Chapter Twelve

Candi stretched, loving that she woke while lying mostly on top of Hero’s warm, naked body. He’d removed his shirt at some point since he no longer wore it. She lifted her head to stare at his face. Her male opened his eyes and his cock twitched against her thigh, which was curved over his.

“How are you feeling?”

“I loved the canine experience.”

He chuckled. “Are you sore at all? I was a bit rough.”

“I don’t have a single complaint.” She loved touching him, running her hands across his chest and stomach.

“Stop that, or we’ll share sex again. You haven’t had dinner.”

“The females fed me so much today that I’m still full. It’s not even dark yet. We can wait a bit on that unless you’re hungry. I don’t even remember falling asleep. We were cuddling.”

“You passed out on me after I turned us to our sides.”

She grinned. “Did it worry you?”

“No. I did put a note on the door to leave dinner in the kitchen, and told them we’d be sleeping. Then I climbed into bed with you.”

“I forgot that the females were planning to bring us food.”

“They did that about twenty minutes ago.”

She turned her head, noticing for the first time that the bedroom door was closed. “I didn’t hear them.”

“You were sleeping soundly. They tried to be quiet.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

She rolled away from him and started to climb off the bed. “I’ll get you food.”

He lunged up and gripped her ankle. “You stay put. I’ll get it.”

She laughed, rolling over to sit. “I’m really not hungry yet.”

“I’ll hurry and eat. There’s something I’d like to do tonight with you.”

“Give me the canine experience again?”

He chuckled. “Perhaps in a bit. No. We’re going out.”

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

He got out of bed and strolled into the bathroom, coming out a few seconds later with a towel wrapped around his waist. “A good one. Trust me.”

“I do.”

“I’ll bring you a drink.”

She watched him leave and got up to use the bathroom. He was seated on the bed when she came out. He had brought a plate of food and used the top of the bed as a table. The towel remained around his waist. She wished he had removed it. She climbed back on the bed.

He held out a bite to her. “Try this.”

“What is it?” She leaned forward, opening her mouth.

“Chicken ravioli in an alfredo sauce.”

She chewed and nodded. It was good, but she wasn’t tempted to eat more. The females had fed her a big lunch, and she’d eaten quite a few cookies. Some of the females had helped her finish the plate when Kat wasn’t looking. There had been no way she could eat that many.

She loved to watch her male eat. He finished an entire plate and they shared his soda, not touching the one he’d brought her. “What is the surprise?”

He set the plate on the nightstand and stood, holding out his hand. “Let’s get dressed. The females left clothes for you in the living room. You won’t have to wear any more of my clothing.”

“They said they would. I forgot.” She let him help her up and followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower. “We did a little online shopping today. You go to a website and pick things, and then they ship them to the gates of Homeland. That way we don’t have to go outside to shop with humans.”

“I’m aware.”

“I worried that you might have to pay for the clothing, but Kat said it was going on the NSO account and not to worry about it. Money confuses me.”

“The NSO sued Mercile Industries and their employees that were captured. We also make money selling things to humans now. We no longer have to depend on the government to fund us. Don’t worry about money. Clothing and food are supplied to us. We all work together to run Homeland and Reservation smoothly.”

“It’s scary in the out world.”

He stepped into the stall and pulled her in, closing the glass door. “I hate thinking about all the bad things that could have happened to you out there.”

“They had no idea I wasn’t one of them. I looked into the eyes of the ones I dealt with. I got away from the ones who made me nervous and refused to accept rides if they looked at my body more than my face. I also spoke to female waitresses who worked at the truck stops where they would drop me off. They helped me find males who were trustworthy. They said they were regular customers and had families.”

He turned her under the water and she relaxed as he placed soapy hands on her body, massaging as he washed her. “I like this.”

“I love touching you.”

“I’ll wash you when you’re done.”

He laughed. “No, you won’t. Otherwise we’ll never get out of here, and it’s almost dusk. I told you. I have a surprise for you.”

He washed her hair next, and she finally turned around when he was done. She lowered her chin. “You’re hard.”

“I’m always going to be hard when I touch you and you’re naked in front of me. Ignore that. I am.”

“I can’t.”

He laughed again and reached out, pushing open the shower door. “Out. Dry off and go get dressed. They stacked the clothing on the coffee table. Find something comfortable. Perhaps thin, soft pants and a short-sleeved shirt. It is warm outside today.”

She protested but he gently maneuvered her out of the stall. He closed the door between them and turned his back to wash his own body.

Candi pouted but grabbed a towel off the wall rack, and followed his instructions. She left him and located the clothing the females had brought. Some of the Gifts had gone through their things to donate a few outfits to her. She chose a light-gray pair of pants and a dark-blue shirt to wear. They’d also left a few pairs of shoes for her to try on. A black pair of canvas slip-ons fit. She carried the other clothes into the bedroom and set them on top of the dresser.

Hero exited the bathroom and stopped rubbing his hair with a towel. He smiled. “You look perfect.”