Page 20 of Shielded Heart

“You don’t mind me calling you, then?”

“The only thing I would rather be doing right now isseeingyou, Samantha.” He leaned back in his chair and lifted one leg, settling his ankle over his opposite knee.

“You could,” she said, and, after a gasp, hurried to add, “I mean that the holocoms have that option, not that that we needed to meet up, but… I mean, wecouldif you wanted and…” She groaned, and her next words were slightly muffled, as though she were covering her mouth. “Oh, I’m babbling.”

Fully aware of his state of dress—he wore only a loincloth, which would be below the optical receptor—Arcanthus moved his hands behind his head, locked his fingers together, and curled his long tail forward, flicking the command to enable image sharing.

“You’re…oh.” A moment later, Samantha’s image appeared in front of him. “Oh!”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, with her long brown hair hanging loose around her face. One of her shoulders was bare. She lay on her front atop a bed, the blanket rumpled around her, with the fabric clenched in one fist.

Arc’s grin widened; not only was her exposed shoulder more than he’d seen of her body thus far—the most tantalizing bit of flesh he’deverseen—but she was in bed, in the dark. A wave of desire coursed through his veins, making his cock stir. “Handsome? Ravishing? Enticing? Please, stop me, or I’ll go on for a long while…and I’d much rather talk aboutyou.”

Her eyes dipped, and interest sparked within them.

“Gorgeous…” she breathed, then quickly covered her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

“I can. What’s harder to believe is that you seem unaware of your own beauty.”

She lowered her hand to the bedding. Her pink lips fell into a frown as she looked away. “You don’t need to lie to me, Alkorin.”

Dropping his raised foot to the floor and his elbows onto the desk, Arc leaned forward, closer to the optical receptor. “Look at me, Samantha.”

She hesitated but did as he asked.

“I’ve told many lies in my time. I cannot deny that. Truth has not always been my friend. But when I say this to you, it is meant with more sincerity than I can rightly express: you are the most beautiful female I have ever seen.”

Samantha ducked her head, and her hair shifted to partly shield her face from view. “I really don’t know what to say around you.”

He shrugged, forcing his arms to remain on the desk; his urge to reach toward her image was a foolish one, and it would only disappoint him when his fingers passed through the hologram. He wanted to show her just how beautiful she was. He wanted totouchher.

“You can sayanythingyou want, Samantha.”

“It felt easier before. When…when you couldn’t see me. Or, at least, I thought it was easier. But…” Her gaze returned to him. “I like seeing you.”

“If one of us is going to be self-conscious, shouldn’t it be me? I’m underdressed for the conversation, it would seem.”

“I’m…not wearing much else, either,” she replied, cheeks turning red.

His eyes widened, and one corner of his mouth tilted farther upward. “I just learned something new about you, Samantha.”

“What did you learn?”

“That you enjoy teasing me.”

“That I—? I was just—” She covered her face and lowered it into the bedding. Her new position gave Arcanthus a fleeting glimpse of the curve of her lush bottom, clad in the white fabric of her underwear.

Arcanthus caught his lower lip between his teeth and only held in a groan by exerting all his willpower. The tip of his cock extruded farther out of his slit, straining painfully against his loincloth’s under wrapping.

Whether it was intentional or not—and it really didn’t seem to be—shewasteasing him. And it was the most exquisite torture he’d ever experienced.

But it was too much; if this continued, he would either scare her away or become aroused to the point at which he’d be unable to control himself. He doubted she would appreciate him stroking his shaft in front of her.

Though, based on the heat that had been in her gaze when it trailed over his bare chest…perhaps shewouldappreciate it.

Finesse, Arcanthus. This requires finesse.

“You never answered me before, little terran,” he said. “Iseverything all right?”

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