Page 18 of Technically Abducted (Nereidan Compatibility Program #4)

Finn

Tev'ra's quarters are exactly what I expected and somehow completely surprising at the same time.

Everything is pristine, organized, efficient—but there are small details that feel personal.

A collection of what look like research tablets arranged just so on his desk.

The way the lighting is adjusted to a warmer tone than the rest of the ship. A subtle scent that's uniquely him.

"This is nice," I say, settling onto the seating platform that's probably designed for optimal ergonomics but feels comfortable in a way that suggests he actually uses it. "Feels more like a home than the rest of the ship."

"Environmental controls respond to occupant preferences over time," Tev'ra explains, moving to what appears to be a beverage preparation area. "The systems adapt to promote optimal rest and relaxation."

"Or maybe," I suggest, watching the way his shoulders have relaxed since we left the pools, "you've made it feel like home without realizing it."

He pauses in his preparation, glancing back at me. "Perhaps."

The silence that follows isn't uncomfortable, but it's loaded with everything that happened in the water—the kiss, the empathic connection, the way we fit together like we were designed for each other. I can still feel echoes of it, phantom sensations that make my skin feel too sensitive.

"Tev'ra," I say quietly.

"Yes?"

"What happened in the pool... that empathic thing. Is it always that intense?"

He turns fully to face me, abandoning the beverage preparation. "I told you, I've never experienced anything like that before."

"So it's not normal for your species?"

"Empathic bonding exists between Nereidans, but it's... rare.

Special. It requires specific compatibility factors that aren't well understood.

" He moves closer, settling onto the seating platform beside me.

"Recent assessments have documented similar responses with other humans, which I had forgotten about since it has happened only three times in our history, though the mechanism remains unclear.

Cross-species empathic bonding shouldn't be possible according to our understanding of neural compatibility. "

"But it happened."

"Yes," he says softly. "It happened. With you, with the others... we're discovering our research had significant gaps."

I study his face, noting the way his bioluminescence is pulsing gently beneath his skin even now, responding to proximity, to the memory of our connection.

"What does it mean?" I ask.

"I don't know," he admits. "But I know what it felt like."

"What did it feel like?"

Tev'ra is quiet for a moment, seeming to search for words. "Like coming home to something I didn't know I was missing."

The admission hits me harder than it should. Because that's exactly what it felt like—like every wall I've built around myself just dissolved, leaving me open and raw and somehow completely safe at the same time.

"I've never felt anything like that either," I tell him. "I've never... let anyone that close."

"Why?"

The question is gentle, curious rather than demanding. "Because getting close means getting hurt. And I learned a long time ago that it's easier to just... not."

"But you're here," Tev'ra observes. "In my quarters. After experiencing something that clearly affected you deeply."

"Yeah," I say, meeting his golden eyes. "I'm here."

"Why?"

I consider the question seriously. Why am I here? Why didn't I retreat to my assigned quarters, put distance between us, go back to the safety of isolation?

"Because," I say finally, "whatever that was between us, I don't want it to be a one-time thing. I want..." I struggle with the words. "I want to see what happens if I stop running away."

"What do you want to happen, Finn?"

The way he says my name, low and careful, sends heat through me that pools low in my belly.

I look at him—really look at him—taking in the way his formal shirt can't quite hide the lean strength beneath, the way his pupils have dilated slightly, the gentle pulse of bioluminescence that seems to respond to my gaze.

"I want you," I say simply. "I want to be with you. Really with you."

"Are you certain?" he asks. "Given your earlier admission about experience levels..."

"I'm certain I want this," I interrupt. "I'm just not certain I'll be any good at it."

Tev'ra's expression softens, and he reaches out to touch my face, thumb brushing across my cheekbone. The contact sends that empathic sensation racing between us again, warm and electric.

"Finn," he says quietly, "there's no performance metric for intimacy. No right or wrong way. Only what feels good for both of us."

"Spoken like someone who's actually done this before."

"The physical mechanics, yes. But this..." He gestures between us, encompassing the charged air, the connection that seems to hum just beneath the surface. "This is entirely new."

I lean into his touch, letting myself feel the way his skin warms against mine, the subtle current of shared sensation that makes it hard to tell where I end and he begins.

When he kisses me this time, it's different from the pool. Less desperate, more intentional. He takes his time, exploring the shape of my mouth with gentle precision that makes me understand why Nereidans value systematic approaches.

The empathic connection builds gradually, layers of sensation and emotion that spiral through me until I'm not sure if the heat I'm feeling is mine or his or both. I moan against his mouth and his arm tightens around me.

"Is this alright?" he murmurs against my lips.

"More than alright," I manage to say, though my voice comes out rougher than I intended.

His hands move to trace along my bare chest, fingers exploring the skin he's already seen but not yet touched like this. "May I continue?"

The formal politeness of the question, the way he waits for my permission even though I can feel his want through our connection, makes me want him even more.

"Yeah," I breathe.

His exploration becomes more purposeful, hands mapping my chest and shoulders with the same careful precision he brings to everything else, but his touch lingers on my skin in ways that suggest appreciation rather than simple efficiency.

When his palms press flat against my chest, the bioluminescence in his hands brightens, creating patterns of light across my skin that pulse in rhythm with both our heartbeats.

"You're beautiful," he says, and the wonder in his voice makes me believe it might actually be true.

"So are you," I tell him, reaching for his shirt. "Can I?"

He nods, and I fumble slightly with the unfamiliar fastenings, my hands shaking with nerves and anticipation.

When I finally get the shirt open, the sight of his bare chest takes my breath away.

The bioluminescent patterns I've only glimpsed through clothing are intricate works of art, flowing lines and spirals that seem to map every muscle, every curve of his torso.

I trace one of the patterns with my fingertip, watching the way it flares brighter at my touch. "Does it feel different when I touch you there?"

"Everything feels different when you touch me," Tev'ra says, his voice strained. "The bioluminescent pathways are more sensitive than regular skin."

"More sensitive how?"

Instead of answering with words, he guides my hand to a particularly bright spiral just over his heart.

The moment my palm makes contact, the empathic connection explodes between us, and suddenly I can feel exactly how my touch affects him—the way sensation radiates outward from the point of contact, how it sends heat racing through his nervous system, the way it makes his cock twitch with arousal.

"Oh fuck," I gasp, overwhelmed by the intensity of feeling both his response and my own reaction to causing it.

"Too much?" he asks, concern threading through his voice.

"No," I say quickly. "Not too much. Just... intense."

"It will be," he says gently. "The empathic connection amplifies everything. Physical sensation, emotional response, pleasure..." He pauses, studying my face. "If you want to stop—"

"I don't want to stop," I interrupt, then force myself to be completely honest. "I'm scared, but I don't want to stop."

"What frightens you?"

I consider how to explain the tangle of fears without sounding completely pathetic.

"I've never been good at this. At being close to someone, at letting them see me like this.

And I've definitely never done anything like.

.. whatever this empathic thing is." I pause, heat flooding my cheeks.

"Plus you're... you're a lot bigger than anyone I've been with before. "

Tev'ra's expression grows tender, and he leans forward to press his forehead against mine. "We'll take everything slowly. I'll make sure you're ready for me."

The promise, spoken with absolute certainty, helps ease some of the tension within me.

"Okay," I say. "I trust you."

This time when he kisses me, I let myself sink into it completely. Let myself feel the way our connection deepens with every touch, every shared breath. When his hands begin to explore my body—careful, attentive, learning what makes me gasp and arch against him—I try to do the same for him.

His skin is incredible under my hands, warm and smooth with subtle textures I couldn't see.

The bioluminescent pathways seem to guide my touch, brightening when I find spots that make him shudder, dimming when I move away.

It's like having a roadmap to his pleasure, and I find myself growing bolder as I watch his responses.

"Finn," he breathes when I trace a particularly bright line along his ribs, and the way he says my name is like a prayer.

"Is this good?" I ask, pressing my palm flat against the spiraling pattern just below his collarbone.

The answer comes through our connection before he can speak—a rush of pleasure and want so intense it makes me dizzy. But he answers anyway, voice rough with need.