Page 36 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin
Makir launched himself behind me as if compelled to remain close. His hand trembled when he grabbed the bag of supplies. “Sounds good. I’ll just…join you.” His voice wavered.
My stride faltered. I did not like his insecurity one bit. Hadn’t he enjoyed the sex? I’d thought he was into it.
Shoulder to shoulder, we moved through the cavern. It gradually narrowed and sloped deeper. The smooth ebony walls along the tunnel sank into pink earth, where humidity coated them with a thick vegetative slime. As we descended farther underground, the light dimmed, and the moist air turned oppressive.
I stumbled and dragged my hand along the wall. “Jesus Christ isn’t a guy I’ve dated. It’s a swear word.” My toe caught on another lip of the uneven ground, and I tripped. “Damn it, I can barely see a thing.” I hoped a little conversation might make this whole heat thing a little less slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am. “Damn’s also a swear word on Earth. Kinda weird, but a lot of swears are based on religion, and believers get pissed when you use them. But they’re just words to me.”
Makir hummed. “Like when I call out ‘thank the goddess Sola.’ Okay, I see what you’re saying.”
The tunnel curved, and the passageway opened up, revealing a large spring. The sulfur stench of it overtook Makir’s crisp juniper scent, and steam rose from it in veiled sheets. I dipped my finger into the pool to test the temperature, then jerked it out with a hiss. A hot spring. A cold plunge would’ve been preferable to keep my attraction under wraps, but I welcomed a good wash.
Makir leaned in and grasped my wrist before he brought my tender finger to his lips. And then he blew. “Did you burn your finger?” His tail skated over my calf.
I was hard as a rock in an instant. His breath had a direct line to my dick, but trying to discern the ‘come-hither’ expression from the ‘back-off’ look, I had no idea how to respond. One moment he leaned closer, the next, he dropped my hand and spun around. A second longer, and I would’ve devoured his lips. Talk about mixedmessages.
Makir marveled at our beautiful surroundings. “Wow, this is spectacular!”
It really was. I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Stay turned around.”
“What? Why?” Makir twisted his neck toward me. He held his stomach, wincing while his pupils dilated into pools so dark I could drown in them.
He’s suffering, but why?
“I want to take off my overalls.” My voice deepened as my self-consciousness grew. Yes, my actions were ridiculous. I’d been naked not long ago. But my mind was still operating at fifty percent capacity, much too aware to let my muffin top flop around in front of Makir and his long, lean body.
“Goddess Sola above, what have I got myself into?” Makir muttered to the dripping ceiling as he turned to face the slimy wall and placed the supplies on a dry rock. “Crazy human.” He gripped his stomach again and moaned.
Hot water sloshed over my skin. “I’m in now. You can turn around.”
Naked, Makir whimpered behind me, then he followed. Water lapped around his trim waist with each stiff step he took. His eyes were as big as saucers and flickered toward the shoreline before he squeezed them shut. His tail slapped frantically where it broke through the surface.
“Is your species related to cats?”
Why couldn’t I ask him what I really wanted to know? Why can’t I stay away from you? What are you doing to my body?
His lips pursed, and his lavender eyes narrowed and flicked to mine. “Cats? The little Earth creatures that meow, claw your laps and don’t listen?”
The translation was remarkably accurate, so I nodded, then cringed at my insult and tried again. “Your tail is similar…” Grasping at straws, I added, “And they don’t like water.”
“My tail…” His nostrils flared. “Is not in any way similar to a cat.” His teeth bit down on the T. His mane curled around his face in long, wet coils I wanted to slip my fingers in. His tail flicked—in irritation? He stopped, panting, trying to catch his breath. “And what…is it about me…that resembles the giant vermin…you called a kangaroo?”
I stepped toward him as his breathing grew shallower. “Are you okay?” No way would I mention the part of him that reminded me of a kangaroo. Not with a ten-foot pole. Also, I don’t think he would have appreciated me telling him that lions were among Earth’s most majestic and fierce beasts. The way his hair spread around his head, over his pointed ears and down his back looked leonine.
Would I tell him that? Hell no. He could envision himself as a domestic kitty that purred for affection and kneaded my lap all he liked.
When he stood there, unresponsive, I couldn’t resist teasing him. “You like the water then?”
He took a defiant step toward me, then his slitted eyes leaped from irritated to panicked as he plunged in over his head.
I chuckled. He must have found a pothole.
Makir’s arms and tail splashed desperately above the surface of the hot spring.
A moment later, the hairs on my arms stood at attention. The tether snapped taut, like an alert from a flashing red beacon.
Fuck, he can’t swim.
I dove forward, grabbed his flailing limbs and pulled him through the water to me. My arms wrapped so tight around his chest that I’m sure it took him longer to recover from his coughing fit because of my stranglehold. But I couldn’t let go.
