Chapter 11
Hattie
Maybe the swimsuit was too much.
When the landing party had first come to Earth, before they had been attacked, they had been going around on a world tour. Some of the places they went to had beaches. Hattie and the others had bought swimsuits.
Hattie bought two swimsuits.
A cute pink and orange flower themed one-piece that she adored.
And this.
This swimsuit was technically one-piece as well, but the midriff wasn’t a solid strip of color.
Instead, it was a band that wrapped around before tying in a knot at her waist, revealing most of her belly.
The cleavage dipped low, covered only by intercrossing laces, and her back, aside from the banding around her waist and the straps around her neck, was open.
Her thighs were unleashed in all their glory, her curves on shameless display.
The electric blue color really brought out the gold in her usually brown eyes and hair.
It wasn’t cute. It was sexy.
But maybe she should put the pink and orange one back on instead.
Hattie gnawed her lip nervously as she twisted her body, getting a good look in the small mirror. It was definitely more revealing than the other swimsuit.
Thanks to medical treatments on Turv, she didn’t have any stretch marks or scars anymore. Her skin and hair were softer than ever. She didn’t even have body hair. At all. She had it all removed at a beauty treatment place. She looked and felt amazing.
But did she dare go out in this? Let Tuvo see her like this?
Despite their early morning escapades, nothing between them had changed. If anything, it was even more tense now.
She nervously ran her hand down her sides. Straightened the band. Took a deep breath.
Then, she stepped from the bathroom with full, pretend confidence.
She could hear the guys moving around out on the beach and followed after them. Her sandals flopped against her feet as she went down towards the water. She didn’t see Tuvo immediately, but she did see Keith. He was typing away on his phone, oblivious to her arrival.
But where was-
Oh.
Like an ancient god emerging from the sea, Tuvo broke the surface of the ocean and stood straight.
Water streamed down his tight body, highlighting the lines of his chest and arms. Muscular thighs clenched with each step as he pushed his hand over his face, wiping away the drops that threatened to fall into his eyes.
His tail broke free last, lashing at the surface, flicking away the water that clung to it as he strode up through the crashing waves.
Hattie was struck dumb. Standing there, pigeon toed in the sand, barely able to breathe much less blink as she stared in awe at this Adonis come to her shore.
“Oh, geez, Hats,” Keith’s voice suddenly broke her trance, drawing her eyes to him. He had thrown his legs over the side of the lounge chair as he made to stand and was looking at her with his lip curled up in unveiled disgust. “That’s what you’re wearing?”
“What’s wrong with it?” She asked reflexively, hating how needy she sounded, as her hand nervously adjusted the swimsuit.
“Bikinis are made for skinny chicks, Hats.”
“It’s not a bikini.”
“Might as well be.” He shrugged. “Don’t you have like a wrap or something you can use to cover all that up?”
“I like it though.”
“I mean, that’s fine, but it’s just not made for you. You don’t exactly have a beach body. I mean, right?”
She was hunched over now. Practically trying to sink into herself. Hating how, with just a few words, he was capable of shaking the foundation of the self-esteem she had spent so long trying to repair – recovering from him in the first place.
She was tempted to just turn around. Run inside and pick up that orange and pink swimsuit. It was cute too. And it was more of a skirt style, hiding her thighs as well as her belly.
Before she could do so, Tuvo was growling.
But not an aggressive, threatening growl.
That was a domini sexy growl.
Deeper, throatier, rumbling straight to her belly like the humming of a vibrator.
Her downcast eyes lifted to find he had crossed the beach and was now right in front of her. Tall, imposing. A huge wall of muscle and strength.
Three eyes, gleaming in the setting sun, staring down at her with unconcealed desire. The force of which hit her like a sledgehammer, and she whimpered, thighs rubbing together as heat burst between her legs.
“How dare you come out here wearing that,” he growled.
“Tuvo…” She whimpered, nearly collapsing in on herself. His disapproval would destroy her. She wouldn’t be able to recover if he told her the swimsuit wasn’t suitable for her body type.
“It’s already a strain for me not to destroy him. You’re just begging me to claw his eyes out now.”
Relief rushed through her. Excitement right on its heels. Hattie smiled tentatively. Hands behind her back. Pushing up her breasts. His growl deepened as he watched them strain against the stretchy fabric.
“You like my swimsuit?”
His hands twitched, like he was resisting the urge to rip it off of her.
“Isn’t it a pretty color?” She asked so sweetly, running her hand over the band across her waist. He followed the motion, licking his fangs, rising her confidence without a word.
And she wondered how good it would feel for him to use them against her.
Domini were blood drinkers, but not in a sexy way like vampires.
Drinking from people was something you only did to your enemies.
As a way to honor their efforts and to increase your own strength.
It wasn’t about sex at all. Drinking from a lover or friend was a huge taboo – a deep insult.
It was seen as weakening and hurting an ally. Completely frowned upon.
But humans, it had been discovered, had aphrodisiac blood.
Scarlet had discovered it. Havali, apparently, was a biter, and when he drank from her, he went absolutely wild with the effects of her blood. And since blood drinking could be sexy to humans, he kind of got a pass for it. Kind of.
Hattie wondered if Tuvo would ever want to taste her. To lick at her blood and be driven absolutely mindless with need for her.
She would let him.
She would let him do anything to her. She craved his knot. His seed. She wasn’t even protected against pregnancy. If he took her, it would have consequences.
Hattie wanted a domini mate. And domini males wanted pups. She wanted to give that to him.
Or whatever male did eventually claim her.
That was a harsh reminder of what they weren’t to each other, and she stepped past Tuvo to walk towards the water.
A thrill went down her spine when he turned with her. Keeping his hard gaze pinned firmly on her body.
Keith was still there, rolling his eyes, but why did it matter what he thought? He was one guy, and Hattie didn’t even want him.
Tuvo looked at her like he had never seen anything so sexy in his life. He followed like she had him on a leash. Staring at her boobs. Her butt. His hand kept spasming as he continued resisting the urge to grab her. To claim her.
She wished he would. She paused by the water to pull up her hair, giving Tuvo an unimpeded glimpse at her back. His gaze felt like a branding iron. Hot and proprietary.
One of the strands escaped her fingers, but before she could grab it, his hands were there. Looping the curl around his digits. The heat of his chest barely brushing her back.
“Let me,” he said, the begging tone barely concealed within his growl.
Hattie obligingly released her hair and let him comb through it. Gentle. Steady. Gathering it all into his hands and pulling it into a knot at the back of her head.
And when he finished, she shivered as the pads of his fingers trailed down her neck. Her spine. Lower and lower. Barely brushing against her. Teasing her with a faint caress.
“So, you do like my swimsuit?” She asked, tilting her head back to smile up at him.
“No. It’s hideous. You should let me take it off you.”
The surprised giggle that burst forth made her body shake, and his growl deepened. He didn’t grab her, but she felt the back of his fingers brush against her hips, like he had just barely resisted doing so.
“Swim with me?” She asked, happy at his reaction. Because he wasn’t asleep this time. He was awake and so entranced by her she couldn’t imagine not wearing this swimsuit again. She was gorgeous and sexy and that look in his eyes was proof.
He didn’t answer, but he did follow as she walked into the waves.
It was cold, but not freezing. She chuckled, spreading the water up her arms as she waded in deeper. Fully aware of Tuvo right behind her. Stalking her. Making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Eager for this predator to pounce.
Taking a breath, she dove under the surface and kicked off the sandy bottom, swimming forward against the rushing pressure of the waves.
Muffled through the water, she heard a splash as Tuvo did the same.
His dark figure quickly moved past her, swimming so much faster.
He streaked ahead then turned back, his dense, muscular body sinking instead of floating with the lack of movement.
The depth was such that she was completely submerged, but he was crouched to keep his head below water.
Hattie stared as long as she could before her lungs screamed at her, demanding more oxygen. She broke the surface with a regretful gasp.
Tuvo was really beautiful. The peak of power and masculinity. A work of art painted in brush strokes of scar tissue, with a kink in his long, sensuous tale. Perfectly imperfect
She pushed her sopping hair out of her face and blinked at the dark surface of the water, waiting for him to emerge as well.
He didn’t and she was about to take a deep breath and dive again when she felt something strong and rough grab her around the knees. Steady fingers spread her legs and pushed them up, making room for something to slide between her thighs.