Page 51 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin
I scratched the back of my neck. “Do you have a shirt I can borrow?”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll be done in a second. Now, what’s this favor?”
“I need a lift to the Rowtees’ tomorrow,” I barked, more sharply than I had intended. “Also, I need to use your trailer to haul supplies.”
Fuck, that wasn’t a question.
Makir tucked the thread behind his incisor to cut it off. The tip of his tongue played against his lower lip for a moment.
My mouth turned dry. “My friend Ginger is coming to visit, and she’s bringing my dogs.” I grinned, my desire tempered as I pictured Pika and Charz dusted in Tern’s pink soil. “Plus a few supplies from Earth. I have something perfect for your bedroom in mind.” I took a steadying breath. “In exchange for your help.”
Makir passed me back my shirt. “Geo, you know there’s nothing you could ask for that I wouldn’t give you.”
My heart thumped.
He leaned back against the counter, his long blue fingers sweeping over the swirled surface the same way they’d caressed my chest not long ago. His gaze was wide open. “I don’t want anything in exchange. But, of course, I will help you.”
I slipped on my shirt, missing half the buttons as his eyes tracked my hands. “Does nine suns work?”
He nodded, his tail rocking back and forth.
“Welp, good night then.” My lips tilted in an awkward half-smile as I turned to leave the charged atmosphere before I gave in to the desire to touch his lips with mine. I needed to learn how to control the alpha first.
Makir continued to lean against the counter, his tail lazily circling in front of him as his gaze ate me up. “See you tomorrow.”
Damn it. Shit. Fuck. Another epic fail.
“Why can’t I think about anything but the taste of his lips?” I muttered as I stumbled over the rutted pathway home. “Or the smooth nap of his tail under my fingers.” The cool air did nothing to ease the heat swamping me. I wanted to touch the soft points of his ears with my tongue. And I still didn’t know if he could become pregnant. I kicked a pebble, launching it through the sky in a perfect arch. If I could control my lust with the same precision, I could be with Makir as I yearned to be.
18
The trip up thenarrow, winding passage to the Rowtees’ cliff-top aviary took forever. Geo clutched my hips hard from behind. He twisted and turned, continuously readjusting himself to keep from slipping off the hoverbike seat. We leaned up into the steep slope, and every time he squeezed his thick thighs against mine, my nerves tingled. I sighed when at last, he just wrapped his arms around me. When we drew to a stop, I clutched my knees to steady my nerves.
The sunlight glinted off the roof panels lining the Rowtees’ arched entryway, turning them iridescent. Ayla stood under its rainbow. Her belly extended in front of her, ready to burst, and the feathers on her wings shone glossyand white.
Her head dipped to the side, and she beckoned with a folded wing. “Come in. I’m so excited to show you the nursery.”
She stepped between Geo and me, and her serene presence smothered the tension zinging back and forth between us. But when Geo’s hot gaze met mine as he rebuttoned the strap on his overalls, lust ignited inside me again, and I longed to reach over and undo the clasp once more.
The Rowtees’ dwelling was airy and bright as Ayla walked us toward her youngling’s room. “Get started anytime.” She clicked her beak. “I’ll bring in some lunch a little later.”
Preoccupied with our task, the sexual tension between us dimmed to a slow simmer. We worked all morning. Geo cut through the thick external wall—some type of fabric and wood hybrid—and I passed him the lamar. He measured, and I shaped the lamar into rounds of differing sizes to fill the holes.
“These little windows look like swiss cheese.” Geo glanced at the openings dotting the wall. He must have noticed my blank look and continued to explain. “It’s a saying on Earth when something is full of holes.”
That made no sense. I lifted a brow.But he sure looked cute trying to explain it.
“Yeah, well…cheese is a snack… Never mind.” He shook his head and gestured to the smallest piece of lamar I’d cut. “Pass me that one, would ya?”
Our fingers brushed as I extended the circle to him, and the tether almost sighed. It was so content in his presence. A glimpse into what life together might look like.
We make a good team.
As my stomach grumbled, Ayla waddled in to check our progress. When I checked my wristport I was surprised to find half the day had passed.
“This is stunning.” Ayla’s wings fluttered behind her happily as she observed the progress Geo and I had made. “The sunlight has transformed the space.”
Her beak pointed from one lamar-filled hole to the next. She passed me a tray of sliced fruit and nuts and handed Geo two steaming containers of tea. “I insistyou take a break. You’re welcome to come to the kitchen. We have actual furniture there.” She laughed.
