“You said there was danger,” I say, my tone more serious now. “Is it those other aliens? The ones who were hunting you?”
Nothing. Not even a twitch to suggest he’s heard me.
I sigh, setting the bone aside and drawing my knees up to my chest. “If we could just talk properly, this would be so much easier. All those times you’ve been staring at me—were you trying to communicate? Was I just too dense to hear you?”
The thought makes something sour swell in my chest. How frustrating must it have been for him, trying to reach me while I remained oblivious?
“Maybe it’s this place,” I say, gesturing vaguely around us. “Maybe the longer I’m stuck under Bitch Sun, the more I’m adapting. Developing new skills. Like hearing voices in my head.”
I laugh, but there’s no mirth in it.
“That’s it. I’m officially going crazy. Next, I’ll be naming the rocks and having deep conversations with that pool over there.”
But I know I’m not imagining it. His voice was real—as real as anything can be on this strange, impossible world.
Through the corner of my eye, I catch Rok watching me, his gaze intense and burning. He looks away the moment I turn toward him, but not before I see something in his expression that sends a delicious shiver down my spine.
Hunger.
The memory of what happened between us rushes back, almost overwhelming. His mouth on me. The way my body responded to him, as if he knew exactly what I needed before I did. The pleasure that had crashed over me. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
I press my thighs together, trying to ignore the heat building low in my belly. Not the time, Justine. Not the time.
But apparently my body hasn’t gotten that memo. Because even now, with Rok clearly struggling with…whatever he’s struggling with, I can’t stop thinking about his hands on my skin, his tongue on my…the way he licked my…Fuck.
“Focus,” I mutter to myself, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. “We need to get out of here, find the others, and figure out how to get off this planet. No time for interspecies hookups, no matter how mind-blowing they might be.”
When I look up again, the cave has grown noticeably darker. The light filtering through the cracks has faded to a deep amber, signaling the approach of night. Rok has stopped pacing, his attention now fixed on me, his expression unreadable in the growing shadows.
For several long moments, neither of us moves. The only sounds are the occasional pop of the fire stones and the distant, eerie howl of wind through the stone formations outside.
Then, without warning, Rok moves toward me.
“Rok?” I whisper.
He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even acknowledge that I’ve spoken. His eyes are locked on mine, and just the look in those eyes has my thoughts shooting back to what happened between us earlier. I swallow hard.
The closer he gets, the more I notice the tremors running through his body. His claws curl and flex at his sides, as if he’s fighting to keep himself grounded.
Oh God.
Something’s wrong—something worse than I thought.
I swallow again, my stomach filling with dread. He’s always been strange to me—he’s an alien, after all—but this is different. The careful control he’s always maintained, even in his most primal moments, is gone. Ever since…
Oh fuck.
The realization makes the cave go cold.
The Xyma water.
What if I poisoned him? What if something in the water—something I didn’t even realize was dangerous—did this to him?
“Rok?” I say again, louder this time, my voice rising with panic.
Still, he doesn’t respond.
When he finally reaches me, he sinks into a crouch, his broad shoulders trembling with the effort. Each inhalation shudders through him like it hurts to draw breath.
“Rok, look at me,” I whisper. “Please, tell me. Are you okay? Did I—did I hurt you?”
His head lifts at my words, his molten gold eyes locking onto mine with a force that steals the air from my lungs.
Despite the tremors wracking his powerful frame, despite the tension coiling through every muscle in his body, his touch, when it comes, is exquisitely gentle.
His hands come up to cradle my face. The warmth of his palms seeps into my skin, and I almost release a moan.
I freeze, my breath hitching.
“Rok…” I whisper.
His thumbs brush along my jaw, and for a moment, I forget everything—the fear, the uncertainty. There’s only him, his touch, his eyes burning into mine with a desperation I don’t understand.
And yet…
I can see that this is costing him.
His glow flickers, dimming and brightening, dimming and brightening, as if the effort of touching me is too much. His claws twitch against my skin, as if he’s struggling to hold himself back.
“Why are you doing this?” I murmur, my voice barely audible. “If it hurts you, why—”
He leans forward then, slowly, pressing his forehead to mine.
I gasp softly at the contact, my heart pounding in my chest as his warmth surrounds me. His breath fans against my lips, ragged and strained, as his body trembles against mine.
For a moment, neither of us moves.
We just stay like that, forehead to forehead, his hands cradling my face, my fingers clutching at his wrists.
His eyes flutter closed, and I can’t help but stare at him, at the way his features soften even as his body remains tense.
“This is almost more intense than French kissing,” I whisper, but the joke falls flat even to my ears.
I close my eyes as Rok’s fingers tighten slightly against my jaw, and then—
His voice fills my mind.
Urgent. Strained.
“Leave. We must hurry.”
A lump forms in my throat as I open my eyes. He’s already staring at me, his molten gold gaze piercing through the darkening shadows of the cave. His eyes are wild, desperate, and for a moment, I can’t breathe.
“Yes,” I whisper, the sound barely audible. “We should.”
His gaze flickers down to my lips, lingering there, and my heart stutters in my chest. Without thinking, my tongue runs over them like an invitation.
Kiss him.
“We can’t.” The words leave my lips, but they lack conviction.
I know what he wants.
I know it in the way his glow pulses erratically beneath his skin, the way his hands tremble as they cradle my face.
The air between us crackles like a live wire, coiling tighter, brighter, until it feels like the cave itself might ignite.
And then I think: Why not?
Before I can second-guess myself, I close the small distance between us, pressing my lips to his.
It’s soft at first, tentative. His lips are warm, and they mold to mine perfectly.
But then something shifts.
A low growl rumbles from his chest, and his hands tighten against my jaw, pulling me closer. The kiss deepens, his mouth claiming mine with a hunger that steals the breath from my lungs.
I gasp into him, my fingers tangling in his hair—soft, surprisingly soft—and he groans, the sound vibrating through me.
His lips part mine, his tongue sweeping inside, and I’m lost.
Completely and utterly lost.
Rok kisses me as if he’s starving. As if he wants every part of me.
It’s overwhelming, intense, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. His kiss is wild and consuming, a force of nature that sets every nerve in my body ablaze.
I don’t even realize I’ve wrapped my legs around his waist until he lifts me, his strong arms cradling me as if I weigh nothing.