Page 10 of Accidentally Abducted

And then he is pulling me down toward him, and I am learning that Jake's skin does indeed taste as good as it smells, and that the sounds he makes when I kiss him are even better than the ones he makes when he eats pancakes.

I am also learning that when Jake runs his hands through my hair and makes small, appreciative noises against my mouth, the bioluminescent response spreads considerably beyond my face and chest.

Research, as it turns out, can be deeply rewarding when conducted with the right methodology.

And the right research partner.

Chapter Five

Jake

I'm learning several very important things about Nereidans, and specifically about Zeph.

First: when he said he glows during emotional intensity, he vastly understated the situation. Right now, with his mouth on mine and his hands tangled in my hair, he's practically incandescent. Golden light is emanating from every inch of exposed skin, pulsing brighter when I do something he particularly likes, such as biting gently at his lower lip, which makes him make a sound that goes straight to my dick.

Second: Nereidans apparently run several degrees warmer than humans, because Zeph's skin feels like touching a perfectly heated blanket, and I'm starting to understand why he didn't seem bothered by the ship's cool temperature.

Third, and most importantly: Zeph is significantly larger than I initially estimated, in several very relevant ways.

"Jesus," I gasp against his mouth as his hands slide under my shirt, his glowing fingertips leaving trails of warmth across my skin. "You're like a fucking space heater."

"Is that... problematic?" Zeph asks, and I can hear the uncertainty in his voice even as his thumbs trace along my hipbones in a way that makes my brain short-circuit.

"Problematic? Zeph, it's perfect. I'm always cold." I pull back enough to look at him, and the sight makes my breath catch. His face is beautiful in the normal lighting, but glowing like this, with his pupils dilated and his lips slightly swollen from kissing, he looks like something out of a fantasy. "God, you're gorgeous. Like, stupidly gorgeous."

The glow flares brighter at the compliment, and I grin. "I'm going to have so much fun figuring out what makes you light up."

"Jake," Zeph says, his voice rougher than I've heard it, "I should warn you—"

"About what?" I'm working on the fastenings of his shirt-thing, desperate to see more of that golden glow.

"Nereidan anatomy is... somewhat different from human anatomy, when we are aroused."

I pause in my attempts to undress him. "Different how? Like, extra parts? Fewer parts? Parts in unexpected places?"

"Not... extra parts, precisely. But proportionally different. And there are certain... adaptations that might be unfamiliar."

"Proportionally different," I repeat slowly. "You mean..."

"I mean that I am concerned about physical compatibility," Zeph says, and there's something almost vulnerable in his admission. "Our research indicated that size differences can be... challenging for successful intimate relations."

I stare at him for a moment, processing this. "Zeph, are you telling me you're worried your dick is too big now that you're turned on?"

The blunt question makes him flush deeper, the glow spreading down his neck. "That is... a crude but accurate assessment of my primary concern, yes."

"Okay, first of all, that's exactly the kind of problem I want to have," I tell him, finally getting his shirt open and pushing it off his shoulders. "Second of all, humans are surprisingly adaptable. And third, holy shit, okay that's... that's significantly more than I was mentally prepared for."

Because Zeph up close without a shirt is a revelation. His chest and arms are glowing with soft golden light, highlighting muscles that I want to spend several hours exploring with my mouth. But more than that, I can see the outline of what he'sconcerned about through his pants, and... yeah. I understand the worry.

"That is... quite a bit bigger than human average," I manage to say, trying to sound casual while internally recalibrating my expectations about alien anatomy.

"Significantly so," Zeph agrees, and he's watching my face carefully for my reaction.

I look up at him, this beautiful, glowing alien who's worried about being too much for me, and feel something warm unfurl in my chest that has nothing to do with arousal and everything to do with the fact that he cares about my comfort more than his own pleasure.

"Well," I say, running my hands over his chest and enjoying the way the glow follows my touch, "I guess we'll just have to take our time and figure it out. I'm very motivated to make this work, even if it means my jaw's going to be sore tomorrow."

"You are?"

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