Page 49 of No Strings Attached

“You do not need it. I will be your alumclot.”

Vi stifled a laugh as she pulled the blankets back on the bed, tossed the towel toward the bathroom, then crawled in, waiting for Bobby to join her. “So, we have about eight or nine hours available for sleeping before then? I really,reallyneed a good night’s sleep.”

Bobby had moved over to the other side of the bed and was standing there, unsure. He looked at her and said, “Yes, I do, too. I did not sleep well while you were gone. Also, we didn’t get much sleep before you left.” He tentatively crawled in and settled beside her, “Last time, you pulled me close behind you while you slept. Now, you’re lying on your back. How should I be?”

“How do you normally sleep?”

“On my side. We don’t like to lay on our tails.”

“OK, do you want to be the big spoon, like last time, or the little spoon, like this?” She turned on her side toward him and gestured for him to roll away from her, then she snuggled up close to him and wrapped her arm around him. His tail made the position, um, interesting.

“I like all spoons. Which do you like?”

“I like all spoons, too. Let’s stay this way.” She began stroking the fur on his abdomen, then caught herself. “Um, Bobby, I have to confess something to you. I always have an almost uncontrollable urge to pet you. I love the feel of your fur.”

“Why is that bad? I love it when you touch me. Anywhere. Any way.”

“Because on Earth, it’s something we do with animal companions, like Friend. We don’t do it with each other, since we don’t have fur.”

“I watched you do it to Friend before the feast, and I was jealous. I wanted to trade places with him and have you scratch and rub me the same way.”

Vi laughed and began doing just that. To her amazement, Bobby began to purr.

“What? You can purr?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

She heard the shock in his voice when he responded, “I didn’t know I still could. Most Trallians only purr when they are very small and being directly tended by the mother.”

They fell into silence, and Bobby’s soft purr lulled them both into sleep.

Bobby woke her up with little kisses up and down the back of her neck, shoulders, and jawline, purring softly. She came up from the depths with her whole body wrapped up in his from behind, and she sighed contentedly at the warm, safe, comfortable feeling. She rubbed her cheek against fur on the hard bicep that was serving as her pillow and luxuriated in the feel. Then she twisted in his hold until they were facing each other, but he never released his hold on her, still continuing to wrap his body around hers tightly and purring. She looked deeply into his glowing amber eyes, which always seemed to be illuminated from within.

“Good morning,” she said, smiling at him.

“Best morning,” he said, a little dreamily.

“See?” she asked, laughing. “It’s nice not to wake up in a free-fall, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and I think ‘our bed’ has become my two new favorite words. Especially after your first surprise last night. I want tokeep you inour beduntil time stops. Or at least the next 10 or 20 years.” He pointed to the wall, laughing, “We can put a food synthesizer right there, and never leave this room again.”

“That sounds good to me,” she said, and meant it, “But for now we’ll have to just make the most of our nights together. There’s a lot of work to do.”

Bobby rolled over on top of her and slid his body up hers, stopping when they were face to face, eyes blazing into hers. “Then make sure you get it done quickly and give me yourself in this bed—our bed—for as many hours as possible tonight. I’m going to see how many times I can bring you to orgasm, and I’m not going to stop until you beg me. Maybe not even then.”

Her eyes widened and her face heated, nipples instantly becoming rock hard as her clit began to throb. Bobby’s eyes widened in response, then he was off of her body and the bed, saying, “Get in the shower, Vi, quickly. Or I’m not going to be able to let you leave at all.”

She jumped off the bed, ran to the bathroom, and closed the door, then just leaned against it panting.Had he really just said that?A sexually confident Bobby had made her wet and ready with just three sentences. She laughed and thought,I’ve created a monster.

She was showered, dressed, and sitting on the sofa trying to focus on what Acken was saying, but she kept replaying Bobby sliding up her body and telling her he was going to make her beg for him to stop pleasuring her. She couldn’t believe how much it had turned her on to see him growing into his potential for sexual power. Even now it made her excited and breathless.

“…so, we will probably be able to have three flight crews to support all four ships…”

She had no desire to be dominated, no attraction to alpha males except for an inherent biological response that she resented, but she had wielded all the sexual power in their relationship so far and had known that the imbalance would become tiresome to her after a short time. Bobby’s innocence and naivete had been sweet and charming to her, and she cherished the fact that she had had the opportunity to introduce him to sexual pleasure and shared affection. But she didn’t want to be Queen Violet in the bedroom; she wanted a sexual partner who had their own needs, wants, and desires and had the confidence to act on them. It took her breath away that Bobby was finding his sexual confidence so quickly, and it excited her that she couldn’t predict the ways that it would manifest.

As if summoned, he opened the bedroom door, closed it, and walked through the sitting room, freshly showered and carrying his coverall in a bundle. His amber eyes locked on hers and a heated look passed between them, complete with a mischievous, crooked smile on Bobby’s face before he strode out onto the walkway and was gone with a swish from his thick tail. Vi’s head had followed his passage the entire way, lingering on the empty doorway.

When she came to herself and looked around the room, Acken, Caussus, and Trak were all silently regarding her with looks ranging from amazement to amusement. She fished around for the last thing anyone had said but came up empty.

With a blush rising to her face, she looked down and said, “Sorry, guys. I was a little distracted. Where were we?”

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