Page 89 of The Alien's Private Redemption

"He thanked me for being willing to help hunt down your triggers in a situation that makes me uncomfortable. That is not quite the same."

"But he knows we're going to…" Angela trailed off. Despite her very willing participation in the dream with Zoric, she hadn't quite acknowledged what was going to happen in the waking world. It had all seemed like something that would happen in the future.

"It would seem you need to have an important conversation," Ae-cha said. "As it's not one I want to be part of, I'll excuse myself. Hopefully, I won't see either of you until tomorrow."

The lizardwoman walked into the house and Angela heard a door open and close, presumably with her on the other side.

The weight of expectation settled on Angela's shoulders and she could feel herself stagger beneath them. When she looked up at Zoric, she saw nothing but compassion in his eyes, and knew he could feel her conflicting emotions through their Bond.

"Ae-cha is correct, we should talk," he said, and held the door open to the house.

She expected him to lead her to the bedroom but he went to the kitchen instead. She sat on a stool at the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room and watched him search through the cupboards until he found a couple of glasses. He filled them with water and handed her one.

"I've been told this conversation should happen over coffee," he said casually. "But I didn't see any in the cupboards and I don't particularly care for the taste. Do you?"

"Do I what?" she asked. This was not the direction she'd expected the conversation to take and she'd been caught off guard by the question.

"Enjoy the taste of coffee," he said. She watched him drink from the glass, fascinated by the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

"I'm not sure it's a question of enjoying it," she answered. "It's a necessity, like air and water. And what kind of conversation is supposed to take place over coffee?"

"The kind where we discuss, like adults, how we would like to proceed with the relationship. Before we're drowned in hormones and desire, we should talk about what we want, and what our expectations are."

"Oh," she said. "I don't think I've ever done that before. It seems like a very civilized way to go about it."

She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice that he wasn't going to take her to bed and rip her clothes off. Not that she particularly wanted to be overwhelmed and told what to do, but she liked the idea that he desired her enough to do that.

"I thought so," he agreed. "So I'll start, if you don't mind?"

When she shook her head, he leaned forward on the counter.

"I would very much like to see you naked and taste every inch of you."

Her breath caught in her throat and she let out a breathy laugh. "I'd like to touch your skin and feel your scales with my fingers, my lips, and my breasts."

"I would like to make you breakfast in the morning," Zoric said. "Though I worry about my ability to cook you something you would like to eat. And I would like to have you in my bed at night, so I can taste you for dessert before we both collapse in satisfaction."

This was not the conversation she'd expected when he said they needed to talk. "All of that sounds lovely," she said.

"Now, tell me about your boundaries. Things you like, things you dislike, things you'd be willing to try?"

Angela relaxed into the conversation, using their Bond to send nuances to likes and dislikes that she'd never been able to convey to someone in the past. Every stated preference and desireraised the heat building between them until she was squirming on her stool, waiting for him to take her to bed.

Thankfully, he read her eagerness for what it was and stepped around the counter to pull her into his arms.

"There's something I'd like to try," he said. "And I've only managed it once. Are you willing to forgive me if I can't manage it?"

"Of course," she said. The hesitation and fear she felt from him hurt her in ways she hadn't realized were possible. How could he possibly think she would reject him now? After everything they'd been through?

He leaned forward, his mouth a breath away from hers, and shifted. Only his mouth and nose changed but they became softer, more human. With a hunger he'd never let her feel across their Bond before, he pulled Angela to his chest and crashed his mouth against hers.

Their lips and tongues danced, reveling in the taste and texture of each other, until Zoric lifted her up on the counter and pushed her thighs wide. A hard ridge stood out beneath his kilt and he rubbed it against the seam of her pants.

When she wrapped her legs around his waist, his hands slid under her ass, lifting her up and rubbing her against him. Angela broke the kiss with a gasp when the first flutters of ecstasy threatened to overwhelm her. His mouth changed back to his lizardman form and his tongue flicked out over her pulse in her neck.

"Bed. Now." she demanded and he didn't stop to ask if she was certain, he just lifted her and nearly sprinted to the bedroom.

Chapter 20

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