Chapter 9
Banjo
Iwake up with Tavryn still snuggled up to me, which is unusual.
He’s normally fully dressed with at least one cup of yurba in him before I’m even stirring.
He’s still here today though, cheek resting against my chest and looking as peaceful as he did that very first morning.
My eyes wander to his horns, and I remember how badly I wanted to touch them. How badly I want to touch them.
Back then, it’d been clear Tavryn wasn’t interested in anything more than using me as his own personal body pillow.
Now though, I’ve been told I can touch. At least for the night.
Is it still night? Let’s say yes. If Tavryn gets mad at me, hopefully it won’t turn into one of his years-long grudges.
If it does, I won’t know since I’ll be back on Earth.
That thought makes my stomach churn in a weird kind of way.
Must be because of the album I’m supposed to record.
I’ve been playing the guitar and singing plenty.
Song writing, not so much. I’ve been a little distracted discovering there’s an entire galaxy out here that I’d never even thought about before. Maybe I can use that as inspiration.
As I think that through, I slowly trace the curve of one of Tavryn’s horns with the tip of my finger.
Oh, it’s almost like velvet, and the ridges feel good against my skin.
I trail my finger back down to circle the base.
It’s a little thicker than I thought, probably because the bottom is buried in his hair.
I push my fingers into his hair to find the spot where his horn connects with his head.
I’m so caught up in what I’m doing that I jump when Tavryn lets out a soft little moan.
I look down at him. Well, apparently it doesn’t hurt too much to touch them, considering he’s still asleep.
I repeat the soft touch, this time toying lightly with the tip before working my way back down.
It’s funny how something so alien feels so normal now, like it’d be weirder if Tavryn didn’t have horns.
I keep my other arm loose around Tavryn’s back, just enjoying this quiet, comfy moment together.
It’s too bad we can’t have this every morning.
Maybe if I play my cards right, I can convince Tavryn to stay in bed with me a little longer.
My thumb rubs small circles over the tip of his horn as I daydream about future lazy mornings Tavryn will probably never let me have.
“Stars, Banjo. What are you doing to me?” Tavryn’s staring up at me with a slightly irritated look on his face. His pupils have narrowed to thin slits.
Oh. He looked at me like that yesterday when I was rubbing oil on my body and talking about him claiming me. So much saliva pools in my mouth that I have to swallow to keep myself from drooling.
“Uh, nothin’?” I say it like I’m guilty and trying to hide it, which I guess I am. I’d been touching him, even if it was somewhere innocent like his horns. My hand slowly moves to rest on Tavryn’s back. “I dunno what you’re talkin’ about. Are you sure you’re not still sleepin’?”
Tavryn’s frown deepens when I pull my hand away.
Apparently, I wasn’t as stealthy as I thought.
Whoops. “I can assure you that I’m very much awake, no thanks to you.
” I’m not sure what he’s talking about until he shifts and something hot and hard brushes my thigh.
My cheeks burn as the rest of my blood moves south.
“Yeah, you do seem pretty awake. But I dunno how that’s my fault.”
Tavryn stares at me for a long moment, eyes narrowing as he tries to decide if he wants to believe me or not.
I can’t help but feel a little offended.
“I ain’t a liar, Tav. I swear I was just…
” I swallow, and my cheeks get redder. Well dang, I screwed myself on this one.
“Ah, I was just seein’ what your horns felt like.
I wasn’t tryin’ to wake you or nothin’.”
That seems to satisfy him for a moment, or at least it’s enough to turn his frown into a smirk. “So you’re telling me you honestly had no idea that horns are erogenous zones?”
I stare at him, mouth hanging open wide enough to catch flies. “They’re a…a what?”
“An erogenous zone, darling. It means they’re sensitive,” Tavryn explains, his smile widening as I gape at him.
“Like…how sensitive?” I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me. I should apologize for accidentally touching him in a sexual way when I really hadn’t meant to.
The problem is, I’m not sorry at all. I’d touch Tavryn in all kinds of ways if I knew that’s what he wanted.
Instead, I’m stuck in this confusing kind of limbo where sometimes, he’s as sweet as pie, and sometimes, he acts like I slapped his mama.
Recently, I’ve been getting more of the first, but I’m always prepared for him to storm off and stop talking to me for a while.
Please, please don’t let that happen now.
He opens his mouth, and I brace for him to yell, but he laughs! At me, of course, but I relax. “Sensitive enough that it feels like you’re stroking my cock.”
Okay, now that has guilt raring up inside me. “I’m sorry,” I say, flustered. “I didn’t—I honestly didn’t know. I didn’t—I didn’t mean—”
“Banjo.” My name coming from Tavryn immediately stops my rambling. He never says my name. “I’m not upset.” Well, that’s a relief. “Not about that, anyway.”
Now it’s me who’s frowning. “What’re you upset about, then?
” I ask, working very hard to keep my hands still.
One of them is resting against the small of his back, low enough that if I spread my fingers, my pinky would graze his backside.
No idea has ever been more tempting, but I need an answer from him first. If I did something to upset him, I want to fix it while I have the chance.
“I’m upset,” Tavryn begins, slowly moving up my body as he speaks.
“Because you’ve started something you obviously have no idea how to finish.
” In moments, he’s the one looking down at me instead of the other way around.
He hovers there, hands on either side of my head, legs bracketing my hips.
Of course, not touching me. He never touches me if he’s not sleeping.
I drop my arms, giving him all the power without hesitation.
I swear, my brain goes completely offline. Nothing but static as I stare up at this drop-dead gorgeous alien. An alien who is currently hard and very much on top of me.
“I can learn!” I blurt. Will it hurt when he rejects me again? Yes, of course it will. It ain’t gonna keep me from trying though. “I promise I’m a real good learner. I catch on fast.”
“Oh, do you?” Tavryn’s voice has a playful edge that has me quickly nodding.
My heart beats faster as my anticipation grows.
This is happening. Tavryn is going to let me touch him.
He’s going to touch me. We might even do more than touching.
Our lips are already only inches apart, so close I can feel his breath against me.
“Uh-huh,” I squeak, still nodding. “You just gotta tell me what to do. Or show me.” The tension between us is so thick I barely breathe. I may have recently discovered there’s an entire universe out there, but right now, nothing exists but Tavryn.
He leans in. Slowly.
I feel the lightest brush of lips over mine—and then a throat clears. I jump out of my skin, head jerking up and smacking soundly against Tavryn’s with an audible crack.
“Stars!” he exclaims, scrambling off me. He rubs his forehead, wincing. “Watch what you’re doing! That empty head of yours should be considered a weapon.”
I grimace, rubbing my own forehead as I sit up. I hope it doesn’t leave a knot. It’ll be hard for them to…oh, wait, I’m not on national TV anymore. I’m way too used to being yelled at by the make-up people. It’s just another reminder of how much my life has changed in a short amount of time.
I suddenly remember the more important problem here. “Who was that?!” I ask, looking towards the still-closed door. No one’s there. That doesn’t make me feel good.
“Good morning to you too.” A voice I quickly realize belongs to Stells echoes through the room. “Apologies for interrupting, but I felt obligated to warn you that your meeting time with the Despot and his human companion is in twenty minutes.”
“How does she know we’re here?” I ask Tavryn, who is already out of bed and heading towards the door. I know there are cameras all over Tavryn’s ship, but I’d thought this space was relatively private. Good thing we hadn’t actually done anything.
“She’s hacked the system even though she was specifically forbidden from doing so.” Tavryn says the last part louder, like it’s an argument he’s had with her several times.
“The Despot should know better than to make things forbidden,” Stells replies with a little sniff. “It was impossible to resist. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the two of you.”
I blush again, combing my fingers through my messy hair. Tavryn is already out the door and across the hall in his bedroom. At least here I don’t have to wait on him. My room may be small compared to his, but it has its own bathroom. To me, that’s high class living.
Ten minutes later, I meet Tavryn in the kitchen dressed in the skimpy shorts he gave me yesterday. Tavryn takes one look at me and nearly spits out his yurba. He manages to get it down, though it sends him into a coughing fit. I give him a curious look as I pour my own cup.
“What?”
“You…” For the first time ever, Tavryn is at a complete loss for words. His eyes roam over my mostly naked body before finally landing on my face. “You don’t have to wear that. You understand that, right?”