Page 27 of Rock Hard Alien

We merged into a mess of passionate breaths, whispers, touches. I drank it all in. Committed it to memory. And with every gentle swipe of her tongue, some of the bad memories were pushed away. She was healing me and she didn't even know the effect she was having on me.

When we finally broke apart, her cheeks were flushed and her breathing came in short, ragged bursts. A few small bloodstains surrounded her lips.

“Wow,” she gasped. “Do all gharrgoils kiss like that?”

I laughed. “I couldn't say. I've never kissed another male gharrgoil before. But I promise you that this was only a taste of what I can offer you.”

Her gaze flicked to my lap before she could control herself. I suppressed a satisfied smile. She wanted me. I felt it, could smell her arousal.

“I don't usually move this fast,” she admitted. “A peck on the cheek after the first date, at most. Not... this.”

I did not want to imagine her meeting other males. I had not even considered that she might have a partner already. Humans didn't mate for life. They tried, but it wasn't the same. But she wouldn't have kissed me like this if she had a mate already. She wouldn't. Right?

“Georgie,” I began slowly. “I have to ask. Is there another male in your life already? Or a female? Or a-”

“Stop. No. There isn't. Not anymore. And I've been far too busy for dating recently. It's just me and the fish.”

“The fish?”

“I have two carp in the pond behind the house. It used to be more, but they were taken by seagulls. Siegfried and Isolde. After the Wagner opera. But I suppose you don't know about any of that.”

I stroked her hair again. “No. I don't know. But I would like you to teach me. I have been watching humans for longer than I would like to recall, but they never stopped to explain what they were doing. Many things didn't make sense. And sometimes, I would fall asleep and not wake for several rotations. By then, things had changed. New people had moved into the castle. Technology had evolved. And then, after a long time, the tourists started coming.”

Georgie laughed. “The way you just said that makes me think you're not a fan of tourists.”

“They never stayed. They come, they take pictures, they leave. Many never even looked up. I'd hear fragments of their conversations, but I didn't have any context. Before, when people lived in the castle, I'd get to know them. I'd know who they were gossiping about. It was less boring than what the tourists would talk about.”

“You must have witnessed much from up there. Kings and queens. Battles. And wasn't the castle a garrison at some point?”

“For many rotations. The soldiers were fun to watch. They were so feeble with their little weapons. None of them could fly. They did not practice gouging others with their horns and fangs. But I liked the uniforms. Especially the colourful skirts.”

“Kilts.”

“I know. I was joking.”

Georgie laughed. “Sometimes it is hard to tell.”

She snuggled into my chest. “I'm getting tired. And hungry. What do gharrgoils eat? Please don't tell me you eat rocks.”

“Diamonds,” I said deadpan.

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

I laughed. “No. Just because I turned to stone doesn't mean I eat it. We eat meat, plants, processed nutrients. I would describe my favourite dishes to you, but they wouldn't make sense since you don't know any of the ingredients.”

One day, I would love to cook for you in my roost back home on Spiris. I didn't say it out loud. I was scared she might recoil when I spoke of the future - our future. She'd said she was used to taking it slow. I had to respect that, even though my cock was hard underneath my battle wrap and my fangs hurt with the need to bite her again.

“I could cook for you, but the fridge is pretty empty. I'd planned to go shopping after work. How about a takeaway?”

“Takeaway? What are we taking away?”

“Calories.” She laughed. “It's what we call when we buy a meal to either take home or have it delivered to our door. It's usually unhealthy food, but delicious. We don't have a lot of choice here in the village, and I don't have my car to pick up something from further afield. You've got the choice between Chinese and Indian.”

“Which one is your favourite?”

“The Indian place makes an amazing saag paneer. And their peshwari naan is to die for.”

“Then I shall be excited to try this food, even though the words mean nothing to me.”