Her shoulders dropped, and she unclenched her fists. “You’re in the green water again. Did you get hurt?”
I shook my head. “I am not as young a Raas as I used to be, and it has been long since we have raided non-stop like this. The aches will fade.”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry I flipped out on you. I guess I got too excited and didn’t think that you’d be exhausted from fighting all day.”
“Flipped out?”
She gave me a shy smile. “It’s an Earth phrase my sister liked to use. Vintage Earth slang was a hobby of hers. It means I overreacted.”
“I am the one who is sorry.” Even as I said it, I was struck by the fact that I was apologizing to a human. As a Raas, I never apologized—to anyone. But I was apologizing to Juliette, and I meant it. “I would like to see what you made if you still wish to give it to me.”
Her gaze went to the floor. “It isn’t anything fancy, but I thought—“
I stepped out of the pool and walked to the drying vents, pressing a button and letting the warm air whoosh up around my feet. When I was dry, I turned but found that Juliette was no longer in the room. Then I remembered human’s embarrassment at bare flesh.
I proceeded to the bedroom, grabbing a length of fabric to wrap around my waist and joining her on the pallet next to the table. Her gaze was locked on the domes covering the table, but she let out a breath when she glimpsed the cloth around my waist.
“Like I said, it isn’t anything elaborate, and I couldn’t find all the ingredients I usually use, but I thought you might enjoy it.”
“You cooked?”
She lifted one of the domes to reveal a stack of puffy, golden-brown rolls covered in sparkling granules. “I baked.”
Aside from the bread knots that were served with some meals and the flat bread we used to scoop up our stews, Vandar cuisine consisted of little bread, and almost nothing sweet.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
“I have never closed my eyes while eating. Is this a human custom?”
“It’s what you do when you’re tasting a surprise.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I had never tasted anything that would be considered a surprise. Reluctantly, I closed my eyes.
“Now open your mouth,” she ordered.
I remembered what Taan had said about seducing females with food. These breads did not seem like they would drip on us, but I could try something else. “Only if you sit on my lap.”
“What?” Her voice was hesitant.
“You have your rules. I have mine.” I opened my eyes slightly and pulled her so that she was sitting sideways on my lap. “Besides, it will make it easier for you to feed me your surprises.”
“Okay,” she gave me a small smile, “but eyes closed and mouth open.”
I did as she requested, shifting her weight on me so that she wouldn’t feel my cock twitch to life. Before I could think too long about how good she felt on me, she was pushing a bite between my lips.
“Now chew.”
Her order was superfluous, as I was already eagerly devouring the yeasty sweet bread. It was both richly savory and sweet, the combination of flavors delicious. I kept my eyes closed as I husked out, “More.”
She gave me another bite, this one of a crackling bread that was even sweeter, crumbs shattering on my lips as I bit down. I moaned as I swallowed.
“You like them?”
I opened my eyes to see her beaming at me. “I’ve never tasted anything like it before.”
“I noticed that the Vandar aren’t big into dessert, but I thought that if anyone deserved a treat it would be you.”
No one had ever told me that I deserved something like a “treat,” which wasn’t even a word that existed in Vandar. “No one has ever made me something like this before.”
“Never? Not even on your birthday?”
I tilted my head at her. “Vandar do not celebrate the day of our birth. We will celebrate a battle, but with ale, not treats like this.”
“That’s too bad.”
I agreed with her. It was too bad. Suddenly, I ached for her to stay with me and share more of her strange customs.
Juliette took a bit of the crunchy bread and crumbs cascaded onto her lap and mine. “This is a bit messier than ale.”
“Not the way Vandar drink.” I brushed some of the crumbs off her lips. She went still, her gaze moving to mine, and her breath hitching in her chest.
My gaze slid to her lips, where a few sugary crumbs still clung. Leaning forward, I kissed them off so softly my skin barely feathered across hers. “You taste as sweet as your breads.”
She let out a quiet whimper as I kissed her again, this time parting her lips slightly with my tongue.
When I pulled back, her eyes were half-lidded with desire. “Juliette?”
She scored her fingers through my hair and tugged my head back to hers. “More.”
I curled my arm around her waist, flattening her body to mine and making a raw sound as our mouths crashed into each other. Whatever fear or timidness she’d felt before seemed to vanish as she rocked into me, our tongues swirling. She met every stroke of my tongue with an eager one of her own, and the warm sweetness of her mouth made me lightheaded. Need storming through me, and my cock strained against the fabric encircling my waist.
After we’d kissed for so long my lips felt bruised, I pulled away from her, heaving in breaths.
“Is something wrong, Raas?” she
