Vik’tor shrugged.
“Possibly.”
“Well…” I hesitated. “Then I guess I’m going to go…since I already saw it happen in that weird vision I had.”
“I’ll pay you well to accompany me,” Vik’tor said seriously. “I can’t offer you any Earth currency, but I can give you silver and gold and precious gems—I’m sure those will be worth something on your home world?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Oh, Vik’tor…you don’t have to offer to pay meanything.” I put my arm around his waist and looked up at him. “Just the fact that you’re taking me home is enough. Seeing my family again is worth more than a whole mountain of jewels to me!”
“Just wish I could convince you to stay with me forever, baby,” he murmured, putting his arms around me and pulling me close against him. “I’d try harder to convince you if I thought I could Bond you to me.”
“Bond me to you?” I frowned—it was the second time he had mentioned “Bonding” whatever it was. “What does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s a special connection formed when a male and a female of the Twelve Peoples share each other deeply,” he murmured, looking down into my eyes. “I wish like hell I could Bond you to me. I know we haven’t known each other for long but I can’t fucking help myself, little girl—you’re the one I want.”
I felt my heart swell.
“Oh Vik’tor, I want you too! But, well…I just can’t,” I said apologetically. “I need to get back to Earth—back to my life and my family. I was almost done with my PhD and my Mom and Dad will be soworriedabout me!”
He nodded.
“I understand, baby. But will you do this with me? Will you come on this little side-trip—just so we can spend a little more time together before we have to say goodbye?”
“I told you I’d go,” I said, rubbing against him. He was so big and warm and he smelled so good, I just wanted to get closer to him. Then I realized what I was doing and pulled back, putting a little space between us. “Er…but maybe we should just go as friends?” I asked hesitantly. “I mean, if we keep on, uh, doing what we’ve been doing, it’s going to make it pretty hard to say good-bye.”
By which I meant letting him make me come, even though I had to admit Ireallyenjoyed it. He made me feel like no other man ever had before—it wasamazing. Only my love for my family and my deep homesickness kept me from wanting to stay with him and get more of those delicious, sexual feelings I had never been able to experience with anyone else.
“I understand.” Vik’tor nodded gravely. “We can keep our distance—even though it’ll be damn hard.” His eyes grew half-lidded. “Every time I’m near you all I fucking want to do is touch you and taste you and make you feel good, baby.”
I felt my heart speed up and my breath caught in my throat.
“That’s…that’s what I want, too,” I admitted softly. “But we can’t, Vik’tor—it’ll make it so much harder when we have to part.”
“I know.” He sighed and ran his hands over his horns. “Look, I’m going to go in the cockpit and make a call to my Chief of Security. Then I’m going to set a course for the Female Side of Tangella Alpha-Prime.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“So…we’re going right away?”
Vik’tor shrugged.
“Might as well. I’ve been wanting to make this trip for fucking ages. And I know you want to get back to your family. So the sooner we start, the sooner you get home.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Thank you. Er…I don’t suppose you have a bathing pool aboard the ship?”
Vik’tor smiled.
“Not as big as the one in my building, but I do have one. Why—you want a bath, little girl?”
“Ialwayswant a bath,” I told him, smiling a little.
“Go take one then.” He motioned to a hallway past the living area. “It’s through there, to the right. Take your time and enjoy yourself—we’ll be leaving for Tangella Alpha-Prime in a little while.”
“Thank you, Vik’tor.” Impulsively, I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. But he turned his head just at that moment and my lips found his instead.
“Gods, little girl,” he groaned and wrapping his arms around me, he kissed me deeply.
I had that magnet feeling again—the feeling of being sucked towards him—wanting him even though I knew I couldn’t have him. But I knew if I gave in to that feeling we would go farther and farther until I couldn’t stop myself from giving in completely. And if we had sex, it would be so muchharderto say goodbye.