I half expected Ryle to find and show me someone’s hidden porn. But this? This is really sweet. Shockingly so. I pull the tablet away.
"Here, I'll teach you," I say. I rise onto my knees and lean in. I brush my lips over his. He remains frozen, his brow furrowed in confusion. I'm going to have to do a better job of this. I glance down at his kilt, remembering that hardness pressing into my back when I woke. This could be a bad idea. I hope I'm not playing with fire.
I press my lips to his again for a longer moment this time. Then another. I press a soft trail from one corner to the other, and suddenly, when I brush his bottom lip with my tongue, he inhales sharply. Now he’s getting it. One of his big hands captures my waist, the other trails up into my hair. "Maysee." He kisses me back now, his big, soft lips dragging over mine with a delicious heat. My breath stutters.
I should end it here. I should. But I don't. I probe the seam of his lips with my tongue, and when they part, I slip the tip inside.
"Tsek," he groans. "Battsa tsekis gaow."
I don't need to know what the words mean to understand. He liked that. He’s definitely into this, now. I probe deeper and find his tongue - that oddly bumpy tongue. I slide mine next to his, careful, exploring, and he growls. He's still hesitant, though. I venture a peek at his face, and his eyes are narrowed. Thoughtful. Learning. I slide my tongue in and out of his mouth once more, a little deeper, and a little rougher, and then I sit back abruptly.
"Kiss," I demand.
Yeah, I thought I was playing with fire? I was playing with a whole damn inferno.
He pulls me tight against his chest and plants his lips on mine like he's starving for them. His tongue plunges into my mouth in an erotic assault. Those bumps that I felt? He drags them across the roof of my mouth. He has them on the underside, too, and I find myself running the tip of my tongue along them as he slicks in and out between my lips.
And I imagine things. Inappropriate things. Dampness spreads between my thighs at the thought of these things. When his erection presses into my hip, I gasp and I break away. It's too much. Too good. Much more of this and I'll be begging him to bring his naughty drawing to life.
His eyes crease with concern. "Nosk ambatsa?"
I touch my lips. "Good," I say, smiling, "Very good. Too good."
"Good," he repeats, and he smirks. "Shurs? More?"
The greedy heat between my legs pulses in response. Oh, I want more. But this feels huge. Dangerous. Not him, he's not a danger. I'm convinced of that now. But I'm afraid of where this could lead. He's an alien. I'm growing too accustomed to how he looks. Too comfortable. We're so different!
But those lips. He's a quick learner.
"One more," I say, holding up a finger. "One little one." I show him a sign for little, a pinch of my fingers.
He nods and he waits, letting me take the lead again. I lean in. He draws me close with more care, running his warm hand up my back. I kiss him again, slowly this time, and he responds with a calmer passion. He slides just the tip of his tongue across my bottom lip before sucking gently, then moves his mouth lower, trailing wet heat down my jaw.
My fingers dig into his arms. They're as strong as branches, thick with muscles, immovable as stone. "Ryle," I whisper. He groans in response. His exploring mouth has reached my neck, and he pauses there to examine the spider bite. He grunts.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. I use my tablet’s reverse camera to inspect the spot myself - it’s red in a wide circle around the tiny punctures. Could it be infected? I don’t think so - it’s cool to the touch, and it doesn't hurt.
So, it's a hickey. I try not to laugh, but I snort instead. Ryle sits back, grinning but confused.
"You did this," I say, pointing at the red mark. "You!"
"I!" He leans back and puts a hand to his chest in mock offense.
"Yeah! You!" I shake my head. A deep laugh rumbles from him.
"I," he says, then points to the opposite, unblemished side of my neck. "One more!"
"What?!" He pounces and bowls me over onto my back, carefully cradling my head as I go down. His lips find my neck and he sucks lightly, then wiggles his tongue against my sensitive skin. It tickles! I shriek with laughter and I slap his shoulders.I try to squirm away, but he has me pinned. He's just so damn big. It just takes one hand on my shoulder to keep me in place, no matter how I wiggle.
And wiggling is a mistake. My pointless escape attempts have left him way too close to settling himself between my legs. Realization crosses his face at the same time. His laughter fades, and his gaze falls to the space between us. And I want him to touch me. I don't. I do. I shake my head back and forth, vacillating between good sense and carnal need.
No. "No." I wasn't this girl back on earth, before the mission, when nothing mattered. I didn’t sleep around so quickly. It was just never my way.
But no one on earth ever looked at me like this. His gaze travels up and down my body, and when his eyes meet mine, they're full of lust, yes, but also wonder.
He presses his erection against my thigh. A careful movement. A question. "Rey lurou," he says.
"No." I say it more firmly this time. He releases my shoulder and with much reluctance, I roll away. It takes me a long moment to catch my breath. Foolish woman. We don't fuck aliens on dangerous new planets! What would my team think? They're suffering through that horrible storm. Are those tents sturdy enough to withstand that wind? Could they have been swept away in the storm?
Guilt washes over me. I shouldn't be in this cave making out with a handsome alien. I should be with them.
Not that I have many useful skills. I sigh. Ryle huffs and grumbles behind me. I turn and he's shaking the tablet. The battery must have finally died. Sunlight will recharge it, but... My eyes find the entry crack to our cave. The bright entry crack, with sunbeams just sneaking in on the floor. "The suns!"
"Yes," he agrees with surprise. Poor guy was as distracted as I was. "Suns. No water."
"Rain, no rain." I look up at him, into those deep, dark eyes. "It's safe to leave here. We can go back to the camps. Find our friends."
Sadness shadows his face, but he nods and he stands. He offers me a hand and pulls me to my feet.
Time to return to work.