Page 34 of I Married A Catman

She circled around the bed to its feet and sat down at the edge. Still smiling at me, Ophelia patted the mattress next to her. Without hesitation, I joined my mate and settled beside her. I wasn’t so close that we touched, but enough to feel the heat of her body.

Ophelia examined my features for a few moments, her expression soft even as she clearly searched for her words before starting to speak.

“You’re not overly attracted to me, right?” she asked in a gentle voice.

I flinched, instantly angry with myself that my reactions towards her might have made her feel unwanted. Simultaneously, a powerful urge to protect and reassure her swelled within me.

“It’s not that, my mate. It’s just that…”

My voice trailed off, and it was my turn to look for my words. Ophelia raised an inquisitive eyebrow when the silence stretched.

I cleared my throat and scratched my nape again. “It’s just that I have never been with a human before.”

She smiled, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with a mix of understanding and amusement.

“I get it. I’ve never been with a Nazhral either.”

I snorted and nodded in concession, before shifting uneasily. “There’s also the fact that it has been a little over twelve years for me since I’ve been with a female.”

The words nearly scorched my lips as I spoke them. I nervously glanced sideways at her to find her gaping at me. The air of uncertainty that descended on her features took me aback.

“Did… did something happen?” she asked cautiously.

My mind went blank for half a beat as I tried to make sense of what she meant. And then it hit me.

“Oh, no! Nothing of the sort. I mean, everything works as intended. If that’s what you were asking…?” I added hesitantly, suddenly wondering if I had misunderstood.

“Oh, good!” she said, her cheeks taking on that crimson color that was seriously growing on me.

“There were only two females in my Quadrant during my incarceration,” I explained sheepishly. “Neither of them appealed to me, nor were they drawn to me. Anyways, both were Raitheans who also happened to be mated. In case you are unaware, Raitheans mate for life. It is physically impossible for them to cheat on their partners.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” she said with sympathy.

She opened her mouth as if to ask another question before appearing to change her mind. I suspected it was to ask me why I had not slept with one of our females since my return. Considering three weeks had gone by, it was a fair question. I wanted to believe she remembered the issues I listed earlier during our meal, and which basically turned me off getting involved with anyone.

Back on Molvi, males held recurring discussions about how much sex they intended to get once they were back home, and all the traditional food they desperately missed that they would gorge on. I expected to behave in a similar fashion. But it was strange how once something became accessible again, it lost a lot of its mythical appeal. Having so much of it openly thrown at me had in fact the exact opposite effect.

She licked her lips nervously and cast another uncertain look my way before going for it.

“You know, we don’t have to do anything tonight,” she said carefully.

I recoiled and stared at her in shock. A part of me felt outraged by that suggestion, while another feared she was in fact so reluctant to be intimate with me that she was trying to wiggle out of it. That hurt my feelings. But at the same time, I could never force myself on a woman who wouldn’t be with me willingly.

“The contract states we must, as Kayog clearly reminded us before his departure,” I argued, my voice tense.

Ophelia shrugged dismissively. “I don’t care about the contract, Gaelec. This is about you and me, and hopefully the rest of our lives. Anyway, it’s not like they have hidden cameras here or that they’re going to send an inspector in the morning to make sure we did the deed.”

I snorted. For a ridiculous reason, I pictured the Temern hanging on to the windowsill to try and peep into our room through the night to make sure we honored our end of the deal.

Although she couldn’t possibly guess what absurd thought flashed through my head, Ophelia relaxed at my reaction and gave me a shy smile.

“I like you, Gaelec. I like everything that I’ve seen about you so far, and I want you to like me as well. Above all, I want you to feel comfortable with me. Our first time together should be something we both want, not some chore, not something we’re stressing over or feeling coerced to do,” she explained calmly. “Kayog makes a valid point about early intimacy helping to quickly tighten the bond between a couple. But intimacy doesn’t have to mean sex. Maybe we could just snuggle and cuddle? Then we wouldn’t be so awkward around each other.”

My heart leapt upon hearing her words. “Snuggles are nice,” I said with a bit too much enthusiasm. “I do love cuddling,” I added sheepishly. “So you will never get any complaints from me on that front.”

By the way Ophelia’s eyes widened, she had not expected such an eager response from me. As I had pretty much made it a point to keep my hands to myself around her, she had no reasons to believe I could be the affectionate type. Quickly recovering from her shock, my mate beamed at me. My chest filled with warmth. She truly looked lovely when she smiled like that.

“I’m happy to hear it!” she replied. “I’m a big hugger and snuggler as well.”

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