Page 18 of Songbird
“What about human females?”
Tarrick shot me a rather wicked grin. “You are my first and only human.”
His smile was playful, his words teasing, but it bothered me. I couldn’t help but worry there was some truth in what Aqsa told me. “There are some rumors about you... and humans.”
“Really?” Tarrick seemed genuinely shocked. He came to a stop beside a tree that looked like a cross between a dogwood and a pine, catching my hand and pulling me to face him. “Tell me.”
“It’s nothing.” My emotions warred between feeling silly for bringing it up and needing to know. “It was just some talk about how you didn’t like human females. That you thought we were stupid and disgusting... beneath you.”
“Ahh,” Tarrick smiled and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest.
The way his arms felt around me didn’t indicate he found humans repulsive... not at all.
“In my line of work, I am often offered....” Tarrick paused, trying to find the correct word. “Gifts. And sometimes those gifts come in the form of slaves.” His expression flickered, showing me in no uncertain terms how he felt about the practice. “If I amknown to hold disdain for certain species, it makes the gift easier to refuse.”
“Oh.” I laid my hands flat against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under my fingertips. If I didn’t know for sure before, I did now. Tarrick was a good guy. A really good guy.
“I like humans.” He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against my hair. “I like them a lot.”
His arms tightened around me, holding me firmly against him. The beating of his heart echoed in my chest as we stood there, intertwined. This didn’t feel like some illusion any longer. It felt real. I wanted it to be real.
The sound of nearby footsteps intruded on our intimacy. Tarrick and I pulled back from each other just as a group of females walked by, giggling and waving at my pretend mate when we glanced their way.
“I guess I better get used to all the flirting,” I teased. It had been this way with Sam’s fans, too, although at least here, I didn’t have to put up with nasty social media comments.
Tarrick gave a long sigh, ending with a groan, apparently finding no humor in the situation. “I am sorry, my Izzy, it is an undesired side effect from my ruse as a playboy.” I followed his gaze after the giggling females, some of whom were making fairly lewd gestures. At least, I think they were lewd. Who could tell with a female sporting six tits and four arms?
“I am no saint,” Tarrick confessed, a flicker of shame crossing his chocolate-brown eyes. “I have enjoyed the fruits of my bad-boy persona at times. But most of the females I meet only want me because they feel the conquest of Tarrick of House Asad makes them special in some way. It is not what I want.”
Tarrick grabbed my hand, his fingers playing over mine. I stepped closer, drawn by a magnetism I couldn’t name or explain.
“What do you want, Tarrick?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
His dark eyes studied me curiously for a moment, the tip of one fingertip caressing my cheek as he brushed aside an escaped tendril of my hair. “I think I would very much like to learn how to do the thing you humans call kissing. I have witnessed Siemba and Dixa kiss, and it looks.... nice.”
“Kissing can be very nice,” I agreed, trying to swallow back my excitement. I’d wanted this. Oh, how I’d wanted this.
Tarrick’s firm hands came to rest gently on my waist, his touch tentative, as if waiting for my approval. The warmth of his palms seeped through the thin fabric of my dress, sending a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t help but notice the way his fingers trembled slightly, betraying his nervousness.
“How do we start? Do I just smash my lips against yours?” His voice held childlike enthusiasm, like an eager schoolboy on the first day of summer vacation.
“Not exactly.” I somehow kept from giggling. “Just relax.”
Just relax. God, I was such a hypocrite. My heart was racing, and expectancy skittered over my skin like an electric current. I tried to steady my breathing and not devolve into panting like some horny fool.
I leaned in closer, my fingers coming to rest against his chest. Beneath my touch, I felt his heart racing erratically, like a wild animal yearning to break free from its cage. My heart matched his rhythm, beating faster and faster as we both leaned in, our breaths mingling in the space between us.
I may not have been the most experienced when it came to kissing, thanks to my mother’s strict rules and restrictions. But the idea of teaching him to kiss was both exhilarating and terrifying. I wouldn’t pass this moment up for anything in the universe.
With a slow, deliberate movement, I rose on my tiptoes, leaning closer. Our lips met, and with just a gentle brush of my mouth against his, I found myself instantly struck by the softness of his lips. His breath felt warm, and a taste reminiscent of bourbon and cinnamon exploded on my tongue.
I let my lips dance against his, savoring the warmth and texture of his kiss. His heart drummed in a rapid rhythm against my palms, as if trying to break free from the confines of his chest. The delicate touch of his mouth sent shivers down my spine, igniting a fire in my veins that roared hotter with each passing second.
I should have stopped. It was all for show, after all. But despite my brain screaming at me to resist, I let my tongue glide in a feather touch along the seam of his lips.
Tarrick’s body jolted with a mixture of surprise and pleasure, his lips parting eagerly in response. I felt the tentative brush of his tongue against mine, the hesitant movement sending shivers down my spine. It was a touch that spoke volumes without a single word. A scream played out in a whisper of breath against my skin.
A purr rumbled low, deep in his chest, vibrating outward to make the air around us shudder. One hand rested firmly on my hip, pulling me closer while his other hand slid slowly up my back. His fingers entwined in my hair, gently cradling the back of my head as he held us together in the kiss. As if I had any intent of moving away. Ever.
