AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Was that why she had sent the others away? So they would not witness his shame in requiring assistance? Her thoughtfulness made his chest ache, but he still did not intend to admit to any weakness.
“I can –”
Ignoring his words, she slipped her arm beneath his head as he attempted to lift it and he found his face pressed against her shoulder, his mouth only inches away from her breast. She gave a startled laugh and he saw her nipple pebble beneath the thin cloth as his breath wafted across it.
“I didn’t really think this through, but I suppose this will work.” Her voice was breathless but determined as she raised the mug to his lips. “Here, drink.”
The liquid distracted him and he drank thirstily, draining the entire mug before she pulled it away. As she did, a last drop of water fell on her shirt, rendering the thin fabric almost translucent and he couldn’t resist. His tongue slipped over to probe at the damp cloth and wrap around the taut nub beneath the fabric.
Her whole body shuddered as her scent changed, becoming richer and sweeter. For a second she seemed to lean closer, but then she hastily pulled away. Pink covered her face, just as it had covered the young male’s face the evening before. What did these color changes signify? In her case, it appeared to be embarrassment. She rose to her feet, needlessly brushing down her pants and avoiding his eyes.
“I’m going to make breakfast. I’ll bring you some.”
She fled the room and he stared after her. He should not have touched her in such a way, but with her sweet taste still lingering on his tongue and the memory of her response, however brief, he could not find it within himself to regret the transgression.
Weariness overcame him, but he smiled as his eyes closed.
CHAPTER9
Katerina fled back into the main room, carefully avoiding looking at Merry or Johnny as she moved over to the stove. Hopefully the warmth would dry her shirt before anyone noticed the wet spot. But even as the fabric dried, her nipples remained in stiff little buds. She had never experienced anything quite so erotic. His tongue had been far longer and more agile than a human tongue and when it had wrapped around her nipple, tugging on the stiff peak, it had sent a surge of arousal through her body. How could she be so attracted to someone who was so clearly not human?
It had been easier before when she thought of him as a fantasy, as if one of the stories in her books had come to life. Even when she first discovered him lying in the snow, his differences seemed irrelevant compared to the necessity of tending to him. But now that he appeared to be recovering, her curiosity was aroused.
Where had he come from? He had said he was Tandroki, but that meant nothing to her. She was aware that humans were descended from a group of colonists who had crashed on the planet many generations ago, although that knowledge was rapidly disappearing – and had disappeared already in some of the smaller and more insular villages. The larger towns were less restrictive, but even there the story of their origins was passing into myth. Her father had made sure that everyone in the caravan knew that it was not a topic to be discussed.
Was it possible that Jack had also come from another planet? It certainly made more sense that he was an alien rather than a mythical creature for one of her storybooks, although she still liked thinking of him as a snow prince. Perhaps he came from a frozen world and he had an ice palace like the one she had dreamed of, she thought with a smile.
A hand patted her hip, distracting her from her thoughts and she looked down to find Cecilia staring up at her, her mouth trembling.
“What’s the matter sweetheart?” she asked, picking up the little girl.
“Is it really almost the Longest Night?”
She thought for a moment. The caravan was usually back in their winter camp before the celebration, but they had been much further behind schedule than usual. At least in part because of her father’s determination to marry her off to Guyten, she thought bitterly. Now that she considered the matter, it was almost time for the festivities.
“Yes, I think so. In another week.”
Cecelia looked even more distressed.
“But how will Santa find us?”
The colonists’ holiday traditions were a mishmash of various customs but the idea of the mysterious stranger delivering presents on the Longest Night was one of the most popular.
“There is no such thing –” Johnny started to say.
“Because he’s magic,” she interrupted quickly. “He could find you anywhere.”
“Really?”
The hope on the little girl’s face was almost painful to see, but Katerina nodded firmly. Cecelia beamed at her, then wiggled to be let down and ran over to her brother.
“Why’d you tell her that?” Johnny muttered. “The sooner she learns that no one’s going to give her anything for nothing, the better off she’ll be.”
“She’s just a child. It doesn’t hurt to let her believe.”
“It will when he doesn’t show up.”
The sorrow on Johnny’s face was clearly visible beneath the scowl.
