Page 15

"You are not a pooper. And I do not see any caves," Corvak says with a shrug, then points behind him. "But underneath these rocks, the wind will not touch you, and we will have our backs to stone. It is a good spot and defensible for the night. We'll continue going higher in the morning."

Sleeping outdoors. Yippee. If this is anything like the moviePitch Black, we'll be dead the moment it gets dark. If this wasPredator, we'd be found by the aliens in a flash. If this was a zombie flick, we'd be sitting ducks. I bite back my whiny response, because it's not like he can make a cave appear out of thin air. He's doing the best he can. I eye the rocky overhang. The rocks themselves are coated with ice and snow and some tendril-like vines, but underneath the rock, a bit like a half-open clam, there's bare rock, just enough for us to wedge ourselves inside and cuddle for the night.

Actually…once the thought of cuddling hits me, I don't hate it. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Corvak. You have a good eye for this thing."

He grunts, but I suspect he's pleased at my praise.

I crawl into the belly of the "clam," and when I sit, my head just barely brushes the rocks. Corvak's taller than me, so he must hunch down a bit more to be comfortable. After we unpack, I pile furs around the two of us, and it's…not bad. It's not as comfortable as the cave with the fire was, but it's doable. I tuck the pack under my head like a pillow and curl up, munching on another piece of jerky. "What a long day."

"Get some sleep. I will take the watch." He rubs his chest, his expression grumpy.

"I can watch too."

"You are weak and fragile and need your strength. Sleep will help."

Again with the "weak" commentary. I mean, sure, he did have to haul me bodily for the first day or two, but does he really have to throw that in my face? He's killing my ladyboner here. "Not everything you say has to be chauvinistic, you know."

"Chau-what?"

"Me big strong man," I say in a caveman-like voice. "You puny woman."

"Youarea puny woman."

I sputter. "But you don't have to be a dick about it!"

"I am not trying to be anything," Corvak all but snarls at me. "I am trying to keep usalive."

Oh sure, make me sound like the bad guy. "You know what? You can have all the watch. I'm going to wash up and then sleep."

"Good."

"Fine!" I move to the edge of our cocoon and pick up a handful of clean-looking snow. It's probably not all that clean, but it's cleaner than I am at the moment, so it'll do. When it melts in my grasp, I rub the water all over my body, bathing as best I can while fully dressed. I scrub the important bits under my clothing, wash my face, and then braid my filthy hair to keep it off my face. Corvak says nothing. He watches me clean myself, but I don't give him anything to see. Once I feel refreshed, I climb under the blankets again and pull the furs up to my nose. Fuck him for not seeing how problematic he is. Maybe once we get somewhere safe, we can split up and he can go on his way, and I can go on mine.

I squeeze my eyes shut, determined to sleep and forget all about today.

Yet once I close my eyes, I think of him, his eyes glowing and blue and riveted on his cock as he strokes it in front of my face. Of how much he liked the sound of my voice. Of how he gives blankets and food to me first, and he makes sure I'm taken care of. He never rolls his eyes at having to help me. Never acts putout, even when he has to carry my ass through the valleys and over steep, rocky crags.

I guess if I have to be stuck with a chauvinist alien, he's not the worst. I can probably teach him to be unchauvinistic. He can learn it, just like he's learning how to deal with his responsive cock.

His responsive, thick, juicy cock.

I swear I start humming louder the moment my thoughts turn, and it keeps me from falling asleep. In fact, I can't think of anything now except his dick, and how much I'd like to see him touch himself again. My head is a mess. Ironic that I felt better in the pocket cave, my feet in cat shit, all because I was curled up next to him, our bodies pressed together.

Squeezing my thighs tight, I glance over at Corvak. He has a fur wrapped around his shoulders and he's hunched, grimly staring out at the open night.

"I doubt anyone's coming this high up after dark," I whisper. "Why don't you come lie down with me?"

His gaze flicks in my direction, moving over my body. "Are you cold?"

"No, but I felt better with you in the blankets with me." It's a bold statement. A needy one. A gamble. He might see me as helpless all over again…or he might get as turned on as I am and join me. I should keep my mouth shut and continue to be strong, to be a quiet, decent partner, but this stupid humming in my chest is distracting the hell out of me. Hard to think straight when it keeps thrumming in my ears, drowning out my thoughts.

Corvak hesitates for only a moment and then joins me. He crawls under the overhang to my side and tosses his shoulder wrap over the pile atop me. A moment later, his damp boots brush against my legs, and I grimace, because I kicked mine off. "Can you get rid of your wet clothes?" I ask. "They feel gross."

He pauses and then peers at me in the darkness, his glowing, slitted eyes the only thing I can make out. "Is this you asking to mate?"

I sputter at his boldness and the accusing tone in his voice. "What the fuck?!"

"It is a valid question," he retorts, even as he slides the wet fur wraps off his feet and shoves them out from under the blankets. "You have had a strange smell about you all day. Ever since I showed you my cock."