Page 101 of I'm Not Your Pet

He was steady, solid, and delicious.

And I’d been right about him.

Right about what we’d become—even if I’d gotten it wrong at first.

Did that mean that the leash had been to…to protect me? Not because he saw me as property, but because I was precious, and he wanted to keep me safe? I belonged with Roark in a way I’d never belonged anywhere else—because that thought made me feel warm.

“Does that mean you’re going to keep me when we get to your planet?” My words were muffled, but no less important. “Because I don’t—” my voice broke. “I don’t want to be without you.”

It was something I’d fretted about since the day he’d bought me. I was property, whether I liked to believe it or not. The fact I’d been bought meant I could be sold just as easily.

Roark rumbled softly to soothe me. There was no room for misinterpretation, as his next words echoed in the space between us, a balm over my tattered heart. “If I had my way, Huu-goh, you would never leave my side.”

My eyes burned and I shuddered, melting when his hand rubbed steady circles against the center of my back.

“You would never be lonely,” Roark added softly. “You would never know hunger, or pain, or fear.”Rub, rub, rub,I shook beneath his palm. “I’d replace your bitter memories with new happy ones. You would forget how it feels to be unseen. You would have so many choices and opportunities you would losetrack of them all. Every day I would be honored that you chose to stay at my side.”

My heart felt cracked open.

This was like my sixteenth birthday all over again, except instead of leaving me to gather my brittle pieces alone, Roark was right beside me, picking them up and putting them together. Until I was a newer, better version of what I’d been before. Roark made it clear I would never have to beg for his attention. In fact, the way he spoke made it seem as though he was the one begging for mine.

God, if you’re out there, let me keep him and I’ll never ask for anything again.

“What’s wrong, little beast?” Roark murmured, his purr vibrating my cheek.

I hadn’t said anything, so I could see why he was concerned. My silence probably made him worry he’d said the wrong thing. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. I just didn’t know how to process such a frankly beautiful declaration.

Roark was waiting for me to speak, so I said the first thing that popped into my head, because admitting that I’d been praying to keep Roark was too embarrassing.

“I don’t know how to dance.” I blurted out. And because I was the worst—I just kept going. “I didn’t go to prom,” I tried to explain.

He made a confused sound.

“It’s like…a formal ball, like this one. Except for older teens, and hosted at schools. You get together and it’s meant to be this big fancy thing that everyone talks about for the rest of all time.” I moved, chin digging into his chest as I looked up at him. I figured that the translator didn’t have the word “prom” in its dictionary just like it hadn’t had the second definition for “hot”, so I continued to explain.

“Boys usually ask the girls—but I was…I mean—I’ve always been—I just—”Spit it out, Hugo, I chided myself. “I’ve neverlikedgirls like that, so I never asked anybody. Even if I had, I honestly don’t think they would’ve said yes.” I chewed on my lip. “Plus, I was way too chicken to ask a boy. No fucking way. Uh-uh.”

Get to the point.

You’re rambling.

“So my formal dancing experience is in the negatives. And I…don’t really know how to act at like…fancy events. We did some parties back on F’ukYuu. I worked them, I mean. But shaking my ass and spinning half-naked on a pole is a way different skill set than what I’m assuming is required of me tonight. And I’m pretty sure you would be shocked if I started twerking out there. And I really, really don’t want to disappoint you. Tonight is important.”

Roark was silent, obviously trying to process my words—but I still kept going, unable to stop now that I’d started. “I know this is supposed to be super fun and you put so muchworkinto it—and we just had an awesome moment!—but I have to admit that I am seriously terrified you’re going to realize I’m a loser the second we get out there—because I am—obviously—and I don’t know what I’m doing—and I’m just—I’m just trying to manage your expectations.”

Wow. Word vomit.

Alotof word vomit.

I guess after months of not being able to talk to him—it all just…wanted to come out.

“Huu-goh,” Roark murmured, chest rumbling as he stroked a hand down my back. “Slow down.”

I sucked in a breath, held it, and released it—nodding. “Yeah, yeah.” I pulled him tighter, continuing to stare up at him thoughmy heart was pounding. “You’re right. I should probably let you talk, huh?”

“You are not a ‘loser’ because you don’t know how to dance,” Roark’s voice was as soothing and solemn as ever. It was so different hearing him like this—fully coherent. He still had a bit of an accent but it was easy enough to tell what he was saying. The translators did a bang-up job, honestly.

“Oh, I knowhowto dance—” I corrected him with a leer. “But only the slutty kind.”

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