“It’s all right, sweetheart.” His voice was warm and soft, very different from the robotic tones he’d used during their first meeting, Rissa thought. “I know that intense physical sensations can bring up intense emotions in feelers,” he told her.
Rissa wondered if she ought to ask if he was having any emotions of his own. It didn’t seem possible to her that he could have been so kind and gentle and caring during their intimate encounter unless he felt at least something for her. And hadn’t he said to her that some men on his planet had problems with their emotion dampers failing?
But she didn’t think now was the right time to ask such things. Right now she simply wanted to be held in his arms and feel safe and cared for.
“How do you do that with your hand?” she asked softly, snuggling against him. “I mean, how did you make it vibrate like that?”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling.
“It’s just a function of my electrodes. I thought it might help you reach orgasm.”
“You thought right!” Rissa gave a shaky laugh. “I’ve never felt such pleasure in my life. It was so strong, James! So intense.”
“But did it work?” He gave her a concerned look. “Did it help back down your Heat Cycle?”
“Help it? It extinguished it!” Rissa exclaimed. “My ancestress was right! The moment I reached the pinnacle, it was as though the pleasure inside me smothered the fire in my blood completely.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart.” A genuine smile spread over his dark face—not just an upward quirk of one corner of his sensual mouth, but a real, relieved smile, Rissa thought.
Then the big Kindred pulled her to him for a hug and she found herself enfolded in his muscular arms. Rissa cuddled against him gladly, happy to press her whole body against his long form and feel completely engulfed by him as he stroked her back and shoulders and nuzzled her hair, breathing her in as though he could never get close enough to her.
“Do you think I’m cured now?” she asked, some time later, as they lay entwined on the bed. “I mean, do you think my Heat Cycle has burned itself out?”
James frowned and stroked her hair thoughtfully.
“I don’t know but if I had to guess, I would think not,” he said at last, reluctantly. “From what your ancestor, Queen Lola the Outspoken said, I would imagine that you’ll have to continue pleasuring yourself to orgasm on a regular basis in order to keep your Cycle under control.”
Rissa bit her lip.
“But…but I didn’t really bring myself to orgasm,” she pointed out in a low voice. “You did it for me, James.”
“Then you’ll need to practice so you can do it for yourself in the future,” he murmured. Cupping her cheek, he looked down into her eyes. “I won’t always be here to help you finish, Princess. “You’ll have to learn to do it on your own.”
“Oh, James…” She didn’t want to think of the eventuality of the big Kindred leaving her. She felt so close to him now—the idea of him going away and never seeing her again was terrible!
“We don’t have to think about it right now,” he said softly, as though he was reading her thoughts. “But you do need to practice. Do you think you’re ready to feel pleasure again?”
Rissa wiggled her hips, feeling the heat growing between her thighs at the way he was looking at her, with his eyes half-lidded with desire.
“I…think so,” she murmured, pressing herself against him. “But James, what if I start getting overheated again before I can reach the pinnacle?”
“Then I’ll help you, just like I did before,” he promised. Stroking her cheek, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I’ll be here to help you for as long as you need me, sweetheart.”
“All right,” Rissa whispered. “Then…then I think I’m ready to try again.”
“Here…” James wrapped his left arm around her and turned on his side to look into her eyes. “I’ll help you—I’ll suck your sweet nipples while you pet your soft little pussy. All right?”
“All right,” Rissa agreed breathlessly. “Thank you, James.”
“It’s my pleasure, Princess,” he growled. “Go ahead now…stroke your pussy and make yourself come.”
With a soft, breathless moan, Rissa complied.
25
James had never known that he could feel such pleasure in the pleasure of another. He no longer tried to pretend to himself that he wasn’t having at least some emotions—it was clear that he was. His emotion damper must be failing, just as he had seen it do with other males, back on Zeaga Four.
But he told himself that he couldn’t leave Princess Ka’rissa now. She was still in danger, both from assassins who threatened her life and from the depraved Duke Grabbington, who threatened her future. There would be time enough to go back to the Mother Ship and see Yipper to get his damper fixed after he was certain she was safe and her future was secured.