Page 66 of Theirs to Crave
“Ray anet,” Zafett said, tapping the side of his head with a smile.
His face grew serious, and my anxiety picked up.Please don’t ask me to go.
Zafett placed one hand on my chest—his long fingers reaching from shoulder to shoulder—and slid the other into my hair, holding my head. Gently, he pressed our foreheads together and let out a long, uneven breath. “Relyat, Lelesha. Arask set reka.”
Ohhh, wow. I didn’t know what he was thanking me for, but whatever it was, I wanted to do it again and again if it meant he’d keep holding me and talking in that low, sexy voice.
“S—sahvon,” I stuttered. If this man didn’t get his hand out of my hair soon, I was going to jump him. I hadn’t been with anyone but myself since my divorce, and that had been more than a year ago. I was happy for the relief some of the others had been able to find aboard the ship, but with Mariano in the cell with me, it was just too weird. There’d been no privacy since, so I was wound up tighter than a frat boy at the end of No Nut November.
He pulled back enough to look into my eyes, and the emotion shining from their speckled depths stopped my lusty thoughts in their tracks. I forgot to breathe.
Maybe my turning into a mushroom didn’t matter to him quite so much as I’d thought.
Impulsively, I rose to my knees and threw my arms around his shoulders, hugging him tight. “I was so worried,” I whispered into Zafett’s silky fur. “Don’t get hurt again.”
His fingers flexed against my head, and the oddest purr broke from his chest. It was rhythmic, rising and falling in intensity.
Belatedly, I realized his hand had slipped when I pounced on him and now cupped my breast. His purr cycled again, and my nipple hardened, pressing into his palm. I sucked in a gasping breath, my back arching without conscious intent.
Then I was sitting flat on my ass, rock hard nipples wailing for more touch. Zafett was somehow on the other side of the table, pressed to Revik’s side, and staring intently into a steaming cup of grass water.
Litha coughed lightly. “Veseh ar eh va javuh, Estrayuh?”
I had to ask her to repeat herself. I probably wouldn’t have understood if she’d been speaking perfect Spanish, as wrappedup as I was in trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Finally, the wordjavuhbroke through my confusion, and I looked questioningly at the rain pouring from the eaves of the palapa. It seemed like an odd time to take a bath.
“Hellt tch lit,” Litha answered, her finger brushing one of my more colorful bruises with a feather touch.
My eyes fell to the bandage on the side of her neck, and then further to the one wrapped around her thigh. Was that a dark spot forming?
I nodded. If she thought it would help with the pain, I wasn’t going to argue. If I hadn’t been with them, slowing them down, they probably wouldn’t be wounded at all.
???
Revik stepped beneath the sheltering arms of the tree enclosing the hot spring, and the sound of pounding rain faded into white noise. I slid from his hold, focusing on straightening my skirt to hide the flaming heat in my cheeks. He’d picked me up without a word as soon as we headed out, clearly having decided I’d put us all in enough danger for one day. Embarrassed as I was, I hadn’t been able to ignore the smooth bunching of his muscles, or the feel of them rock hard and hot around me as he ran through the storm, taking the brunt of it on his back.
Having no more excuse to hide my face, I glanced up and stared. The storm had transformed thejavuh. Steam rose from the pools in languid curls, forming an intimate oasis walled by cascades of sheeting rain. Blue flowers dripped from vines,emitting a soft radiance that reflected off the shifting water in a constant, magical play of light. It was spellbinding.
My companions were unmoved by the glory surrounding us. Zafett was unpacking the basket he’d brought along, and Revik was already in the largest pool, arms outstretched with a look of blissful relaxation on his face.
I fingered my sarong nervously. I should just strip. The Teterayuh were naked all the time, it wasn’t as if they’d care.
My fingers clenched into a fist around the fabric. I wouldn’t lie to myself. It was the possibility of themnotcaring that made me hesitate. Modesty kept me covered around the other humans—I’d learned a long time ago that getting naked in mixed company was risky if you didn’t intend to follow through with what people assumed would come next.
But now? It was vanity. And a little bit of rejection sensitivity. If I was going to strip in front of these people, I damned well wanted their eyes locked on me and reflectingall kindsof thoughts. Drooling would also be acceptable.
If they looked at me with “ham sandwich at a gas station” level enthusiasm, I’d never recover.
“Sethit, Lelesha. Zharouk seh.” Litha beckoned, posed at the edge of the pool. From the water below her, Zafett and Revik watched me.
That was the second time today they’d used that word, “lelesha”, like it was my name. Had I earned a nickname? I really hoped it wasn’t Teterayuh for Helpless Mushroom.
I blew out a sharp breath. Untying the knot at my hip, I let the sarong drop. My pulse pounded as I watched for their reactions from under my lashes.
¡A huevo! Fuck a stale sandwich, they were staring at me like I was a feast, and they hadn’t eaten in days.
Sensual pride straightened my spine, and my movements were fluid as I drew the tunic up into my fingers. Crossing my arms in front of me, I pulled it off my head, making sure to bounce my boobs for maximum effect.
There was a splash, a grunt, and when I glanced over again Zafett was perched in Revik’s lap, straining against the arm banded across his chest. Revik’s other hand was gripping the ledge of the pool, claws fully extended.