The curtain of leaves started to spin slowly, then faster and faster. An image of a carnival swing ride popped into her head. The once-arching branches became horizontal with the force of their rotation. They kept spinning, now moving upward like a tornado, the tube of the twister growing narrower and narrower until the branches formed two vertical cylinders right above the twisted trunks of the tree.
Alice was both afraid and excited to see what would happen next. She leaned against Luka and gripped his knees. Placing his palms over her hands, he lifted them and crossed their overlapped arms around her abdomen. In essence, he was hugging her against his body without ever touching her waist. A corner of her mouth lifted at the clever workaround.
When the massive trunks of the tree began to unwind, all bets were off. Alice scooted back as far as she could and tried to stand so she could get away from the gargantuan creature emerging before them. Luka held her fast and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’ve got you. They won’t hurt us.”
“They? What is it?” she breathed.
“A mated manta pair. Our city is named after them.”
She watched in astonishment as two separate creatures emerged. Like a shot, the swirling green leaves were sucked down into the trunks. After a moment, the trunks themselves lowered and they stood, quietly ingesting their meal.
Luka spoke again at her ear. “They send their tongues out to catch wandering insects. The green bits that look like leaves are incredibly sticky. Sometimes they’ll stay frozen in place for days, waiting until they sense they have a full meal.”
Now moving and not pretending to be a tree, she found that the creatures were not so scary. Once relaxed, their long trunks made them look similar to stubby-legged, camouflaged elephants. As she watched, the larger of the two manta rubbed its trunk against the other. Alice tilted her head. The touch almost looked loving.
“When they’re alone, their leaves are sparse and they can’t catch as much food, but when they find a partner, they stand together, creating a full, thick canopy.” He nuzzled her ear gently. “They mate for life.”
Ah, shit. She was curled up in his lap, and he was telling her love stories. How the hell had this happened? It’s like they were watching a nature documentary together. This was supposed to be serious research for my job, not Netflix and chill!
Now done with their meal, she witnessed the two manta inch their way back in place, lifting their trunks and twisting them together gracefully.
Luka gave her a gentle squeeze. “This part is fun.”
Before she could ask what he meant, the green shoots exploded out of their trunks like a firework, making Alice jump. If he weren’t holding her, she would’ve probably cleared the ground.
A laugh rumbled through his chest, and she chuckled with him.
This felt good. She liked laughing with him. They’d had a wonderful afternoon together, and he’d kept his word except for a few brushes against her ear and the hands on her head. He’d definitely bent the rules, she thought as she reclined against his chest, but he hadn’t broken them, and she found she enjoyed his tricksy side.
When her pounding heartbeat slowed, she relaxed into him, allowing his body to envelop her. His arms tightened around her as he let out an exhale. Had he been holding his breath? A purr rumbled through him, and she grinned.
Chapter 18
Luka’s chest felt permanently expanded. She’s allowing me to hold her! Leaning into his hold, even.
Earlier when she’d told him her rules, he’d been bewildered. His plan was to entice her to be with him through the pleasure he could give her. That plan wouldn’t work if she didn’t allow him to touch her.
She’d said she wanted to base her decision off his personality. Luka wasn’t known for his personality. He liked to be by himself. Working alone in his home was second only to being out in the reserve. He knew how to charm a female with compliments and how to please her, but few females cared to get to know a male as a companion. It would make it harder for them to move on and procreate with others, so he’d never held the fact against them.
The idea that Alice might not like who he was at his core frightened him more than he could say. But, if that was what his mate needed, that was what he’d provide. He’d decided, after his disastrous attempt to court her favor by pleasuring her, to try and be himself. He’d shown her the animals he loved and had talked endlessly about the reserve. Never once had she acted uninterested or bored. He’d even teased her with dead insects.
Making her come had brought him pure masculine satisfaction, but knowing that she liked who he was made him feel…so much more.
They sat there together, watching the swaying manta in silence. Emotion swelled in his throat when he felt her breaths grow slow and even. She trusted him enough to fall asleep wrapped in his arms. If it were up to him, he’d gladly stay just like this, holding her until the sun came up, but the cold creeping over her bare legs forced his hand.
For a moment, Luka sat frozen, not knowing what to do. He wanted her to trust him, and she’d made him agree not to touch her anywhere except the areas she’d mentioned, but waking her rather than lifting her and carrying her back to the cruiser seemed wrong.
A loud baeder croak sounded, causing her to bolt awake. He watched her take in her surroundings, wondering if she’d be upset that he’d held her for so long.
She peered back
