Close Obsession

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Mia woke up with the memory of their virtual s*x session fresh in her mind.

She still couldn’t believe that Korum had done that to her—that he had made her believe he was f*****g her in public, of all things—and she couldn’t believe she had responded like that, despite her feelings of embarrassment and humiliation. Even now, she could feel herself getting wet at the thought, and she cursed her own susceptibility to him. He seemed to know her s****l needs far better than she did, and had no hesitation about pushing her boundaries. She wanted to stay mad at him, she really did. But, if she were to be honest with herself, she had to admit that she had enjoyed the experience on some level. It had been terribly exciting, having s*x in public like that—particularly since she now knew that there was no need for shame, as no one had actually seen them.

Stretching, she yawned and then remembered the promised beach outing. Jumping out of bed and putting on her robe, she went to brush her teeth and splash some water on her face before going to look for Korum.

To her surprise, he was nowhere to be found. Before she could wonder about his whereabouts, she heard something in the living room and left the kitchen to investigate. Sure enough, Korum was just walking in through the opening in one of the walls.

And Mia gasped in horrified shock at the sight.

Far from his usual immaculate self, her lover looked like he had just rolled in the mud, his clothes dirty and torn. And were those... traces of blood on his arms and face?

Seeing her standing there, Korum flashed her a quick grin, his teeth startlingly white in his dirt-streaked face. “You woke up early. I was hoping you’d still be asleep and I’d have a chance to shower before you saw me like this.”

Mia finally found her tongue. “What happened? Are you all right?”

He laughed, his eyes glittering with excitement. “I’m fine. I was just out playing defrebs—it’s a type of sport I enjoy.”

“Oh...” Mia exhaled in relief. “So it’s like a ball game or something?”

“More like a type of martial arts,” he explained, walking toward the bathroom.

Curious, Mia followed him there, watching as he stripped off his dirty clothes, dropping them on the floor and revealing the magnificent body underneath. He smelled deliciously sweaty, and his golden skin gleamed with perspiration. He looked like a warrior fresh from battle, and she could now see that those were definitely scratches and bloody streaks on his arms and legs.

“Is that what you do for exercise? Martial arts?” she asked, perching on the edge of the jacuzzi as he turned on the shower, adjusting the controls. The dirty clothes had already disappeared, having been absorbed into one of the walls, and the floor was again spotless. Another useful function of the house, Mia guessed.

“Pretty much,” he admitted, stepping under the water. His voice sounded a little muffled by the water spray, so she came closer to hear him better. “We rarely exercise the way many modern humans do, in a gym environment or doing only one type of physical activity. Instead, we usually engage in some type of sports. Defrebs is particularly popular because it’s the closest we get to fighting outside of the Arena—”

“Arena?”

“Ah, you haven’t gotten to that part of your reading yet...” He paused for a few seconds, lathering his hair and rinsing out the shampoo before continuing. “The Arena is a place where our citizens get to resolve certain irreconcilable differences. If, let’s say, I believe that someone has done me irreparable harm, I can challenge him to the Arena—and he would have to accept my challenge or lose much of his standing.”

Mia looked at the foggy shower glass with surprise. “So what would you do in the Arena? Fight?”

“Exactly. No weapons are allowed, but everything else goes. The goal is to win, to subdue your enemy completely while everyone watches...”

Mia laughed incredulously. “What, like gladiators in ancient Rome?”

“Where do you think the Romans got the idea?”

“What? Seriously?”

Korum shut off the water and opened the door, grabbing a towel from a nearby rack. “Absolutely. The same group of scientists I told you about earlier—the ones who had been the source of many of your Greek and Roman myths—they’re responsible for that as well. A couple of them missed that aspect of life on Krina, so they gradually introduced the tradition into Roman culture and then it took on a life of its own. We were quite surprised, actually, how long the games persisted and how popular they became.”

Mia could hardly believe her ears. “And you still have these games? In the modern era?”

“Sure,” he said, his eyes bright with golden undertones. “It’s a way for us to satisfy certain... urges... that would otherwise get in the way of a peaceful and prosperous society.”

Urges? She blinked, watching him warily as he finished drying himself off. So the Krinar did still have the violent tendencies she’d just finished reading about. No wonder there had been so many rumors about their brutality during the days of the Great Panic—

Before she could analyze that thought any further, he came up to her and lifted her up by the waist. Startled, Mia grabbed his shoulders as he slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her with tightly leashed aggression. Playing the sport had clearly excited him, and she could feel his c**k hardening against her leg even through the thick fabric of her robe. Her own response was instantaneous, her s*x clenching with desire and her n*****s pinching into tight buds.

Sensing her arousal, he growled low in his throat and backed her up against the wall, his hands tearing at the tie holding her robe together. Bending his right knee, he set her astride it, causing her naked s*x to grind against his leg, and Mia moaned into his mouth, the pressure on her c******s turning her on even more. His hands migrated lower, grabbing her thighs and opening them wide, and then he was inside her, impaling her with no further preliminaries.

Mia cried out at the hard force of his entry; as aroused as she was, he was still too large for her to accommodate easily, and her delicate inner channel felt stretched to the point of pain. He paused for a second, letting her adjust, and then he slowly began thrusting, still holding her legs open, preventing her from controlling the s****l act in any way. The thick head of his c**k nudged her G-spot with each stroke, and the wide-open position allowed his pelvis to press against her c******s each time he bottomed inside her, causing the pressure to build further and further.

Finally, she climaxed with a scream, her entire body spasming in his arms. Unable to resist the rhythmic pulsations of her inner muscles, he came too, groaning harshly against her ear.

Panting, Mia hung in his grasp until he carefully lowered her to the ground, slowly withdrawing from her and handing her a tissue.

Her knees wobbled a little, and he held her up, staring down at her with a slightly perplexed look on his beautiful face. “Believe it or not, I didn’t really mean for this to happen,” Korum said, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips. “I honestly don’t know why I don’t seem to have any control around you. It’s like I have to get inside you every chance I get...”

Her p***y still throbbing with the remnants of her orgasm, Mia moistened her lips and shrugged slightly, absurdly flattered by his admission. “It’s okay... It’s not like I don’t enjoy it...”

“Oh really?” he teased, a big grin breaking out on his face. “You enjoy it? I would’ve never guessed—”

Mia frowned at him, cleaning herself up with the tissue. “You did promise me a trip to the beach, though,” she reminded him, wanting to change the topic. The strength of her own s****l response to him—of her feelings for him in general—still made her uncomfortable. Why couldn’t she have fallen for someone less complicated? Why did it have to be this hard, uncompromising man with his domineering nature? Even Arman would’ve been an easier person to have a relationship with; at least with someone like him, she would’ve felt a little more in control, instead of constantly feeling off-balance.

“We should still be able to make it,” Korum said, creating an outfit for himself with the aid of the nanomachines and putting it on. “I’ll make you breakfast and we’ll go.”

“Okay,” Mia said. “I’ll grab a quick shower and be right there.”

Seven minutes later, Mia entered the kitchen and saw that Korum was making something green in a regular human blender.

“What is that?” she asked him, curiously observing the strange concoction.

Korum smiled, his features lighting up at the sight of her. “Ah, I was hoping you’d be quick.” Taking two steps toward her, he dropped a light kiss on her forehead and then returned to his task. “This is a blend of mango, banana, spinach, and bowit—that’s a type of sweet nut from Krina. Are you hungry?”

“Always,” Mia admitted with a sheepish smile. The smoothie sounded very promising. “Do we have enough time to swim before the trial begins?”

“Absolutely,” he said, and then started up the blender. Mia put her hands over her ears at the noise, which thankfully lasted only about ten seconds. Once the room was quiet again, he added, “We have about two hours, so I should be able to show you some interesting places around here and then we could go for a quick swim.”

“That would be great,” Mia said, eager to get out and explore the area. “I was feeling pretty cooped up yesterday—”

“Of course,” he said, pouring the green shake into a tall, clear cup and handing it to her. “I don’t want you to feel that way. Try this—it should be quite good.”

Mia took a sip of the thick concoction, and her tastebuds nearly exploded with the sweet, rich taste. It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before, with hints of chocolate, cream, and a completely indescribable something underneath the more familiar fruity flavors. “Wow.” She swallowed and licked her lips. “Whatever that bo-thing is, it’s absolutely amazing.”

Pleased at her reaction, Korum smiled. “Yes, it’s my favorite as well. It takes the bowit plant five years to reach full maturity, so this is the first time we’ve been able to harvest these nuts here, on Earth. They’re quite tasty and go with a lot of different dishes.”

“Can I take this with me?” Mia asked, wanting to get a head start on the day. “That way, I can just dress quickly and we could go...”

“Sure, why not?” Korum poured a cup for himself as well. “Let me show you our swimwear.”

Leaving the kitchen, he walked toward the bedroom, sipping his shake. Mia followed him, curious to see what a K version of a bathing suit was like.

Entering the room, he placed his cup on the commode and headed toward the closet. Pulling out what looked like a tiny scrap of white fabric, he laid it on the bed and said, “This is what our women typically wear.”

Mia stared. “Uh... I don’t see how that would fit me.” Her parents’ Chihuahua, maybe, but definitely no one bigger than that.

He laughed. “The material is stretchy. Try it on.”

Still dubious, Mia put down her own shake and approached the bed. Picking up the material, she carefully examined it.

“It goes on over your head,” Korum said. “Here, take off your robe, and I’ll show you how to put it on.”

“Okay,” Mia said, untying the robe and dropping it on the bed. She was completely naked underneath, and she could feel the heat of his gaze as it traveled down her body. When his eyes came back up to her face, they were almost purely gold in color. Mia’s breathing quickened, and she could feel her n*****s tightening, her body responding to his need.

She heard him take a deep breath, as though inhaling her scent, and then he said huskily, “Here, this goes on like this.” Stretching the bandana-like piece in his hands, he lowered it over her head, letting go when it was securely sitting around her hips. His fingers brushed against her stomach in the process, causing her to feel all warm inside again.

Her lips slightly parted, Mia stared at him, unable to believe she could want him again so soon.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, his voice sounding rough. “I promised you an outing this morning, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Mia flushed. “Of course.” This was ridiculous; he was turning her into a nymphomaniac. Surely, it couldn’t be normal, to want someone like that all the time.

Trying to distract herself, she looked down at the bandanna-like piece of cloth. To her surprise, it had stretched to cover her torso, turning into an unusual one-piece swimsuit. The fabric looped between her legs, concealing her pubic region and the center of her butt, then ran up the sides of her ribcage and lightly cupped her breasts, hiding the n*****s from view. Like all K clothing, the material adhered to her shape perfectly and seemed to be sitting on her quite securely despite the fact that there were no ties of any kind to hold it up.

The overall effect was incredibly sexy, Mia realized, and her cheeks turned pink at the thought of leaving the house like that. “Is that all I’m going to wear?” she asked, looking up at Korum.

He shook his head. “No, you would also wear this on top,” he said, handing her what looked like a basic white sheath. “You can take it off when we get to the beach.”

Mia wriggled into the sheath and walked over to the mirror to take a look. It seemed like a simple tube-top dress, just made of some thin and clingy fabric. Not all that different from a coverup one might wear on a Florida beach.

“You can put on these boots,” Korum said, handing her a pair of grey knee-highs. “Since we’re going on foot and you don’t like insects, these might be the best option for you.”

Willing to wear anything to minimize exposure to Costa Rican creepy-crawlies, Mia pulled on the boots. Casting one last look at her reflection in the mirror, she picked up her smoothie from the commode. “I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.” Grabbing his own cup, Korum led her out of the house and into the green jungle outside.

The first place Korum showed her was a beautiful grotto with two mid-sized waterfalls. The water fell from a distance of about twenty feet into a small, shallow pool and then drained into a small river. On the side of the river, there were a number of large rocks, and the grass looked soft and green. A very inviting place to just relax and read, Mia decided, noting the grotto’s location.

After the waterfalls, they walked over to another, larger river—an estuary draining into the ocean. According to Korum, it was an excellent place to view the local wildlife, including various species of birds and howler monkeys. “That sounds fun,” Mia told him, and he promised to take her on a boat tour one of these mornings.

Following the estuary west, they finally arrived at the beach. As Korum had warned her, the surf was quite healthy, with reasonably sized breakers pounding against the shore. In the distance, Mia could see some people—likely Krinar—enjoying the ocean as well, but the area around them was completely deserted.

“We only have about thirty minutes at this point,” Korum told her. “After that, I have to get to the trial.”

“Of course,” Mia said, grinning. “How about a quick swim then?” And without waiting for his response, she pulled off her boots, wriggled out of her sheath, and ran toward the ocean.

He caught up with her immediately, swinging her up into his arms before she could get so much as a toe into the water. “Gotcha,” he said, his eyes filled with warm amusement.

Mia laughed, the feeling in her chest lighter than anything she’d experienced in recent weeks. Looping her arms around his neck, she told him, “Okay, but now you have to go in with me. And if the water is too cold for you, I don’t want to hear any complaints.”

“Oh, a challenge?” he said, raising one eyebrow at her. “We’ll see who complains first...” And holding her in his arms, he strode decisively into the waves.

Shrieking with laughter at the sudden immersion into cool water, Mia held her breath as a big wave covered their heads. She could feel the strong pull of the current and realized that Korum was likely right about the potential dangers of swimming by herself. With him, however, she felt completely safe; he could obviously resist the drag of the water with ease, his Krinar strength more than a match for the surf.

The wave receded, and Mia rubbed her eyes with one hand, trying to get the salt water out. When she finally opened them, Korum was looking down at her with a strange smile.

“What?” she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Nothing,” he murmured, still smiling. “You just look very cute like this, with your eyelashes and hair all wet. Reminds me of that day when you were caught in the rain.”

“You mean the second time I saw you, when I sneezed all over you?” Mia asked wryly, still somewhat embarrassed at the memory.

He nodded. “You were the cutest thing I’d seen in a long time, all dripping curls and big blue eyes... and I could barely stop myself from kissing you right then and there.”

Mia gave him a disbelieving look. “Really? I thought I looked terrible, like a drowned rat.”

He laughed. “More like a drowned kitten, if you want to use animal analogies. Or a wet fregu—that’s a cute, fluffy mammal we have on Krina.”

“Do you have any of them here?” Mia asked, suddenly excited at the prospect of seeing some alien fauna. “In Lenkarda, I mean—”

Korum shook his head. “No, the fregu are not domesticated in any way, and we don’t take wild animals out of their habitats. We don’t domesticate animals in general.”

“So no pets of any kind?” Mia asked, surprised.

Another wave approached at that moment, and Korum lifted her higher, enabling her to keep her head above water this time. “No pets,” he confirmed once the wave passed. “That’s a uniquely human institution.”

“Really? I would’ve never thought that. My parents have a dog,” Mia confided. “A little Chihuahua. She’s very cute.”

“I know,” Korum said. “I’ve seen recordings.”

Somehow Mia wasn’t shocked. “Of course you have,” she said, sighing. She knew she should be upset at this invasion of her family’s privacy, but she felt oddly resigned instead. Her lover clearly had no sense of proper boundaries, and Mia was too content right now to spoil it with another argument. Still, she couldn’t resist asking, “Is there anything you don’t know about me or my family?”

“Probably not much at this point,” he admitted casually. “Your family is fascinating to me.”

Her family? “Why?” Mia asked, puzzled. “We’re just a regular American family—”

“Because you are fascinating to me,” Korum said, looking at her with an inscrutable amber gaze. “And I want to better understand who you are and where you’re coming from.”

Mia stared at him. “I see,” she murmured, but she didn’t see, not really. Why someone like him—a brilliant K with such a high standing in their society—would be interested in a regular human girl was beyond her comprehension.

Suddenly, he grinned at her, and the strange tension dissolved. “So how about you show me just how good of a swimmer you are?” he suggested playfully, letting go of her.

Mia grinned back, feeling almost unbearably happy. “Watch and learn,” she told him cockily, and headed for the ocean depths with a strong, even stroke, secure in the knowledge that she was far safer with Korum in deep water than she would be in a kiddie pool with a lifeguard.

The Krinar watched his enemy frolicking in the water with his charl.

Initially, he hadn’t really understood the girl’s appeal; she’d seemed like a typical human to him. A pretty little human, but nothing truly special. However, as he kept observing her, he’d slowly begun to notice the fine delicacy of her facial features, the creaminess of her pale skin. Her body was small and fragile, but it was perfectly curved in just the right places, and there was an innocent sensuality in the way she moved, in the angle at which she held her head when she spoke.

To his shock, the K realized that he wanted to bury his fingers in her thick, curly hair and inhale her scent, to lick her neck and feel the warm rush of blood in her veins through that soft skin. That was the best part about s*x with human women—the knowledge that just a tiny bite away, paradise awaited.

The craving caught him by surprise. It wasn’t part of his plan. He’d thought himself above such nonsense, such primitive urges. He rarely indulged these days; he couldn’t afford the distraction. There was too much at stake to throw everything away for the sake of fleeting physical pleasure.

With a heroic effort, he pushed away the fantasy and focused on the task at hand.