He turns his head and must give a signal to his friends because we begin walking. I clutch at the front of the saddle with my good hand, hopelessly out of my comfort zone. I never even rode horses on Earth, and now I’m riding a dino-horse on…Agron.
I sigh, and Terex leans forward, murmuring in my ear.
“Relax, female. I will not let you fall.”
Strangely, that helps. I can’t imagine this strong warrior allowing me to topple off his mishua. At the very least, his friends would mock him or something, right?
“Tell me about yourself,” he says, and I tense.
“Why?”
“Why not? I have rescued you from certain death, female. Do I not deserve a reward?”
His voice is teasing, and I wish I could see his face.
“Um. I’m a kindergarten teacher.”
“What is this?”
“I teach children.”
“Ah, a nurturing female. I can see this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You are gentle and kind. I have only known you for a short time, but I know this.”
Gentle and kind. What would it be like to hear him describe me as sexy or hot? A girl can dream.
To be fair, I can’t imagine Terex describing anyone as “hot.”
Vivian and Deraz ride up next to us, and Deraz and Terex begin talking in low voices. Vivian sends me a look, obviously displeased that I ended up on Terex’s dino-horse.
“What are you doing?” she hisses at me, and I stare at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t play innocent. You knew I wanted to ride with him.”
“I didn’t do anything. You’re welcome to him, Vivian. I’ve got more important things to worry about.”
The conversation behind us ends, and I stare into the distance. What Vivian doesn’t understand is that I’m fully aware of how the universe works. I learned young that the cute, popular guys don’t go for shy, nerdy, chubby girls like me. So gorgeous Vivian is welcome to the sexy alien warrior currently clutching me to him, his chin dangerously close to resting on my shoulder.
“What are you thinking?” he murmurs, and I shiver as his breath hits my neck.
“Nothing.” I keep my eyes ahead, ignoring the frustrated tears that want to rise. I’m just tired. So tired.
When I was fifteen, I had a crush on a football player named Matt. Unlike most of the other football players, he didn’t ignore me, never treated me like I was invisible. His locker was next to mine, and occasionally we’d chat about the books we were reading. He was cute, smart, popular, and nice.
Within a month, my sister Amelia was dating him. And she made sure that the rest of my high school years were pure hell.
Women like Amelia and Vivian? Gorgeous women who rule the world with their self-confidence? They get what they want. And the worst thing that someone like me can do is stand in their way.
I wince as I sit deeper in the saddle and the mishua begins going uphill. God, will this day ever end?
“You are hurt,” Terex says suddenly, his voice a rumble of displeasure.
“We’re all hurt,” I mutter.
The chafing is so bad on my thighs that I have tears in my eyes. The hours and hours of walking combined with straddling the dino-horse have rubbed the insides of my thighs raw.
I’m not the only one hurting—Alexis is whining too, and I even caught Vivian shifting uncomfortably a few minutes ago. But my thighs are by far the worst. I don’t regret ripping off the legs of my pajama pants, but I wish I’d left a little more material behind.
Terex makes a sound, and Kini stops. I turn my head and blink as Terex stares down at me sternly.
“Show me where you are hurt, female.”
I scowl at him, suddenly furious. “It’s none of your business.”
Surprise flashes through his eyes, and then he laughs. My scowl deepens. Glad to know he finds me so funny.
“We will wait here all day,” he declares.
Vivian clears her throat imperiously from where the others are waiting a few feet ahead, and I have a sudden urge to push her off her dino-horse.
I gesture toward my thighs, and Terex frowns and then growls impatiently. He swings his leg over the mishua, and I jolt as his boots hit the ground. Then he’s gently turning me until I’m sitting sidesaddle, gazing down at him.
“You will tell me what is hurting you.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
He simply stares at me, and I gesture toward my thighs. Terex frowns, and then I’m grabbing at his shoulders as he pushes my thighs further apart, his hands gentle.
“Poor female,” he says, his voice low.
“My name is Ellie.”
He meets my eyes, the expression on his face as if I’ve given him a gift.
“Poor Ellie.” He lingers over my name like it’s a dirty word, and I blush. I feel my cheeks heat even more as he returns his attention to my thighs. I’m not the first woman to have chub rub, and I won’t be the last. It’s just something that happens to plenty of women, especially in summer.
But it’s hard being surrounded by perfection, well aware that if I could just lose a few pounds, something that my mother has been hissing at me to do for more than fifteen years, I wouldn’t have nearly as much of a problem.
I glance at where the others are waiting. Alexis and Nevada are talking quietly while the guys watch curiously, and Vivian wrinkles her nose at me in disdain.
I want the ground to open up beneath me.
“You’re embarrassing me,” I hiss at Terex, and to my mortification, a tear spills down my cheek.
Terex’s eyes widen, and then his face hardens as he turns to the others, gesturing for them to continue. He waits until they’re moving on before he turns back to me.
“Look, I’m fine,” I say. “I’ll survive until we arrive. Let’s just keep going.”
“I may not be able to fix your arm, but I can help you with this.”
Terex gently runs the tip of one finger over the inside of my thigh, and I wince even as desire stirs in my stomach. I feel my eyes widen, and I glance away, startled.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve thought about sex, and even longer since I’ve wanted it. But right now, I’m doing more than thinking about it. I’m visualizing it, fantasizing about it…needing it.
“I have something that will help,” Terex says, reaching into one of the leather bags hanging off his saddle.
He pulls out a small jar and opens it. A sweet, floral scent hits me. It’s similar and yet different to anything I’ve ever smelled before.
I reach for the jar, and Terex simply grins up at me, pulling it out of my reach.
His smile… My breath catches, and his grin widens as I blow out a shaky breath. I could’ve done without seeing that smile. That smile just makes it even harder to ignore what’s shaping up to be one hell of a crush.
I’m so busy recovering from the effect his grin has on me that I’m not prepared for his hand to slip between my thighs.
I squeak, pushing at his huge shoulders, and he glowers at me.
“Be still, female,” he growls, and I freeze. His touch is matter-of-fact, and it’s not like he’s attempting to catch a feel, but there’s something incredibly intimate about the way his hand strokes the insides of my thighs.