The sunlight wasn’t particularly bright, but it still took Reddix’s eyes a moment to adjust. He saw that they were in a small village filled with wooden huts—some small to normal sized, some very tiny that looked like they had been built for children or dolls, and a few huge ones that looked more like facilities for keeping immense animals.
“That’s the kids’ part of the village,” Nina said, following his gaze to the big huts. “They mostly keep them over there to keep the little ones from trampling the town like Godzilla.”
“Who?” he frowned.
“A big scaly movie monster that liked to flatten cities,” Nina said. “If you’d ever promise to take me back to Earth I’d take you to see some classic monster movies—they have them sometimes at the Tampa Theater. They’re a lot of fun if you don’t mind the cheesy acting and terrible special effects.”
“Sounds…interesting,” Reddix said doubtfully.
“It is.” Nina smiled. “Sitting in the darkness in a classic old theater, eating hot buttered popcorn and watching a black and white monster destroy Tokyo—it’s a lot of fun.”
“I don’t know about a monster destroying things or eating hot buddered pockorn, whatever that is, but I’d welcome the chance to sit in the dark with you any time,” Reddix murmured, looking at her.
“Oh.” Her cheeks got pink, and she turned away quickly. “Come on, we’d better go. It’s freezing out here.”
It felt pretty temperate to Reddix, but he followed her willingly enough to a round wooden building at the center of the town. He was apprehensive as Nina swung open the tall wooden door, but when he saw that the interior was empty except for a large steaming pool of pale purple water, he relaxed.
“Here we go. And it looks like we have the place entirely to ourselves.” Nina looked pleased as she settled onto a sturdy gray wooden bench. “Well, go on.” She nodded at the pool. “It’s really shallow until you reach the halfway point. Then it gets pretty deep—I guess so they can wash the kids in there.”
“All right.” Reddix looked around. “Should I just undress here?”
“No, of course not,” she said quickly. “See over there behind the wooden partitions? They have restroom facilities and a changing area. Towels too. You can, um, wrap one around your waist.”
Reddix went behind the wooden partitions to the far side of the steaming pool and relieved himself before stripping down. Then he grabbed a soft furry gray towel and wrapped it around his waist and came back to the pool.
Nina was watching him as he walked out with the towel draped low around his hips, but she looked away hurriedly when he got to the edge of the water and dropped it. He slipped into the pool which came up to his waist at its lowest point and sighed in delight as the warm water caressed him.
“It like the bathing pools they have aboard the Mother Ship,” he remarked, wading out deeper. “Only a hell of a lot bigger.” He ducked down and submerged himself briefly in the slight current. “Any soap?” he asked, coming up and shaking his long wet hair out of his eyes.
“Those little round rock looking things around the edge at intervals are soap,” Nina said. “They work really well.”
“Great.” Reddix found one that did look exactly like a rock, but when he rubbed it against his chest, it lathered up at once, releasing mounds of pale grayish-pink suds. “This feels amazing,” he groaned, working it into his hair. “I haven’t had a shower since the night I…”
“Since the night you snatched me?” Nina asked quietly.
“Well…yes.” He frowned and rinsed his hair.
“I love it in the big bath pool,” she confessed, changing the subject to his relief. “I’ve been out here twice already thought I didn’t get to spend much time.”
“You didn’t like bathing with the aliens?” Reddix asked, wringing some of the water out of his hair. Gods, it was really too long, and his face was covered in a scratchy, full beard which needed to go.
Nina shook her head. “I didn’t like leaving you alone. I didn’t know what might happen if you woke up and I wasn’t there.”
He was touched all over again by the way she’d watched over him when he was helpless. She was too good to him—truly a female with a pure heart. He opened his mouth to thank her, but just then the door opened again, and five of the furry aliens came in, waving their tentacles and chatting to each other.
There was almost no physical noise except for a few clicks and chirps which seemed to be the Feeling People’s only spoken vocabulary. But the emotional outpouring was deafening to Reddix. It felt like someone was simultaneously blasting incredibly loud music in his ears and blinding him with bursts of super bright light.
He cursed and staggered backward, into the deeper water. Though he was a strong swimmer, the intense overload of emotion-thoughts made him disoriented. Before he knew it, his head was slipping under. He fought his way back to the surface, choking and gasping. It was like trying to swim in a pool of poison—he couldn’t see, couldn’t think…
“Reddix!” Suddenly, Nina was right beside him, splashing into the water fully clothed. She got an arm around his neck and tried to drag him up which was difficult since Reddix could tell she couldn’t touch the bottom at this depth.
“All right. I’m all right.” He stroked for shallower water and gulped air. “As long as you keep touching me I’ll be okay,” he told her as they came to the place in the pool where they could stand.
“Sure.” She took his hand and entwined their fingers with a tight grip. “Are you clean enough? Can we leave now?”
He nodded, relieved she wanted to go. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nina made some polite remarks to the aliens that he barely caught, and they climbed out of the pool together. She kept holding his hand but blushed and looked away as Reddix bent to retrieve his towel. It was hard draping it around his hips with one hand, and he wound up just holding it in front of him as they shuffled awkwardly around behind the wooden partition.
“Sorry,” Nina mumbled as he attempted to dry himself with one hand without exposing too much. “I’m, uh, trying not to look.”
“I don’t care if you look,” Reddix growled softly and realized it was true. How long had it been since he’d felt that way about a pretty girl staring at him? How long since he’d been free to expose himself to anyone without having to feel their lust coat his skin like cool slime? He found he liked the short, shy glances Nina was stealing at him as he dried his naked body. And for his part, he was having a hard time not looking at the way her wet dress clung to her, outlining her tight nipples and the tender V of her sex.
“I guess we’d better get going before more people come in,” she said, still not looking at him directly.
“Shouldn’t you dry off too?” Reddix asked. “You were just saying how cold you get.”
“Well…” She bit her lip, clearly uncertain, but she was already shivering.
“It’s okay.” He turned away from her though he was still holding her hand. “I won’t look.”
Nina seemed to make up her mind. “Okay.” She nodded. “Just hand me that towel…”
Reddix handed it to her and looked away though he was dying to see her lush body naked. He waited, the damp towel slung around his hips, as she fumbled with her dress. She seemed to be taking forever. Finally, he heard her give a soft, frustrated curse.
“Problem?” he said, still resisting the urge to look at her. “Need some help?”
“It’s this damn dress. I’m really not that much of a seamstress—it’s really just a glorified toga sewn together at the side and knotted at the shoulder. Only I can’t…get…the damn knot…loose.” She appeared to be jerking at the offending knot with every word but without much success.
“Let me help,” Reddix said, turning back to her.
“Oh, I don’t know…” Her cheeks were pink all over again. He admired her modesty, but he was getting tired of standing around in a wet towel.
“It’ll be all right,?
?? he assured her. “I won’t look below your neck—I promise.”
“Well…all right. But hurry.”
“I’ll go as fast as I can. Just keep one hand on me so I can work on the knot,” he said.
Nina turned to him and put one soft little hand on his chest. Reddix felt a shiver run through him, but he fought not to show it and concentrated on the wet knot at her shoulder.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured as he worked. “How can you be so warm all the time?”
He shrugged. “I’m just bigger than you—I run hotter. Give off more body heat.”
“You certainly do,” she murmured, and he realized that she was staring at him, taking in his half naked body the way he was trying not to take in hers. For the first time in years the feeling of a woman’s eyes on him gave him pleasure instead of pain. Reddix felt himself go hard under the thin, damp towel he wore, but he forced himself to keep working. At last, the stubborn knot gave way, and the sodden blanket dress fell in a heap at her feet.
“There you go,” he murmured. And though he tried not to, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at her—her high breasts with their tight dark nipples, her curving waist and full hips. Her lush, heart-shaped ass…
“I thought you promised not to look.” Nina’s voice was breathless, but he noticed she made no move to cover herself.
“You promised the same thing, but you’ve been looking at me this whole time,” he pointed out softly. “Gods, you’re beautiful, Nina.”
“Th-thank you.” Her cheeks went deep pink again which only made her more beautiful as far as Reddix as concerned. “I…we should probably get going.” She reached for her towel with one hand, keeping the other planted firmly on his chest.
“Here—let me.” Reddix wrapped the furry towel around her, securing it in front with a quick knot. “Now do mine,” he said. “I think it’s slipping.”
Biting her lip, Nina quickly readjusted the towel he was wearing, clearly trying to ignore the hard bulge just under the thin fabric. Reddix put a hand on her slim shoulder to keep skin-to-skin contact, but he would much rather have touched her other places. His hands itched to palm her full breasts, to run down her sides and cup her lush ass. He’d never wanted a female so badly in his life.
She’s not for you, he reminded himself, keeping his hand on her shoulder through sheer force of will. Not now and not ever. You don’t deserve her so just leave her alone.
Which would be easier to do if he couldn’t tell she wanted him too. But the sweet, feminine scent of her arousal was in the air, filling his senses, making him long to press between her legs and taste her need right at the source. To spread her sweet pussy lips and lick her honey, thrusting his tongue deep inside her to get every last drop. Gods, he was losing his mind here…
At last when he thought he couldn’t stand another minute, Nina finished and took his hand.
“Let’s go,” she murmured. “I think your towel will hold up—for now.”
“Right behind you,” Reddix growled hoarsely. He wondered if they would be sleeping in the same room and then realized that of course they would have to. Gods, how would he make it through the rest of the day and the night keeping his hands to himself? How could he stop himself when he was so hungry for her, so starved to touch and be touched? And not just by anyone—it was Nina he hungered for and Nina alone.
You’ll just have to manage, he lectured himself sternly. Just keep it together and leave her be, damn it. She’s not for you!
* * * * *
Nina could feel his silver eyes on her as she led him back to their room. God, what was going on with her? She’d been blatantly staring at him back there when he was practically naked—not that he hadn’t been staring at her too. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
You are not doing this, she told herself firmly as they made their way back down the long corridor to the room they’d been assigned in the guest hut. You are absolutely not falling for the man who kidnapped you. It’s crazy!
But she couldn’t get the way he’d been looking at her out of her head. Couldn’t ignore how warm his hand was or pretend her heart wasn’t pounding every time she touched him.
Yes you can, eecho, Mehoo-Jimmy’s voice lectured her. You just keep your distance from him. He hasn’t even promised to take you back home yet. Don’t fall in love with a man you can’t trust.
Nina lifted her chin as they entered their small room. Mehoo-Jimmy’s voice, which she knew was simply her own common sense talking, was right. She needed to put some distance between herself and the big Kindred. Accordingly, she let go of his hand and went to find one of the other “dresses” she’d made herself while he was unconscious. She took it around the corner of the fireplace, where there was some privacy, and pulled it over her head before dropping the towel.
“Hey,” he murmured from right behind her.
Nina jumped and gave a little squeak of surprise as she turned around.
“Don’t do that,” she gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “You scared me to death.”
“Sorry,” Reddix said apologetically. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I was just going to ask about getting something else to wear and maybe that shave and haircut you promised me.” He rubbed a hand over his chin, producing a rasping sound. “I’m a lot shaggier than even I like, and this damn beard itches.”
“Oh, of course,” Nina said quickly grabbing another light blue fur blanket. “You’ll have to give me some time to sew something together for you—or you can just wear a blanket like a kilt until we have time to wash your regular clothes.”
“Don’t know what a kilt is, but I suppose I can drape it around my waist like the towel.” He took the blanket she was holding out to him and let the towel drop.
Nina looked quickly away. Of course she’d seen his equipment before, but this was different. Before at least he’d been mostly clothed. Now he was naked and muscular in the firelight. Beads of water still stood on his broad shoulders, and as she watched from the corner of her eye, one of them slid down the flat, muscular plane of his chest and rippled over his washboard abs in a most distracting way.
Damn it, why couldn’t she stop looking at him? Maybe because he was so freaking hot he made her feel like melting into a little puddle at his feet. Were all the Kindred this big and built? There wasn’t a spare ounce of flesh on him anywhere—it was all rock hard muscle and smooth, tan skin.
“…to sit?” he said.
“I’m sorry?” She blinked up at him, trying to meet that blazing silver gaze.
“I said, where do you want me to sit? For my ‘personal grooming session.’” He gave her half a grin which made Nina smile back.
“Um, there’s a chair thing around here somewhere.” She grabbed it from the other side of the fireplace—a heavy wooden thing she had to struggle to lift.
“Here, let me.” Reddix lifted it easily with one hand. “Where do you want it?”
“Right in front of the fireplace so I can see what I’m doing,” Nina directed. “Then just have a seat. I’ll get everything ready.”
She bustled around, laying out the scissors and shaving kit which was actually a really nice one although the Kindred razor looked kind of strange. She’d played with it some earlier and found that it emitted its own shaving gel which evaporated, leaving a thin film of water to wipe off as you shaved.
It was an awesome invention, and Nina had used it on her legs, loving the fact that she didn’t have to be in the shower to shave. Now she changed the blade and then put it back down on the towel she’d laid out on the bed. She needed to cut his hair while it was still damp so she would save the shaving for last.
Finally, she had everything the way she wanted it. She turned to Reddix, who was sitting patiently before the fire with the fur blanket knotted around his waist.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let me just get a towel around your shoulders so we don’t get hair all down your back.” She draped a still-damp towel around his
broad bare shoulders and picked up the scissors. “How much should I take off? Do you want it short?”
“Not too short,” he said cautiously.
“Fine.” Nina shrugged. “Short, long…with a face like yours, you could get away with almost anything.”
“That’s the problem—my face,” he growled. “Don’t want people looking at me.”
“Because…?” Nina looked at him uncertainly. “Does it have to do with your RTS?”
“You’re Goddess-damned right it does. It’s not just touch that sets it off. I feel everything anyone feels when they look at me too. Touching just makes it worse.”
“But you’re so…I mean, your bone structure is perfect. And with those eyes…” Nina shook her head. “What I’m trying to say is, when people look at you, how could they be thinking about anything except how, uh…”
“How much they’d like to fuck me?” he asked bluntly.
“I was going to say how gorgeous you are,” Nina said softly and began snipping. “But yeah, I guess so.”
“I told you—positive emotions are as invasive as negative ones. Tell me something, how did you feel when that fat tub of guts you were treating right before I grabbed you asked you for sexual favors? Did you like it?”
“Who, Mr. Witherspoon?” Nina asked, frowning. “How do you know about him?”
“Dream-sharing,” he said shortly. “So did you like it when he propositioned you?”
“God, no! He’s disgusting. And the way he looks at me…I can almost feel his eyes crawling all over my skin. Ugh.”
“What if you could really feel them?” Reddix asked softly as she continued to cut. “What if you felt his lust for you like cold slime all over your body every time he looked at you? Or what if another female was jealous of how beautiful you are? What if you had to feel her jealousy like a thousand stinging insects on every inch of your skin? Would you like that?”
“No. No that would be…horrible,” Nina whispered, the scissors paused in mid-snip. “You told me a little about RTS that first night on the ship, but you never said—”