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Lithe like a jungle cat, she twined through the rough terrain, tucking snares into cracks and crevices webbed in ice, all the while snapping pictures on her wristport while I trailed, fascinated. Only when she picked her way back did I throw down my half of the snares and march back through the thick snow to the hoverbikes.
After removing a drinking container from the saddlebag, she took careful sips. The hot liquid inside sent steam curling into the air around her. Her eyes narrowed—steady on me. Thank the goddess Sola, her lips would be warm soon. They’d turned a shade of blue that didn’t belong on an Earthling in my limited experience. But her staring unnerved me.
How could the lead protector of the guard be so unsettled by such a little thing? But I maintained eye contact despite wanting to drop my gaze to the snow. “What color are your eyes?”
The tip of her tongue caught the hot liquid beaded on her lips. “Uh, hazel.” Her brows dropped quizzically. “Pretty standard color.”
Standard! Nothing about her eyes was standard.
“I disagree. The gold’s like the jungle cats’ eyes from home. The green matches my favorite swimming hole. The brown shimmers like the fine whiskey Yagras exports. All are rare.” I tried to keep my voice mellow.
She circled her boot in the snow and sucked on her bottom lip, turning it glassy. “Oh.”
My blood heated. I wanted to suck that lip. I found my fingers twisting in the frayed edges of my pants. What was happening to me? I was a soldier escorting a civilian through a dangerous area, and all I could think of was her soft lips. My mentor would’ve flayed me for such shameful behavior.
“I could fix that for you,” she offered.
My mind skidded to a stop.
Huh?
She could fix…what? That I’d never kissed a female before?
I must’ve worn a confused expression because she added, “The holes in your pants. I could fix them.”
A female offering to take care of a Rock Dweller was a big deal, and my mouth turned dry. I didn’t know how to read her at all. Of course she hadn’t meant to kiss me. Why would she want tokiss a giant, overloud, gray Rock Dweller, who stood colorless next to her nearly translucent skin, silver-white hair and ebony bangs? My plain green eyes couldn’t captivate like her hazel ones. What other colors did she have hidden under her clothes? I gulped.
When I nodded, she smiled. A strange sensation shot through my gut like a laser blast. Her softly tilted lips were often aimed at others, but never at me, and it nearly brought me to my knees.
“You want some?” She held out her hot drink container toward me. “To warm up?”
“I’m not cold.” Just the opposite. Trying to pull off a normal conversation with Ginger made me sweat, especially when I couldn’t take my eyes off her wet mouth.
“S’okay. Maybe you just want to try it.” She shot her lethal smile at me again. “It’s peppermint. My favorite.”
I nodded again, and she handed me the container. A wisp of fragrant steam escaped through the lid. My lips touched the same spot her lips had just left—as close to a kiss as I would get. I savored it. Graneth-honey sweet, sharp and vibrant. It tasted like her. Any more temptation would push me over the edge. Her pupils dilated when I passed the container back, careful not to brush her fingers.
“Yummy, right?” She pulled her hat tighter around her ears, and her gaze darted away from mine.
Yummy didn’t come close to describing it. I licked my lower lip, not trusting my volume. Why did her eyes grow darker and look away?
“Well”—she glanced at her wristport to check the time—“that’s long enough, I think. Let’s go check?”
Less than a sun later, three linobee swung from her saddle. Only one belonged to me. Compared to what Makir normally caught, it was nothing, but Ginger glowed, beyond happy with her haul.
She chattered away while packing her gear. “I really only need one to make sure YimYim gets a pair of replacement mittens. Did you know we have a creature on Earth just like this, a beaver, only they’re brown? But this should be enough to catch up on all my orders. Then you won’t need to come with me anymore because Makir will be back.”
I threw my leg over my seat, surprised by the heavy disappointment at not being the one to hunt with her anymore. This chatty version of Ginger proved as enticing as the one with claws.
“Ready?” she asked cheerily.
I nodded once again. She was much happier when I didn’t talk.
“Alrighty, let’s hit it.” Her hovee burst to life, spraying snow in its wake. She bolted forward, and I struggled to keep up. Unfortunately, it was becoming a familiar pattern.
I silently helped her clean the furs once we reached Geo’s. Geo’s dogs bounced around us, and she spoke about her designs as we worked. The time passed by without notice, and all too soon, the linobee preparation was finished. Despite how much she confused me, I liked sharing her company, but with the hides cleaned, I no longer had an excuse to stay.
“I’m going to head back to the sono. I need to plan the work schedule for the week,” I lied. Why was I trying to look important and busy? The truth was, her linnea scent had worked its way under my skin, but not as much as her work ethic, and I had no idea what to do with the tension riding my shoulders.
