Chapter 9
GEMINI
“You know what would be really delicious for dinner tonight?” Gemini asked as she lounged on the couch, her newly re-injured ankle resting on a pillow.
“What’s that?” Apodis replied with a smile, gently brushing his fingers over her calf.
She had woken up completely famished, and even after a delicious and hearty breakfast, there was a nagging sensation in her stomach telling her she wanted more.
The morning had been lovely and lazy, but there was a single thing on her mind.
“Mushrooms!” she said with a giggle at the absurd craving.
“You want… mushrooms?”
“Yes,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “The dish you made before was so good!”
Divine, in fact. So divine, she’d dreamt of it last night, along with some more salacious fantasies she didn’t feel the need to tell Apodis about.
She’d woken in a pool of her own arousal and had hurriedly limped to the bathroom to get herself cleaned up before he noticed. She didn’t know what was coming over her, but she supposed sleeping in bed with an attractive alien every night could do that to a person.
“I don’t have any more, but we can go foraging today,” he said, and she beamed, her chest filling with brightness.
“I’m sorry for putting you out,” she said, suddenly self-conscious of the way he seemed so willing to drop everything based on her every whim. “I can go back to my camp whenever—”
“No!” he interrupted, and she stifled a giggle at his apparent eagerness. “I’d love to go with you. Let me gather my things.”
Oh, what a beautiful afternoon it was.
After spending a few hours searching for and picking mushrooms, she had been exhausted, and Apodis had carried her to a beautiful vista on the edge of a slow-moving creek.
“It’s pretty hot out here,” Gemini said, hoping he’d catch her drift, but sweet Apodis was as clueless as ever.
“It’s heat season,” he said, a strange look coming over his face for a moment before he settled back into a relaxed grin. “Lumeris won’t cool down for another two orb cycles.”
She nodded at the water with a devious smile.
“Is it safe to swim?”
“Oh, yes, very safe. There are no large predators or venomous creatures, and the current is gentle in this portion of the river.”
Gemini cocked a brow, amused that he still hadn’t figured it out.
“Well? Can we go swimming? It would be nice to cool off for a bit.” She peeked past him at Zenith curled in a ball under a shaded tree, eyes closed and chest rising and falling in a rhythmic motion. “Z is sleeping, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Apodis nodded, his peculiar rectangular pupils darting around the scene before focusing back on her.
“I suppose that would be alright. We don’t have any swim clothes, though.”
Oh, that wasn’t going to be a problem. Not in the slightest. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but the warmth of arousal was pulsing higher each moment she spent with Apodis, her body tensing as tight as a bowstring while she waited for him to make a move that would probably never come.
Of course not, because he wasn’t interested in her in that way, and that was fine. She was a mature adult. She’d been rejected before, and in a far more embarrassing way than this.
She was just trying to cool down, quell the heat burning inside her that didn’t seem to subside even when she was in the chill of Apodis’ home.
Gemini slipped off her overshirt, dropping it in a pile beside her before peeling off her tank top as well. Beads of sweat clung to her like morning dew, and the slight breeze was delicious against her bare skin.
Her bra and panties weren’t the cutest thing she owned, but at least they matched, the black, butter-soft fabric featuring a white trim and deep plunge, showing off her cleavage.
Apodis sure seemed intrigued, his eyes darting all over her upper half like he wasn’t sure where to look.
With care not to hurt her already injured ankle, she shimmied off her shorts, her core twisting with need as he raked his gaze over her, a subtle—and not at all becoming—pride that she could have this type of effect over a male.
It was so different from the men on Earth with their noses in their consoles, their hearts devoted to AI bots who were trained to tell them exactly what they wanted to hear.
Apodis gave her his full and undivided attention—whether she was clothed or not—and it made her feel like he was truly interested in her, even if it was just as friends.
“Are you going to get your clothes wet?” she asked when he didn’t make a move to undress.
Apodis swallowed hard, shaking his head as if trying to clear a fog, then quickly removed his top, pausing for only a moment before following with his pants.
He wore black shorts underneath, tight enough to show everything if he’d just move his hands out of the way. Before she could hobble to her feet, he was standing over her, slipping his arms under her shoulders and knees and heaving her into the air.
That weightless sensation had her core clenching, the heat of Apodis’ skin making her head swim. Carefully, he stepped into the water, striding until she felt the cool caress against her bottom, a chill that took her breath away.
It eased the ache in her ankle, calming the fire raging within—at least a bit—her arms circling his shoulders as the water reached her breasts.
They were both silent for a long while, taking in the view of brightly colored birds dancing along the riverbank. The water was as refreshing as she’d imagined it would be, and she sighed into Apodis’ grasp, letting every worry leave her mind.
She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t need to say anything, just bask in the presence of this purple alien with his powerful arms wrapped around her, his golden gaze as he gave her the most beautiful smile.
“Is it as nice as you thought it would be?” he asked.
“So nice,” she murmured, a low moan rumbling in her chest before she realized what she was doing.
Good grief, had she really just made that noise aloud? It was difficult to resist with the delicious chill of the water and the tingling sensation between her legs from her proximity to Apodis.
His eyes were wide, as they always seemed to be in her presence, and she squirmed out of his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as his hands dropped to cup her ass.
Just two great friends having a refreshing swim in a beautiful alien river. Nothing weird at all.
She circled her arms around his neck, bringing their faces eye to eye and searching for… something.
All the intimate conversations and touches, was it really just Apodis being friendly? God, something about him made her want to absorb into him, to be one with him, and she squeezed closer until her pelvis met his.
There was a hard length pressing between her legs, and she bit her lip, letting her eyes roll for just a moment as she savored the sensation. It told her what she needed to know—that he was attracted to her in some way even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Gemini,” he warned, the word a low rumbly sound in his throat that made her hair stand on end, her cunt clenching with need.
Instead of heeding his warning, she ground against him, her body acting of its own accord as a jolt of pleasure raced up her spine. She couldn’t stop herself, though before she could get too self-conscious, she felt his grip on her ass tightening.
She already knew he was big from the bulge tenting his pants each morning, but feeling it between her legs was a whole other thing.
“You feel so good,” she murmured, letting her eyes close as bliss enveloped her.
The cool water lapped against her heated flesh, Apodis’ hands wandering up and down her back like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. One finally made its way to her loose hair, grabbing a fistful and gently angling her neck.
It was thrilling to be in his clutches. He was so big, so strong, he could do absolutely anything to her, and yet she trusted him more than any other male she’d ever met.
Foolish, certainly, but she couldn’t stop the persistent feeling that he wouldn’t hurt her, would do nothing but give her more pleasure than she knew what to do with.
“You feel good too,” Apodis said, bringing his nose to her throat and sniffing hard.
There was a click, almost inaudible with the soft lapping of water, and a sharp drag against her flesh which sent a tingle down her spine. Another moan escaped her, and she felt a rush to her head, like she would pass out at any moment.
But Apodis had her in his arms, and she knew she was safe.
“Can I kiss you?” he whispered against her neck before looking into her eyes once more.
The black of his pupils were dilated, covering much of the glimmering irises that flashed dark purple and red. Newly extended fangs protruded from his mouth, elongated from his normal smile, two on each side where a human’s canines would be.
Was he going to bite her? The thought of his teeth in her neck, his tongue lapping at her blood only tightened the crush of lust mesmerizing her body, and she answered his question without hesitation.
“Yes. Please.”
His grip on her hair loosened, the palm of his hand shifting to her cheek. A moment later his lips were pressed to hers and she slammed her eyes shut, soaking in the scent of the forest.
It was subtly different though, the spicy pine trees infused with some sort of sweet scent, like a juicy blackberry, the earthy undertones melding perfectly with the forest smell.
God, he was fucking delicious, his lips plump and gentle, pressing lightly against hers until she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer.
That urged him on, and he slipped his tongue out, petting along the seam of her lips until she parted them with a gasp. He moaned into her mouth, his muscles tensed so tightly she knew he was holding back as he softly brushed his tongue over her own.