Blooming Desire: An Extraordinary Spring Romance Collection

by S. J. Sanders

  “I have a room set aside just for the cats, but they like to escape and explore sometimes. I’ll show you if you’d like,” she offered.

  “I would like that,” I replied.

  Tessa lead me to a large side room, sectioned off with clear plexi-walls. Inside I could see multiple kittens and a few larger animals. Dante glared at us from the top of a fake tree in the far corner. The rest crowded around the door, crying and pawing at the plex. They didn’t try to escape as we entered. Instead they circled our feet, rubbing against our legs and jumping up to reach our hands.

  “Down, you heathens, down!” Tessa scolded, laughing as one climbed her pants leg. “I fed you already!”

  “How many are there?” I asked, crouching to pet some of them. Several of them immediately jumped onto my back and shoulders, purring as they rubbed against my head.

  “There’s fifteen kittens and three sets of parents,” she said, picking up one of the adults and cuddling it. She giggled and I looked up to see her eyes twinkling with mirth.

  “What?” I asked, grinning back at her.

  “You look like a giant cat tree,” she laughed. Considering I had at least eight cats climbing on me now, she was probably right.

  “I like them, they’re very friendly,” I admitted.

  “I’ve never seen them this friendly with a stranger. They really like you too.” A sudden weight landed on my head and I yelped at a sharp pain in my ear. The abrupt sound startled the cats and they scattered, leaping off me.

  “Dante!” Tessa blurted angrily, shooing the kitten away. He jumped to the ground and hissed at me, then bolted for a recess under his original perch. My ear stung and I reached up to touch it gingerly.

  “That one does not like me,” I commented dryly.

  “Here, let me look,” Tessa offered, stepping up by my shoulder and moving my hand away. Her fingers were gentle as she inspected the bite. I shivered at her touch. “He didn’t break the skin, so you’re okay.” She announced, rather than step away though, she continued to run her fingers through my fur, smoothing around my ears and then digging them into my ruff.

  “That feels good,” I groaned when her nails angled into the longer hair and scraped along the joint behind my ear. My eyes drifted closed at the bliss that washed through me. I angled my head towards her.

  “Oh! I’m sorry, I got carried away,” she started apologetically, pulling her hands out of my fur. I wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close and burying my face in her soft belly. Her breasts pressed against the top of my head as I nuzzled her.

  “Don’t be. I would have more of your touches,” I said softly, inhaling her luscious scent. A tiny whimper escaped her and her arousal tinged the air with its delightful odor once more.

  Tessa

  Rin’s arm held me tightly to him, holding me up when my knees went weak. He breathed deeply, inhaling my scent. I whimpered, trembling as need rushed through me. I clutched at his shoulders when he shifted, moving onto his knees to face me. His face was level with my own now, eyes heatedly staring into mine. A hand came up and cupped my cheek tenderly.

  “I barely know you,” I whispered, trying to deny the feelings he stirred in me.

  “Sometimes this is all you need to know,” he murmured in reply. Then he kissed me. I would not have thought a canine-like being could kiss, and it certainly wasn’t like kissing a human, but his lips were soft and warm against mine. He shifted, nuzzling my shoulder and nipping lightly. I shivered, hands clenching in his fur. The bang of an upstairs door startled me and I jumped away from Rin, breathing hard. Trembling, I struggled to find something to say, but heavy footsteps on the stairs drew my attention and I fled the cat room and the big male who was swiftly working his way into my heart.

  3

  Tessa

  I hid myself in the kitchen, trying to distract myself with work. The roast was coming along nicely. It wasn’t really pot roast, meat in the colony was usually made from a textured bulk protein. It came in any flavor you wanted and you could even order it to look like real meat. I ordered things that matched the old-fashioned nature of my business.

  Throwing myself into the cooking, I made au gratin potatoes and roasted vegetables as side dishes; I cleaned every dirty dish by hand, rather than using the dishwasher; I even grabbed the mop and ran it over the floor. I found as many chores to do as possible, but it couldn’t keep my mind off Rin.

  He was so cute and sweet, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about his advances. What if he was just looking for a fling? I couldn’t handle that idea. What else could he want though? He was here to avoid an unwanted mate after all. How could dumpy old me possibly interest such an attractive male for more than a few minutes? I never had any luck with men, they only wanted one thing, a good laugh at the pathetic little fat girl. The perpetually single cat lady who ran the old-fashioned East District boarding house. I wasn’t date, or mate, material. And I knew it all too well.

  Thankfully, my pity party didn’t last too long and I quickly had myself under control. The roast came out of the oven and found its way to the table in slices. The sides went into bowls before joining it. My renters trickled in one at a time, grabbed plates and helped themselves. Everyone but Rin. Where was he? Had I hurt his feelings when I ran? Taking a deep breath, I gathered my nerves and went looking for him.

  His room was empty. The lounge as well. Maybe he left? I turned back to the dining room with the intention of cleaning up. I’d set something aside for Rin to eat if he wanted to when he got back.

  Glancing inside the cat room on my way by, I paused. A dark shape leaned against the window; cats perched all over it. It was Rin. Creeping around, I peered through and had to stifle a laugh. Rin had fallen asleep in the cat room and now had half the cats sleeping on him. His lap was covered with kittens and two of the adults were tucked into the folds of his arms. Dante wasn’t on Rin, but he appeared to be sleeping on the shelf closest to Rin’s head.

  Poor guy must be tired to have passed out with all those animals climbing on him. I reached for the door knob, intending to wake Rin. Dante slanted yellow eyes at me, then leaned out and bit Rin’s ear again. Rin jerked, roaring as he lunged to his feet, scattering frightened cats everywhere.

  “Why you Vren-cursed little bastard!” He exclaimed, grabbing his abused ear. I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing. His head turned at the sound and he stared at me through the window.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, opening the door to let him out. He tried to scowl at my laughter, but it didn’t last. Instead he chuckled as well, dropping his hand from his ear.

  “That animal does not like me,” he said as he stepped out.

  “No, I don’t think he does,” I agreed. “Come on, it’s past time for dinner and neither of us have eaten. I’ll reheat some for us both.” I grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the dining room.

  “I’d like that,” he said, threading his fingers through mine. I blushed, ducking my head to hide it, but didn’t pull away from him. Maybe a fling with Rin would be worth the heartache when he left.

  Rin

  Sleep that night was a long time coming. Not because of my nap with the cats, but because my thoughts were consumed with the soft curves of the boarding house owner. Tessa’s smile, her smell, the feel of her luscious rump against my dick. Every tiny touch and word, every little sound she made, she filled my senses with the ache of desire. I wanted to touch her, taste her. I’d never been drawn to a female like I was with the soft little female. Anira had certainly never attracted me the way Tessa did.

  Anira was gorgeous. A specimen of delvian beauty. Sleek and well-groomed, with perfect white fur, she was also hard and cold, cruel to others and entirely self-serving. The complete opposite of the sweet, curvy human who risked injury to pull an ungrateful kitten from a tree. Anira would detest caring for any pups she bore her mate and would likely neglect them. I could easily see Tessa giving up everything to love and protect her pups.

  Tessa w
as beautiful too. All softly rounded curves and smiling humor. Her eyes shown with warmth and welcome. She had an innocence in the way she blushed and shied from me. It was charming and alluring. I found myself wanting to protect her, shield her from harm, hold her close and revel in the serenity that was Tessa. It amazed me that there could be two such very different people in the same universe.

  I’d already decided I wanted her as my mate. There was no question in my mind. Tessa was perfect, but she was so skittish around me. I knew from the changes in her scent that she was attracted to me as well. I just needed some way to convince her to give in to temptation. How did humans court each other? Surely it couldn’t be that hard. Perhaps I could ask someone at market tomorrow?

  Sighing heavily, I rolled to my side and tried to sleep. Something warm and fuzzy crept into the bed and curled against the back of my neck, purring lightly. The sound was soothing, making my eyes droop tiredly.

  4

  Tessa

  Mornings always started early for me. I got up at dawn and prepped a simple breakfast bar for the tenants. Most of them got up early for their various jobs and being able to walk through and grab a burrito or muffin on the way out was a welcome start to their day. That said, I was arranging a platter of fresh fruit when a loud yelp filtered from the floor above me, followed by thudding footsteps and an irritated grumbling.

  “What was that?” I muttered to myself, glancing at the stairs curiously. Blonde-furred feet appeared and Rin came tromping down the steps. Obviously not a morning person, he stumbled blearily into the dining room and thrust his hand out at me.

  “Here,” he mumbled crossly, rubbing his ear. “This is yours.” Fumbling to catch what he shoved at me, I found myself with a handful of something fuzzy. Mouth gaping, I watched as Rin grabbed four or five burritos and stumbled out the door.

  “Mew!” My fuzzy handful squeaked indignantly at me. My gaze dropped and I discovered an unhappy Dante looking up at me. He hissed, wriggling in my grip.

  “Dante! You naughty thing! Did you bite him again!?” I asked incredulously. “How do you keep getting out you evil little heathen?” Dante mewed indignantly again, then gnawed on my thumb. “Ouch! Fluffy demon cat!”

  Scruffing the fuzzy monster, I walked back to the cat room and plunked him inside again. One of these days I needed to figure out how they kept escaping. Sometimes it was one or two, other times all of them. I’d searched every inch of the room. No holes, no unsecured vents, no gaps anywhere. But somehow, they kept getting out.

  The tenants wandered in and out grabbing breakfast, and eventually the house quieted. Rin must have left the house after thrusting Dante at me since I didn’t see him again all morning. I cleaned up breakfast and moved on to my other work. Everyone usually ate lunch elsewhere, so I wouldn’t need to set anything out again until dinner. The rest of the day I spent on chores.

  Under the old Earth system, today was Friday, and Friday was laundry day. If residents wanted clean sheets or any other laundry done, they had to bag it and drop everything down the chute. Clean items where returned to the individual rooms by midafternoon. Most everything went through a standard cleanser unit, ion wash and sterilization all in one go. My own sheets were handled differently. I loved old fashioned stuff. There was nothing better than fresh sun warmed sheets on the bed, so I washed my sheets in an older style cleanser that used a bit of water and a sterilizing, refresher chemical. Then, I hung them on clotheslines in the backyard to dry. Some of my neighbors thought I was crazy, but I didn’t care.

  I had just finished hanging the last pillowcase when Rin found me. Or rather, a giant bouquet of flowers found me. Rin just happened to be carrying them. I turned around and ran face first into the profusion of blossoms being shoved between the drapes of bedding.

  “Ack! Blegh, puh!” I spluttered, spitting out petals. “What the-”

  “Oh! Sorry Tessa,” Rin apologized, flustered. Pulling the flowers back, he peered around them at me, eyes twinkling happily.

  “Rin! What’s this?” I asked.

  “For you,” he said proudly. His grin was charming and sincere as he presented the flowers once more, though thankfully, he didn’t shove them in my face this time. I laughed lightly.

  “Thank you, but what are they for?” I asked again, accepting the huge bouquet with a smile.

  “I was told human females like flowers. I acquired these for you. Do you not like them?” His question was tinged with anxiety.

  “I do like them,” I assured him. “They’re beautiful. I just don’t understand why you brought them to me.” God, I sounded pathetic.

  “I understood that males presented these to females they were attracted to as a gift to hopefully secure her affections,” he explained. “Do males not do that? Was I misled?”

  “No Rin, they told you the truth. Human females love flowers and I do love them. I’m just not used to getting them,” I admitted self-consciously.

  “Then other males are fools. Anyone who cannot see that you are a desirable female is stupid and weak,” Rin growled. “Unlike me.” I blushed profusely.

  “Well, thank you for the flowers,” I replied shyly.

  “I also heard that human females like to go out on dates with males they prefer. I would like to do that with you,” Rin added.

  “You want to go on a date with me?” I repeated stupidly.

  “Yes, very much so.”

  “Umm okay. Where do you want to go?”

  “I do not know where humans keep their dates. I hoped you would know where we could find one to go riding on,” he said with a shrug. I burst out laughing. “What is funny?”

  “Oh sweetie. You don’t ride on a date, it’s not a thing or an animal. A date is an activity you do with someone special, like going out to a fancy restaurant or seeing a visual entertainment together, or even a picnic and a moonlit walk,” I explained smiling.

  “What is a picnic?” He inquired, looking thoughtful.

  “It’s where you carry food out to some nice, romantic location, like the beach at sunset or a pretty meadow somewhere. Then you eat and spend time together somewhere secluded,” I detailed.

  “That!” He blurted decisively.

  “What?”

  “We will do that. We will picnic together,” Rin stated with a sharp nod.

  “Oh. Okay, sure. Where do you want to go? When? Do you want me to make a basket of food too?” I almost laughed when his expression fell. A slight panic crossed his face as he realized there was more to this date than he’d expected.

  “Umm, I will return soon,” he announced before dashing away, no doubt to consult whoever his dating advisor was. As soon as he was gone, I burst into giggles. Rin was adorably earnest in his desire to impress me. Taking a deep breath, I breathed in the scent of the flowers and sighed happily. This really was sweet of him.

  Carrying my new flowers inside, I soon discovered I did not have a vase big enough for them. Instead, I found myself arranging flowers into four different vases, then placing them throughout the lower level of the house. I did keep the prettiest ones for the arrangement that went on my bedside table though.

  Afterwards, I got back on the laundry, folding everything and returning them to each of the now-clean laundry bags. Finished bags were dropped in front of the corresponding doors for the residents to find later. I was just dropping the last one off when the front door clattered open.

  “Tessa!?” Rin called from downstairs.

  “Upstairs Rin,” I called back. He thundered up the stairs, huffing like he’d run all the way to market and back. Then again, he probably had.

  “I know where to go!” He announced proudly. “We will picnic tomorrow at noon hour, yes?” I stifled a giggle at his wording.

  “Honey, I think you are supposed to ask me, not tell me,” I chided playfully. Rin thought for a moment, then took a deep breath.

  “Would you join me for a picnic tomorrow at noon?” He asked in a serious tone.

  “I wo
uld love to,” I agreed with a smile. Rin whooped happily, scooped me into a hug, then clattered down the stairs and out the door once more, drawing more laughter from me. I’d never laughed so much before Rin came into my life and I’d only known him two days. He made me happy.

  Rin

  She said yes! I was elated as I ran back to Dax’s stall in the marketplace. Dax was an older human male I’d met this morning after selling my wares. He’d kindly agreed to answer my questions about human females if I helped mind his stall for the day. It didn’t bother me that most of his advice had been tinged with excessive humor, as if he found my desire to court a female of his species hysterical. Dax had declared human women ridiculously complicated and impossible to understand.

  “Well? What’d she say boy?” He asked as I stepped behind the counter with him. Dax sold freshly sliced rillin fruit and he’d admitted that it got hard on his old hands sometimes. He usually tried to hire one of the boys who loitered around the market from time to time, but none of them lasted long at the tedious work of peeling and cutting the hard-skinned fruit.

  “She agreed to picnic with me,” I said proudly, wrapping an apron around my torso once more.

  “Congratulations boy, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun tomorrow,” Dax said, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

  “I must thank you again for the advice my friend,” I stated sincerely.

  “Stuff and nonsense, boy. Just remember, they’re a complicated lot, but damned if the warm squeeze of a woman ain’t worth every bit of trouble,” Dax chuckled. “Now. You remember where I said to go?”

  “Yes. Your directions were precise and I have an excellent memory.”

  “And where do you get the food?”

  “I go to Miranda down the lane and place my order tonight for pickup tomorrow,” I recited obediently.