He looked up and smiled at her again, but his face was taut with desire. He stroked a finger through her folds, stopping as soon as she winced. He pressed a quick, apologetic kiss against her pussy, then rose to his feet. His cock was fully, impressively, erect, and her clit pulsed again.
“We could try,” she suggested, licking her lips.
His eyes gleamed a hungry gold, but he shook his head.
“Rehst,” he insisted, before he left the shelter.
Mr. Tiddles climbed up from the end of the bed and buried his nose in her neck. She stroked his fur as her eyes closed and she gave into exhaustion.
Chapter Nine
Despite his aching cock, Taraxan left the shelter filled with contentment. Bringing Jayn to pleasure was the most satisfying experience he had ever known. He had slept little the previous night, relishing the knowledge that she was safe in his arms. When the sky lightened and he could see the signs of his possession on her skin, he had been filled with a complicated mixture of guilt and gratification. His marks clearly identified her as his female.
And he was identified as her male, he thought with satisfaction, his hand going to the place on his neck where she had marked him with her small teeth.
Content for now to let her sleep, he retrieved the pelt from where it was hanging and began applying a second coat of the brain slurry. He smiled as he envisioned the soft fur cradling her luscious body. It was not perhaps the most common bonding gift, but he was sure she would appreciate it more than jewels or precious metal.
Bonding gift?
The thought stopped him in mid stroke. He hadn’t bonded to her—he couldn’t bond to her. He wouldn’t allow anyone to hold that much power over him.
I am leaving this planet. She is leaving this planet, he reminded himself. This is not about bonding, but about caring for a helpless—and very desirable—female.
But when she finally emerged from the shelter with a shy smile on her face, his argument rang hollow.
This is just temporary, he told himself again as he went to greet her.
She came willingly into his arms, raising her face for one of those delightful kisses. Her response was everything that he could have wished. Only the knowledge that she was still sore from the previous night prevented him from carrying her back into the shelter and reminding her yet again that she belonged to him. For now.
She nestled happily against him as she looked around the clearing, then frowned.
“Arentweleavingtoday?” she asked, pointing to the direction in which they would travel.
“You need to rehst,” he said firmly. “I will pri-pair.”
He gestured at the fur and the rack of smoked meat and she nodded. She didn’t seem bothered by the delay, scooping up Misstuh Tiduhlz and talking to him softly as she fed him one of the strips of meat.
“You spoil him,” he muttered, but he smiled as he returned to his task.
The day passed quietly as he gathered more fruit and she made herself another leaf dress. He gathered more fruit, and they both took advantage of the pool—to Misstuh Tiduhlz’s disgust. Jayn slept again during the heat of the day, but he refused to give in to temptation and join her.
Once the pelt dried, he began stretching and softening it on one of the large rocks surrounding the pool. Jayn watched in fascination, then insisted on taking over. When she refused to give it back, he laughed and decided to try another hunt. He returned with an avian—not large enough to preserve, but enough for a satisfying dinner.
After they ate, he worked with her on the now softened fur. She had him cut several strips from the pelt, then used lengths of vine to create fastenings. To his disappointment, she took it into the shelter with her to try it on.
“I don’t understand this modesty,” he complained to Misstuh Tiduhlz.
The small creature chittered in what seemed like amusement before returning to the bone he was stripping. Taraxan turned his attention back to the cooking pouch he was creating from another section of fur.
“Whatdoyouthink?”
He looked up to find Jayn posing at the entrance to the shelter. All of the blood in his body raced straight to his cock. Soft blue fur cupped her breasts, as if presenting them for his mouth. More fur veiled her tempting folds, but when she gave a slow sensuous turn, he could see that it did little to conceal the lush curves of her delightful ass. She was adorable in her leaf outfit and delicious in her nakedness, but this outfit was a tantalizing combination of both, and hunger raced through his veins.
He had avoided touching her for most of the day, afraid that his desire would overwhelm his caution, but he had been constantly aware of her presence. He had seen her watching him as well and she had been far bolder, leaning over him so that he could feel the press of her breast against his back or sliding a teasing finger down his stomach. He could wait no longer.
He rose and stalked towards her, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Her eyes widened, but she stood her ground. He could see the hard points of her nipples beneath the fur, and the scent of her desire made his head swim as he pulled her into his arms.
“You are wehl?” he growled, his voice so guttural that he could barely decipher his own words.
But Jayn didn’t seem to have any problem understanding him. She nodded, and very deliberately rubbed her soft, fur-covered breasts against his chest, then leaned forward and bit down gently on his nipple with her small teeth. He roared and grabbed her, impatiently snapping the strings that held her outfit together as he carried her into the shelter.
The next morning, Taraxan reluctantly decided that they should resume their journey. He brought Jayn some more vines to replace the ones he had destroyed the previous night. While she repaired her outfit, he gathered up their supplies. After a last regretful look around the clearing, he took her hand and they started walking once more.
It took them another three days to reach the river, and he was actually surprised that they reached it that quickly. Most days they only walked in the morning, then stopped whenever he found a convenient place to set up camp—or when their need for each other grew too strong to ignore. He couldn’t get enough of her. He would spend hours worshipping her, making love to every inch of her body, before finally drifting off to sleep, only to awaken a few hours later, ravenous for her once again. And she was just as enthusiastic, frequently pulling him to a halt and dropping to her knees in front of him to take him into her mouth.
The first time she had done it he had been shocked—it was another act in which the Doturans did not engage—but as soon as her hot little mouth closed over the head of his cock, he was lost. She licked him, sucked him, and when she finally took him deep into the narrow confines of her throat and swallowed, he came with a roar that echoed through the jungle. His knees actually weakened and he had to brace himself against a tree as she gently pulled away, smiling up at him with an inordinately pleased expression.
“I take it you liked that?”
He didn’t need the smug smile on her face to decipher her meaning.
“Laik,” he agreed, then dropped down next to her, parted her legs, and proceeded to show her just how much.
He was considering stopping to indulge in that particular pleasure on the afternoon of the third day when he caught the scent of water. A moment later he heard the rush of sound, and they pushed through a final set of bushes to emerge on the bank of the river. Misstuh Tiduhlz chittered uneasily as the three of them came to a halt.
“This isn’t what I expected,” Jayn murmured.
“Neither did I.”
Stretching out in front of them was a broad expanse of water, so wide that he would be unable to throw a stone to the other side. He was a decent swimmer, but he suspected that conveying Jayn and Misstuh Tiduhlz safely to the other side of the swiftly flowing water would exceed his skills.
Jayn was eyeing the water with equal concern. “We have to cross that?”
“Yehss,” he said grimly.
Her doubtful expr
ession increased. “I’m not a very good swimmer.”
He tucked her against his side and gave her a reassuring hug. There was no way he would subject her to the rapid current, let alone whatever other dangers might lurk beneath the surface.
“I will build a…” He searched for the word in her language. “...boht.”
“A boat? You can do that?”
She gave him an admiring look, and he realized that the word he had used might imply a more impressive vessel than he was capable of building without any tools. He would have to investigate and see what materials were available. In the meantime, the sun was beginning to slant low across the water and he decided to set up camp on the riverbank.
The open stretch of ground between the trees and the river looked like a promising campsite, but he could see signs that the waters had risen over it in the past. He decided to err on the side of caution and make their shelter close to the tree line.
Jayn didn’t protest and the two of them set up camp with what had now become their standard routine. But this time as he gathered small branches for their fire, he also inspected the larger dead falls. Some of the fallen logs were massive, and he would only need to join a few of them together in order to create a raft. Unfortunately, their very size would make them difficult to handle. He spared a brief wistful thought for the technology he had left behind. Even a simple saw would have been useful to shorten the logs to a more manageable size, but if he had a choice between technology and being with Jayn, he would choose Jayn every time.
After marking the location of the logs, he began to gather some of the sturdier vines. He would use them to lash the wood together.
He returned to their temporary shelter to find Jane sitting on the bed of leaves she had collected and staring thoughtfully across the water. The sun had almost set, shooting fiery rays of red and gold across the sparkling water, and turning the other bank into a mysterious wonderland.
“Do you think it’s any different on the other side?” she asked.
He shook his head. The jungle appeared to be the same on both sides, although the map indicated that the topography would change as they got further downriver.
“Is the whole planet like this? How much of it have you seen?”
She tilted her head and stared at him and once again he wondered if he should tell her that he was as much a stranger here as she. Unfortunately, while he now understood almost everything that she said, his ability to speak her language was minimal at best. How could he explain to her that he had been brought here too?
In the end, he simply shrugged and shook his head, fighting back his feelings of guilt. The first thing he needed to do once he had access to his own technology was to find her a translator. That thought made him freeze as he bent over his fire pit.
He knew that she assumed the location marked on the map was the way to return to her home. But she thought he was a native of this planet—she must know that if she returned to her own planet, she would be leaving him. And yet, although they had not traveled with any haste, they were still headed for that destination. Did she not care that they would be separated soon? His chest ached beneath the armored ridges and he rubbed it absently.
“Is something wrong?” Jayn’s concerned voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Noh.”
His voice came out harsher than he had intended, and she jumped, giving him a startled look. Guilt immediately washed over him, and he pulled her into his arms with an apologetic murmur. He had no right to feel betrayed at the thought of her leaving him when he intended to return to his own civilization. Although…
What if he didn’t have to leave her? What if he took her with him?
The Doturans tended to be an insular race, but it was certainly not unheard of for someone to mate outside their species. A smile curved his lips as he imagined her delight in the wonders of his civilization. He could hardly wait to take her… His thoughts ground to a halt. Take her where?
After his father had died and abandoned him, Taraxan had sold the family home—a home that no longer provided refuge. He lived aboard his ship or in military quarters when he was stationed on a planet. He couldn’t imagine that Jayn would enjoy either environment. Of course, he could give up his military commission but Doturan society was built around the military hierarchy. Pursuing any other path would mean a downgrade in both privilege and pay. Neither prospect bothered him for himself, but he intensely disliked the idea that he would not be able to provide for her in the way that she deserved.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” Jayn asked softly.
“Sahr-ee.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and trusting, and he couldn’t help kissing her. The thought of losing her gave the kiss an added urgency. Her passion flared to match his own, and he abandoned thoughts of the future as he drew her down onto the bed of soft leaves.
Chapter Ten
Jane watched sleepily as Tarax started a fire. Mr. Tiddles chittered amiably at her side, but she couldn’t drag her eyes away from Tarax.
Night had fallen while they made love, but it didn’t seem to bother him as he coaxed the wood to light. He was amazingly competent—there didn’t seem to be anything he couldn’t do, although she did wonder how he was going to create a boat without any tools. But if anyone could do it, he could.
The thought of crossing the river made her shiver, and it wasn’t simply fear of the journey. Each day they were getting closer and closer to the location on the map, and presumably to the opportunity for her to return home. The possibility no longer seemed quite as desirable as it had originally. After all, what did she have to return to?
She made a decent salary, but she worked long hours and she had little opportunity to spend the money she made. Since her mother died, she had no close relatives. No really close friends either for that matter. One of the reasons she stayed with Amanda, even though she could afford her own place, was because it gave her contact with another person.
But Earth was her home, and even though Tarax did his best to make her comfortable, she didn’t really want to spend the rest of her life in the jungle. Did she?
And what about him? Did he even have a home, she wondered as she watched him. He must have had a family at some point. Where were they now?
As if he felt her watching him, he looked up and their eyes met. There was a question in his eyes, but she didn’t know what it meant. She simply returned his gaze solemnly.
He finally gave her a half smile, then rose to his feet and came to join her. The firelight gleamed on his strong, muscled body, and he looked like some primordial warrior.
My warrior, she thought with a sudden fierce possessiveness. At least for now.
With the wide expanse of the river in front of them, the night sky was clearly visible for the first time. Millions of stars glittered in the heavens and she wondered if one of them represented her own sun. It was both frightening and oddly freeing to be so far away from everything she had ever known.
Tarax laid back on the leaves and pulled her down next to him, but he seemed content simply to hold her and watch the stars. She remembered her earlier questions about his family.
“Do you have parents?” she asked.
He shook his head, and she patted his chest. “I’m sorry.”
He gave a half-shrug that she couldn’t interpret. “Yoo?” he asked.
“Not anymore. My father died when I was young. I barely remember him. After he died, my mother turned into this very… restricted person. She was always worrying about doing the right thing and what people thought of her, and of me.” She sighed, looking up at the stars. “I don’t know. Maybe she was always like that, but in my head it was because of my father dying. I think that’s why I never really wanted a serious relationship.”
She looked up and found him studying her intently. How much of what she said had he recognized, she wondered.
“Ie uhn-duh-stand,” he said softly. “Mie pair-uhnts too klohz.”
“Too close? Is that why they are both gone?”
He nodded, and she shook her head. “Aren’t we a pair? Running away from happiness because we’re afraid.”
He growled and she nudged his ribs with her elbow. “You know what I mean. Brave in… battle, but not in love.”
Not that she actually knew if he had been in battle, but she suspected he had fought before. He looked startled, but then he kissed her and that was the end of questions for the night.
The next morning, Jane woke up alone. At some point during the night Tarax must have carried her into the shelter, but he had already slipped away, leaving her to sleep. Looking at the sun through the gaps in the leaves, she realized that it was much later than usual. Mr. Tiddles poked his head through the opening of the shelter, and she smiled at him. He jumped into her arms, chattering excitedly.
“What’s got you all excited?” she asked. “Have you and Tarax been having fun without me?”
An odd, dragging noise from outside seemed to answer her question. She pulled on her fur outfit and went to investigate.
His muscles rippling impressively with the effort, Tarax was pulling logs out of the jungle and lining them up next to each other on the beach. Mr. Tiddles immediately went to investigate the latest arrival, digging into the dead wood searching for his favorite insects. She shuddered. No wonder he had been so excited.
She followed him over to the beach, inspecting Tarax’s work. Once she was close enough, she could see that he was using lengths of vine to lash the logs together. They made a somewhat uneven platform, but it would keep them up and out of the water.
“Oh, I see. You’re making a raft.”
“Raft,” he repeated, nodding. “Laik?”
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