Page 44 of An Alien for the Future

We should move. We’re in the middle of a storm.

But…

I watch as something shifts in his expression, and our position becomes even clearer. He’s settled between my thighs. In a position I haven’t had a man in…how long? Forever? A position I’ve wanted to be in so many times, lying alone in my bed with a battery-operated friend that, while effective, just always left something missing. Something like this. His weight. His heat.Touch.

Tovan doesn’t make me feel too big or clumsy.

I feel like awoman…and that…that is slowly breaking me.

When his leg presses hard into my thigh, I blink, before I realize it’s not his leg at all. My eyes widen at the same time that my core reacts, clenching, a whimper that I wish gets lost to the wind leaving my throat. But the wind raging around us is not my ally. Tovan hears the whimper and I see him react.

It’s his eyes. They get…hungry.

I don’t know why I do it. I’m in a field, the wind raging around us, and maybe I’ve gone a little mad from the hypoglycemia. Because I tilt my chin up.

I tilt my chin up and I hesitate for a moment.

Then I press my lips against his.

12

DONNA

The moment my lips touch his, the world around us fades away. The howling wind, the swaying grass, the looming danger—all of it recedes into the background, overshadowed by the electric current that surges between us.

At first, Tovan is still, his body rigid with surprise. I can feel his confusion, his hesitation. But then, as if a switch has been flipped, he responds with a fervor that takes my breath away. His lips move against mine, clumsy at first, then with growing confidence as he mirrors my movements.

The kiss is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s been a while, I’ll say that. A while since anyone has touched me like this. Kissed me like this. But there’s a rawness to this, a primal intensity that makes my toes curl and my heart race. His lips are softer than I expected, the contact between us more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The sweetness I smelled earlier is there too, a hint of something exotic and intoxicating on his tongue.

I lose myself in the sensation, my hands moving of their own accord to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer. Tovan respondsin kind, one hand cupping the back of my head while the other presses hard into the grass at my side.

This is insane, I think, even as I arch into his touch.What am I thinking? What am I doing?But the rational part of my brain is quickly being drowned out by the flood of sensations overwhelming me. I’m caught in a whirlwind of desire and doubt, unable and unwilling to break free.

The kiss deepens, grows more urgent. I can feel the heat building between us, threatening to consume us both. Tovan’s body shifts against mine, every point of contact slowly shattering my will—the press of his chest against mine, the weight of him between my thighs, the unmistakable evidence of his arousal.

But just as I’m about to lose myself completely, Tovan pulls back. His eyes are wild, pupils almost invisible, chest heaving as he struggles to catch his breath. For a moment, I fear I’ve crossed a line—my own line, and probably his too. Afraid that he’ll pull away and I’ll be left to face the consequences of my lapse in good judgment. But then he speaks, his voice a low, rumbling growl that sends a delicious shiver down my spine.

“Not here,” he says, the words more felt than heard over the roaring wind.

Before I can process what’s happening, Tovan is moving. He rises to his feet, bringing me with him. I gasp as he lifts me effortlessly, cradling me against his chest as if I weigh nothing at all. It’s a stark reminder of his strength, and rather than frightening me, it sends a thrill of excitement instead.

Instinctively, I wrap my arms around his neck and tuck my head against his shoulder. From this vantage point, I can feel the rapid beat of his heart, smell the intoxicating scent of his skin. I’m still breathless from our kiss, my mind reeling from the intensity of it all as I tighten my legs around his waist. He grips me with those arms, his palms splaying over the expanse of mybehind. Even that makes a skitter of electricity shoot straight to my core.

I tell myself I’m not this easy. That these simple touches shouldn’t affect me so. That I need to resist this, whatever it is. But another part of me is suddenly defenseless.

Tovan turns, facing into the wind and I press more into him, shielding myself against his hardness. I can feel the tension in his muscles as he braces himself against the gale. For a moment, I worry that even his strength won’t be enough against this wind. But then he’s moving, each step deliberate and sure, carrying us both back towards the safety of my cottage.

The journey seems both endless and far too short. Part of me wants to stay like this forever, safe in Tovan’s arms, sheltered from the storm. Another part is eager to reach the cottage, to safety. And yet, another part is terrified of both.

There are a thousand reasons why this is a bad idea.

A thousand reasons and a million lessons in the past as to why I should end this here. End it now.

As Tovan carries me across the porch, as he kicks the door open and we step inside away from the storm, I expect him to set me down. That I’ll get a moment to breathe and think clearly.

I’m wrong.

Tovan presses me against the door as soon as it closes, caging his body between my thighs as my back presses into the wood. Outside, the wind rages. A loud howl that screams through the windows. But not even that can pull my attention away from this moment. For a beat, we stand like that, both breathing heavily, the air between us charged with enough electricity to create a thunderstorm. Tovan’s eyes search mine, seeking permission. Reassurance.

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