Hannah's Hero - Ruby Dixon Page 0,62
I just see J’shel. “I’m just…scared. It’s all moving really fast.”
“It is?” He gives me a surprised look. “Has it not been hands and hands of days since my khui first sang to yours? The moment I saw you, I knew you were mine.” He grazes his thumb over my lower lip again. “And the moment you saw me, you ran away as if terrified of the monster with four arms.”
Is that what he thinks? I’m suddenly stricken by guilt. I don’t want him to think that I find him ugly. That’s not the case in the slightest. I think he’s an utterly beautiful man and so appealing he makes me forget that I never wanted any of this. That I wanted a career and fame as the next Stephenie Meyer or E.L. James. Never once did I consider that I’d meet a man and have to choose between those things. Of course, being abducted by aliens and stranded on a wintry planet for the rest of my days wasn’t exactly in the picture either.
But it’s never been about a lack of attraction.
“I’ve never thought you were ugly, or unpleasant looking,” I tell him. I feel incredibly shy, but I reach up and caress one of his big arms. Oh gosh, he is built. His arms are thick with muscle, so large that I doubt both of my hands could squeeze around one powerful bicep. “And I like your four arms. I don’t think that’s weird at all.”
“I am glad, because I cannot remove them,” he says, his expression teasing. When I laugh, he slides closer to me, pulling me into his embrace. Our faces are inches apart, and he studies me intently. “I have never kissed before. Will you show me how it is done?”
“Oh.” That makes sense. Word at camp is that all of the aliens aren’t familiar with kissing until the humans bring it in. There was even a game of spin the bottle—not that I was invited, of course—because Tia couldn’t resist “educating” a few of the guys. She’s at the age where flirting is wild and dangerous.
Wait, I’m at that age, too, because this feels wild and dangerous to me as well. J’shel is so close that I can feel his breath, warm against my skin. He smells like leaves and fresh fruit, and this close? His mouth really is far too perfect. Men shouldn’t have perfectly shaped lips that look so right for kissing. “So, uh, it’s been a while since I’ve kissed anyone,” I say softly. “But basically you do mouth on mouth until you’re comfortable, and then you add tongue.”
“You are going to talk me through it instead of showing me?”
“You know me, I love to give my opinion,” I joke, and squeeze one of his big arms. “And I’m nervous.”
“Then talk away,” he murmurs. “I will not rush you. Just let me hold you close.”
I manage to nod, and then a shiver races through me as he leans in and gently presses his mouth to mine, then lifts his head. Oh, his lips feel amazing. I stare, lost, as he leans in and lightly puts his lips against mine once more. “Keep explaining,” he murmurs, voice husky. He tastes like fruit, too, a hint of sweetness on his mouth.
“I forgot where I was,” I whisper.
“We add tongue,” he murmurs, and then touches my chin and kisses me again. It’s a soft, light, feathery kiss, full of flirting and teasing and seduction. I bite back a moan as he nips at my lower lip with his, and then lifts his mouth once more. “Well?”
Well…what? I give him a dazed look. Why did he stop kissing me?
“We add tongue?” he prompts.
“Right,” I say, and lick my lips. He immediately leans in to kiss me again, as if he’s trying to catch my tongue, and this time I can’t swallow the moan that rises in my throat. It’s another playful, swift, and completely unfulfilling kiss that just makes me hungry for more. “Tongue.”
“Yes,” he murmurs. “Tongue. Is it licking?” He nips at my lower lip again, and I swear my nipples harden in response. “Or something else?”
“It…it’s whatever feels good. There are really no rules. You just, like, brush tongues and go with what…feels…right…” My words slow as his thumb touches my chin again and he gives it a little tug, parting my lips. J’shel leans in and studies my parted lips, as if he’s determined to get this right, too, and for some