Page 61 of Tempted By the Alien Warrior

The heat and humidity press in from all sides, wrapping around me like a heavy blanket. My clothes cling to my skin in all the wrong places. Or maybe the right ones. My pulse hasn’t slowed down since the tunnel. If anything, the sight of this secret, magical place only seems to intensify the tension coiling low in my belly and the warmth growing steadily in my chest.

I step closer, drawn by the sheer beauty of the space. “It’s a hot spring. How did you know it was here?”

Vrok’s gaze doesn’t leave me. “I caught the scent. Hot springs are common in some tribes’ territories, but to find one inside a cache cave…” He trails off, his eyes scanning the cavern before returning to me. “It’s rare.”

I kneel beside the water and dip my fingers in. Heat licks at my skin, sending a pleasant tingle up my arm. The water is clear, revealing the smooth, algae-covered bottom glowing beneath the surface.

“I thought the warmth might ease your sore muscles.” His voice comes out rough and low.

It’s more than that, though. He saw I was hurting and tired, and he knew I was too stubborn to admit it. He cared enough to bring me here just to give me a little relief.

My throat tightens. “I… thank you. It’s perfect,” I manage.

Vrok doesn’t say anything. When I glance up, he’s watching me, and the golden flecks in his eyes are already expanding, overtaking the silver. The steam swirls around us, thickening the tension between us until it’s almost electric.

I swallow hard. My fingers are still submerged in the water, and the contrast between the heat from the water and the intensity pouring off his gaze is enough to send a shiver of desire straight through me.

Then, he pulls his gaze from mine and takes a step back.

“I’ll wait in the tunnel and give you privacy,” he says before turning away.

The offer startles me, not because I expected him to strip down and dive in without blinking, but because of the way he says it. Soft, almost careful. Like he’s trying not to cross a line he’s not even sure I’ve drawn.

There’s been tension simmering between us all day, like the low heat in a barbeque pit. It’s a slow and steady fire that’s still hot enough to burn me up from the inside. But neither of us has acted on it. Not after finding out Lily was taken by the Tussoll and the Pugj. It just didn’t seem right.

And truthfully, I’m scared to want more. Last night was amazing, but there can’t be a future for us. My chest tightens at that thought. After this, after we rescue Lily, I won’t see him again. I’ll go back to pretending I’m okay, and he’ll disappear into the jungle.

That’s how this ends, isn’t it?

It’s probably better that way. It’ll make it easier to forget what it felt like, even for just a little while, to be wanted and to feel like I’m truly alive. Like I’m more than just a shadow trying to make it through another day.

Because it’s not like I get to keep good things. They get taken away.

That was the pattern I learned as a kid. Every time Mama and I found something that made us smile, my father would destroy it. Like the time we found that old show we liked. We curled up on the couch together like things might be normal for once, andhe shattered the TV during one of his rages. Just like that, that little bit of happiness was gone.

Somewhere along the way I stopped reaching, and I started telling myself it was easier not to want anything in the first place. Because if you don’t let the good things in, you don’t have to go through heartbreak when they’re ripped away. Like Lily. She snuck under my defenses and just look what happened to her.

And yet, there’s a small part of me, buried deep inside, that still hopes. That part has spent so long waiting for happiness to show up and stay. Waiting for someone to love me just because I’m me.

And now here he is. This gruff warrior who looks at me like he doesn’t see all my hang-ups. He looks at me like I matter. Like he sees some version of me I’m struggling to believe is real. And that feels dangerous in a way that has nothing to do with dinosaurs or enemies lurking in the jungle.

I’m tired of letting fear make all the decisions, and I’m tired of letting a man who’s been dead and in the ground for eighteen years control me. I’ve waited so long for the pain to stop, and all it’s gotten me is more heartache. So, maybe this? Right here and right now is all I get.

And if it is? Then, I’m damn well going to take it. I’m not going to pull back or brace myself for the worst. I’m not going to tell myself I don’t deserve this. I’m going to let go and enjoy it. Even if it’s just for one more night.

I draw in a shaky breath and meet his eyes. “I want you to stay.”

His gaze searches mine. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

His expression shifts, just slightly, but it’s enough that I can almost feel that ever-present control that he keeps so tightly wrapped around his emotions crack at the edges. The glow from the algae dances across the angles of his face, catching theexpanding gold in his eyes. My pulse picks up as I rise slowly to my feet, not breaking eye contact with him.

A reckless heat surges through me. Maybe it’s the steam or maybe it’s the way he’s suddenly looking at me, like he wants to devour me whole. Either way, a boldness I don’t recognize in myself takes over.

I kick off my boots before I slide my hands to the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head in one smooth motion before tossing it aside. Then, I hook a finger under my bra strap and tug it off with a little flourish before letting it fly.

It lands on his shoulder.

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