Page 7 of I'm Not Your Pet

“Please,” I begged again, not sure what I was asking for. “Tell me what I did wrong. I’ll fix it.” Clearly I’d gotten something incorrect. Maybe if I showed my sincerity he’d take pity on meand tell The Manager that I’d done a good job, even though I quite obviously hadn’t?

Shark-guy shushed me. It was a sweet sound, despite being different than something a human would make. He didn’t have the lips to make a propershhhhnoise. The effect was the same though. Still soothing. Still soft. The scratching continued, and though I was shaking—it did help.

I should’ve been scared when he lifted his hand from my hair, moving to gently stroke one thick finger over the wetness that clung to my cheek, but I wasn’t. When he cupped my jaw, the warm stickiness of his skin pressing to mine only amplified the magnetic force crackling between us.

I wasn’t sure what he saw in my eyes.

It felt like he was looking through me. Like he could see where I was brittle and lost, his pale blue eyes searching, searching, searching mine.

I’m scared,I thought again, a pit in my belly.

The shark’s spots turned blue, a tranquil sort of color. Like the ocean painting my mom had put above the toilet in the guest bathroom.

His skin was warm and solid. Maybe not the same kind of solid that mine was—but certainly pleasant. I’d take the time to analyze that later. He’d be the newest entry in my journal. I’d compare him to other organisms I’d studied and see if I could find a creature with a similar texture, just for fun. But for now, I trembled, another tear slipping down my cheek.

Men don’t cry, Hugo.

My father’s voice accompanied me all the way across the galaxy.

It was the only thing he’d taught me.

“Calm,” shark-man urged, using the grip he had on my head to nudge me to settle against the inside of his knee. At first, I thought that this meant blow jobs were back on the table, but Iwas quickly proven wrong. No. Apparently,calmmeant literally that. It meantbreathe. It meant slow the fuck down and enjoy the squishy softness of the big-ass thigh against my face.

The alien’s hand returned to my hair, gently petting me. Now that he was touching me it was even more apparent how aware of his overwhelming size he was, careful of his claws and how easily I could be crushed. He smelled likeapples,and I inhaled the scent greedily. When my eyes slipped shut, it became clear the only thing alien-man wanted from this interaction was to soothe me.

Until that moment, no one had ever done that for me. Not even before—when I’d been a real person, and not…whatever it was that I was now.

It was comfort in the purest sense.

A strong creature lending his strength to someone who was smaller.

A lion and a mouse.

This was care andconcern. An emotion that felt suspiciously like affection—though I knew that couldn’t be what it was. Not after only knowing each other for fifteen fucking minutes.

Affection was hard-earned.

You fought for it, tooth and nail. And even then, usually you didn’t get it. Sometimes it felt like a myth. A fairy tale for children who came from happy homes. Children who grew up with bedtime stories, cookies on the table, and party hats for their birthdays.

I was embarrassed to admit the few tears I’d spilled turned into a torrent. With every gentle scratch of his claws and every soothing rumble, I cracked a little more. I hadn’t expected this. And while I’d tried to tell myself that I was ready for what the night entailed, I hadn’t been. I realized that now, as alien-guy gave me the first human decency it felt like I’d ever had.

I rolled with the punches, sure. When I’d gotten abducted I’d been upset,obviously. But I’d accepted my new role in life quickly. However, at twenty-one now, I knew how rare a touch this sweet could be. Like a unicorn, even in space.

While I quaked and sobbed, the alien continued to rumble. The sound buzzed through his body, vibrating my cheek as I pressed hard against his knee. Tucked between his hand and his leg, I had never felt safer.

Ridiculous.

I was fucking ridiculous.

He was about to leave. I’d never see him again. I was going to face the consequences of my actions. And the empathy he’d shown me surely wouldn’t extend to telling The Manager I’d done a good job when I hadn’t. My weakness would be my downfall. This embrace would fester and mold till it became just another snapshot of all the times I’d had my heart torn out.

For now though…I was content to pretend. To be comforted and loved, even if it was only for a few moments, by a stranger I had disappointed.

This alien was a goddamn saint, apparently.

Because I didn’t stop crying for a long, long time.

And when I finally did, he urged my chin up with one thick finger. His chest shuddered as he inhaled. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he looked just as overwhelmed as I felt. He bent his head low and those terrifyingly sharp teeth crept closer and closer to where I crouched.

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