I was just aware of how hungry I was becoming for the male standing opposite me.

I wanted him to take me.

Right here, right now.

But with his recent experience, how could I make him see that he wouldn’t scare me away?

That I was a whole lot tougher than his last mate and could put up with anything he dished out?

“Would you like another refill?” he asked.

He took my glass and his finger stroked my hand as he did so, sending a pulse of electricity through me.

That’s it, I knew. I can’t wait any longer.

I had waited months already to be alone with a virile alien male and now I was here, I was wasting time.

I didn’t want to wait a second longer than I had to.

I consoled myself with the knowledge that whatever happened here, in this room, it would never be learned about back home.

That was so freeing, so unexpected, that I could hardly describe it.

The knowledge that no one would ever know what I got up to, would ever know how I behaved…

That it was between Yaltah and me only, that we would be here together in this room for just seven days for a single purpose, meant there was no need to hold back or stand on ceremony or concern ourselves with what society might think.

There was no shame here.

Especially since he wasn’t aware of what human cultures were like anyway.

I could be myself.

My real self.

Suddenly steeled by that knowledge, I waited as he took my glass from me, turned, and approached the drinks cabinet once more.

I slipped the spaghetti strands of my negligee from my shoulders and let it slide to the floor.

“You know,” Yaltah said, filling my glass, “maybe after you’re done here, you might want to take a trip to the capital city and—”

He turned.

And froze.

8

YALTAH

She looks more magnificent than I had imagined — and I seemed to have a vivid imagination when it came to her body.

Her negligee left very little to the imagination but even I couldn’t picture how truly gorgeous she looked beneath it.

She gnawed on her bottom lip and clutched her long hair between her hands, and rubbed at her ankle with a foot.

Her breasts were bulbous and large, the nipples already hard.

She didn’t look at me but instead focused on the front of my pants.