Page 24 of Avery

Phial undoes his harness and jumps out of his seat so fast I don't even have a chance to fiddle with mine before he kneels in front of me, working to help me out. His fingers make quick work of my harness, unclasping the various buckles on my chest.

He's precise with his movements, making sure not to come into contact with any part of me. Not that I'd hate it, because I wouldn't, but I don't need to make things weird when they were just as normal as ever for the last few hours.

We managed to laugh and joke and talk just like we did before. I made things weird by asking him to help me out physically. Maybe that should be my sign that I need to stop asking so much from him. I want our easy friendship, and maybe having him help me get used to physical intimacy is hurting that friendship.

"I'm so proud of you," Phial says, pushing the harness from my shoulders and pulling me up out of my seat.

To my utter mortification, I can feel the air cooling the slick spot on my backside. I've been sitting in my own arousal for hours because as much as I want things to be normal, I still react way too strongly to Phial.

I push at his chest, wanting to sit back down, to hide how embarrassing this is for me. He releases me quickly, and I fall back into the seat.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

He kneels in front of me, his hands cupping my cheeks, his claws pressing softly against my temples. It would be frightening if it were anyone but Phial, but it's Phial who would never hurt me. His eyes scan over my features, my bright red cheeks, the wide eyes, the look of pure mortification.

"Did I do something? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

I shake my head, my tongue moving to my lips to lick at them and buy me some time. "I need a second on my own," I barely manage to whisper the words, but Phial is close, and he understands them well enough.

"Can I get you anything?" he asks, his voice so sincere that my heart is swelling.

I shake my head, embarrassed that if we sit like this much longer, he's going to figure out what's wrong with me. I shiftmy thighs, rubbing them together in a way that feels way too pleasant. Phial's eyes drop down to my lap, to the wiggling of my legs, and like a nightmare come to life, his eyes brighten in understanding.

He makes the soft chirping sound in his throat as his gaze darts back up to meet mine. He opens his mouth to say something, his scales shimmering from green back to blue, and then he closes his mouth and presses his lips together.

He leans in close to my face, his words breathy as he whispers like we're telling secrets. "Are you wet for me, or would you like to be alone?"

I whimper, needing to compose myself a little more before I respond. Phial keeps his face close, his eyes staring into mine like he can read my thoughts if he tries hard enough. I swallow a thick lump in my throat and manage to squeeze out a few words. "I'm wet for you."

Phial leans back, still kneeling between my chair and the dashboard. "Show me."

"Show you?" I ask, my face burning bright red.

I look around the room like I expect someone to walk in on us. As far as I know, we're both still locked in here.

My core throbs at the thought of being with Phial here, and I move my hands to the pendant tucked underneath my dress. I pull it out slowly, Phial watching it like he's mesmerized. My hands are shaky as I turn it to green, making sure he knows I want this, even if words are a little difficult for me. He chirps at me again, his scales shimmering quicker now.

"Put your feet on the dash and pull your dress up, Avery," Phial says, making it clear he's staying right between my legs so he can get the best possible look at my underwear when I spread myself for him. He keeps his hands to himself, resting against his knees as he waits patiently for me to do what he says.

I'm slow and shaky as I lift one of my legs, propping it against the edge of the dash on Phial's right side. He takes a deep breath, his eyes locked on mine. I bite my lip and lift the other leg, trapping Phial between my chair and the dashboard with my legs. My hands move to my skirt, and I start to pull it up, revealing more and more of myself.

"Phial!" Alik knocks on the door to the navigation pit, and Phial shoots up, his hand on his blaster before I can pull my legs back down and let out a quick shriek of distress.

"I'm going to kill everyone on this planet if I keep getting interrupted," Phial snarls under his breath.

He releases his hold on his blaster but keeps his body tense as he goes over to the door to the navigation room. I'm scared at first that he's going to open the door when I'm over here covered in slick, obviously aroused, and probably smelling like I could rut. There's a reason Holoth's been keeping his distance from me now that he has the pheromone blocker removed from his nose. I smell like sex all the time, and every single Rytharian can smell it.

"What?" Phial snaps as he speaks to the still-closed door.

"When you landed, one of the engines was making a weird sound," Alik says, his voice void of emotion.

If it were Jovi or Essa interrupting us right now, I might think they're just trying to annoy Phial, but since it's Alik, it's probably something serious. I turn around in my chair, looking over at Phial, who looks like he's having an internal struggle between being with me or going to check on the ship.

"Go," I tell him, giving him a small smile to tell him I'm serious.

I click the pendant off and tuck it back into my dress. Phial frowns at it but doesn't argue.

"Fine, give me a second," Phial says through the door.

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