Chapter 8
Tuvo
What the krik had he been thinking?
Condemning himself, Tuvo jogged circles around the little vacation home, climbed the trees, even went swimming, until his cock calmed down. His knot was still painful and swollen, but that had been near constant for the last few tendays.
The distance he was forcing between himself and his mate was having a negative effect. And after that debacle this morning, he was seriously considering just burning out that part of his brain that refused to acknowledge that she was too small for him.
Krik, his cock had gone all the way through her plump, soft, delicious thighs. The heat of her little cunt rubbed eagerly against him. Her hand circled around his head.
“Kriking idiot,” he chastised himself.
By the time he finally calmed down enough to hide his cock, if not his knot, and returned to the house, Hattie and Keith were both up and dressed for the day. They had eaten leftovers for breakfast. Hattie had even saved him some.
Tuvo ate quickly and took a shower. Which was difficult as the stall was not made for someone of his size. He had to crouch to get his head under the spray. This cleanser was even smaller than the ones at the hotels.
He tried to take himself in hand, to relieve some of the pressure that had built up, but nothing happened, no matter how hard he jerked at his cock. He only succeeded in getting hard and feeling the frustration of being denied release.
He couldn’t do it without his female. His body was rejecting itself now. A sign of how badly the unfulfilled bond was messing with him. How long would it take to do permanent damage to his cock and knot, he wondered?
His attempt at masturbation a failure, he eventually gave up and changed into his human clothes. The jeans at least did a better job of hiding his erection than his sleeping pants – but they were a lot more painful now that he was hard.
He returned to the room to find that the back doors had been opened, allowing a fresh breeze into the room. Keith was down at the beach – taking pictures of himself, of course. Hattie was in one of the deck chairs, looking positively radiant in the sunlight.
Her hair had dried in the night, and the natural ringlet curls begged for his fingers. She had dressed in a pretty, pale blue dress that was tight under her breasts and flowed down to her knees. Her little feet were bare, tempting him with the peeks at her toes – painted teal.
“Hey,” she greeted him, wiggling those little feet. “Enjoy your shower?”
“It was certainly an experience,” he said, rubbing his neck.
She laughed, the sound slightly strained. “Yeah, it was probably a bit small for you.”
“A bit.”
Their conversation was stilted again. Overly polite and formal. Because of him. Because his dreams of his female had made him desperate for her. Having her in his bed, in his arms, had driven him from his mind.
And he practically fucked her right there. With her previous lovir beside them! Without even asking her. Without warning her of the size of his cock.
Hattie was so tiny. So soft. So delicate.
He would rip her apart.
And hurting her would destroy him.
“I called the pilot,” she was saying, oblivious to the torment he was going through.
“He said he found the problem. Something about the electrical equipment? I think? He said, the engineers here can fix it, no problem. They’re getting a part shipped over from one of the other islands, and it will take some time to install and test to make sure everything is good.
He said another day or two and we should be ready to go. ”
Tuvo grunted in understanding. This was work. Duty. This is something he could focus on. Something he could do for his female.
Even if he failed her in every other way.
“Then, we’ll stay here for a couple days. We seem to be safe enough.”
“Yeah. There are worse places to be stranded.” She laughed again, more genuinely this time. “Keith certainly seems to be enjoying himself. He’s already found a party tonight. It’s a tourist thing, I think?”
“I care not for that male.”
“That’s apparent,” she threw back her head, positively mirthful this time. “We just have to put up with him for a little longer. Then, he’ll be home talking about how he hung out with aliens, and we’ll be mercifully alone.”
“I cannot wait to get back to Turv and not have to worry about any of this.”
“Oh, yes,” she stressed, head falling back. “I miss it so much. Is that bad of me?”
“Why would it be bad of you?”
“Because Earth is supposed to be my home.” She smiled indulgently at the blue water rushing over the pale sand. “I was so excited to get here, but now that I am here, I just want to go back to Turv. I mean, I still want to see my family, but…”
“Earth isn’t home anymore.”
“That’s it, isn’t it?” She grimaced, still laughing. “Earth just isn’t home anymore. It makes me feel like a traitor, somehow.”
“You are not bad for that, Hattie,” he assured her. “Home is a nebulous thing anyway. I’ve changed my home many times in my life. And I always missed my old home, but never as much as I miss my current home while I’m gone.”
“Why have you changed your home many times?”
“You know Atem was raised with me by my parents, right?”
“Yeah. After his were assassinated, right? He went to your parents because he was trying to avoid being taken in by their killer.”
“That’s right. He had no one to turn to, so he turned to me.
That’s a trust I’ve strived all my life to be worthy of.
To never betray. My parents were the only ones that believed him when he identified the assassin.
They knew the danger he would be in. They upended our entire lives to get him away from Calvitorum. I hated to leave my home behind.
“And I hated to leave that home later when I joined the military. When I began my training. And I missed the home I made when I left training. I missed Turv when I was stationed in various bases throughout the universe. And I missed those bases every time I was transferred to a new place.
“Then, when I came back to Turv, back to Calvitorum, it didn’t feel like home anymore. And it wouldn’t feel like home for years. Not until Atem was Dominani.”
“You’ve lived an interesting life,” Hattie said, drawing his focus back to her face. She had turned in her chair and was staring at him as though fascinated.
“Home is constantly changing,” he said. “And it doesn’t make you bad for making a new home. You can miss your old home without feeling that connection to it anymore.”
She grinned at him. So brightly. So warmly. It stole his breath.
“What?” He asked.
“You’ve never opened up to me like that,” she said softly, as though in awe. “It’s nice. Thank you for telling me.”
Had he really been so taciturn with her? He had been trying to keep his distance, but he hadn’t intended on being unfriendly.
They were starting over though. As friends. He could talk to his friends.
He could resist fucking his friends through their clothes.
“I’m going to walk to the grocery store later,” she said when he remained quiet, like she knew he wasn’t going to be able to think of a reply. “Get us enough food for a couple days.”
“All right. I’ll go with you.”
She grimaced.
“What? You don’t think I should?”
“No offense, Tuvo, but you’re hardly, er, subtle. Even if we put you in a hoodie and hide your tail, you’re a mountain. Everyone would notice you. If I go by myself, I can get food and return without making a scene.”
“You can’t go on your own.”
“It’s only a couple miles.”
“This island is unknown. You’re not going on your own. If you won’t take me with you, take him.”
“Keith?” She frowned at the male. He had set his phone on a rock and was recording himself walking in the water. “I mean, I guess.”
“We just have to put up with him for a little longer,” he mimicked her, making her laugh. “He is obnoxious, but he won’t let you come to harm at least.”
“Not physically, anyway,” she mumbled.
Before he could ask what she meant, she was standing, straightening her dress.
“Got any requests for dinner?”
“Whatever you like.”
“No pressure,” she laughed. “Okay. I’ll see what the store has and make a menu from there. Keith has already asked for steak, but that’s going to be stupid expensive on an island. If they even have it. But you like steak, right?”
“Don’t get it if it’s not worth the price. I’ll eat whatever.”
She smiled. “Don’t tell me that. I’ll get creative.”
“Surprise me,” he assured her with a smirk. “I’ll be glad to eat it.”