Chapter 9
What Is a Kiss?
The electric hum from the vehicle jolted through her body, setting her already queasy stomach roiling with nerves.
Tears leaked out and dampened her cheeks.
God, she hated this. Hated that Krir was facing these fuckers alone.
Hated that she had to depend on someone else for her safety.
Hated that she was so far from home. Hated that this could end with Krir dead and her right back where she’d started. Or worse.
The sound cut off so suddenly she was afraid they could hear her in the oppressive silence.
Footsteps of at least two individuals crunched in the sand outside, and she forced herself to breathe normally.
Gasping would surely catch their attention.
Krir opened the door before they could knock or break it down.
“Greetings, Qilffiran,” came a bass voice, muffled through the walls of the housing unit.
The translation disc must be doing its job.
Weird to finally understand what they were saying.
“We search for the survivor of the pod six klicks from here. Have you seen a female soft-skin biped about the height of Legionnaire Chobos here? Dark fur on the head, feeble?”
She’d never been able to figure out if the Giuk had gender.
Their voices were all low and angry, and their bodies didn’t seem to vary much, other than the shade of red and a height between her own and Krir’s.
It was entirely possible only certain kinds served on the spaceship, maybe one gender, one family, or one caste. Beyond her pay grade.
“Greetings, Commander. Yes, I have. About eight days ago, a biped matching your description approached my camp. But it saw me and ran into the desert. I haven’t seen it since.”
“Which direction?”
“That way, but it’s likely dead. There’s no other water source within a three-day journey in any direction.”
“These creatures are more intelligent than they seem. Survivors. We expected to recover wreckage, so it was smart enough to send a false signal.”
“Why are you looking for it? It didn’t seem dangerous.” His voice had the perfect amount of innocence, and she hoped the Giuk fuckers bought it hook, line, and sinker.
“The biped has a contract to fulfill, and we need further information on the accident. We should leave if we want to find it alive. Our thanks, and should it reappear, please contact me. Let me send you the frequency.”
A soft series of beeps followed.
“I will. May your search be fruitful,” Krir said.
The Giuks’ heavy footsteps moved away from the housing unit. Soon enough, their vehicle started its humming engine again, and they continued their useless search. She waited. And waited.
The minutes passed slowly with only the darkness and her breaths for company.
The adrenaline bled off, leaving her shaky and winded and ready for a nap.
But she was still too keyed up to sleep anytime soon.
Eventually, the door creaked open, and Krir’s soft footfalls hit the three steps leading to the hard ground.
She tracked them until they faded in the direction of the rover’s shed.
More waiting, then the footsteps reappeared, reversing their course. The door shut quietly.
“They are gone.”
He pried the panels off the bottom of the bed, and Nicole wriggled out in a reverse belly-crawl. She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled and she collapsed on the bed. Tears dripped down her face, and her teeth chattered so hard she couldn’t speak.
Instead of asking what was wrong, Krir sat next to her and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her into his chest. He made crooning noises, as though he was singing to a small child.
The trembling stopped, and she wiped her tears with the hem of her shirt.
“Are you all right?” He stroked her hair.
“Yeah, just…coming down from fight or flight. Freeze isn’t my usual response. I can usually do something, so doing nothing is hard.”
“You did well, Nicole.”
She smiled. “You gonna call me a good girl?”
He met her gaze, and the spark was back, the one that sang of longing, tenderness, and a smidge of sex.
“Do you want me to?” His voice dropped to a low rumble, and her pulse raced again. This time, she welcomed it.
“Not my kink, but there is something else you can do.”
“If it is within my power, consider it done.”
“Kiss me.”
He froze. Oh shit, had she misread him? Krir seemed so human, but he wasn’t. Of course he wasn’t. What if kissing was nonexistent in Qilffir society? What if it was reserved for married people? What if—
“What is a kiss?”
What if the computer can’t translate, dumbass?
“Can I show you? If you don’t like it, tell me and I’ll stop.”
“Yes, you may show me.”
Nicole rose to her knees and leaned in close. Slowly, carefully, she brushed her lips against his. They were pebbly like his skin, but softer. He pulled in a quick breath through his nose but didn’t flinch. His hand drifted up her back and pressed her closer.
She opened her mouth and her tongue darted out, tentatively tracing the crease in his lips. With a soft moan, he opened for her. She dipped in, gently stroking his tongue with hers.
Krir’s other hand slid under her shirt, and his rough fingers traced circles over her belly. It was her turn to moan. He pulled away with a sly smile.
“I like this ‘kissing.’ Am I doing it right?”
Nicole shoved his shoulder. “You knew all along!”
“I suspected all along. It doesn’t quite translate, but the Qilffir do the same thing with people they are attracted to. It often leads to other things.”
The hand under her shirt brushed the underside of her breast. She shivered a little, the good kind. The kind she could do all night.
“Is this all right?” Krir stilled.
“Yes. Beyond all right. It feels good.”
“What about this?” His thumb brushed over her nipple, and she arched her back.
“Mmm, also good.”
“Do you want more?”
“Yes, please.”
The hand on her back slid up and cradled her head. He pulled her close and sealed his lips over hers for another kiss. He licked and nibbled, and their tongues tangled, leaving her breathless.
He hardened beneath her, and she rolled her hips, enjoying the sweet friction. God, she needed him out of his clothes. She slid her palms under his tunic, finally allowing herself to relish the sensation. Like the softest leather, but pebbled in a way that made her linger, enjoying the texture.
Krir broke the kiss. “You keep doing that, and I may not be responsible for my actions.”
“What fun is responsible?”
He growled at her, but his lips turned up and his eyes gleamed with desire. He let go and pulled off his tunic. She trailed her fingers over his chest, and his scales shifted from aqua to yellow. Oh, that was fun. Maybe she could make him do it some more.
She slid her hands over his shoulders. The scales on his chest returned to aqua, and the ones under her palms went green then yellow.
“Enough,” he groaned.
Nicole chuckled as she yanked off her top and tossed it behind her without a care. His palms immediately cupped her exposed breasts. A moan slipped from her lips.
“These are different from Qilffiran females. Your mammaries bring pleasure, too?” he asked.
Nicole held back a laugh. “Yes, but don’t call them mammaries. Breasts or tits is better.”
“I like your breasts.” He kissed the top of one, then the other. “They are soft, and I like the noises you make when I touch them. What else brings you pleasure?”
She grabbed his hand and guided it lower.
“There’s a bundle of nerves…” His finger brushed against her clit under her pants. “Right there.”
He rubbed gently in a slow, circular motion.
“Oh, that’s so good.”
“I am happy to bring you pleasure.” Krir kissed her again, his lips and tongue teasing. One hand continued to play with her breast, and the other stroked her clit.
Fire danced over her skin, and her brain short-circuited. Nicole sank into the sensation, and a ball of tight desire built low in her belly. Her hand drifted to his hard cock under his pants. The silky material was so thin she could feel the pebbly skin through it. Did it change color as well?
Krir hissed in a breath.
“You should have pleasure, too.” Nicole stroked more firmly.
“Are you certain you want this? We do not know—”
“You rescued me from hell, and you did it because you’re a good guy. And that’s it. You’re a good guy, and it has been far too long since I’ve had a good guy in my life. I want this, Krir, and I’m pretty sure—”
He cut her off with a firm kiss that quickly softened as he pulled her pants down.
He ran his fingers through her folds, and electric pleasure shot straight through her.
She kicked away the garment and hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants and pulled.
They swiftly joined the growing pile of clothes beside the bed.
Nicole ran her palm over his hard length, mesmerized as his cock fluctuated between aqua, green, and yellow.
Krir leaned back on his elbows. She straddled his hips, hovering above him.
His eyes gleamed, reflecting light she could barely see.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she lowered herself onto him.
He filled her, stretched her, the pebbly skin rubbing her exactly the right way.
Once fully seated, he sighed and lifted his hips. Nicole met Krir’s thrust with a roll of her own. She rode him, and his cock hit the right spot. Over and over, building the orgasm deep in her core. His fingers found her clit again, and he rubbed. Nicole tipped over the edge into bliss.
With a rough trill, Krir followed her, his cock pulsing deep inside her.
Boneless, she collapsed on his chest with a chuckle. His fingers threaded through her hair, and his other hand made lazy circles on her back. Beneath her ear, his heart slowed, and his breaths finally came easy.
“And what do your people call that?” Krir allowed the strands of her hair to slip through his fingers over and over.
Nicole’s cheeks flushed. The word coming to mind wasn’t “fucking,” it wasn’t even “sex.” It was making love—the cheesy, old-fashioned, and only correct term for what they’d done.
Was she falling for him?
Of course she was. He was funny and kind and exactly her type—except for the feathers—and he’d saved her life. Twice. What woman wouldn’t fall for this man? Nicole bit her lip, allowing her emotions to settle into words.
But before she could explain what he meant to her, the door banged open.
All three Giuk charged in.