Page 80 of Theirs to Crave

The knife was just my size.

My shaking fingers fit around the buttery leather grip with ease. The blade—when I pulled it free—was as long as my hand from wrist to fingertip. It was carved from the same semi-transparent obsidian-like stone all the Teterayuh’s knives were, but when I turned it, the knife shone like a bottle of Coke in the sun. The others I’d seen ranged from a milky gray to charcoal.

I looked from the knife to Revik, unable to close my mouth or form a single word.

A slow smile showed me a hint of sharp teeth. He ran a fingertip down the blade, then—looking deeply into my eyes—caressed ever so gently across the upper curve of my cheek. “Toum lez ha’alta.”

I’m pretty sure pink cartoon hearts were dancing over my head. I wasn’t a big enough person to feel bad about the grumpy things I’d thought about him throughout the day—my abandonment trauma needed a “goodbye” in the morning at the very least and I’d long since made peace with that—but since he’d busted his alien ass to not only bring home groceries, butalsomake me a knife that matched my Goddamn eyes, I could forgive him this time.

“Thank you,” I said, looking up at him through my eyelashes. I wanted to cuddle the knife and Revik both, but I was a little afraid I’d end up bloody. Speaking of—I sheathed the blade, looking between Revik’s wide, weapon-bedecked chest and the collection of straps attached to my new shiny stabby. To my eye, great big boobs and the Teterayuh method of knife wearing didn’t seem super compatible.

Revik huffed, eyes sparkling, and took the harness. After a little fiddling—during which I stayed perfectly still, trying not to breathe or suck in my stomach as his heat and spicy, earthy scent surrounded me—he had it tied securely at my hip. What I’d thought had been several straps turned out to be one long belt that circled my waist twice.

It felt...sexy. The wrap emphasized my tummy and waist in a way I’d never have had the nerve to do back on Earth, confident as I was. So many people didn’t recognize beauty when it walked past them, but were happy to make their ignorance my problem. It was exhausting.

Revik’s hand wrapped around my thigh. My thoughts sizzled into a puff of steam, gone in an instant.

He growled, tugging, and I widened my stance jerkily, staring down at his head. Revik was so close I could feel his breath through my skirt.He slipped his hand between my thighs.

I wobbled, bracing myself with a fist in his hair.Oh, fuck, oh fuck.

His fur was velvety soft against my inner thighs, and I didn’t waste a single brain cell acknowledging the sting from my chub rub as I trembled, focused on his smallest movement.

Revik’s big hands worked between my legs, bumping against me, spreading me further. I bit back a whimper. We’d alljustagreed to put a hold on the flirting...but a little orgasm between friends was okay, right?

Something tightened around my thigh, the sensation making my eyes flutter closed. Then Revik pulled back, grunting, and they popped back open.

A pair of straps connected the sheath to my thigh now, wrapping around with the ends hanging on the outside of my knee. My emotions were playing tug-of-war in my chest. On the one hand: hot. On the other: Revik’s berry-picking tongue wasso closeto where I wept to feel it that I might actually die.

“Uhhh, good.” I forced the words past the horny battle being waged in my chest, and they came out breathy. “Thank you, Revik.”

His hands closed around the backs of my thighs, and he swayed closer. His nostrils flared as he inhaled, his clawed fingers pressing into my soft flesh.

“Thank you,” he purred.

Sploosh.

Revik’s head tilted. His fingers tightened, pulling my legs apart more, and a low growl rolled out of him. “Estrayuh hurt?” His eyes jumped to mine as Zafett and Litha made sounds of alarm behind us. “What hurt?”

Zafett pushed Revik to the side, taking his place in front of me. I covered my face with a hand as he lifted my skirt, getting a closer look at my reddened inner thighs.

“Estrayuh?” Litha’s fingers curled around my palm, tugging.

I sighed and met her concerned gaze. “Not bad hurt.” I didn’t have the words to explain the effects of thick thighs, friction, and jungle humidity, so I patted Zafett’s hand away and rubbed my thighs together, wincing with a little extra drama.

Understanding lit Zafett’s warm yellow eyes. A stream of complex Teterayuh later, Litha relaxed and Revik strode into the bedroom.

Zafett pulled my attention back to him with a touch on my thigh. He rubbed his hands together, jerkily, making them catch and drag against each other. “Bad, hurt,” he said, shaking his head. He dipped a finger into the glossy purple pot Revik held out and rubbed his hands together again. This time the movement was smooth, easy, and he smiled. “Good. No hurt.”

A low thrum came from Revik, who curved his hand down Zafett’s back, cupping his ass. “Very good.”

Oh!Ohhh. That was a picture for the spank bank.

Zafett’s ears flattened, and his tail curled around Revik’s leg in a silky caress as he handed me the pot. “Tov.Hellt. Stop hurt.”

Alien lube as a treatment for chub rub? Why not? It wasn’t even the weirdest thing I’d tried this week.

Chapter 24

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