Free The Naked Truth by Lily Cain

arousing. Introducing her to Inarrii custom and cuisine was going to be a lot of fun.
    “We don’t eat every meal like this, no. This is a casual way of reaffirming ties, exhibiting bonds to others to ensure no mistake is made over who is involved in a permanent relationship and who is out of bounds, you might say.” He lifted his hand to her shoulder, stroked that incredibly smooth skin. Her exotic lack of L’inar encouraged him to touch, to taste. “No one cares that it is public—that is the purpose. I’ve just ordered lunch, some food I think you will enjoy.”
    She looked around again. He admired the blush of color that spread across her cheeks as she watched the couple nearby shift into an apparently universally appealing sixty-nine position. The male’s L’inar were fully raised, and the female sucked and licked at them with abandon as his face lay buried in the crevasse between her legs. Another couple wandered over, caressing each other as they candidly watched the mating couple.
    Asler observed Susan’s nipples harden at the sight. She needed to trust him the same way. Opening to him now, in a way that she would consider “in public” would go a long way toward establishing that trust. And, he admitted to himself, he wanted to have her now, like this.
    He frowned. The urgency of his desire was becoming worrisome. He should not have such a strong reaction. He dismissed it after a moment. It had been some time since he relieved his needs, surely that was all.
    A young woman approached, bearing a tray with two plates of steaming noodles and utensils, a decanter of rothan, two glasses and a small plate of long cylindrical cookies. She placed it on the table and moved on to the next couch.
    Asler took up a fork and swirled the noodles up into a bite. She watched carefully and seemed about to copy him when the couch beneath them shuddered. Plates rattled on the suspended tables.
    “What—” Susan began, but her question stopped as the floor beneath them bucked, and the lights flickered.
    Alarm tones sounded. Asler jumped to his feet.
    “We have to get back…” His voice was lost in the sudden roar of explosive force that ripped through the room.
    One side of the dining room outer wall crushed forward in the deafening boom. Thick acrid smoke began to fill the air. Asler’s heart constricted as he sensed as much as heard the pained screams nearby.
    Alarm bells continued to sound. He grabbed for Susan’s arm, intent on getting her out of the unstable area of the ship. He had to find out what had happened, if there had been a third attack. But most of all he needed to be certain she was safe.
    That fear tore at him with greater force when he realized she was no longer beside him.
    Through the smoke he searched the room for her, his mind open and searching for her now familiar pattern, despite the pain he felt mounting around him. He staggered forward toward the worst of the rubble, brushed past the injured but still mobile Inarrii who were retreating from the disaster. He joined those who were attempting to help the more seriously injured.
    Asler rushed to help a young officer pull a fallen light fixture from the crushed leg of a trapped Inarrii, only realizing after he’d gripped the debris that the victim was one of the Inarrii couple Susan had been observing earlier. “Have you seen the human?” he asked the officer as they yanked on the twisted metal.
    “She’s over there, near the fire crew.” The reply was harsh and abrupt, mind to mind as Asler realized that it was this Inarrii’s lover they were rescuing.
    Fire.
    Horror surged through Asler. Fire onboard was the worst thing that could happen on a spaceship. He strained, pushed aside the last of the ruined fixture and pressed a quick hand to the moaning man beneath, dropping him deep into unconsciousness until medical help arrived. He absently waved away the young officer’s thanks and stepped over the heavier rubble to tug at the crushed