“For starters…” Owiin explains, looking at me intently. I don't know if he has some sort of odd magical power that keeps my eyes locked on him, because suddenly it's as if I cannot look away even if I wanted to. But it's intimate, holding eye contact with somebody for so long, feeling as if you're measuring their very soul. Especially when he's so near to me, and I can feel his warm breath bending over my face and the heat of his body hovering just above mine.
I'm waiting for him to finish his sentence, but he doesn't. At least not in the way that I would assume would be a logical way to finish that sentence. He moves slowly, maybe so he doesn't startle me, and his nose drops to my neck. He's definitely sniffing me. He runs his face along the side of my neck, making my back arch and goosebumps rise all over my body. Images flash in my head of us being in this position, no clothing on, hot and sweaty as he makes deep noises while thrusting in and out of me.
The vision is so clear it feels like I've already done it, like it's a memory instead of a daydream.
But it's not half as good as the way it feels when his mouth descends on mine.
One of my favorite things to do actually, is kiss people I don't know very well. I know some people need to feel more comfortable with a partner before they want to do that, but I've always thought you can get to know a lot about somebody by the way they kiss. About the chemistry you have with that person and how inspired you’ll be together. If a spark happens once, then I know I can get it to happen again and again. Explosions get bigger when they’re fed more heat, so I know that if a first kiss is a killer, then I need to sit up and pay attention.
With him? The chemistry is off the charts. I might even entertain the idea of calling it incendiary.
Every thought in my head ceases to exist as I give myself over to the movements of my mouth. Lights are flashing behind my eyes; my blood is racing.
And then he pushes his hips into me and I'm ready to sign my life over to them. Again. I suddenly understand exactly why I need to train myself before attempting this, because it doesn't seem physically possible that this would even work.
“You are kissing me like your mouth was made for me. I cannot wait to taste all of you.”
There's literally nothing I can say to that, so I cling to him like we’re leashed together, trying not to gyrate my damn hips into him. It takes an immense amount of self-control not to just throw everything out the window and grind against him until I come.
“You're holding back, my mate. Why do you hold yourself back from me?”
“It's a bit fast, no?”
“Maybe for you, not for us. We will likely only attempt mating once, so don’t hold back while I’m trying to convince you that you should be ours.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. What do you mean you’ll only do this once?”
“If our trial fails, it is seen as a failing on our part, and we'll have to lobby ourselves for a chance to try again. But not before we wait ten years, during which we will be assigned to jobs somewhere heavy on manual labor. Is meant to temper us, to give us something to focus on while our bodies rewire themselves.”
“Well shit, that's a lot of pressure. Why is it considered your fault If we don't jive?”
“You'll see soon enough that we're not human. You will spend time around people more like us than you and will understand why the failing will fall on us. Some things are simple, like the way our bodies react to each other, but some things are not. There are two very different cultures between us, as well as nuances you’ll pick up as we sequester ourselves.” Kass pushes Owiin off of me, then reaches out a hand to pull me up.
Kass
Maybe it would be better to take this at her pace, to pretend I'm human so that we don't scare her off. Would be better for her perhaps, if she thought we were like the human men she's so used to being around.
Inebriated or not, there is a reason she sought us out. Furthermore, maybe what she needs is exactly what I am. Whatweare. And my triad? We're definitely not human.
So she's gazing up at me, eyes that remind me of the oceans trying to flood her earth, unsure but also trusting. She's waiting to see what I'm going to do, breathing heavily with lips puffy from Owiin’s ministrations.
I'm about to make that puffiness so much worse.
I know my voice is soft, that I come across as delicate, but this creature in front of me makes me ravenous. “Will you trust us to take care of you? Let us explore you, let us try and make this work with you, before you decide you want to go back to your home?”
“I thought that wasn't allowed?”
“You get to spend six months with us, and if you are unsatisfied, arrangements may be made to bring you back home.” It pains me to give her this information but withholding it would not be honest.
“So, no matter what, I have to commit to six months?”
She's breaking my heart.
“You don't have to do anything, love. Since you signed the contract, you're under our protection no matter what. We will not force you to be with us in any way. We can take care of you, make sure you're safe, and let the six months simply expire. But there's no way to get you back to earth sooner than that, no,” Adeema explains to her.
I can tell that Owiin is considering storming out again. Moons, it would be so much easier to storm out and not sit here and listen to her debate over what she wants to do. But if she's going to decide she doesn't want this, I’d rather know right away.
Her breathing hitches faster, and my eyes track her fingers as they fall to the hem of her shirt. She fiddles with it for a moment before swiftly pulling the garment over her head and discarding it on the floor. Because she was only in a sleep shirt to begin with, she’s bare but for some sort of thin lace covering over her sex.