Chapter Twenty-Six

First Contact

Holding Mahpiya close, I fumble to nurse her. My breasts are overflowing and she latches on, suckling greedily, seemingly oblivious to my rattled state. I try to center myself on feeding her, the minutes giving me time to reflect and catch my breath.

I want him. He's claimed me, saying I'm his. What am I in for? I have no idea what to do next. Does he? Has he done this before – with a woman?

When she's finished eating, I change her and place her wet diaper just outside my cavern. Laundry can wait! Under HD's smoldering gaze, I wash my hands in the small trickle that flows in the corner of my cave. I barely finish laying Mahpiya in her basket when HD is behind me, his iron hands on my shoulders, then running down my body with incredible gentleness. Turning, I lift my arms and find myself carried to sit upon his rock.

"Worrrddsss fiirrssttt," he rumbles, stroking my hair, a single hand is larger than my face but his gentle attention soothes my nerves and wayward thoughts. "Thissss," he places, then dwarfs my hand upon his chest, "Thiissss issss wannnttt annnddd subbmisssionnn. Meannnsss feeemallleee subbbmitttt toooo mallleee. Okayyyy?"

I gulp, "So you're saying you're in charge of the sex act?"

"Yessss. Onnnn Yauuutttt. Buttttt onnn Abueeellllaaaa?"

"Boy do I have some things to teach you," I mumble, struggling again to think.

"Teaccchhhabbbllleee," he responds. "Ggggoooo sllloooowwww. Nooottt waannnttt toooo huuuurttt youuuu. Noootttt doooo thiisss befffoooreee."

"Believe me I haven't done this before either. Go slow, good idea. I'll let you know."

He nods before sliding a talon down the front of my top and pulling impatiently. It's simple to take it off and shed my loincloth; I grab the edge of his, giving a tentative tug. He presses something on his belt and the leather easily drops away. He sees me watching and stills, apparently allowing me the luxury of appreciating all of him. Broad and dark pectorals balance over widely ribbed abs. The skin grows lighter on his impossibly tight stomach, the spots receding from plain creamily scaled skin. From there I follow the blessed V of definition down to the point of no return where something bold is beginning to protrude from a crease in HD's pale groin.

"Hidddeee innnsidddeee unnnlessss neeeddd," he answers my stare, while urging my legs apart. Watching him reach, I feel the back of one knuckle push softly onto my most sensitive area and begin rubbing in small, delicious circles. His skin is surprisingly soft. I'm easily drenched with want and he spreads my desire over everything. Leaning back, I open my legs further even as a small whimper leaves my throat.

Grunting in return, he eases me over the rock edge, molding huge warm hands around my posterior and clutching my hips. Looking down my body, I see his maleness, fully engorged and erect. At least I hope that's all of it. As pink as the inside of his mouth, smooth, blunt and pulsating, he presses it against me. Curling my body, I reach for it, to guide him inside.

"My God, you're hot!" My hand encases the underside, primitively pulsating, alive and fevered in my grasp.

"Warrrrmmm innssiidddeee," he rumbles and, allowing me to channel his craving, pushes in.

I clench a little at the girth of him, but force myself to relax, allowing him to press on. Now completely encased, he begins to slowly rock back and forth, dragging his fullness through me, only to drive it in again. With each push, he tugs on my hips, forcing me onto him, at first growling low, now grunting with each thrust.

A little faster now, a little harder as he seems to measure what I can take. Realizing nothing hurts, I submerge into enjoying him. His grasping hands pull me onto such smooth hardness which pushes into my yielding body as throbbing, inhuman heat. "Yes, yes! Just like that!" His plunging begins to melt me into the inevitable as the world narrows down to only our joining. Whining with eagerness, I hollow my back toward him even as he jolts into me and in just a few more strokes I come, hard, arching up in hungry spasms, clenching him in ecstasy, crying out as the sublime shudders through me.

When I finally open my eyes, it is to see him still immersed but standing very still. Wide-eyed, he whispers, "Ang-ee okkaaayyy?"

"Fine," I hear my voice reply from my floating state, my body still feeling the last ripples of enjoyment. He plunges back into pleasure, only now I watch as he closes his eyes and tilts his face to the ceiling. His jaws flare more and more with each stroke, his grunting more quavered and louder, until he emits a choked roar and I feel the jerking as he explodes within me. His hips snap forward with each spasm, as if he could somehow force himself deeper. Breathing hard, he rumble murmurs something that sounds like "Paya" and runs a palm over my belly, breathing, "Wortttthhh waaiiittt." He stays that way for minutes, bend over me, breathless, jaws slackened. I feel him shrink inside and pull away.

Glancing over to Mahpiya, she's wide-awake, intently looking around the room. "Let's go to my bed," I suggest, "I want to feel your body next to mine." Obligingly, he carries me over to my furs. On the bed, he rolls on his back, pulling me on top of him and we enjoy the rest of those who have collapsed their separate beings into a single transcendent union.

Dozing on top of HD, feeling his strong body against my entire length, I place my ear against his chest to once again hear the strong beat playing there. His breathing is as relaxed and even as mine. Talon tips are running through my hair, combing it. Eventually, I break the silence.

"HD, that was . . . I don't have words to tell you how great that was."

"Mmmeeee tooooo. Greaaaatttttt." Now he twists a strand of hair between his thumb and finger.

"Like my hair?"

"Yessss. Eaccchhh piiecceee soffttt, thiinnn."

"Yours is pretty fascinating too." I rise up a bit, on an elbow and reach to run my fingers over one lock of black smoothness. "What are all the rings for?" Some of them clink together as I lift one lock and drop it back down to join the others.

"Fooorrrr onnnorrrr. Rewaarrddd frrommm Elddersss whhheennn passsttt testttsss, doooo immpporrrttannnttt thinngggsss."

"They're beautiful." I peer closely at the detailed engraving of one.

"Neeedddd onnneee nooowww. Aaacommppliissshhh maatttinnggg Ang-eee." He chortles at his own joke.

"Very funny! We were simply miscommunicating. It happens all the time between men and women, to say nothing when they are entirely different species."

"Unnnnderrrstannnddd."

"HD, what is it that you find attractive about me? I know I must be, well, at least plain looking compared to the females you are used to."

"Frommm firrssttt, youuu trrryyy toooo unnderrstannnddd, nooottt onnnllyyy feeeaarrr. Annnddd makkkeee selllfff leaddderrr oooff allll. Eveeennn tellll Oooge Doood whhhaattt tooo doooo onnn shipppp andddd innnn cammppp. Thatttt verrrryyy appeeealllinng. Youuuu makkkeee stannnddd fooorrrr whhhattt youuuu thinnnkkk. Annnddd youuuu warrrmmm. Niiiccceee toooo lookkk attt ttoooo. Eveennn ifff diffffereennttt. Whennnn youuu hiitttt wommmannn inn faccceee – thattt verrrryyyy atttraccctttiivivvveee. Iffff youuu pushhhh chesssttt theeennn, takkkeee youuu riiigghhhttttt thhherrreee!"

"Wow, that's enough to make my head spin. So your women are assertive?"

"Yesss," he nods, "Thheeyyy ruuulllee. Allll counncilll feemmallleee."

"No wonder I confused you."

"Whhattt atttraacccttt Ang-ee tooo Oooge Doood?"

"Well, at first I noticed how fantastic you look. I mean, your body is what we consider a God. Your face fascinates me in how it's different from my own. You tried to explain things to me after I was taken. And you've often protected me, from the snow storm, from Leader and Three, and you're always thinking of my well-being. You say what you mean and you mean what you say, a rarity among humans. Your smart and you've used your smarts to help all of us. How could I not love all that?"

"Loooovveee?"

"Yes. Love. I love you, HD."

His jaws waiver betraying uncertainty. "Are you not sure what 'love' means?" He nods.

"It is a strong emotional relationship with someone. I feel a deep connection to you HD, a bond. I'll support you, listen to you, help you, and hell, as you've seen, even fight for you."

"Understannnddd bonnndd. Deeepppp connnecttionn. Oooge Doood alsooo havee deep connneccctttionnn tooo Ang-ee. Lisssstennn, helllppp, killlll, even diieee fooorrr Ang-ee. Babbbyyy toooo."

"I doubt that I'll ask you to kill for me and besides, you've sworn to the council that you won't."

"Trrruuueee. Buuutttt wouuulllddd iiifff neeededdd annnddd noootttt easssyyy. Yautja doooo nooottt breakkk proomiiissseeessss. Thiiisss loovvveee?"

"I'd say so. All that plus the amazing physical part."

"Fuckkk?"

I laugh, "I didn't know you knew all the meaning in that word. Yes, fuck."

"Ang-ee? Whhyyy suuucchhh gooooddd thinnggg badddd woorrrddd?"

"An excellent question. I'm not sure. It might have something to do with some of our history. At one time among certain people, the ancestors of the people who came to dominate my society, fucking was a hidden thing. People didn't talk about it in polite circles."

"Hooowwww chilldreeennn learrrnnnn theennn?"

"They didn't. Many people were very ignorant about fucking right up to their wedding day. That's our pair bonding ceremony."

"Youurrr hissstooorrryyyy strrannnggeee."

"Can't argue with that."

"Ang-ee seeemmm ressttteeedd."

"Yes, I guess I am."

"Moreeee nowww?"

"You mean more sex? Fucking?" He nods his head enthusiastically.

"Yea, I'm up for more. Just don't wear me out." His tusks chatter for a moment. "That means you just may have more energy for this than I do."

"Weeee finnnddd outttt," he answers, that slow smolder beginning again in his eyes. Flipping us over, he straddles me, putting his weight on his knees and forearms. I watch, amazed, as he opens his face, drawing close to mine and wraps my head gently in his jaws. Our mouths are merely centimeters apart in this most alien embrace. I touch my lips to the edges of his mouth, kissing the hard flesh and run the tip of my tongue over the pink skin and small pointed teeth there.

"Stttopppp." He grumbles, "Ticcckkllleeeessssss."

"HD, if I were your kind, what would I do."

His answer rumbles from deep within his throat. "Puuut jaaaswssss innnssssideee ooofff miiinnneeee."

Pushing my hands up underneath his open jaws, I squeeze them into the space between his mandibles and my face. I gently close on him, applying pressure, an enamored female captured by the strength of her male.

HD's response is immediate as I feel pressure growing against one of my legs. Pulling his face from mine, he reaches, touching me to ensure my readiness and we are off again, reaching for the stars that rise and fall flaming, only for lovers.