CHAPTER 15

Chloe woke up to the feeling of something soft against her cheek and something heavy on her lower back.

"Mmm." That felt nice, albeit slightly ticklish. She was rested, warm, and comfy, free of the usual aches in the morning from her lumpy mattress. Trixie might be right about the wonders of Gaenthians' jelly bed.

Chloe stayed with her eyes closed, wishing to postpone the return to reality a bit more. She could lazy around anyway, right? She didn't have to go to work, or make a piece of jewelry first thing in the morning for one of those clients who needed it ‘immediately, don't you understand it's urgent'.

Then the softness against her cheek became too ticklish, and Chloe swatted the offender.

A grunt sounded.

From underneath Chloe.

Her eyes snapped open. Everything came into focus rather quickly, but she kept blinking, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

"How…?"

She was lying on top of Nitiel. His chest was her pillow and his closed wings, her duvet. She could see her bare foot sticking from under his wings right between Nitiel's big purple feet. The soft touch on her cheek had come from a feather, and the heaviness on her lower back? That was from Nitiel's arm keeping her snug against him.

Oh my.So much for the Great Wall of Jelly keeping Nitiel safe from her duvet-hogging. Only that this time she had hogged a guy.

Chloe tentatively raised her gaze. If he was still asleep, she could wiggle away before he had seen what she'd done–

Cobalt-blue eyes met hers.

"Uhhh… Morning?" she whispered.

"You can say it is morning, yes." His voice was gruff from sleep, upping his tempting rumble.

Heat bloomed in the apex of her thighs. She had to get away from him. Now. Before she did something that would scandalize his delicate Gaenthian sensibilities, like kiss the heck out of him.

Only that when she began wiggling away, Nitiel's arm around her waist tightened. His other hand caught her hip, keeping it against his thigh. "It's still early. You can sleep some more."

"Ummm… I can?... Like this?"

"Are you not comfortable?"

"I am?"

"Then stay as you are. Your comfort is my priority."

Chloe narrowed her gaze at his cute sleepy face and messy braids. "You don't have to suffer being used as a mattress in the name of duty, you know."

A smile tugged at the corners of his purple lips. "Do I look like I'm suffering?"

She frowned. "No?"

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"I'm angular, for starters."

"You're soft and light."

Not according to her ex, she wasn't; ‘gangly' and ‘lacking in cushioning' were the words Trevor had used to describe her. "Don't you feel too warm?"

"The bed gel and my uniform keep my body temperature at the optimal degree. Why, are you hot?"

Chloe didn't know how to answer that. Depended on what type of heat he was referring to. Because her body temperature down south was intensifying at every sweet thing he said to her. "How about the wall you built?" she asked instead of replying to his question. "And before that, when you didn't want to sleep on the bed with me?"

He averted his gaze. "I tried to do the right thing, but the circumstances forced me to–Not that I didn't want to sleep next to–" Nitiel sighed. "You can sleep some more, Loe, is what I'm trying to say. On the mattress or on me."

Chloe smiled knowingly and laid her head back on his chest. "I think you're enjoying these circumstances, Subcommander."

His body tensed under hers. "I said no such thing."

"True, you didn't. What if I ask you whether you're enjoying our snuggling session? You'd have to answer with a simple yes or no, and you can't lie, so…" He tensed further, and Chloe quickly added, "I won't ask you that. I have my answer right here."

"Loe..."

"It's okay. It's normal for your body to enjoy the contact with someone from the opposite sex. Or from the same sex, depends on who you're attracted to. No protocols and codes of honor can control your body's reaction. I mean, I won't judge. As long as you don't judge me… for enjoying the moment." There, she admitted it. While hiding her face against his chest and under his wing, but still.

Nitiel's hold on her hip and lower back tightened. Some time passed before he told her softly, "I'm enjoying the moment too."

Chloe's heart skipped a beat. "So… you're into snuggling?"

"I don't know. This is the first time I'm sharing a bed with a female."

"Wait, you've never…?"

"No. That requires a female to express interest."

Chloe gaped. A human man wouldn't admit to being a virgin unless forced with a gun to the head, and Nitiel here was being all matter-of-factly about it. "But… But how come? You're..." gorgeous and kind and thoughtful, "you!"

"Yes, Loe. I have nothing to offer a Gaenthian female."

"What are you talking about? On Terra, women would be waiting in line to date you!" That thought made her snuggle closer, though it wasn't physically possible. "What is it that Gaenthian women want in a man?"

"A clan, first and foremost. That, I cannot offer."

"Oh." Chloe wanted to ask more, but his tone suggested he didn't want to talk about that. "It's their loss, then. On Earth, you don't have to think about clans, horn sizes and forms. You'll be showered with date offers." And that was something Chloe didn't want to think about.

"Have you shared your bed with a male?" Nitiel asked.

She scrunched up her nose, still hidden under his wing as she was. It was much easier to talk about personal stuff that way. "Yes, but for no more than an hour, and it was years ago, back in college. My boyfriend didn't like to stay after… you know."

"Fool," Nitiel muttered.

Chloe smiled, warmth filling her chest. "Yep, Trevor was a fool, for many reasons. But I was foolish myself back then, for staying with someone who didn't appreciate me. I like to believe I've wised up, but we'll see."

"Commander Siriniel will treasure you, Loe. You will be well loved and snuggled."

"Yeah? How do you know? Have you shared a bed with him?" She bit her lower lip. Had she gone too far, lost in the intimacy of the moment?

"I know because he is a good male," Nitiel said calmly, clearly not scandalized. "He will give his niela everything she needs. You'll see for yourself very soon."

"Um, about that… I no longer wish to see him first thing in the morning."

Nitiel's hold on her tightened for a second there. "You don't?"

"I know, I know, I was very insistent on getting this business done so I could go back home. But I was thinking about exploring the station first? By then, my so-called fated mate might finally decide to see me. Why should I chase after him, right? Let him show me what kind of male he is."

"Chloe, you will have a lot of time to explore the station. This is your new home."

She stifled a scoff. "Not if the ASI is glitching, it's not."

Just the softest of rumbles sounded from within Nitiel's chest under her cheek. "Alright. I will take you around the station," he declared.

"Um, you don't have to if you don't want to. I can go with Trixie."

"No." His wings closed more firmly over her. "I am not leaving your side."

"Well, okay." Yes, yes, yes! This was what she'd had in mind all along. More time alone with Nitiel. She really hoped he was happy about this but was simply trying to hide it by acting all duty-like. "Let's just snuggle a bit longer, though."

"Yes." Said straightaway and with satisfaction that could not be hidden.

Chloe grinned once more and left herself to the care of the best mattress in the world. Perhaps even the universe.