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I’d missed the rush of feeling useful. How could I say no to all these hopeful smiles? Instead of showering and searching for JayJay, I spent hours in the kitchen workspace mending clothes.
A Boola with a shaved head and a long row of stitches across his scalp prepared a massive tinga salad on the table beside us. “There’s no way to take on hellsna face-to-face.”
“All we can do is dodge and evade and hope not to be squashed like starbugs.” The Tig next to me flicked his tawny ears, slashed the thread from his sloppy repair with a claw and limped to the pile of torn garments for another item.
Efred snorted. “Saluda told me all about Protector JayJay and his showdown with some starbugs last rotation.”
The whole table laughed as Efred retold the story, but it became clear to me that hellsna were not easily killed and that JayJay kept throwing himself in the line of fire.
A weary-eyed Sisip joined our table, laughing after catching the tail end of Efred’s story. “How’s the arm, Efred?”
She checked in with each of her injured enforcers while I waited, hoping and praying, to ask my question. When Sisip bit into her sandwich, I jumped at the opening. “Are there any free rooms I could stay in for a bit?”
She rubbed over the striped fur on her tawny chin. “We might be able to squeeze you in with Shaheel… Nope, that won’t work. I just remembered…” Sisip held up a claw-tipped finger as she pressed the com behind her ear and listened. “Right, on my way.” In the next second, she plucked her sandwich off the tray and rose from her seat. “Rest up, enforcers. We need you back in the action.” Then she darted away.
I supposed asking her about something so trivial while she took a quick break from fending off hellsna was pretty dumb and selfish.
The round door Geo had built for JayJay loomed in front of me. Behind it, the small alcove, once a cozy refuge, now set my frantic heart drumming.
The last time I’d been in a serious relationship, I didn’t have a plan. I’d been twenty-two years old, kicked out of my apartment by a cheating boyfriend I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. Brokenhearted and homeless, without Geo, I would’ve spiraled. Plans were a good thing. I fidgeted with the strap of my shower bag, slung over one shoulder. Out of excuses, I picked up the twisted metal knocker and tapped it against the wood.
I didn’t have a clue how to do this.
“Enter.” JayJay’s deep voice boomed.
Nerves overpowered my tired, achy body. Without the hiti mushroom JayJay had dumped in my water earlier, I would’ve been dead on my feet. I swallowed, bounced on my toes andshook out my fingers, swollen from a day of sewing. You can do this.
I placed one foot on the stair Geo had added for me, held my breath and slid the door along its track.
Awash in a warm orange glow, JayJay stood shirtless, rubbing a salve over his scalp. I bit back my gasp and forced a normal breath. An abrasion ran down his left shoulder to his elbow. It glistened with the balm already. His earth and musk smell mixed with the piney ointment, and saliva pooled in my mouth. Solid muscles packed his stomach in square slabs, and his shoulders were as round as boulders.
“Ginger…” My name hung in the air, the salve forgotten.
His forest-green eyes roamed up and down, assessing me the way a doctor’s might. Good, those were the types of looks that would keep our ‘business’ strictly professional. But when his gaze caught mine and held, his expression changed. Concern morphed into something that sent butterflies zooming through my belly. Attraction. And adoration. Attraction would make things easier, but adoration was a look that led to more. I’d never gotten far with more in the past.
I have to get home. Not hung up on an alien that lives on another planet.
He took a step toward me, body shining. I gulped. He would’ve made a fortune back on Earth as an oiled-up stripper.
“Ginger…” He closed the door behind me. “Where have you been?”
“Giving you space to think this through.” My voice wobbled and I forced myself to keep things professional.
JayJay strode toward me, miles of muscles on display. “I care about you, Ginger—”
No. No. No. There would be absolutely no caring involved. Voice detached, I interrupted. “I’ve forwarded you the report from Dr. Ten so you can see the treatment plan yourself. If youagree, I’m hoping we can begin at once. On the off chance that this…procedure works, I would like to return to Earth as soon as possible. Any Rock Dweller will do, so please feel no obligation.” I counted on JayJay’s protective instincts to keep me from begging Sannit or Tino. I couldn’t stomach asking them.
His nose flared, and his forehead ridge formed a deep vee. The butterflies in my stomach stilled. Anger creased his mouth, and he stiffened, throwing up a metal shield that turned him rigid and guarded. Any sign of adoration vanished.
“Geo explained everything. I agree to assist.” He spoke as if he were issuing orders to his team.
“Why did you act like you didn’t know why I was here, then?” I stood just inside the room in the soft moss, not knowing whether I should come in farther or not.
“I lost my wristport on my last mission and only learned when Sisip gave me a replacement a couple of suns ago.”
“Right.” Fuck! At least I hadn’t gone off on Geo to his face.
“The other Rock Dwellers have come to Tern seeking life companions. Unless you plan to spend your life with one, you would crush their dreams.” He plucked at a frayed string on his tattered pants. “I know there’s no life companion in my future. I’m the better choice.”
