Her eyes traveled back to where he was working, his big body crouched down to clear moss from a circle of ground in the center of the clearing. Once the ground was clear, he began gathering small branches and arranging them in a pyramid. She clapped her hands together excitedly as she finally understood what he was doing.
“Are you building a fire?”
Despite the warmth of the jungle air, there was something reassuring and civilized about the idea of a fire.
He tilted his head, then nodded. “Fie-uhr,” he agreed.
“That you understood?” she muttered. He was obviously learning her language much faster than she was learning his.
Even though she had tried to reproduce the names of the plants he had taught her, her throat just wasn’t equipped to make those deep, growling sounds. He’d had to resort to sign language when he told her that he was going to hunt. Or at least she hoped that’s what he meant when he mimicked plunging his knife into something.
Now, another squeal echoed through the jungle, followed by the loud thrashing of bushes. It sounded scarily close, but the vegetation was too thick for her to see anything. Mr. Tiddles climbed up on her lap and patted her cheek reassuringly, but she couldn’t help worrying.
What if something happened to Tarax? The thought made her heart skip a beat—and it wasn’t just because he was providing her with guidance, she acknowledged. Or even that she was insanely attracted to him physically. Even though she had only known him a short time, something about him drew her to him like a moth to a flame.
He belongs here and I’m going back to Earth. Stop being ridiculous, she told herself, but she still sighed with relief when he emerged from the jungle, a carcass slung over his shoulder.
“Oh thank goodness you’re back.”
He flashed her his fierce grin, then dropped the body he was carrying to the ground. It had a small head and a long, round body with short, stubby legs. It might have looked ridiculous, except for the oversized tusks projecting from its lower jaw. She decided that it somewhat resembled a wild boar—that is if boars had long, blue fur.
Tarax wasted no time, but quickly and efficiently began skinning the animal. Jane had to look away. She preferred her meat from the supermarket, thank you very much. And yet she couldn’t help but long for a change from the fruit, no matter how delicious. Gathering her courage, she went to join him.
“Can I help?” she asked tentatively.
Tarax shook his head, already gutting the animal. He removed one of the organs and offered it to her expectantly. She backed away so quickly she tripped over her own feet.
“No! I mean, thank you very much, but I just can’t.”
He frowned, then shrugged and bit into the morsel with sharp white fangs. She shuddered. Mr. Tiddles had been watching intently and now he patted Tarax’s leg, looking up at him with big hopeful eyes. Tarax laughed and handed him a piece. The two of them split the rest of the organs, although Tarax offered each one to her first.
When they were finished, Mr. Tiddles rubbed his round little belly, found a sunny spot by the pool, and curled up and went to sleep. She watched him enviously.
“I hope you plan on cooking some of that,” she muttered, looking hopefully at the pile of wood.
Right now, Tarax seemed preoccupied with cutting the meat into long thin strips.
He had placed the skin of the animal to one side and as she studied it, she wondered if it would be a sturdier replacement for her leaf outfits. She drew a little closer, fighting back a wave of squeamishness at the traces of flesh that still clung to the inside. But when she touched a tentative finger to the fur, it was as soft as it appeared.
“Tarax,” she asked tentatively. “Can you show me how to prepare the skin?”
She realized as soon as she spoke that she had no way of knowing whether or not he knew how to work with the fur. He certainly didn’t seem to have any desire for clothing himself.
He had looked over to her as soon as she spoke, and she carefully picked up the skin, holding it in front of her in an attempt to mime her intentions.
“I thought maybe I could make some clothing out of it.”
He raised an eyebrow, and she was suddenly sure exactly what he was thinking. He would be perfectly happy if she remained naked.
“I would feel more comfortable if I had some clothes,” she said firmly. “Please?”
He shook his head and grumbled something, but he abandoned his carcass and came to join her. Choosing a relatively straight-edged rock from the ones that lined the edge of the pool, he showed her how to scrape it across the underside of the fur to remove the last traces of flesh.
She had secretly hoped that asking him for assistance would result in him actually doing it for her, but it was only fair that she should participate. Doing her best to hide her disgust, she set to work. By the time he had finished butchering the boar thing, the inside of the skin was as clean as she could make it. He inspected it, then gave her an obviously approving smile. A feeling of satisfaction washed over her. Maybe she could handle this wild environment after all.
He started threading the strips of meat he had prepared onto long thin branches, and buoyed by her success with the fur, she went to help him. Now that it was in strips, the meat was similar enough to something she would have bought from the supermarket that she didn’t mind assisting. As soon as all the meat had been skewered, he took the laden branches to where the water from the pond trickled out the far side, and washed them thoroughly.
Picking up an assortment of rocks, he struck them against each other until he found two that created a small spark. A short time later, a fire was burning merrily in the cleared circle. He retrieved one branch of meat strips and hung it over the fire. Her stomach rumbled as the delicious smell of roasted meat filled the clearing.
By the time he pulled the branch off the fire, her mouth was watering. She burned her fingers and then her mouth, but it was worth it. The meat did taste rather like roast pork, and it was absolutely delicious. It wasn’t until she finally filled her stomach that she looked up and saw him watching her with an odd expression on his face. She blushed.
“I’m sorry. I was just so hungry. I didn’t eat too much, did I?”
He shook his head, and she wondered again whether he was really beginning to understand her words or if he was simply responding to the question in her voice. Before she could explore that thought further, he went to gather the rest of the meat laden branches. These he hung higher over the fire, then covered everything with damp leaves to trap the smoke inside. She realized that he was attempting to preserve the meat, and admiration filled her.
“It’s just amazing that you can do all of these things. If we had more time, I’d ask you to teach me… Although actually, I guess I really don’t know how much time we have left together.” The thought was curiously disheartening, and she went to retrieve her map.
“How long?” she asked, pointing to the small blue circle that she hoped indicated her path home, then waving her hand over what she thought was her arrival point. “Where are we now?”
He studied her face, then indicated a point on the map between her original location and the river. They had covered perhaps two thirds of the distance.
“So another day, perhaps, until we reach the river?”
Assuming that the map was to scale, it looked as if her destination was an equal distance on the other side of the river. That meant perhaps four more days with Tarax. Her heart suddenly ached. It didn’t seem like enough time—she wasn’t ready to let him go so quickly.
Tarax growled a question at her, pointing to the map and then to the far side of the clearing. She decided he was asking her if she wanted to resume their journey.
“I’m fine with waiting until tomorrow,” she said. “This seems like a good spot to spend the night. You can smoke your meat, and I can take another swim in the pool before we set out again.” To reinforce her meaning, she pointed to the edge of the clearing, shook her hea
d, then patted the ground.
He flashed his fierce smile at her before turning to check on the smoking meat, and she knew she was smiling too as she went to put the map away.
Chapter Eight
Satisfaction filled Taraxan as he attended to his food preparation. Between what he could decipher of her words and her attempt at sign language, he was quite sure that Jayn was in no more of a hurry to reach her destination than he was. Once again he spared a fleeting thought for his official duties, but they still seemed far away and much less important than taking care of his female.
And in the interest of taking care of her, although he had no desire to see her luscious body covered, he turned his attention to the fur. Perhaps it would not be too bad—it had not been a large animal and the skin wouldn’t conceal much of her enticing body.
She had done an admirable job cleaning the pelt, and it only took a few scrapes of his knife to remove the few remaining scraps of flesh. Jayn looked on in appalled fascination as he mixed the creature’s brains with water, then rubbed the mixture into the skin to soften and prepare it.
“Now we’ll let it dry,” he told her as he hung the pelt in the trees at the edge of the clearing.
By the time the sun began to set, he was satisfied that he had done all that he could to make sure they were prepared for the rest of their journey. They shared the remnants of the meat he had roasted earlier, then sat watching the banked fire send gentle trails of smoke up into the darkening sky. Mr. Tiddles yawned and disappeared into the shelter, curling up in the leaves with his tail over his face.
Jayn was oddly quiet and he found he missed the sound of her voice. He shot a glance at her from under his brows and caught her stealing a look at him. A delightful tide of pink washed over her cheeks as she ducked her head. He reached out and cupped a burning cheek, gently turning her face to look at him.
Her eyes were wide and dark in the fading light. He had only prepared one resting place—was she afraid that he would press his attentions on her? He bit back a growl at the thought. No honorable make would ever take advantage of a female.
“Do not fear,” he said softly, gesturing at the shelter. “I can sleep outside if you prefer.”
The color on her cheeks deepened as she followed his movement, and he realized that she had misunderstood. But then her hand came up to cover his, and he caught the sweet scent of her arousal. No, she was not afraid. Her lips parted, pink and tempting, and he lowered his head, tentatively brushing his own lips against hers.
She sighed, and then her small tongue stroked his. By the Swords! Arousal streaked through him so quickly that he felt light-headed. His hand flexed against her cheek, holding her in place as he returned the gesture, delving into the heady pleasures of her mouth. Hot and delicious and impossibly soft. She gasped, opening herself to him, and he thrust deeper, devouring her hungrily. When he finally, reluctantly, lifted his head, she was trembling against him and the heady scent of her desire filled the clearing.
“Yourtonguehasridges,” she whispered.
The words didn’t translate and he hesitated, afraid that he had done something wrong despite her enthusiastic response. She pressed a small finger against his mouth until he opened it, then stroked it along his tongue.
Her eyes heated and she swayed towards him. “Oh yes.”
That he understood. He growled and tugged her onto his lap, bending her back against his arm as he kissed her until she was writhing in his arms. Her breasts rubbed against him, and he impatiently ripped her leaf covering away. Full and white in the flickering light, their rosy tips tempted him, and he brought her higher in his arms so he could draw one into his mouth.
“Ohgod,” she cried, her hands tangling in his hair, the slight sting increasing his desire.
When he lifted his head, her nipple gleamed dark and swollen, and he hummed approvingly as he moved to the other breast. As he pulled it deep into his mouth, his hand dipped between her legs and found her slick and ready. He brushed a finger across her pearl of pleasure, and she cried out again. He circled it slowly, delighting in the soft mews escaping her lips, then moved lower, probing her tiny entrance, even hotter and slicker than her tempting mouth, but impossibly tight.
Her channel gripped his finger like a vice as he slowly worked his way inside, and his cock jerked in eager anticipation. He could only imagine that tight, hot clasp surrounding him.
Stroking his lucky digit in and out, he applied his thumb to her pearl even as he sucked more fiercely at her nipple. Her body tensed, her hands tightened even harder in his hair, and then she cried out his name. A rush of liquid heat bathed him as her channel milked his finger in long, pulsating waves.
Unable to wait any longer, he lifted her into his arms, then lowered her until the head of his cock was poised at her tight, wet entrance. He tried to lower her further but despite the slick heat surrounding him her body resisted, just as it had in the pool. Her hands gripped his shoulders and he forced himself to stop.
“Yehss?” he asked.
“Yes!” Small white teeth closed on her swollen lower lip as she tried to take more of him.
Despite her enthusiasm and his own desperate need, he had to fight for every inch. His body gleamed with effort by the time he had sheathed himself inside her. The silken fist of her tight cunt gripped him so closely that he could barely move. Tremors of heat washed down his spine, but he was determined not to disgrace himself this time.
He had been watching the erotic sight of her body stretching open around him, and now he looked back up at her face. Her eyes were screwed shut, a tear glistening on her soft check. Horror filled him.
“Jayn! What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
Her eyes flew open, then her hand came up to touch his cheek.
“Imfine. Youreso big butyoufeelso good.”
The words he understood and the soft touch of her hand filled him with relief, immediately followed by an overwhelming rush of desire. His hips thrust upwards involuntarily, and they both groaned.
“Hold on,” he told her, bringing her hands to his shoulders.
Gripping the lush roundness of her ass, he slowly lifted her, her channel clinging to every inch of his cock as if she couldn’t stand to let him go. When he paused with only the head of his cock still inside her body, her breath was coming in rapid pants, but she wiggled impatiently. He started to lower her just as slowly, but she leaned forwards and nipped his neck with her small, blunt teeth. He roared and his hips slamming upwards. He heard her cry out, felt her channel convulsing around him, but he was too consumed with need to wait. His body plunged wildly up into hers, his hands bringing her down to meet each frantic thrust. Her mouth moved urgently against his neck, kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin, and then she bit him again. The sharp sting went straight to his cock and he exploded, his hips jerking helplessly as torrents of hot seed flooded her body.
His body went limp and he collapsed backwards, bringing her with him, still impaled on his cock as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
He had never felt the need to hold a female after sex. Now he wondered how he could ever let Jayn go.
Jane snuggled closer to Tarax, enjoying the tight clasp of his arms. She felt exhausted and overwhelmed and the tiniest bit sore but she couldn’t stop smiling. That had been… amazing. Tarax couldn’t possibly have been with a human woman before, and yet he played her body like a violin. The ridges lining his tongue and his cock certainly didn’t hurt. It felt as if he had been designed just for her.
The thought made her giggle softly. How ironic if her perfect male had only been a galaxy away this whole time.
Tarax brushed a gentle hand through her hair and she looked up to find him looking at her inquisitively.
“Just thinking,” she said with a smile, then carefully began to lift herself off his cock.
Even flaccid, he filled her completely, and they both groaned as their bodies parted, the ridges on his cock scraping against her oversensitive fl
esh and sending shudders of pleasure through her system. She felt him begin to harden again as she slipped free, wincing a little.
“I think we’re going to have to wait a while,” she told him with a rueful grin.
He tilted his head as he always did when he listened to her. “Wayt?”
“Yes,” she said firmly, although the tempting sight of his naked body made her want to reconsider.
He nodded, then rose to his feet, carrying her with him. She gave a disgruntled huff. She still felt like a limp noodle but he seemed completely recovered, even energetic. She huffed again when he carried her into the pool, but the cool water soothed her tender parts, and it was nice to feel clean. Once they were back on dry land, he set her down long enough to dry her off with one of the soft leaves, then picked her up and carried her into the shelter.
“I can walk,” she assured him. “I’m a little tender, not incapacitated.”
He ignored her, leaning over to move Mr. Tiddles to one side before settling down with her in their leafy bed. A girl could get used to this, she decided, snuggling closer as he tucked her against his broad chest.
No, she couldn’t. Their time together was limited. Unexpected tears threatened at the thought, but she resolutely pushed them away. They were together now, and she would think about the future when the time came.
The pale light of dawn glowed through the shelter when Jane felt lips on her breast. She knew she wasn’t dreaming this time. There was no mistaking that rough, tantalizing tongue teasing her nipples into tight peaks.
“Tarax,” she sighed.
He lifted his head and grinned at her, then returned to his task. She arched against his mouth, but he kept his touch frustratingly light until she tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged. Then he growled and clamped down, scraping the edges of his fangs over the taut flesh. The sensation sent streaks of fire straight to her aching clit. She began to wonder if she could come just from his mouth on her breasts, but before she could find out, he kissed his way down her stomach and swiped his tongue firmly across her needy bud. Her body bowed up as her climax swept over her with sudden shocking intensity. He held her in place, his tongue gently circling her sensitive flesh and sending wave after wave of pleasure through her system until she finally pushed weakly at his head.
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