Page 32 of Ka'Cit's Haven

Of course, he just told her he couldn’t understand her—not that she’d expected him to be able to. No one, bar five other beings (the one who had brought her to the Sanctuary included), could understand her on this planet.

The alien made another sound, and this time she was sure it was a groan.

“Not the best of ways to introduce myself to you…between your legs. A gentleman would have at least greeted you first.”

What?

Alarm went through her as she realized her cloak had ridden up in their scuffle.

And yes, indeed, he was settled between her bare legs.

Hudo III was warm. She hadn’t worn a separate outfit underneath the cloak for that reason. If she’d done that, she might have suffered from a heatstroke.

And now, she was almost naked underneath this…man.

The arm holding her shoe was pinned above her head and her other arm was pinned down flat.

Her free leg was bent and pressed against his side, and she realized that the hardness she felt on the inside of her thigh was the hard muscle of his.

Fuck, he was huge.

It was muffled, but it sounded like he chuckled and murmured something underneath his breath.

“But…I’m no gentleman.”

The words were a whisper, and if not for the sudden silence between them, she might have missed it.

Nia jerked against him. “If you’re on my side, mind letting me up?”

He must have understood her intent because his hold on hers slackened and he paused, she assumed, to judge her reaction to being released.

When she didn’t immediately scramble away from him, he released her fully and helped her to her feet.

Damn, she wished to God that she could see.

The smoke was still like a thick wall.

The hairs at the back of her neck were still standing on end. She wasn’t just going to start trusting this man of the haze just because he said so.

She’d still remain alert.

He was silent, but she knew he was there. He stood close.

She could feel his body brushing against hers with each breath he took, and she was getting a better idea of his size.

Big.

Tall.

He wasn’t anything like the aliens wearing the cloaks.

“I’ve secured the lower sector.” His voice was low, so low she almost couldn’t hear him. “We have to go this way. There’s a cargo chute in the upper sector that empties underneath the ship. We should be able to get out from there before Herza takes this thing up into orbit.”

Fuck, he was really helping her, wasn’t he?

Hope flared inside her and Nia slipped her shoe on her foot. Bending, she felt around for the other one.

It was the only pair of shoes she had and the last thing she owned from Earth.