Page 26 of No Strings Attached

She smiled wearily at him and said, “I’m really fucking tired.” For some reason, she didn’t feel like she had to hide her weaknesses from Bobby; she didn’t feel like she had to pretend that she was fierce, or fearless, or tireless when it was only the two of them. She didn’t have to act like she had 100% of her shit together, 100% of the time.

He nodded, “I know you are. Why don’t you come over here and sit down for a few minutes?” He pointed at a grassy hillock. When she hesitated, he took her hand in his warm, rough one. Pulling gently, he eventually got her to follow him and sit down, though she sat rigidly straight, instead of relaxed into the hillock as he had wanted her to. He sat down beside her, as close as he dared, then gently put an arm over her shoulders and tugged her backwards, until they both rested against the grassy mound and her head lay against his shoulder. She let out an extended sigh of pleasure.

“OK, you were right, this is just what I needed for a minute. It’s just that there is so much that needs to be handled, so much to not forget about.”

“Like what?”

She turned her head on his shoulder to look at him, “Like the Trallians returning with the three cargo ships, and how we’re going to handle that. Like the buyers coming here for an auction. Like how long our supplies will last here, and what we’re going to do after they run out.” She thought for another moment, “Also, we need to check out Qlu’s ship.”

He held her gaze. “I’ll remember all those things for you. I’ll bring it up after everyone’s enjoyed the feast. For now, just close your eyes and relax for a little while,” he said, as he pulled her closer to his side. “I’ll watch over you and keep you safe.” He ran a furry knuckle down the side of her cheek.

“Thank you, Bobby,” she whispered and was asleep a minute later on the purple grass.

She was naked, in an alien garden, with Bobby. He was holding himself above her, knees between her legs, and gently moving his body across hers so that all of his silky fur rubbed against her bare belly and breasts, amber eyes locked on hers. Her nipples were on fire, and she was moaning, loudly.

“I’m here, Vi. What’s wrong?”

She opened her eyes and looked into Bobby’s strange, beautiful eyes. She had curled into him more as she slept and had thrown one leg over his. In her left hand, she clutched a wad of his coverall over his chest. Had she…had she been grinding on him? Oh god. She just blinked at him, startled and embarrassed.Bobby? Of everyone she might have a sex dream about, her mind chose Bobby? She didn’t really think of him as an “otterman” anymore, he was just Bobby; still, she was profoundly surprised.

“You were moaning my name. I thought you were in pain.”

She cast her mind out to investigate the damp state of her panties and the throbbing between her legs. Maybe not pain, but definitely discomfort. She pushed up and off of him, no longer meeting his gaze “Um, no, I’m…uh…fine. Probably just dreaming about earlier. How long was I asleep?”

“Not long, 20 or 30 minutes.”

She pushed herself up to stand, and he followed. She still didn’t meet his eyes. “I think I’m going to go claim one of those rooms up there,” she said, gesturing to the hatches along the walkway, “and take a shower.”

“I’ll come with you.”

She finally looked at him. “To…help me shower? I’m good, Bobby. No help needed.”

He grinned and shook his head, “To investigate the rooms first. To make sure they are safe.”

She smiled back at him—she couldn’t help it—and said, “Oh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” She was definitely not thinking clearly, which would not be very helpful in their situation.

They walked up the steps to the walkway side-by-side, then Bobby took the lead and pushed a button for the door to unlatch. He held out a hand to her, silently telling her to stay there, then entered. She followed.

The room was impressive. They entered into a large sitting room with an array of comfortable furniture, including a big, horseshoe-shaped sofa. There was one door to the left, leading into a beautiful bedroom with a massive bed. One door led off from the bedroom into a spacious bathroom with a tiled shower area that could fit 10 comfortably.

They walked back out into the sitting area, and Vi said, “Looks safe to me. Grab one for yourself and have a shower.”

“One what?”

“A room. There are enough for each of us to have one.”

He looked distressed. “Oh, I’ve…um…never slept in a room by myself before.”

She was shocked. “Really?”

“Never.” he said, with palpable uncertainty coming off him. He walked toward the hatch door to leave and started to pull it closed behind him.

A wave of panic overtook Vi and she screamed, “NO!”

Bobby wheeled around, eyes wide, while Vi’s vision narrowed to a small tunnel, her adrenaline spiked, and her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. Bobby ran over to her and immediately pulled her into his arms, while she shook and hyperventilated.

She could hear the utter terror in his voice when he said, “What’s wrong, Vi? What happened?”

Her hands were shaking on his chest, and when she tried to speak, her voice shook, “It-t-t …was…th-th-the…door…c-c-closing. Re-reminded m-m-me of b-b-being in th-th-the p-p-pod a-a-alone.” Tears spilled from her wide eyes when she looked up at him. She looked back down and focused on her breathing: in, out, in, out, in, out. When she looked back up and spoke again, it was better, but her voice came out in a whisper, “I don’t think I can stay in here alone with the door closed.”

---