Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I do not want her to miss out on an important thing for her people. “When we return, I will make you a wedding feast.”
A brilliant smile lights up her face and my heart stutters in my chest.
“You will?” she asks, her fingers squeezing mine tight. “Really?”
“Really,” I agree. “And it will be a feast only for you, not for you and D’see both. I do not want to bring bad luck upon you.”
Her smile grows even broader, and my heart is filled with such emotion that I stop and grab her by the shoulders, bending down and kissing her hard.
F’lor blinks up at me in surprise. “W-what was that for?”
“I wanted to kiss you.”
Her cheeks color with a hint of emotion, and she leans up and gives me a quick peck on the lips. “I’m glad,” she whispers. “I like kissing you, too.”
I have been chasing after the wrong female all along. Truly, my khui is far wiser than me.
Chapter
Fifteen
FLOR
Even though engaged people aren’t supposed to travel (another superstition my mother would sigh over), I figure resonance is different. We’re more or less mated, even without an official ceremony. And I enjoy getting out of the camp with I’rec and Daisy and O’jek. The last time I got farther than a few hours from camp was when we all went to Croatoan to visit the other tribe. It’s been quite a while—a year and a half, maybe—and it’s nice to go “adventuring” again. Even nicer with the company I’m keeping. Daisy is sweet and chatty, and it’s clear she’s utterly in love with O’jek. He’s been besotted with her for what feels like forever, so seeing them so happy together feels less like a surprise and more like everything fell into place.
Not so with my resonance. I look over at I’rec, and find that he’s watching me as we walk. It makes me blush, and I get quiet, because I don’t know how to deal with that. I’m too old to be shy, but there’s something about I’rec’s intensity that makes me feel like a squirming virgin. Maybe it’s because he feels like forbidden fruit? He’s not supposed to be mine. He’s supposed to belong to Tia.
Except…he resonated to me. And when I told him to bring Tia on this trip instead of me, he got offended. Does he really have feelings for me? Or is he still dazzled by resonance? I don’t know what to think, and it’s frustrating.
So I focus on the pleasures of the trip. Of the lovely weather and the sunshine—however weak—warming our backs. Of powdery snow and I’rec pointing out things to me as we walk. I’ve done some hunting, but I’d rather fish or do busy-work near camp. But when I’rec points out the delicate trail of a hopper that wanders across our path, or when he lifts his head to pick up the scent of a distant dvisti, I’m hit with a strange kind of yearning. It’s obvious that he loves hunting. He loves this world. Even though he came from the warm, tropical island and now lives in an arctic region, his pleasure for the outdoors is palpable.
It’s fascinating to see, and it makes me want to spend a little more time hunting, hopefully with him.
“You know a lot,” I tease him as we walk. “Can you identify everything by the tracks?”
He gives me a smug look. “Of course.”
“Okay then, hotshot.” I lift my chin in a challenging expression. “The next set of tracks we run across, you have to identify what it is.”
I’rec’s eyes gleam. “Is this one of your human contests? What do I win when I am right?”
I lick my lips and give him a suggestive look. “How about I suck your cock? Only if you’re right, of course.”
His gaze goes to my mouth and he gives me a hungry look. “O’jek.”
“Huh?”
He points ahead of us, at the snowy trail. “The next set of tracks. I must identify them to win my prize. Those belong to O’jek. The smaller ones are D’see.”
My jaw drops. “You sneaky son of a bitch.” I can’t help but laugh, though. “I guess I fell into that one.”
“You did, and I should like my prize.”
“Right here? In the snow?” In the middle of the valley? We’re only a hundred feet or so behind Daisy and O’jek. I’m scandalized…but also a little titillated at how naughty he is. “You don’t think they’d notice?”
I’rec’s color ripples as if he’s about to camouflage, and then turns back to his normal blue. I’m fascinated by the color shift—is that his version of blushing? “Not right here. Later, when we are alone.”
I arch a brow at him, but now my mind’s on fire with ideas. I wonder how public of a blow job would I be able to give him? Or a hand job? I imagine us sitting by the fire, cozy and warm. Would anyone notice if I stole my hand into his lap and began to work his shaft? The shadows can hide a lot.