Chapter 15 #2
“You bathe, and I'll cook over there.” I nod toward a spot where I’ve set up a small campfire. “I think I'd better stay close for safety.”
She looks at me, arching an eyebrow. “And you’re going to promise not to look?”
I shrug. “Words are easy to say,” I admit, meeting her eyes without flinching. “But these ones… they’re a promise I’ll keep.”
She holds my gaze, searching my face. I open up to her, hoping my sincerity shines through.
She gives a slight nod while unfastening the layers she wears, slipping them off piece by piece as she approaches the pool.
I catch a glimpse of her outline in the moonlight, slender and pale, before I turn away, keeping my eyes on the ground, as I promised.
Instead of wondering what she's doing, I busy myself with the fire, laying out the kindling and sparking it to life, but my thoughts drift back to her. I remember the kiss we shared—the softness of her lips, the way she’d fought back at first, then relaxed, surprising me with the fierceness and warmth that lay beneath.
I keep my promise not to look, but I can hear the quiet sounds of her in the water behind me, the gentle splashes as she moves, the occasional sigh of relief as warmth soaks into her tired muscles. Satisfaction wells into my chest, knowing she’s safe, knowing I’ve provided something for her.
And the strange, unbidden warmth rises within me. It's familiar, similar to remembering Ilia and the others while I was a Pranastock. How we were before I betrayed them. Companionship, Nic-coal called it, and because I hadn't known what it was, I'd been scared of it.
But the feeling with Nic-coal is… different. Stronger. More. It makes me want to run to her as well as run away.
“Arture? Can you come here, please?” Her soft voice floats towards me.
“Then I’d need to look your way, and I’ve promised not to do that. You won’t deceive me into breaking my word like that, Nic-coal,” I tease.
I can almost hear her blush. “I’m not trying to trick you. I… I just want to talk.”
Steeling myself, I approach, stopping a respectful distance from the pool. She faces me, arms wrapped around her naked breasts, but the pool isn't all that deep. I can make out traces of her bare legs behind her, her back, her ass.
“How can I assist you?” Definitely the words of a clone awaiting the commands of his mistress.
She looks up at me, pure innocence. “Well, we forgot there's no automatic drying machine out here. And I need some way of getting from here to the ship with my dignity intact.”
I swallow. Hard.
She points to the ship, hot water trickling down her rounded arm. “Would you mind running in and getting me a load of those robes? I can use a few as towels, and then go in to change.”
There's one problem with that. I don't want to leave her side. “It might not be safe; you're in a very vulnerable position here.”
She frowns. “Hm. So what do you suggest?”
“I can shield you. I’ll warm myself up to keep you comfortable, and I'll close my eye and shut off my other one.” Yes. That's what I want. To press close to her steaming, naked body. To taste her lips again, this time with her fully on board with it.
To show her what she's starting to mean to me.
Her teeth worry at her full lips before she says, “Do you promise you won't look?”
“I swear.” I clench my fists shut, screwing up my face to squeeze my eyes closed, because the temptation is huge.
There's silence and then water drips down her curves, dropping into the pool.
I can only imagine it, extrapolating from the glimpses I've seen, and it's all I can do not to break my promise.
I walk forward blind, listening to each of her exhalations, the stutter of her breath.
Before long, she's right in front of me.
A soft touch on my chest makes me jolt. I'm so sensitive to every stimulation, a groan escapes my lips before I clamp down on that as well. I kick out heat, not just because she’ll get cold quickly.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.” Her voice is a ragged whisper as her breath becomes short. This closeness, this tantalizing moment, is affecting her too.
She chuckles at the level of my rapidly beating hearts. “You're really not looking. Good work.”
Her praise sends my scales into an uncontrollable shiver, standing hard on end.
“Arture, you can tell me no, but…” Her voice trails off, leaving me hooked as if she has a collar on me.
“What can I do for you?” I'm hoarse as if I've been shouting, screaming for her. Please, I beg silently, but I don't know what for.
“I'd like you to put your arms around me, if that's alright.”
The internal screams become cheers. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”
Moving slowly is the hardest thing I've ever done, but somehow I accomplish it.
My left arm circles her waist, my right across her shoulders.
She doesn't shy away from the metal, and my hearts lift.
I'll have to oil my arm tonight to counteract any water damage, but I don't care.
Nic-coal yields against me, and my scales soften to cushion her as I pull her against my chest. So small, yet so strong.
Her breasts press against my chest, stoking the fire deep inside me to an unbearable inferno.
“Um, Arture?” Her breath sets fire to the scales on my chest.
“Yes, Nic-coal?” What will she ask of me next?
“There's people here.”