Page 27 of Right on Time

CHAPTER 14

Soft and Ticklish

Mortifying. Nitiel couldn’t remember ever having felt so ashamed. From the moment he had collected Loe from her home on Terra, there had been one mishap after another, sending him into a seemingly endless spiral of mortification. But what had just occurred in his cabin…

It had begun in the cleansing chamber where he had discovered his spare uniform missing, just like his big towel. The smaller towels had done the job, but he had been constantly aware of the risk of flashing Loe. Not just his belly button but also his cock, which had been trying to rise to full mast ever since Nitiel had placed Loe in his bed. The argument with Commander Siriniel had not softened the situation.

Nitiel had tried to think about politics and star maps while conversing with the tempting female, but to no avail: she had kept talking about the bed and had even gone as far as to suggest he strip to his waist. If the bench hadn’t fallen apart, Nitiel might have lost the lower towel just the same, with his cock tenting the material to its limit.

Then, to top it off, he had been subjected to Trixie’s ridicule. The moment he had opened the door of his cabin, the petite Terran had begun snickering. When he had experienced certain difficulties with keeping his bench cover in place while taking the clothes and communicator from her, she had smirked. “My, you need a hand. Why not ask Chloe? Surely she won’t mind holding your goods.”

His grumble about that statement being inappropriate had been met with, “No one can make you feel inappropriate unless you let them. Don’t let them, Subcommander. Enjoy tonight to the fullest.” His scandalized inhale had made Trixie wink at him and leave with, “Have fun!”

Utterly mortifying.

He was placing the dress, uniform, and communicator on the bed when Loe poked her head out of the cleansing chamber.

“Was that Trixie?”

“Yes.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“Oh? But I heard her voice–”

“Here, she brought you a dress.”

Loe’s eyes rounded as Nitiel came to stand before her, dress draped over his forearm. He hoped her wide-eyed look was not because the piece of bench was not covering him properly.

“Nitiel, this… This is… Am I going to a ball?”

He sighed inwardly in relief. He hadn’t flashed her, thank the Goddess. “No. This is an everyday dress for Gaenthian females. A formal one for your meeting with your fated mate can be printed, if you wish, but it will take time.”

Loe blinked. “Dress-printing, huh? I’d love to see that awesome tech. But not now, of course.” She let go of the towel she had been clutching to her chest to take the dress. “I can’t believe this,” she mumbled, expression awed as she inspected the flowing blue attire.

Nitiel found himself inspecting the rim of Loe’s towel. Just to make sure the towel wouldn’t slip now that Loe wasn’t holding it in place. That was all. He was not looking at the pale globes of her breasts straining against the white material. Was. Not. Looking.

“I saw pictures of similar ballroom gowns on that tablet you gave me during our spaceflight, but I thought they were taken at a gala or something. So, if I’m supposed to wear this instead of a t-shirt and jeans, what’s the sleepwear like?”

“Sleepwear?” Nitiel would have scratched his horn nubs with both hands, were they not holding the bench to his chest. He had never considered what Loe would be sleeping in. Obviously, Trixie hadn’t either. “There is none available.”

“What?!”

His horn nubs burned. “Gaenthians have no sleepwear. Our bed’s special surface feels better against… naked skin.”

Loe’s eyes bugged out. “You want me to sleep naked in your bed?”

“Lady Loe, I don’t want–” No, he could not say it. That would be a lie. The desire to see Loe naked in his bed was so strong that the bench he was holding just might break. “I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable,” he noted in a hurry. “Forgive me. I did not consider all your clothing needs, as the plan was for you to be sleeping alone or with your fated mate.”

Loe’s little nose scrunched up, then she sighed. “Nothing went according to plan today, did it?... It’s fine. When else will I get to sleep in a ballroom gown inside a clamshell, right?”

“Will you be comfortable? I can order something printed for you, it will just take some time–”

“It’s truly fine, Nitiel. I’m so sleepy it won’t matter what I have on a minute after my head hits the pillow–um, the jelly. I know I slept on the ship, but I guess being attacked by your version of rats drained me… Will you be comfortable sleeping in your uniform?”

Nitiel felt his upper heart swell at the yet another reminder she cared about his comfort. “Of course. My clothing is designed for complete ease of movement.”