Chapter 4 #2
Giving in to temptation, she accepted his offer. His arms wrapped around her with enough pressure for her to feel comforted but not so tight that she felt overwhelmed or trapped. Heat surrounded her, chasing off the chill.
With a bone deep sigh, she relaxed into his embrace. She never wanted this to end.
Despite the recent sleep, she suddenly felt bone tried. She’d spent the last five years working as a bounty hunter without many breaks. Focusing on retirement had meant she let everything else fall to the wayside.
A few days off here and there wasn’t enough.
She’d made plenty of friends over the years, but she rarely got to see them for more than a few minutes at a time, like her quick exchange with Maslo on Filsin. She’d told herself it was enough. She was sure nothing mattered but her goal.
Maybe she’d been wrong.
“Food,” Zeph murmured. “You need to eat, but I don’t want to separate.”
“Me neither,” she agreed, rubbing her face against the smooth plates of his chest. “I can eat later.”
“No, humans need to eat several times a rotation. It’s even more important for you because you’re healing,” he said. “I think I know how we can keep embracing and still provide for you.”
Before she could ask what he planned, he loosened his hold, bent at the knees, and moved his left arm down.
The next thing she knew, he was holding her in the air with one arm under her butt.
She automatically wrapped her arms around his neck and waited for him to put her back down.
She wasn’t a willowy little human after all.
“How is this?” he asked, still purring.
“Won’t you get tired?” she asked even as she snuggled against him.
“Not at all,” he said. “You don’t weigh much.”
That was the first time she’d ever heard that. Jacks and her brother Owen loved teasing her for being “thick.” She knew they weren’t being malicious, but it still hurt.
Doubt made her question his claim. “Are you sure? Most humans are smaller than me.”
He made that amused sound. “That doesn’t mean anything. You’re still small compared to me. I could spend an entire rotation carrying you around like this.”
Giving into temptation, she closed her eyes and nuzzled her face against the strip of bare skin at the base of his neck. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m absolutely sure,” he said, turning and taking the few steps required to get to the food storage and prep area.
The smell of hibiscus was stronger now, and it made her breathe deeply. “You smell nice.”
“I do?” he asked. She heard a crinkling and opened her eyes to watch him shove a few packs into the reconsitutor before closing it again.
“Yeah,” she hummed and rubbed her face against his neck. She was taking all kinds of liberties, but she refused to think about it. They were consenting adults.
She refused to feel guilty. Even though she wasn’t telling him about being a bounty hunter, it wasn’t like he was forthcoming about being a fugitive either.
A bang made her lift her head away from his neck to watch him thump the reconsitutor a few times. The thing lit up for half a second then went blank again.
He grumbled a word her INT couldn’t translate but context indicated it was some kind of curse.
She stifled a giggle and sat up. Letting go of his neck with one hand, she reached out and slipped her finger into the gap between the top of the reconsitutor, where the food packs were hydrated and warmed, and the complicated power and control unit in the box under it.
She felt the conducting tubes, searching for one that was loose or disconnected.
She found two.
“What are you doing?” Zeph asked. His tone was curious with a hint of amusement.
“Helping,” she answered. She finished wiggling the tubes back into place, and the machine lit up and started processing the two packs Zeph had put in there.
“Brilliant!” he exclaimed.
Pulling her hand free, she nestled back against him. “Not really. It’s a common issue with this brand of reconsitutor.”
He brought his other arm up and rubbed her back. She shouldn’t have liked it as much as she did.
“I still think you’re brilliant. Because of you, we get to eat.”
“It’s easy to be brilliant around you,” she teased. Now that the machine was running, it took less than a minute for the packs to be processed. The door dropped down to reveal a plate almost overflowing with food. The smell made her mouth water.
She thought he’d put her down so they could eat, but instead he grabbed the plate and sat at the only table in the room. Like the bunk, it folded down from the wall along with a single place to sit. It looked like the second seat might be broken and wouldn't fold out.
Not surprising considering the aged look of the place. Maybe later she could see if it was something she could fix.
Sitting down, he settled her on his lap. “Is this acceptable? If not, you can have the chair and I’ll sit on the floor.”
“This is good,” she said, eyeing the food. It wasn’t familiar but smelled amazing!
“This is jorjuk,” he explained. “Normally it’s more like a stew, but this version will be easier for you to eat.”
“It smells great,” she said.
There was a small alcove with various types of cutlery that would be hidden when the table was folded up. Thankfully there was a spoon so she could eat it without getting food everywhere. She wasn’t feeling perfect yet and didn’t trust herself to eat with her fingers.
It turned out she shouldn’t have trusted herself with the spoon either. Her hands shook enough to dump the spoonful onto her lap.
She’d love to say this was the first time she felt this unsteady, but that would be a lie. Damn, she hated being like this.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, looking for something to clean up with.
Zeph was quick, though, and cleaned her up with a cloth from the miniature cleansing station in the alcove. Tossing the cloth aside, he took the spoon from her.
“Good idea,” she said, trying hard not to sound spiteful. “You should eat first. That way I waste my portion and not yours.”
“I thought I’d feed you,” he explained, dipping the spoon into the jorjuk. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s not surprising you’re a little unsteady.”
Her body flushed at his words.
He was going to feed her. Why did this feel so intimate?
Bringing the spoon to her mouth, he purred as she opened and accepted the food.
“Good girl,” he murmured; his deep voice and words lighting up all kinds of naughty thoughts in her head.
Shit, this was going to be trouble.