Page 28 of Avelina

He released a breath. “Okay,” he said, then he kissed my forehead and hugged me. I suppose he was too euphoric to worry about a little thing like involuntary bioluminescence.

Something did worry him, though. He felt a new, rather intense affection for me. It made him uncomfortable because it came with a new kind of fear, the kind you feel when you have something precious that you’re scared of losing. He wasn’t sure if he liked this new feeling.

I sighed. Relax, it’ll probably go away when the euphoria wears off. His skittish apprehension annoyed me, and he could feel it. I sat back, releasing Connection. The withdrawal felt like a blast of cold air.

I avoided his searching gaze by looking back up at his wound. It wasn’t fully healed, but he was out of danger. I saw a healthy, glistening pink in the center of the wound, and all the red and black was gone, although it was still swollen. He also still had a disgusting glob of goop in his eyebrow, and I wrinkled my nose.

I slid off his lap and stumbled woozily over to my pack to retrieve the first aid kit again. I followed the same routine I had the day before, cleaning his wound with iodine, letting it dry, then covering it with ointment and a bandage. I wiped the goop out of his eyebrow with the other side of the cotton ball and asked, “So, how was that?”

“That was . . .” He sighed. “I have no words.” He let out a short laugh and wiped the back of one hand across his sweaty brow.

“Yeah?” I asked, my smile returning. “It felt like it was supposed to?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he answered, his face regaining its stoic mask. “I’ve never been healed before. People like me don’t go to healers unless they’re dying. Sometimes not even then.”

“Oh,” I said, confused. I wasn’t sure if I should explore the “people like me” comment. “That was fun except for that part at the end. That’s the second time I’ve glowed like that since I’ve been here. I did it after I crossed the bridge too.” I thought about that night. “I can’t believe it was only a day ago that I was at my parents’ stables drinking beer.”

“What is beer?” he asked.

I looked at him blankly. “Good lord, please tell me you’re kidding. No sex or beer on this planet? That is completely unacceptable.” My head swam. “Anyway. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the job.”

“You did more than enough,” he said. “Don’t give so much. You’ll hurt yourself.”

I laughed out loud. “Oh, Aaron, I shouldn’t tell you this, but ordering me not to do something is the perfect way to ensure that I continue doing something.”

He didn’t say anything; he just lifted his hand to stroke my one dimple with his thumb, then gently pulled me back into his lap and kissed me.

He tasted like spearmint, and I hoped to all that was holy in the universe that I did too. He hugged me to his warm body, wrapping his arms around my back and enveloping me in his scent. A low growl rumbled in his chest that made me think he held back. I leaned into him, clutched the sides of his tunic, and pulled him closer. His hand came to the back of my head, and he kissed me harder, his tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. His other hand slipped under the back of my shirt and brushed the skin of my lower back.

“Your skin is so soft,” he whispered, pressing his hot palm against my back and running it up the length of my spine. I let out a soft moan that made him chuckle quietly. “You like that?”

“Yes,” I said. “I like everything about you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I froze, dreading what would undoubtedly be the return of Aaron’s earlier reluctance. Stupid big mouth.

He sighed, brushing his lips softly against mine. “And I could kiss you for days,” he said, pulling away, “but we’ve already missed our chance to walk in full darkness. If we don’t leave now, we’ll hit the oardoo fields at high heat, and we’ll have to wait at the edge of the forest until nightfall.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that I had just ruined something. It doesn’t matter, I told myself. You’re not here to add another name to the mile-long list of people who have realized how strange you are and have decided you aren’t worth the trouble. Your goal hasn’t changed. Get home. It wasn’t as simple as that, though, and I knew it. Aaron had gotten under my skin—deeper, actually—and he wouldn’t be that easy to shake off.

I sighed, wondering what time it was. I guessed four thirtyish. It was a weird time to kiss someone for the first time. “Okay. Well, my bag is packed,” I said. “I don’t know what’s taking you so long.”

Aaron raised one eyebrow but didn’t respond.

“How long will it take to walk there?” I asked.

“About eight hours.”

That was probably about twenty-five miles. “On Earth, we could do that in a car in less than an hour,” I said. This time, he raised both of his eyebrows.

I smiled. “Inventions, I’m telling you. We’ve got a ton of ’em. I can’t wait to show you.” Especially the one currently lodged in my uterus. Oh crap, I really need to stop thinking things like that. He might hear me. He smiled at me, oblivious for now, but then his smile faded.

“Lina, I feel like I’m waking up from a nightmare, but I need you to remember that when we get to the farm, everyone there will still be living in that nightmare. They won’t understand.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do?”

“You can’t tell anyone that you healed me. You can’t tell anyone that we slept in the same room.”

“We didn’t,” I reminded him.

He smirked. Evidently, smiling was easier for him now that we’d mind-melded. “That’s true,” he said, “but we shouldn’t even be in the same room together without an escort.”

---