Chapter 8 #2
She set the tray on his lap and then sat down on the edge of the bunk facing him. Scooping up a spoonful of lightly flavored grain, she carefully dipped the spoon in the broth so he had the perfect amount of each for his first mouthful.
“Have you ever had lish-lish? We get our reconsitutor packs from my cousin's company. They make the best one. Almost as good as fresh.”
She held the spoon up to his lips. He accepted the food, never taking his eyes off her face. It felt strangely intimate to feed him, especially with his intense gaze never moving off her.
“It’s good,” he said after swallowing. She fed him a few more spoonfuls then grabbed a bread ball and held it to his lips. Instead of taking a polite bite, he sucked the whole thing into his mouth, including her fingers. He didn’t bite down but explored her fingers with his tongue.
Her body heated, and she sucked in a breath.
“Myrum!”
He pulled his head away, taking the food but leaving her fingers. He was quick to chew and swallow.
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, feeling an odd combination of turned on and confused. “Um, no, you didn’t hurt me. I was surprised, that’s all.”
“I couldn’t help myself,” he said. “You taste as good as you smell.”
That was probably the sexiest thing anyone had ever said to her.
“You smell really good too,” she whispered. She had the urge to lean in close and kiss him, but she resisted.
He leaned forward a little. “Yes, you said I smell like honey. What’s that?”
She had to clear her throat before she could answer. “Uh, it’s a sweet food item made by an Old Earth creature called a bee. They would collect flower pollen to make it.”
He made a questioning rumble. “I thought Old Earth was gone. How do you know what honey smells or tastes like?”
“The first humans to settle in the Ilgorian Federation brought some bee larvae and then crossbred them with Porian delt beetles. It’s very popular within the Ugarian and Porian populations of the Ilgorian Federation. That’s how I know you smell like honey.”
It was a long-winded answer, but she couldn’t seem to control her mouth. He could ask her anything right now, and she’d tell him. Even the time her pants got caught on a broken flange and ripped off right in front of the entire crew.
“I like that you like how I smell,” he murmured. He was still purring, but it had changed a little. It was slower and seemed more sensual somehow. It made her want to cuddle up against him.
“Very much,” she whispered, moving her face closer to his. She wanted to breathe in more of that honey smell. Maybe even lick him to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.
Her stomach growled, and he stopped purring. It was enough of a change to jolt her out of her impulses.
What was she thinking? She was in a position of power and about to abuse it.
“I guess I’m hungrier than I thought,” she said, trying hard to make her voice light.
“You need to eat,” he said. “Go on, eat your fill, then I can finish.”
“Let’s take turns,” she said. She ate a spoonful then offered him one.
They fell into a companionable silence as they ate their meal.
The room warmed up enough for Ruby to emerge from Amina’s collar and scuttle down her arm to the tray on Myrum’s lap.
She sniffed at the food a little then moved up to perch on Myrum’s shoulder.
Worried the little lizard might get cold again, Amina looked around for the Jinjoo wool scarf she’d been wearing when she fell asleep next to Myrum.
It was tucked half under his hip, and once she tugged it free, she wound it around Myrum’s neck so Ruby could snuggle into it when she was ready. It was only when she finished that she realized how close her face was to his. Their mouths were almost touching.
She couldn’t resist; she brushed her lips against his. The smell of honey filled her nose, and Myrum opened his mouth to her.
With a groan, she fell into the kiss.
She cupped his cheek and felt warm, viscous oil soak into her palm. Rubbing her fingers over his cheek made him gasp then moan into the kiss.
“Amina! I figured it out!”
They pulled apart so fast the tray of food almost overturned onto the bunk. Panting and blinking, she looked at the cabin door to see Desur standing there, holding something up and beaming with pride.
“I have a collar for Myrum to wear so he doesn't have to stay like that,” Desur said, stepping further into the room.
Hoping Desur didn’t notice how flushed her face felt, she stood up and moved the tray.
“Great, let’s break Myrum out of here!” she said to Desur, unsurprised when her voice sounded a little breathless.
Desur was much too excited to notice.
He rushed over to the bed, chatting all about the construction and why it should work. Myrum paid attention to everything the young Ugarian said and made noises of encouragement.
“You’ve created a very clever device,” Myrum said after Desur was done explaining everything.
Desur practically glowed with pride. “We have to wait for Helmen to get here before we can put it on.”
“How did you get the latch to coordinate with the lancer?” Myrum asked him.
It took Amina a moment to realize Myrum wasn’t interested in the workings of the collar, only that Desur was eager to talk about it.
At heart, Myrum was a sweet male. Sure, he had some trauma, but they all did to some degree.
It made her all that more curious about what Myrum thought he could accomplish by meeting a random Ossiso living in an outpost at the edge of their space.
Whatever it was, she was going to make sure he knew he had back up now.
She and Ruby were ready to keep him as safe and as sane as he was when he got here.
Honestly, to survive you had to have a little insanity to get through the tough times.