I interrupt, not wanting to hear this again. It’s the same softly-worded lecture that Kira gives me on a regular basis. “It’s not all me, though. I could smile at the man and say ‘good morning’ and he’d find a way to take it wrong.” There’s something about him that makes me…tense and unsettled. Like my skin is itching or I’m about to burst. It’s irritating and so is he, and it normally comes out of me in the form of bitchiness vented in his direction. “I’ll try harder.”
Lies. I can’t stand Haeden. I don’t know why everyone cares that we don’t get along. It’s not like we have to hold hands and sing “kumbaya” to live together. We just have to co-exist without killing each other, and we’ve done a great job of that for the last year and a half.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” She loosens the wrap around her middle and pulls Talie off her lap, setting her down and changing her fluff-stuffed diaper with quick movements. “It’s so good to see you, and you were so brave to come and warn everyone. So Taushen went back to the south cave?”
“Yeah, and thank God he did, because it was really hard just jogging here. I can’t imagine trying to jog a full day back to the other cave.” My little girl-scout floating compass saved my butt more than once. That, and I was lucky enough to find a trail with a lot of footprints leading back to the caves. That helped, though I’ll never admit it aloud.
“And Tiffany and Salukh?” She fixes Talie’s clothing and picks the baby up again, smiling and nuzzling it’s tiny nose before looking over at me. “You said they were at the old ship with you?”
“Yupper.”
“And they stayed?”
“Tiff hurt her ankle and Salukh stayed behind to help her out.” I bite my lip. “I’m pretty sure they’re hooking up.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh. But I thought she had a bunch of other guys flirting with her? What about Hassen and Vaza?”
My tea’s cooled enough that I can down the rest of it, and I finish it quickly and put my cup down before Georgie can try and refill it again. I extend my arms toward her, yearning to hold the wriggling, happy blue bundle of baby in her arms. I want a baby so bad. I want a mate even more.
Why does everyone get a family but me?
She hands the baby over and I try not to show how surprised I am at how heavy she is. She’s a huge baby – Kira’s little Kae is smaller, but Kira’s tinier than Georgie and Kae’s a lot younger. The sa-khui men are enormous, though, so it makes sense that they’d make big babies. Man, Georgie’s poor vagina. I heft Talie in my arms and she reaches for my mouth, smacking at it with a fat baby hand. So cute. “Tiff’s love life is kinda complicated. First it was just Hassen and then Taushen. Then Vaza, because you know that old coot’s desperate for anything. Then Bek joined in and she started freaking out and getting all overwhelmed, so I helped out.”
Her brows draw forward. “You helped out? How?”
I explain to her the competitions I set up, the games I made them compete in. She laughs at a few parts and shakes her head at the reactions. “Aehako was wise to step in when he did. That could have been a really volatile situation.”
“Mmm.” Sounds a bit like criticism to me, but Georgie always thinks like the chief’s mate, so it’s not unexpected. I boop Talie’s tiny little nose. She’s so stinking cute with her fuzzy blue skin and the mess of golden-brown curls atop her head and her witty-bitty horns. I’m so hugging the snot out of every baby in this cave before I go back. “So are Harlow and her family here? The surgery machine was broken back at the ship and I wanted to ask her about it.”
Georgie nods and gestures deeper into the cave. “We’ve opened up three more caves and she’s running scans on the walls to see if there’s more to be found. She thinks the cutter has one or two more caves in it before it craps out again. The parts burn out fast.”
I sure hope she’s not cannibalizing from the surgery machine or I might lose my shit. If I can’t get this IUD out – and believe me, I’ve tried the manual method, I’m going to go nuts.
“You okay?” Georgie asks, giving me a concerned look.
“Yep! Just wanted to check out a few things in the girl area.”
Understanding dawns on her face as I hug Talie close to my chest again. “It’ll happen, Josie. Just be patient.”
I’m tired of being patient, though. Everyone says be patient when they don’t have to be. But I smile at her, because moping does no good. “You’re not getting this cute baby back until I leave.”
She laughs. “A few hours with a babysitter? I’ll take them and be glad of it. You have no idea how bad I want a nap.”
Probably not as bad as I want a baby.
TIFFANY
It’s quiet with just me and Salukh here at the old space ship that the sa-khui call the Elders’ Cave.
I think we’re still adjusting to the fact that no one else is around. Every time I glance over at Salukh, he’s keeping his hands busy: sharpening spears, stoking the fire, checking supplies, or melting snow. I’m more or less chair-bound with my bad ankle, and I don’t have any of my usual work implements. My skinning tools, my scrapers, my bone knitting needles, and my spindle – all are back at the cave. I’ve literally got nothing to do.
It’s nice at first. I doze off and on in my chair, trying to get comfortable without bugging my leg. After a while, though, I get bored. There’s a bathroom of sorts set up in one of the back rooms and I refuse to let Salukh help me walk there. I spend longer than I should and use some of the melted water to wash up, wiping down my body and cleaning up the travel grime. Once I’m done, I’m restless and don’t feel like returning to my chair, so I limp over to one of the doors and order the computer to open it so I can peer outside at the weather.
The moment the doors slide open, I want to close them again. The wind is gusting so hard it nearly knocks me over, and the air that rushes in is bone-chilling cold. There’s snow everywhere, and it’s so gray outside I can’t see a thing. I gasp at the sight of it. Josie’s out there in that, if she didn’t make it to the cave in time. If her compass didn’t work, she could be wandering in the storm, desperately trying to find shelter….and no one at the main cave will know she’s coming.
I quell the panic I feel and take a wobbling step back from the door. “Close, please.”
The doors slide shut again slowly, and I watch as the ice forms where the landing snow melted against the warmer metal. It fills in the cracks and hardens immediately, and I shiver.
Be safe, Josie. Be safe.
“She will be fine,” Salukh says, his voice gentle. He’s standing next to me, and as I look over at him, he puts his hands on my shoulders. “She is smart and brave. She will make it. Likely she is already back at the cave and being fussed over.”
He’s probably right. “I just worry.” His hands are big and warm, and comforting. It feels good to have his touch, and I lean back against him. “I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t.”
“You are a good friend to her,” he assures me.
“Is it bad that I haven’t worried a bit about Taushen?” I grimace.
He chuckles, and my skin prickles with awareness at that low sound. “It is because he is a capable hunter. He will be fine, even if he is caught in the storm. It is far more dangerous for humans than for a sa-khui hunter.”
That seems to be the story of everything on this planet. I nod and start to limp back over to my chair. My ankle’s throbbing fiercely, protesting the fact that I’m standing. Before I can move further than two steps, though, he scoops me up in his arms and carries me back over by the fire.
I don’t protest – what’s the use? Besides, it’s kind of nice to be babied when I want the attention, instead of having it foisted on me. Sal
ukh settles me into my chair with the utmost of care and I give him a smile of thanks. His long, thick hair brushes against my arm as he stands and I can’t help but run my fingers through it as it whispers out of my grip. He’s so…sexy. I shouldn’t be thinking about how sexy Salukh is when he’s taking care of me, should I? But I can’t help it. I watch his butt flex as he strides across the room to get another fuel chip for the fire, and I watch as he squats to tend to the flame. He moves like a dancer – a dancer the size of a basketball player mixed with a linebacker. People his size shouldn’t be so lithe, but he’s graceful and beautiful to watch and I just want to run my nails down that rock-hard chest. Mmm.
Of course, perving on Salukh makes me feel another stab of guilt that we’re here, perfectly safe in the Elders’ Cave with a nice fire, food to eat, and a roof over our heads. We’re out of the wind and the snow while Josie and Taushen are out in the elements. I think for a moment and then look over at Salukh as a new thought occurs to me. “I’m surprised Taushen didn’t put up a fight, you know.”
He looks over at me, eyes gleaming in the firelight. “A fight? Over what?”
I refuse to let his confusion stab at my ego. “That he didn’t protest when you told him you were staying with me. It’s odd he didn’t say a thing, considering how excited he was over this trip.” He was the only one excited. Well, maybe Josie, until we got here and the surgery machine was broken. Poor Josie.
Salukh shrugs his wide shoulders. “He did not complain because he knew he had lost.”
I frown. “What do you mean, he knew he’d lost?”
“I told him that you were my mate.”
My jaw drops. “You what?”
The gaze he focuses on me is utterly serious, utterly heartfelt. “You are mine, Tee-fah-nee. You are my woman and my mate. I know this to be true.”
I stare at him, and then I sputter for a moment when no sensible words spring to mind. Eventually, I manage a shocked, “B-b-but we didn’t resonate! We can’t be mates!”
“We have not resonated yet,” he says. “Patience. It is only a matter of time. Our khuis must simply catch up with our hearts.”
He’s utterly serious. There’s no question in his mind that I’m his. It doesn’t matter that the symbiont that plays matchmaker hasn’t kicked in. To him, I’m his just as surely as if our chests were purring in unison.
My heart aches. I’m not sure if it’s aching with love for him and his confidence, or sadness that we haven’t resonated and he might be wrong. I don’t want to love him only to lose him.
“Oh, Salukh,” I say softly. “You should have said something to me.”
That sexy half-smile curves his mouth. “I have always known this, my mate. I was simply waiting for you to realize it.”
It dawns on me that one of the things I find so irresistible about Salukh is this: his utter confidence. He truly has no doubt in his mind that I’m his mate. That if we wish hard enough, everything else will just fall into place.
I wish I possessed the same confidence.
But I smile and extend a hand to him. He takes it and presses my fingers to his mouth. I feel such love for him, but I’m terrified of it, also. I’m terrified of everything.
“It is all right.” He moves to my side and caresses my cheek. “I see the worry in your eyes.”
I shake my head and slide out of the chair, moving into his arms. “Then make me think of something other than worry.”
A playful smile of arousal curves his mouth. He gazes at me, and then leans in so his nose can rub against mine. “Do you think to distract me, Tee-fah-nee?”
Absolutely. It’s not just to distract him, though, it’s for me, too. I want to forget about everything but him for the moment. I want the world to go away for a while. I want nothing to exist except for us for a while.
I slide my hand down his chest and then lower, caressing the erect bulge in his leggings. “Looks to me like you are quite willing to be distracted.”
“I am a simple man,” he murmurs, then nips at my lower lip with a sexy little bite. “If my woman wishes to play, who am I to say no?”
His woman. The title feels unsettling. I do want to be his, but I’m…afraid. I smile brightly at him to hide my worry and rub his cock through his leggings. He’s hard as rock, already, and my mouth waters at the thought of a new round of teasing pleasure. Salukh is so wonderful; I want to do more for him than just teasing kisses and petting. And I know just what I can do to blow his mind.
I kiss him hard, my mouth on his, our tongues twining. Then, I give him a gentle push on the shoulder, indicating he should lean back. He does, his eyes gleaming with interest as I crawl over him. I’m going to seduce this big, beautiful man, and suck his cock until he cries out.
Just the thought gets me wet with excitement, and I straddle him, my hips over his. In this position, I feel small against him. His entire body is much bigger than mine, but I still feel safe. Salukh would never hurt me, never lose his temper. He would never take me against my will or try to punish me by forcing me to do things I don’t want to. Which is why I want to do this for him. I want to lick him all over and drag my mouth over the ridges of his cock. I want to tongue his spur. I want to see the look on his face when I blow his mind as I blow his cock. I want to give him this, because he’s given me so much. He’s loved me and never doubted me, not once.
The thought is humbling. I slide forward to kiss his mouth again. I want him to feel all the love and affection and sweetness in my heart for him. I want him to realize what he means to me, even if we never resonate. I want him to feel half as cherished as I do whenever he’s around.
I move a hand down his chest. His vest is open and I push the fabric aside, exposing suede-soft skin and muscle. “God, you’re pretty to look at. I’m a lucky girl.”
“It is I who am lucky.” His voice is rasping, and I can feel his erection seemingly growing even larger under my bottom. It gives me another little thrill.
I move lower, sliding down to his legs. When I’m sitting on his knees, I reach forward and start to undo the laces of his leggings that hold the waist together.
“What is it you do?”
I look up at him, my smile sultry. “Something we human girls are very good at.” Then I pull his leggings open and tug them down, exposing his cock. It thrusts up into the air, proud and gorgeous, and I can’t resist. I lean down and take him in my hand, then drag my tongue along the length of his root.
The breath hisses out of him. “You…will use your mouth on me?”
“All over you,” I purr. “I’m going to put my mouth everywhere.” To back up my words, I start pressing soft, open-mouth kisses along the ridges of his cock. “Then, when I’m done tasting you, I’m going to take you deep in my mouth and suck you until you come.”
He gives a full-body shudder and I see pre-cum bead on the head of his cock. I immediately move my mouth there and lap up the salty drops. More follow, and I take several minutes to just lick and explore the crown of his cock with the tip of my tongue. His skin is soft here, not velvety like the rest of his body. It gives way to ridges and texture down the length of his cock, and I drag my fingers over it, my pussy clenching in response.
“Let me take you this time.” Salukh reaches up and caresses my hair as I drag my mouth over his cock again, rubbing my lips over his hot flesh. “Let me sink inside you and claim you as my mate.”
“Hush,” I tell him softly. My hand slides to his spur and I give it a teasing stroke, and he groans, falling back onto the floor and closing his eyes.
Am I being fair? Probably not. I’m giving him oral because I want him, but…it doesn’t feel right to take his virginity. He said he wanted to save it for his mate when we first started playing. He thinks I’m his mate…but what if he’s wrong? I don’t want to rob him of that first pleasure with the woman that will be his forever. So I take the head of his cock in my mouth and suck hard.
He makes an ‘unh’ sound in the back of his throat
and his hand strays to my hair again, tangling in my curls. Encouraged, I take him deeper, rubbing the length of my tongue against him as I pull him into my mouth. I can’t take him very far, so I wrap my hand tight along his length and pump it as I use my mouth. His hips rise along with my movements, and the taste of him fills my senses.
“My mate,” he growls. “You tease me so sweetly.”
“Mmmm,” I hum, because I know he’ll be able to feel it all along his cock.
His hand tightens in my hair, and he starts to guide my mouth, his hips moving in time with my head. He’s fucking my mouth now, and it’s gloriously filthy and wonderful all at once. I keep a finger over the tip of his spur so he doesn’t bonk me in the nose with it, but the truth is – he’s got such a big dick that I’d have to take him a lot deeper to be in danger of that.
Not that I’m complaining about his size.
I pull back and tongue the head of his cock again, and my hand goes to his sac, teasing the sensitive flesh there. His balls are enormous, and it’s a little odd to me that he’s entirely hairless here when he’s suede everywhere else, but I kind of like it. There’s no messy pubes to get in the way of a girl’s business. I lick down the length of his cock and grip him in one hand as I move lips and tongue over his sac. He groans again, and I feel his body tremble against mine. I love touching him.
I’m eager to make him come, though, and I move back to his cock and take the head of him in my mouth again and begin to pump him with my hand, faster than ever. I remember how he worked the head of his cock with a flick of his wrist and so I try to mimic that with my mouth, giving a little tug with my lips every time I pull back.
He hisses and his hand pushes me away gently. “Tee-fah-nee, I…I am close—“
“I know,” I tell him. “I want you to come in my mouth.”
He makes another pained groan, and then he’s dragging my head back to his cock. My giggle at his enthusiasm is stifled as I take him back into my mouth and begin my ministrations again. Suck, pump, flick. His hips work faster, and I can feel the tension in his body under me.