Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Stacy just laughs, but I say nothing. What Josie is saying is hitting me right in the feels. I’ve been restless and lonely ever since I got here to the ice planet. Is that what I need, too? Someone to scratch my itch? Josie looks so damn content and she’s been barfing all afternoon.
You wish me to fuck you? I accept.
Maybe…maybe I should have taken him up on that. The moment the idea crosses my mind, I don’t hate it. I don’t hate it at all. It can’t be a ‘real’ mating because we’re not resonating. I can’t get pregnant.
There’s no one to judge me, either. The aliens are pretty open-minded about sex. Heck, I’ve seen couples making out in the public bathing pool, leaving little to the imagination, and no one nearby batted an eye. I’ve heard people having sex in their caves at night. It gets someone a little teasing and that’s about it.
And to make it even more convenient?
Everyone’s gone. They’re out hunting or fruit gathering. The cave’s practically empty and will be for probably another week.
This would be the perfect time to get my ‘itch’ scratched.
Plus, there’s a bonus in that Hassen is exiled. He’s not supposed to be around. If things get awkward, it’s not like I’m going to have to face him constantly. He’s not going to be around the fire at breakfast. He’s not going to be hanging out during the afternoon gatherings. He’s exiled.
The more I think about it, the more I’m intrigued by the idea. I’m not opposed to a one-night stand. I’m sure not opposed to scratching the itch that’s been plaguing me lately. I mean, if I get laid and I relax? That’s a win. There’s zero strings attached.
Of course, I need to find out how he truly feels about my sister before I decide to claim him for my selfish needs. If he’s hung up on Lila, I’m not touching him.
But if he’s not…I cross my legs tightly, squeezing my thighs together. Maybe it’s wrong to focus my attentions on him. He’s probably the wrong guy.
But he’s so right in so many other ways that I can’t help it. I toss around other ideas in my mind. Taushen didn’t go with the others. Warrek didn’t, either. Hemalo. A few of the elders. None of those even come close to making me think about wanting sex. The moment I think of Hassen, though, it’s all that’s on my mind.
I could wait for the other parties to come back from hunting, but…I like the thought of the cave being so empty. It’ll give me the freedom I wouldn’t normally have to.
It’s right now or never. I glance at the entrance to the cave, but it’s empty.
Okay, it’s tomorrow morning or never.
4
HASSEN
I am at the tribal cave early the next morning, ready to start the day’s hunt lessons with Mah-dee. I admit that I am looking forward to this more than I anticipated. While my days are filled with hunting as usual, it is the endless nights around a lonely fire that are starting to wear on me. It is not the same as being out on the trails, knowing that I have a warm fire and friendships to return home to. As an exile, I have nothing and no company to break up the endless days.
I thought it would not bother me, but it does.
Helping Mah-dee learn to hunt will not fix the ache of loneliness, but it is something to do while I check my traps, and she is fierce and interesting to speak with. I do not know if she will be easy to teach, but that is the least of my concerns. I am just eager to have company through the day.
I enter the cave, and it feels strange to have no meat at hand to feed the tribe. I feel like I should not be here, though there is no one to cast a judging stare. One of the humans sits near the main fire, but the rest of the cave is empty; it is too early for most to be awake. I set my spear down near the entrance and head toward the back storage cave.
To my surprise, Mah-dee is already there. Her back is to me, her yellow mane shining and cascading over her shoulders. She is not dressed to go outside, though, wearing only a light leather tunic and leggings. “You cannot wear that out,” I say in greeting, moving past her to step into the storage chamber. “You are human. They do not stay warm.”
“I know that,” she says, a hint of irritation in her voice. “You think I haven’t noticed that I’m human?”
“I would think you have.” I look around the cave. There are baskets of furs, bones, horns, seeds, and anything else the tribe might need. I do not see more arrows, though, or slings. There are a few spears resting on one wall, but I can tell at a glance that they are too large for someone with small hands like Mah-dee. “What have you found?”