Chapter 9

Kal groaned as he awoke, someone’s warm body pressed up against him. In his groggy state he could barely open his eyes. Memories of running in an endless field of snow faded like ephemeral dreams.

Kal pulled the warm body closer, a low rumbling in his chest as he breathed in deep her scent.

Intoxicating.

Fertile.

He nuzzled her exposed neck where He’d marked her as his own.

“Mine,” He growled, pulling her bountiful hips into his lap.

She would bear him many pups.

“Mrm? Wha?” She began to stir as He grew hard.

Kal finally opened his eyes, shaking his head to chase away the last of his dreams. It had been an odd mixture of foreign feelings and stranger vistas. Unsettling, though he couldn’t remember why.

“Well, good morning to you too,” Kaylie giggled in his arms. “Feeling better, are we?”

He must have been dreaming as he had her trapped in his tight embrace. Which wouldn’t have been so odd, if not for the raging erection he had.

Kal faked a yawn to stretch and hide his tenting shorts. Rolling over, he gathered the sheets between his legs to mask his distressingly stubborn morning wood.

“Hey, yeah, must have still been waking up. Sorry.”

“Aw, don’t be,” she said, snuggling up against his back. “I like it when you hold me. Makes me feel special.”

She obviously hadn’t noticed how he’d been jammed between her tight buns, or she wouldn’t be quite as happy about waking up in his arms.

Kal’s back warmed as she cuddled him. Which did nothing to ease his erection, especially as her soft breasts squished pleasantly against his back.

Kal dug a nail into his cuticle to take his body’s attention away from the distressingly firm boobs rubbing into him. The thin layers of cloth between them didn’t even hide the soft bumps of her nipples.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Kaylie asked.

“Ah, well, I was going to work out a bit,” Kal said as he cleared his throat. “Maybe go shopping.”

“Oh, you should get something for that Natalie girl. She’s so cute around you. When’s your next date?”

“Nothing officially set,” Kal said, trying to escape Kaylie’s tentacle grip without removing a hand from his groin. “Maybe just keep it casual for a bit. You know, after the whole Inna thing, kinda just ease back into it.”

“Where are you going?” Kaylie pouted when he got out of bed. “Where’s my ekimo kiss?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry Kay.”

He wasn’t sure how he’d managed to twist his body to keep himself covered, but he leaned over to rub noses with her. Just that touch made his junk twitch.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll make some breakfast,” Kal said, hurriedly grabbing his jeans and putting them on. “I’m going to wash up first. I’ll call you down when it’s ready.”

He didn’t even wait for her response, rushing down the hall and locking himself into the bathroom.

Maybe dating again had been a bad idea. He hadn’t been this hard since his time with Inna. Some wires were getting majorly crossed in his brain, as he had exactly zero interest in Kaylie like that.

He’d need to take care of this before he could go downstairs.

Five minutes later, Kal opened the door to the bathroom, his body firmly back under his control.

He was about to head downstairs when he hesitated, glancing at Melissa’s closed door.

They hadn’t really talked since he’d opened up to her. She hadn’t been fighting him as much, though, so that was good. Mostly just avoiding him. She was way too stubborn to make the first move.

It really wasn’t her fault though. She’d been through a lot, even as a kid. Sure, she’d bonded with them quickly, but she’d never really got over how she’d ended up at the orphanage.

Kal padded over to her room, avoiding the squeaky boards.

“Melissa?” he asked softly. “Are you up?”

She made a sound somewhere between a snort and a yawn. He’d probably just woken her up.

“Hey, I was thinking of making breakfast. Would you like me to make you something?”

Something akin to a grunt and then a grumble made it through the door.

“Pancakes?” he offered upon not getting any more of a response. “I can sub out the eggs for applesauce and use soy milk if you like.”

There was a pause, followed by a more curious grunt.

“Yeah, I, uh, I looked up some recipes for you. I get a bit confused with vegan and vegetarian, so I thought I’d just play it safe.” Kal shifted awkwardly at the door. “Listen, we don’t have to talk about it. Not right now at least. Just ... I’ve missed you. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Based on the shuffling sound of blankets being shifted and the squeak of her bedsprings, she’d probably just turned away and sunk deeper into her bed. She definitely didn’t want to talk about it.

“Okay, well, pancakes will be downstairs for you, Melissa.”