Page 63 of Secretly Abducted
Something shifts in Sar'na's expression. "You truly mean to stay. To be a farmer."
"I mean to be whatever makes sense for us," I correct. "If that's farming, then yes. If Vel'aan wanted to go back to the compatibility program, I'd support that too. The point is being together."
"And you've eaten slime pods for us," Kar'on adds with a grin. "That's true dedication."
"Those were horrific," I admit, making him laugh.
"They really are," Sar'na confesses. "I wanted to see if you'd refuse our food."
"You fed me something you don't even like?"
"It was a test," she says simply. "You passed."
"By eating snot?"
"By not complaining. By not making faces. By respecting our culture even when it was unpleasant."
I look at Vel'aan, who is glowing soft gold with affection. "Your family is devious."
"You have no idea," he agrees.
"We should go," Tav'ik announces, standing. "You have work to complete."
As they gather their things, Sar'na pauses near me. "The fermented zhik'ra was impressively handled. Most vomit."
"I have a strong stomach."
"You'll need it. Vel'aan's cooking is terrible."
They leave with less formality than yesterday, and I can feel through the bond that Vel'aan is relieved but also pleased.
"They like you," he says once they're gone.
"They tolerate me."
"For my family, that's practically love." He swims over, pulling me close. "Now, where were we before they interrupted?"
"Oh no," I laugh. "The slime pods killed any chance of morning sex. I may never be aroused again."
"Really?" He presses against me, and despite my protests, my body responds immediately. "The bond says otherwise."
"The bond is a traitor."
"The bond is honest." His hand slips between us, palming me through my shorts. "And it says you still want me."
"I always want you," I admit. "Even when I'm traumatized by breakfast."
He glances around, checking the distance to other farmers. They're far enough away, focused on their own sections. "Here," he says, guiding me back to the platform support where we started this morning. "The angle hides us from view."
"You've thought about this."
"I've been thinking about it since they interrupted us." His bioluminescence is pulsing deep purple. "Being inside you while anyone could see. Trying to stay quiet. Trying to be careful when all I want is to take you hard."
"Fuck, Vel'aan." My hands are already pushing at his shorts. "When did you get so confident?"
"When I realized how much you love it." He stops my hands, pulling them away. "But not like that. Slow. We have time."
He kisses me, deep and thorough, nothing like the desperate rush of this morning. His tongue explores my mouth while his hands map my body underwater, relearning every line and plane like it's the first time.
