Chapter Four

What the hell was wrong with him?

The one time in his entire life when he had actually been trusted to do something important, and he was already screwing it up. Pyra was supposed to escort the new professor from the ship just like he had with the other women, but at the last minute he asked Ero to step in for him. Ero didn't know if there was something wrong with Eden and the baby requiring his attention, or if something else happened that took him away from his responsibilities, but he hadn't really cared in the moment. He had just been excited to have been the one that the older and more respected warrior had chosen to take his place.

Not only had he managed to be almost an hour late for the set time that he was supposed to meet her because he tore the lacing on his pants and had to go all the way back to his house to change them so that he didn't greet her with the intense erection that he was still sporting everywhere he went, but he had also offended the woman almost as soon as she stepped out of the ship. He couldn't really help it, though. He was expecting the same type of woman as Eden, Elianna, or Leia. What stepped out of the ship, however, was a shock. Instead of tiny and fragile-looking, Zuri rivaled some of the females of his species in size. She was only a few inches shorter than him and had a body that was lush, full, and curvy. The effect was bewildering. He had become accustomed to the small human women and was startled by someone who looked so different, but at the same time, he was drawn to all of the soft curves and swells. They seemed to have a powerful effect on his body as well, making him twitch and harden even further as the intense, almost animal feelings that built in his chest.

As she took long strides to pull out in front of him so that she walked ahead of him by several feet, Ero got an even fuller view of her body. Wide hips shifted beneath her long, loose skirt, accentuating the deep curve of her waist beneath her tight shirt. Something about her size made him uncomfortable, reminding him of his own size concerns and how small he felt compared to the other warriors. He jogged forward again to catch up with her.

"Tell me about your program," he said.

It came out more as an aggressive, almost violent, demand than an actual request inviting conversation and he saw her look sideways at him.

"What do you want to know about it? Are you going to be a student?"

It sounded like she was teasing him and he didn't like how that taunting made him feel. It was worse than when it came from the warriors. Hearing this woman making fun of him, even as subtle as it was, made a sharp pain go through his chest and he felt defensiveness building through him. Who did she think she was making fun of him?

"No," he said, "I'm a warrior. I have no reason to go to school."

"Oh, really? So you know everything that you need to know and never need to learn anything else?"

Well, shit. This conversation was just going downhill as fast as she could get the words out of his mouth. What was it about this woman that made him completely out of control. She was cute, but definitely not so beautiful that he should be stumbling over his words and humiliating himself every time he opened his mouth. So why was he getting harder every time she talked to him, and why did he want to keep talking to her no matter what came out?

"That's not what I said," he said, "I just…I don't really need to know about Earth."

"So you know about the program. Why did you ask?"

"I know that you're here to teach about Earth. I don't know any more than that."

He was getting more and more frustrated, while also feeling worse every time he spoke and he saw the darkening across her wide blue eyes. It was a confusing feeling that he was really starting to hate.

"Well, to be completely honest, I don't really know a whole lot more than that, either. I just signed up to be the professor for the exchange program one day before my flight. I didn't really get much of a chance to figure out what I was going to teach."

There was laughter in her voice and he felt some of the tension ease out of his body. She glanced over at him and he noticed that her soft, rounded face really was pretty. Her skin was pale and smooth, not sprinkled with freckles the way that Eden's was, and her golden blond hair framed it as it flowed around her shoulders. Her mouth was wide, with full, soft lips slicked with lipstick that made them shine in a way that was undeniably alluring.

"Why did you want to come?"

He was honestly curious about why she decided to come to the planet to teach. If she had only signed up right before she left to be a part of the program, she obviously hadn't spent much time planning and getting herself invested in the concept of teaching on Uoria. There was a period of silence and Ero was worried for a minute that he had made her angry again and broken the brief moment of pleasantness between them. Finally she sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of exasperation. Instead, it sounded like she was trying to figure it out herself.

"I'm a professor at home, obviously, and I love teaching, so that's the main appeal. I'm excited about getting the chance to teach Earth customs, and I think I’m even more excited about getting to experience some new things."

"Is Uoria very different from Earth?"

She gave a short laugh.

"I've only been out here for about five minutes. I'm not really sure. So far, it doesn't look too far off. Not as many buildings."

They fell silent as they walked. They reached the center of the village and Zuri hesitated, no longer knowing where to go now that she had more options than just going straight ahead. He subtly stepped around her so that she could see him and guided her through the village and to the meeting hall.

"We'll go inside and meet the king and queen, and then I can show you around more if you'd like."

Zuri stopped right before the door to the meeting hall and looked at him.

"Thanks, Ero, but now that I have been successfully escorted from the ship, I think I can take it from here. I appreciate your help."

His stomach dropped and a sick feeling rolled through him. She had already grabbed onto the latch of the door and was pulling it open when he started toward her.

"No. I actually have to come with you. My job isn't finished until I get you to the king and queen. That means I have to bring you all the way to them."

Zuri sighed as if it was the biggest burden in the world for her to deal with him any longer.

"Fine."

She wrenched the door open and stepped inside, not bothering to hold the door open for him but letting it swing shut behind her so that he had to slam his hand against it to stop it from actually hitting him. She paused just inside to let him walk past her and guide her to the reception room. He stormed through the hall, his fingers tingling with anger. He was sure that if it had been Pyra or even Gyyx who had met her at the ship, she would be more than happy to go along with them for anything that they wanted her to do. She was only being so resistant because it was him. He was just too small and slim to be appealing to her. He didn't have enough muscles and wasn't tall enough to keep her attention. She was just like everyone else.