beaker. It tastes divine. There are little pink crystals in it, and when they touch my tongue they pop, and a strong savory flavor sizzles all over my tongue in waves. After a few sips, I get a headrush.
“Is this...booze?”
“Booze?”
“Alcohol?”
Raiska shakes his head. “Alcohol is primitive. This is a synthesized creation. Only primitive societies still drink poisons like alcohol.”
“I see.”
I don’t like being called primitive, but I have to admit this seems head-and-shoulders better than any drink on Earth. Where alcohol burns, this gives that savory and satisfying sizzle on my tongue, and then where alcohol makes me feel sweaty and exhausted and like everything is spinning, this is warm and calm and energized.
“How bad is the hangover going to be?” I ask.
“The effects wear off quickly,” he says. “There are no side effects.”
I order us two more glasses.
By the end of my third glass, I’m completely giddy. I’m resting my head on Raiska’s shoulder and stroking his thigh. He’s letting out a low growl from deep in his throat, and those piercing turquoise eyes are not looking at my face.
I press my lips against his ear. They are wet, but I know Raiska will like that. I whisper seductively into his ear. “Are you trying to look down my shirt, big strong Valittu?”
“I’m not trying, little human,” he says, “I have already succeeded. Your nipples are hard.”
I press my hand against my shirt to cover myself, but I laugh into his ear, my lips still pressed against him.
He turns his face toward me, and he presses his mouth to mine. My mouth was open to laugh, but he quickly silences my laughter with his kiss.
We kiss long and deep. Even though we are in a relatively crowded restaurant, and the chatter of voices is loud around us, we lose ourselves in each other. For the moment I’m kissing Raiska, there is nothing but us. I know that the bond the Valittu form is one-sided, and that human women can’t feel it, but I feel so connected to Raiska after knowing him for such a short period of time, that I can’t help but wonder if I’m starting to feel something on the higher dimensions.
Or maybe all those gooey and lovey feelings that humans feel are always higher-dimensional, and we just don’t understand how or why yet.
Hs grabs my waist with a dominant and possessive grip as we kiss. Soon his hands are on my thighs, but when he touches my breasts, I giggle and pull away.
“Not here,” I hiss, looking around at the crowded restaurant.
“Not here?” he asks. “Does that mean I can touch you like this elsewhere?”
I bite my lip and nod.
I’ve been grappling with this idea of letting him get me pregnant. I know that it’s crazy in so many ways. Absolutely bonkers crazy. Still, it’s logically the responsible thing to do considering what could happen to me if I don’t. And illogically—in my emotional and “moody” female mind, as Raiska would put it—I want him to put a baby in me.
I don’t just mean that I want to have sex with him. I like the idea of him fucking me with the express goal of getting me pregnant. Something about that makes the whole prospect of sleeping with Raiska extra enticing, and I’ve finally reached the point where I can’t resist him a moment later.
I lean back into his ear and press my wet lips against him once again. “In the hotel,” I say, my voice heavy and breathy. “Once we’re there, you can do anything to me, and I won’t stop you.”
His whole body stiffens. His muscles tighten. I can feel them beneath my hand, which is gripping his bicep. From the look on his face, I get the feeling that his body is stiffening in a place I can’t quite see, at least not yet.
It doesn’t take long for us to reach the hotel. We take one of the flying cars. Raiska tries to get started early in the car, but I stop him. It’s not that I’m worried someone will see us while we’re in the car, but more that if we actually get started in there, I’m worried that when it lands and we have to switch from car to hotel, that I won’t be able to stop myself. I don’t want to rush things with him in a crowded little vehicle, I want to spend as much time as I can with him. I want to savor every moment. I want