Chapter 4 #2
“Nothing like that. There’s a swimming hole in the woods beyond my farm’s fields, near the home where I grew up.
It’s not large, just a few strokes to get from one side to the other, but the small size and shallow depth make the water temperature warmer than the lake, especially now that summer is over.
That area is very private, though, and if the idea of being somewhere secluded makes you uneasy—”
“It doesn’t. Not if you’re there with me.
That probably makes me sound ridiculously na?ve.
No sensible woman would put full trust in a man she just met, especially when he’s twice her size and has the advantage of knowing the lay of the land.
And I’m not usually like this. Actually, I’m never like this.
Especially in past five years, since I’ve discovered that so many people are shitty at their core.
But there’s something, something I can’t logically explain, that makes me sure I’m safe with you. ”
This is the perfect opportunity to tell her about our bond. That we’re meant to be together. But I’d rather she discover that herself. “You can trust your feelings. I would never harm you in any way, nor allow anyone else to do so in my presence.”
“See, there you go, being sweet again, even though you claim you’re not entirely sweet.” Even in the dimming light, the twinkle in her eyes is unmistakable. “And that’s a subtle reminder—or not-so-subtle since I’m pointing it out—that I’m still waiting for your answers.”
Again, amusement rumbles within me. “Which would you like first? The reason I had no romantic attachments when you walked into my market store, or how I’m not entirely sweet?”
“Start with why you’re single. I have a feeling the other information is going to short-circuit my brain.”
If that’s all it does, I’ll count myself lucky. She might end our first date and decline to have another. But if we are to have more of these moments, if the chemistry between us leads to physical intimacy, she needs to know what that entails.
First, to explain my unattached status. “Trolls don’t have a need for social connection, and that includes dating for casual companionship, or for the purpose of selecting a mate.”
“What about for sex?” she asks before I can continue.
“We do, on occasion, engage in sexually gratifying activities with others. Perhaps less commonly than many species, though.”
“Because your solitary lifestyle means you encounter fewer people to possibly have sex with, I assume.”
“That is part of it. The other part will address the second answer you’re waiting for.
” Knowing I’m about to discuss the intimate details of troll mating with her causes my cock to thicken, its solidity pressing into my thigh and its denim enclosure.
“Male trolls are…large. Not an issue when coupling with female trolls, but other species sometimes find it…too much.”
Her bottom lip drops, her eyes opening wide, as if they might pop out of her face. “As in, it literally doesn’t fit?”
“To the best of my knowledge, male trolls will only experience arousal if intercourse is possible, though it may require preparation with smaller species.”
“Preparation,” she says slowly, as if each syllable of the word is a puzzle piece and she’s fitting them together. Then she gasps.
Her intimate perfume fills my nose, my head, and I can’t resist drawing a deep breath, pulling it into the back of my throat so I can almost taste her.
“There is more.”
“Tell me.” Her breathy tone is one I long to hear while pleasuring her.
“When coupling, especially while a female is in the fertile portion of her cycle, male trolls often enter a rut, making it nearly impossible to stop once coitus has begun. Females of another species may find it…intense.”
She just stares up at me, holding my gaze as we continue wading through water neither of us spares a glance.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have shared those details on our first date.”
“But you did. Consciously or subconsciously, you must have wanted to tell me about troll sex, or you wouldn’t have made that earlier comment about not being entirely sweet that you knew would pique my curiosity.
My guess is that you wanted to see how I’d react, if I’d be shocked, scared, and disgusted, or the opposite.
” Her fingers squeeze mine, and she smiles.
“Count me in for the opposite. But I do have questions.”
“I will answer without delay this time.”
“You know, I’m enjoying everything about our date, including the delays.”
“So am I.” I leave it at that, even though I’m tempted to steer the conversation in another direction, solely so she may tease me about doing so.
“Honest answers only, okay?” Just for a moment, her confident expression wavers, so quickly I might have missed it if not entirely engrossed in her every gesture.
“You have my word.”
Nodding, she takes a breath and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, then releases both, along with a flurried, “Is this a sex date?”
“No,” I blurt, louder than normal or necessary.
She slants her head while making a throaty, close-mouthed hmm. “You look mortified that I asked.”
“Because I am.”
“Don’t be. I’m not offended or anything like that.
I’m a modern, twenty-eight-year-old woman, and if I want to have casual sex with someone, I can and will, because sex isn’t wrong or dirty or off-limits.
That said, I’m not someone who frequently jumps into bed with people.
But I am very attracted to you. So, if sex is why you said yes to coming out with me tonight—”
“It isn’t,” I say, stopping and facing her. “Though I won’t deny desiring you more than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Well, that’s flattering, except that I know you don’t meet a lot of people.”
A chuckle slips out before I can stifle it.
Fortunately, she doesn’t seem upset by my reaction.
A smile accompanies a little shake of her head that makes her dark hair glimmer in the burgeoning moonlight.
“You weren’t looking to get sex tonight, you prefer not socialize in general, and trolls don’t date for casual companionship or to weed out candidates while searching for a mate. So, why are you here with me?”
“Because I was drawn to you the moment I saw you. A sexual attraction, certainly, but more than that. You’re the first—the only—person I’ve wanted to spend time with, rather than be alone. A sensation I haven’t experienced before. Something I’d begun to think I might never feel.”
“That’s a pretty perfect answer.”
“It’s the truth.” Not the entire truth, but telling her on our first date that I know in the depths of my heart and soul she is the one for me would be too much.
For a human, anyway. If she were a troll, there would be no need for dates or explanations.
She would know as clearly as I do. But our path is unique.
And so far, I am enjoying this path with her very much.
“I have one more question,” she says, smiling up at me so fully, so openly, I feel it as much as I see it. “Humans kiss for a bunch of different reasons, including romance and sexual passion. Is kissing part of troll intimacy?”
There are two possible ways to answer. A safe, polite, verbal yes. Or what I do.