For several minutes she just stood there, pressed against him in the shower, letting the water bead off her skin. Though he didn't purr or release musk, Uh'luka's body was creating more steam than the hot water was. Her mistake was when she lifted her hands over her head to touch the ridges that lined his forehead. There was no mistaking the erection pressed against the small of her back. She was teasing him and torturing herself.

Asha pulled away and stepped out of the shower. The dryer beside it only took a second. She headed to her bedroom then and yanked open a drawer. Uh'luka appeared in the doorway, dripping water. There were wet footprints behind him on the floor.

"If I offended you--"

Asha interrupted him, "No, no it was nothing you did."

"My body will still respond to you, but know that I am no longer courting you. It is clear you do not want me as a mate."

He turned away then and Asha had to run up and grab his arm, "Uh'luka, wait! I do want you..."

He made a strangled sound between disbelief and relief.

Uh'luka bent down so that his teeth were at her neck. He drew his sharp tusks across her throat as he growled. The threat was lulled by the purring that followed. Asha's eyes fluttered. His hands went to her hips but slowly slipped behind her to grab her ass. He lifted her up like that, bringing her chest to his, making Asha gasp.

His purring deepened like an idling truck, keeping her sedate. Her arms looped around his neck as she inhaled his scent. While he usually had a musky, manly smell now it was much more potent. It was laced with pheromones her species shouldn't have been receptive to, yet her sex moistened.

His own body was reacting. His pupils dilated. His heart was pounding. Though she couldn't feel it yet, she knew his member was rock hard and throbbing for her. When his arms began to go slack, she knew he intended to lower her onto him. Asha squirmed at the thought of being impaled by his manhood, but she knew she shouldn't allow it.

Her arms tightened around his neck, "Don't."

His movements froze.

"We shouldn't do this."

"You do not want pups this cycle?"

"I...I do."

"The mating season will be over soon."

"You know humans don't have breeding seasons."

She reluctantly let go of his neck as Uh'luka lowered her feet to the floor, "My knowledge of oomans is limited. Is there a mating ritual I am not doing, or a desire I am not fulfilling?"

"You're not doing anything wrong."

"Then why can't I have you?"

She raised one shoulder. She just wanted to hide at this point but she had to give him some sort of answer, "I'm afraid."

"That I'll hurt you during intercourse?"

"Not just that..."

"I was raised by my sire. I will help with the pups."

"It's not that either."

"Are you afraid one day I won't come back from a hunt?"

"No. Well, yes...but that's not really why. Look, I just don't want to talk about it."

She couldn't tell him her real concern-- that she was afraid he didn't love her, and that he would disappear after the meeting season ended. Asha put on clean clothes and headed out the door, but then her footsteps slowed. The hounds were fed, and she still wasn't about to go to the training hall. She climbed the ladder to the roof instead.

The roof empty except for a few small lights and sensors. She laid down near the wall, in the shadow of the canyon, and folded her arms behind her head. The sky was grey--but not in a stormy, overcast sort of way. It was a solid blue-grey color like metal.

It wasn't long before Uh'luka found her. Rather than shoo him away, she patted the rock beside her, "Lay with me."

"This is odd behavior."

"Just lay down."

He relented and sat beside her, but he still didn't understand. "What is the purpose of this? Some sort of meditation?"

"No. Just looking at the sky."

Uh'luka was quiet.

"You know what I miss? Clouds. Not the little puffs but those great big billowing clouds that reflect the sunlight...There are no clouds on his planet."

Uh'luka still didn't say a word, but he scooted closer until their sides touched.

She looked into his yellow and orange fall-colored eyes and a smile tugged at her lips. His grey dreads hung around his face as he looked down at her. She knew they were sensory organs, not really hair at all but that didn't stop her. She reached up to touch one of the smooth, bendable strands. As her hand slid down the length of it, his whole body went rigid.

She turned to her side to reach him better. Her fingers roamed his broad chest, then his heavily muscled arms before he caught her wrist, "This sort of torture I cannot endure."

Asha bit her lip with a nod and looked away, ashamed of her lack of control.

When she felt his hands on her, she tensed. One of his hands went around her back while the other curled under her leg. He lifted her into his lap. Her first reaction was to try and get away, but when his hands fell away from her body, she stilled. He wasn't trying to pin her down or remove her clothes.

Asha slowly leaned back against his chest. She closed her eyes with an exhale. It was so familiar. They'd sat like that in the cage numerous times. Every time he drew in a breath, his chest pushed her forward some. It made her smile.

She didn't think she could get any more relaxed, but then she felt his claws in her hair. He scratched them down her scalp, careful not to harm her. Her skin was soft compared to his. It would be easy for him to do damage. Even so, Uh'luka was incredibly gentle.

Asha melted in his lap. The buildings around them fell away. The canyon walls dissolved. Their past disappeared like how the sun dried up all the rain. She'd never felt more content.

Uh'luka bent forward with an inhale, pressing his face against her long black hair. With his claws still sliding over her scalp, his tusk-tipped mandibles began to do the same thing. They trailed up the side of her neck, into her hair, then back down again. It made her eyes roll back and her toes curl.

"Ouch!" Asha felt a sudden tug on her hair.

Uh'luka's chest made a soft rumble, but he pulled on her hair again.

When she tried to lean away, she couldn't. Her hand reached up and felt her head. She followed the taut strands of hair to Uh'luka's mandible. He'd gotten them tangled around a tusk. With a huff, Asha turned in his lap, twisting the strands even more, but at least this way she could see what she was doing.

Asha straddled him and lifted her fingers to the mess with a giggle. She undid the knot in a matter of seconds, "There."

He ran his claws down the length of her black hair with a hum, "When the time is right, I'm going to go on a clan hunt to prove my skill and restraint. I hope then you'll see me as honorable enough to be your mate."

"I've noticed the meat in the cooling unit, and I've caught you praying to Paya. I'm proud of you, Uh'luka."

"I couldn't have done it without you. After all I've done, you didn't give up on me."

When their eyes met she got a feeling she couldn't quite describe. A sense of contentedness and belonging. Like everything that had happened in her life was leading up to this. As if in a daze, she leaned forward and kissed him.

The contact was brief. Uh'luka tensed, then shoved her away.

"It's ok. I'm not worried about your teeth or tusks." She leaned towards him again.

"Asha, stop."

The rejection stung, and her features dropped into a frown, "You don't like it when I kiss you?"

"It pleases me more than you know, but my control is precarious at best and I won't hurt you again."

A soft smile put a glow on her face. She looped an arm around his neck and leaned back, tugging him with her as she pressed her lips to him again. Uh'luka resisted for a moment, then unfolded his legs and allowed her to pull him over her. He braced himself on his elbows to prevent his weight from crushing her. With her legs, she pulled him down upon her, bringing the bulge of his erection flush against her hips.

When he tried to sit up, Asha wrapped her arms around his back, "Uh'luka…"

"You underestimate how much I want you. You cannot tease me like this. It's torture."

His chest rumbled as she trailed her lips across his jaw. One of his tusks swept across her cheek, down her neck, before his tongue lashed across her collarbone. A fierce heat began to rise inside her. A burning desire. The strong sense of arousal overpowered her better judgment and the world around them faded away.

After their clothes were discarded, Uh'luka crawled over her. His proximity elicited a welcomed reaction from her body. Asha's hands went to his chest and slid down the contours of his muscles. Uh'luka seemed hesitant, so she spread her legs to encourage him.

Still, he didn't ravish her. His movements remained calm and gentle. Uh'luka's hand slid behind her head to protect it from the harsh stone. There was a blush of color on her cheeks as her arms slipped around his neck. He pressed his mandibles against her forehead with a purr as he entered her.

She tensed as her passage stretched to accommodate his girth. His purr deepened, soothing her. He sank all the way inside her and held there for a moment. After the tight, uncomfortable feeling faded, she nodded for him to continue.

He kept his movements slow, gentle, and rhythmic at first. Her legs wrapped around his hips, allowing him deeper. Uh'luka began to rock his pelvis and grind into her, using his knees on the ground as leverage. Asha pulled him closer, holding his chest against hers as she whimpered.

Another whimper clawed its way from her throat as his jaw skimmed across her lips. His touch seared her flesh. The heat was a reflection of his passion. Uh'luka's thrusts became harder and faster as that passion rose. Asha held her eyes closed and tipped her head back as a soft moan parted her lips.