Chapter 5
Linsea
My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I forced myself to exit the hangar with poise and at a relaxed pace.
I could feel his gaze boring holes in my back.
What thoughts were crossing his mind? He seemed totally taken by me, even flirting a few times, subtle though it had been.
But why the fuck could I not read even the smallest sliver of emotion from him?
With a certainty I couldn’t explain, I believed he somehow managed to read mine.
That shouldn’t be possible, and yet there it was.
Thinking of how many times I got turned on or aroused by him had me beyond mortified if he was indeed able to perceive everything I felt in his presence. Even the most powerful Temerns among us always leaked a bit.
As I flew to the main building on my way to the cafeteria, my wretched mind remained stuck on Kayog.
Knowing he was currently showering had the naughtiest fantasies playing in my head.
I could see the water trickling down the perfection of his body, each drop gliding over his broad chest, between the chiseled grooves of his abs, and down to his muscular thighs.
I wanted to be right there with him gently raking my nails along the small down feathers that lined the junction between the base of his wings and his back. A dull throbbing manifested itself between my thighs as I imagined the throaty sounds he would make as I teased this sensitive spot.
During the concert, I memorized the sinful way his body moved and the sensual expression on his face when he leaned forward towards the mic, his fingers running down the stand.
Would he look the same in the throes of passion?
Would his body rock over mine with a similar animal tension barely repressed and eager to be unleashed?
By the Maker! Control yourself!
I’d never been one to be so easily affected by a pretty face, a hot body, or a seductive smile.
And I certainly never let my hormones control my better judgment.
But right this instant, I couldn’t stop thinking about how badly I had wanted him to throw me onto the grass, right next to the river, extrude what I instinctively knew would be a massive cock, and fuck me senseless.
ENOUGH!
Tala would never let me hear the end of it if she knew even just a fraction of how insanely I’d become obsessed with Mr. Perfect. And so far, he was truly turning out to be perfect.
Really?
That thought gave me pause. Yes, Kayog was an overachiever who excelled at everything and made it look easy.
For that alone, he would have every right to boast and strut about.
However, he turned out to be oddly humble.
I liked that. Nothing turned me off as much as people with overinflated egos, braggarts, and those who thought themselves better than others, whatever the reason for it.
That said, I also worried about him possibly being flaky and unreliable.
Sure, he dominated in things that had set rules and guidelines, like sports and school.
But why didn’t he have a clear career path in mind?
Was it the fear of commitment? Of the unknown?
Of proving himself in a space that wasn’t rigidly controlled?
And why so many masters? Lack of ambition? Fear of success?
For a split second, I almost latched onto that last speculation. Yet even that didn’t work. His competitive nature belied that possibility. He liked winning. So why was he wavering so much?
Then there was the question about his current focus on the Prime Directive.
Why center his galactic politics master’s around that specific topic?
Did altruistic sentiments fuel his interest in protecting the weak and vulnerable, or were more nefarious and materialistic goals driving him?
Someone with thorough knowledge of the strength, weaknesses, and resources of primitive species could obscenely enrich themselves by exploiting the loopholes in the Prime Directive.
So many questions and so few answers...
As I landed in front of the building and made my way to the cafeteria, I kept speculating about the male who had me every shade of messed up.
I didn’t want to come off as too aggressive, but I needed answers and to get a better sense of who I was dealing with.
Judging by my reactions to him, I suspected I would quickly fall head over heels for him.
Therefore, I needed to do my due diligence before I got in too deep.
As I stood in front of the counter, I glanced at the menu, zeroing in on the one Kayog requested.
Being a creature of habit, I never bothered to look at the vast variety offered to cater to the needs of the diverse species that lived on campus.
Usually, breakfast for me would be natural yogurt with fresh fruits and grains. But his choice actually appealed to me.
The athlete breakfast number two was divided with half of it being carbs, and the other half equally split between lean proteins and fruits. That specific one offered grilled chicken skewers, trail mix crackers, mixed fruits mostly comprised of berries, and a bottle of flavored water.
Over the years interacting with humans, I had grown quite familiar with their food, and especially their love of chicken.
We had the equivalent on our homeworld, but they didn’t thrive and adapt as easily to other climates and environments as chickens did.
Deciding to emulate Kayog, I ordered two portions of that breakfast. Just as I was reaching for the bags, I felt the familiar waves seconds before my friend called out my name.
“Hey, Lin!” Tala shouted, clinging to Mares’ arm as she approached with a big grin. “We didn’t see you in the park and thought you might have decided to sleep in. Want to join us for breakfast?”
I turned around. Before I could put in a single word, her eyes locked on the two bags in my hands.
“Wait. Food for two?” She released Mares’ arm and put her fists on her hips in that outraged fashion that hinted I better give her a good explanation if I wanted to avoid getting in trouble. “You replaced me already?”
I snorted and shook my head. “Of course not, silly woman.”
“Then who is it for?” she insisted.
The way I scrunched my face sufficed to tell her everything. Her eyes slowly widened as her mouth gaped in an almost comical fashion.
“Nooooo! For real?”
I shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious, while Mares chuckled, looking both amused and a little surprised.
“I just ran into him while training,” I said a little too defensively.
“You tramp!” she whispered, the excitement in her voice belying the otherwise harsh word.
“Hey!” I exclaimed, not offended in the least as I knew there was no malice behind it.
“I knew it, acting all uninterested, hating on him, and pretending he was beneath you. Told you you’d fall for him,” Tala said smugly.
“We’re just having breakfast. And I wasn’t hating,” I muttered.
“Sure, sure. Whatever. Go get your man, and then I want all the juicy details!” Tala said, while Mares shook his head at her.
“Absolutely not!” I said in a stern voice.
“You should run before the throngs notice,” Mares said, his dark green eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Yeah, good point,” Tala concurred. “But I still want deets! Now go have fun, and for once, forget about being so damn prim and proper.”
I laughed and hastened outside before taking flight. Sure enough, a lot of people were slowly making their way in, some of them grabbing food, others just congregating outside, and a few hastening about whatever business called them.
As I flew towards the gazebo—which was a respectable distance away from the masses—I congratulated myself for agreeing not to eat in the cafeteria.
The privacy of the park would allow us to be ourselves as we got to know each other.
While his initial suggestion had indeed made me suspect he had some secret affair going on, and that he wanted to keep any potential involvement with me hidden, the sincerity with which he offered me a choice silenced that fear.
However, it shamed me to admit that I first insisted on going to the cafeteria because I wanted us to be seen together.
I didn’t consider myself the possessive or insecure type.
Flaunting my relationships also held no appeal to me.
But for some reason, I wanted to stamp this male as mine, be publicly claimed by him, and make it clear to all the groupies that he was off the market.
Considering we’d only officially met not even an hour ago and spoken for the first time for barely half an hour, my reactions were disturbed.
The reality was that I didn’t know him at all, aside from the fact that he was hot as fuck, crazy smart, athletically skilled, and so far, seemed like someone whose companionship I could really enjoy.
To my shock, I spotted Kayog sitting in the grass, meditating in the lotus position.
I almost stopped, wondering if I should interrupt this moment of introspection.
Even as that thought popped into my mind, his eyes suddenly opened, and he looked at me.
Considering how far away I still was, he couldn’t possibly have felt me.
.. right? He stood up and smiled warmly, spurring me to complete my approach.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said sheepishly as I landed near him.
“You didn’t,” he said in a reassuring tone while freeing me from the bags.
“So you’re into meditation?”
He nodded. “I do it quite often.”
“That’s nice,” I replied, once more baffled by this unusual male.