7. Good Morning?

SEVEN

GOOD MORNING?

Faktil quo Laus

Something round and blunt jabbed Faktil in the middle of his chest, waking him instantly. His eyes flew open, and he winced against the morning light streaming into the cabin. He was disoriented for a moment, thinking he should be on the cruiser, then remembered where he was. Faktil focused on his chest and was greeted by a pair of black beady eyes amidst a red feather face. His eyes crossed as the beak neared his face. Though the curved blunt end is what jabbed him in the chest, the beak's hooked tip was definitely sharp.

"Bad Pig!" the bird hissed in his face.

He'd completely forgotten about Naomi's feathered friend. The bird wasn't randomly mimicking words it heard, it had given him this moniker and said it like a curse.

What in perdition did I do to rile this creature?

Faktil angled his face away, or at least as far as he could crane his neck while lying flat on his back. Maybe he could untangle his hands from the sheet and grab the agitated beast before it pecked his face, though he doubted it .

"Bandit!" Naomi declared.

The bird's eyes widened and its head swung toward Naomi, so did Faktil's. Her stern tone was surprising, since she'd been so soft spoken the night before. That tone mixed with her lyrical voice and the no-nonsense glint in her eyes sparked his interest.

The little female has a spirited side.

"Don't you dare nip him." Naomi pointed at the bird.

With his head near the foot of the bed, Faktil got an eyeful when she climbed out of it. Naomi was still only wearing the tiny briefs and tank top, so he got a clear view of her crotch. Before he could get a good look or even think to glance away, like an honorable male should, she was kneeling beside him and scooping up the truculent bird.

"Faktil didn't mean to scare us. He's hurt and lost, like us, so we're going to be nice and help him," Naomi cooed to the bird cradled in her arms.

Faktil tilted his head, curious of how much the bird actually understood.

Naomi turned her focus on him. "I'm sorry. Bandit didn't gouge your chest, did he?" She frowned as she looked at his chest.

"No," Faktil fibbed slightly as he sat up.

"Bad Pig no lost." The bird continued to glare at him.

Bandit did not like him at all.

I am a big threatening warrior , he conceded, trying to not let it offend him. Although, it did feel like all of nature had it out for him from the moment he washed up on the island.

"Bandit, he is lost, and his name is Faktil," Naomi admonished the bird.

He appreciated her coming to his defense and nodded in confirmation when she turned back to him .

"He's a super smart bird, but it can be hard to interpret what he's trying to communicate sometimes," she explained.

"I think he's communicating very effectively," Faktil chuckled.

"True," Naomi snorted.

In truth, he appreciated that the bird was protective of Naomi. It reminded him of the stray corcero he and his sisters had taken in. Royo proved to be the best guard cub ever.

Something occurred to Faktil as he noticed the closed door. He then glanced at the windows and his brow furrowed. "How did the bird get in?"

"That is a good question, isn't it?" Naomi nudged the bird's face so it was looking at her instead of glaring at him. "Bandit is named that for a reason."

"Fruit Bandit," the bird happily trilled, its red head nuzzling her hand.

"Yep, you're the Fruit Bandit," she chuckled at the bird's exuberance.

Faktil couldn't help but also smile. The pair were adorable and very affectionate with each other.

"Somewhere along the eaves he's got a little spot he can sneak in and out, to commit his crimes. And he also has a red mask to help hide his identity." She covered Bandit's eyes.

Does she have any idea how adorable she is? He grinned as she gave the explanation.

"I'm guessing his escapades are infamous," Faktil chuckled.

"Oh, they are." Naomi nodded, with mock seriousness, which had him laughing harder.

"Peek-a-boo," Bandit trilled when she removed her hands.

"Peek-a-boo," Naomi cooed back, grinning at the bird.

Goddess, I love that. The thought came unbidden as he stared at Naomi's radiant smile while she snuggled the bird .

Enraptured, his gaze followed her as she set Bandit onto the back of one of the wooden chairs. He wanted to run a finger along the sole of her petite little foot, up her tan calf, the back of her knee and thigh. Her skin looked so compellingly soft. It was hard to ignore the fact that she wore so little while she bent over, poked at the fire, and added a few sticks, presenting her luscious rear. It was lecherous, yet he still stared. She didn't possess a tail, but her full round mounds more than made up for it. Faktil groaned under his breath, his shaft kicking beneath his vestment as he imagined sliding his arousal between those full cheeks.

Faktil felt a pair of eyes on him and his gaze shifted to find Bandit glaring at him.

You really don't like me. He stared back at the bird. Granted, I am ogling your human friend.

He wasn't only impressed by how gorgeous and sexy Naomi was. She was kind and brave with the way she took a chance and helped him. She was clearly resilient, surviving on this island all alone. Naomi was also proving to have a sense of humor, something they had in common. Her highly seductive curves were simply the glitz on the gold. For all those reasons, he didn't feel the least bit guilty about his growing attraction to the little human. Besides, he was only looking. If he acted on his attraction that would be a different story. Faktil grinned and shrugged at the bird, but Bandit continued to glare.

"How are you feeling?" Naomi asked over her shoulder as she grabbed two cups and a bowl off the shelves.

The question startled them both. He and Bandit abruptly halted their staring competition and looked at Naomi.

"That is a good question." Faktil had to quickly switch gears and assess his calf. He hadn't bled through the bandage during the night and it wasn't throbbing like it had its own heartbeat. He flexed his ankle and bent his knee, putting some pressure on the foot. It was sore but there was no sharp pain. "It's not bad. Thank you for your help."

"What about your mouth? Your lips don't look nearly as swollen." She studied him, the little crease between her brows revealing her concern.

He ran his tongue around his mouth. There was lingering tenderness, but nothing major. Thankfully Cadi were a hearty race.

"Improved, thank you." Faktil bowed his head in appreciation.

He'd been fortunate to find Naomi and it was nice being cared for.

Perhaps being stranded on this little island isn't so bad after all.

Naomi

"Good." Naomi nodded in relief.

She'd watched Faktil flex his leg, keeping an eye out for any indication of discomfort. Thankfully he didn't wince and had great range of movement. She didn't know what she'd do if he'd been worse.

Faktil's lips were much less puffy this morning, too. Now that she was looking at his mouth, she couldn't help but notice it appeared almost human, though a deeper shade of red than his skin. His lower lip was slightly thinner than the top, and his cupid's bow a bit sharp, but overall, they were very similar to what she was used to. Naomi licked her lips, feeling the urge to kiss him. It had been a while since she'd kissed anyone, even longer than she'd been stranded here. In fact, her dickhead ex, who left her because she worked too much, had been the last one .

Ugh. Naomi shook off the image of Chad and any notion of kissing Faktil. He was injured and she was supposed to be caring for him.

Well, it looks like I didn't do too bad of a job. If I can just keep Bandit from gouging his eyes out. Naomi finished filling the cups and bowl with water and focused on the rowdy parrot.

"You behave," she whispered in admonishment as she slid the bowl of water toward him.

Bandit knew what behave meant, but the only indication that he heard her was the way he ruffled his feathers as he took a drink of water. She rolled her eyes at his petulant attitude and grabbed the cups. The parrot was going to have to get over whatever his issue was.

"Here you go." She handed a cup to Faktil.

"Much appreciated." He took the water.

The cup looked so small in Faktil's hand, she debated just giving him the jug to drink out of next time instead.

"Am I remembering correctly that you fed me cinders from the fire last night?" His head tilted to one side.

Her eyes widened at the question and then she cringed.

His people are advanced enough to reach Earth, what must he think of the technology here?

"Yeah. I imagine you're used to fancy equipment that could fix all of this." She gestured to his leg. "My first aid skills are limited and as you can imagine we don't have a hospital on the island." She gave him an apologetic grimace.

"No, no. That was not meant as a criticism." Faktil waved his hands, his tail straightening. "I truly appreciate your aid. We do have advanced tech, but we don't always have that equipment available, so I am familiar with emergency care. I was more curious about the function of the cinders."

She wouldn't have been offended if he had been horrified by her primitive medicine, because it was. It was a relief, though, that he was so understanding. For some reason it mattered that Faktil didn't scoff at her like she was some knuckle-dragging neanderthal. He was inquisitive and really pretty cute trying to explain himself.

"Ah." She smiled at him. "My uncle once told me the charcoal, like milk, neutralizes the irritating crystals in the raw taro. Not sure how true it is, but the consensus is that it helps."

"Didn't taste great but it did seem to work." Faktil nodded.

"Speaking of, you should drink that coconut milk this morning." She turned toward the shelves.

Same as before, it felt like he was watching her. She wasn't quite sure what she felt about that. Faktil was an alien, and he was also very clearly a man.

A rather attractive man. And though there were a host of reasons she should be cautious, he caused a giddy sensation to course through her that she couldn't seem to shake off.

Naomi grabbed the container of coconut milk and turned back toward Faktil, but he was casually drinking his water, his gaze focused on it instead of her.

Maybe I was wrong. A thread of disappointment worked through her. Stop being ridiculous and weird ‘cause you haven't been around people in forever, she reprimanded herself.

"Do you need to do any personal business? I can help you outside," she offered, then realized that as big as Faktil was she couldn't help him. They'd tried that last night and failed.

"I'm fine. I think I was severely dehydrated. I lost time in the crash." Faktil reached up and felt the knot on his head.

Hearing that, Naomi instantly forgot her disappointment about him watching her or needing to pee .

"Oh, that's not good." She frowned and abandoned the coconut milk to reexamine the bump on Faktil's temple instead. "Are you seeing okay? Any double vision?" The knot was mostly gone and a scab had formed on the gash, which was good, but memory loss was very concerning.

"No. My eyes are fine and no headache. I recall being in my cruiser, heading toward…" Faktil paused momentarily. "I was heading toward another vessel and then I was here."

"So, you didn't come here intentionally?" That had been one of her many questions.

"No. Your planet is off limits. I just don't understand how it happened. From where I was, it would've taken me three days to get here." Faktil frowned and shook his head.

"You're missing three days?! That's really not good. How's the rest of your memory?" She didn't know him, so she couldn't judge if he was acting like himself.

"I think it's just the last few days. I'm Faktil quo Laus," he rattled off his whole name which sounded regal. "My sisters are Asbjorn and Ciara, and I was born in Kinsha near the border where the Scelus and Vidya Cadi territories meet." Faktil shrugged his broad tattooed shoulders, looking worried and perplexed.

Naomi gave him a sympathetic smile. They needed to keep an eye on this, but what were they truly going to do if things grew worse?

"Are you hungry?" She changed the subject.

"Aye, starving, but I don't want to eat all of your food." Faktil grimaced.

"Don't worry. Luckily food is plentiful on the island." She turned to assess what she had on her shelves.

Food was plentiful, that wasn't a lie, but she'd been collecting for herself, not a veritable giant. She'd have to step up how much she gathered .

Something suddenly occurred to her, and she spun back to face her alien guest.

"How are you getting back home?" she asked.

She'd lumped him in with herself, a fellow castaway, but that wasn't necessarily the case.

"About that, do you have a handheld?" Faktil scanned her shelves.

"A handheld?" She quizzically tilted her head.

"A communicator. I was told they are common here," he clarified.

"A cell phone? No." Naomi frowned and shook her head. "It washed overboard when I fell asleep in my kayak. That's how I got here. Though it's doubtful I would've had service here anyway."

Faktil's face dropped, his cute, hopeful expression disappearing, as his shoulders slumped. Her stomach instantly plummeted. She remembered all too clearly when it sank in that she was stranded. It was like a punch in the gut. She'd literally been winded, then she hyperventilated and vomited.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes burning, threatening to tear up.

Naomi was tempted to rub his shoulder, feeling the need to console him. Before her hand made contact, Faktil's dejected expression turned thoughtful. She blinked, slightly surprised at how fast he'd processed the news. She pulled her hand back and tucked it behind her.

"I should apologize to you. I'm going to be a burden for longer than expected," he said. "My people will come looking for me. They should be able to locate my ship and figure out what happened, but they're, uh," he paused as if searching for the right word, "preoccupied at the moment."

"You're not a burden," Naomi snorted and shook her head. "I'm sure we can figure out how to cohabitate. "

She'd happily share the cabin and show him how to find and fix the abundance of food available on the island. She just appreciated having the company.

Naomi froze as something occurred to her.

"When your people come, do you think they could drop me off at home?" she asked, then anxiously bit her lip.

Naomi teetered on the knife's edge during the few seconds she waited for him to answer. She didn't dare let the burgeoning hope bloom inside her for fear he'd say no.

"Most assuredly. I would never leave you stranded here," Faktil readily agreed, his expression earnest. "It could be several moons, though."

"If you mean months, that's better than nothing. I've been here a little over a year," she informed him. "Thank you, truly," she said past the lump in her throat.

Her eyes started to sting and her vision blurred. She quickly turned back to the shelves to collect stuff for breakfast, unsure if she could hold back her tears. She didn't think she'd ever make it back home.

"A year?! That is awful," Faktil declared. "I can't imagine how frightening it must have been."

His aghast tone on her behalf made her smile.

"I actually got lucky that my kayak drifted here rather than the open ocean or some truly barren island," she admitted, having had a year to reflect on how her situation could have turned out so much worse.

"What is a kayak?" Faktil asked.

"It's a type of boat that usually just fits one person."

"Ah." Faktil nodded.

"I know it's not much, but I remember bursting into tears when I found this cabin. It's easy to take the things we have for granted until you find you have no shelter or even a way to spark a fire. I went from being utterly screwed, to having a chance at survival." She shook her head, recalling the harsh reality of her first few days here and then the elation of coming across the cabin.

While she was distracted by the memory, something coiled around her ankle and she nearly leapt out of her skin.

"Oh my god." She looked down, fearing some creature had snuck in.

"Sorry!" Faktil's tail swiftly uncoiled and retreated. "I didn't mean to startle you." He placatingly held up his hands and cringed, his offending tail wrapping around his uninjured leg. "I'm sorry for what you went through. I felt similar when I saw the cabin."

He was trying to console me. Her heart melted at the unexpected sweet gesture. At the same time, she wanted to groan in embarrassment that she'd startled so badly. She wasn't trying to be rude.

"It just surprised me a little bit. I'm not used to anyone besides Bandit." She glanced at the parrot who was quietly watching them.

"Or anyone with a tail," Faktil added with a grin.

His mischievous smile sent the butterflies in her stomach careening wildly.

"That's true." Her cheeks heated and she quickly looked at the shelves again.

Is he flirting with me? She stared blindly at the bowls and containers, not really seeing them. He's not flirting with you. Given the last year, you'd think anyone with a pulse is flirting with you, she admonished herself.

Breakfast. Concentrate. Find something and feed the man.

She grabbed several things off the shelves and plunked them onto the table.

"Ooh," Bandit trilled, seeing the fruit.

With a smile, she rolled several raspberries to the other side of the table for the parrot. Bandit did a happy little wiggle and started in on the treat. Naomi grabbed the cutting board and was about to pick up the knife when there was a shadow in her periphery. Again, she was startled, but she didn't jump too badly this time. Thankfully, the knife wasn't in her hand either. It was shocking how quietly Faktil moved, considering how big he was and that he was injured.

Or maybe I'm not used to having people around. Someone else being here seemed so crazy after being alone for so long. It was going to take her days to get used to it.

"Can I help?" Faktil's deep voice slid over her.

Now that she was past her initial fear of him, his growly voice made her shiver for entirely different reasons. She turned toward him to reply, and was again thrown off kilter as she came face to face with his chest.

Hell!

She froze and blinked at the wall of sultry red flesh. She'd forgotten just how damn tall Faktil was. Her head slowly tipped back to be able to look him in the eyes. It took her another moment to process what he'd asked as she stared at the handsome face looking down at her. His eager smile melted panties and brain cells.

"Um." She blinked again and frowned, trying to gather her thoughts. "I think I'm fine, thank you. Should you be walking on that?" She pointed to his leg.

"It's not so bad." Faktil flexed his ankle before putting his foot back down, but it was obvious he wasn't putting all his weight on it.

"How about you humor me and have a seat there." She pointed to one of the chairs at the table, a foot away from where she stood.

It wasn't just that she thought he shouldn't be on his feet so soon. His race clearly had different rules about personal space. Faktil was so close she could smell the alluring musk coming off him. It was reminiscent of leather and spice, and made her shiver with each deep breath.

"You have an adorable crease between your brows when you are concerned." He smiled down at her, and she noticed he had dimples.

He called me adorable. She didn't misunderstand that. It was definitely complimentary. And he has dimples! That was her Achilles heel. If the exotic man said one more sweet thing, her lonely, horny ass was liable to climb him like a tree.

"You know what, I need to, um, go do some, um, business. Maybe you could half the round, yellow fruit and slice the bananas." She pointed at the fruit then quickly bolted out of the cabin.

"Oh my god," she muttered to herself once she was outside, hurrying toward the outhouse.

Take a deep breath. He's from an entirely different culture. You're reading things wrong. Just because he's nice and compliments you doesn't mean anything.

Clearly it didn't take much to get her motor going. She pictured Faktil swimming out to sea and braving the broad ocean just to get away from her, if she kept up this train of thought.

Besides, you don't even know the alien man, if he's compatible or whatever. You don't know what you saw under his kilt. And it's none of your business what's under there, she lectured herself all the way to the bathroom.