“It sounds like Janet is awake,” Zeph announced before she turned the corner.
“Janet!” Lily screeched, making her wince. Her sister ran toward her and barreled into her with a hug. “You’re awake! Uncle Zeph said you were sleeping and said we couldn’t wake you. He said you haven’t been sleeping good.”
Janet wrapped her arms around Lily and pulled her in with a tight squeeze. “I slept well last night.” She looked at Zeph as she carried her sister back into the bright room. He looked as normal as he sounded with his amber hair and bright green eyes. They twinkled when she met them, making her heart race. “What’ve you two been up to?” She set Lily down.
“Waiting for you,” Zeph said, his lips stretching into a wicked smile. He handed her a cup of coffee as Lily ran to the large central porthole.
Janet sniffed the offering before she took a sip. “Was I asleep for that long?”
“Like Sleeping Beauty.” He crowded her space as her cheeks heated.
“Sleeping Beauty only wakes up with true love’s first kiss.” She took another sip. “Not coffee…” Janet realized what she said a moment too late and took a step back from Zeph.
“Oh?” He moved with her.
She placed the cup in front of her lips. “Coffee is better.” She pressed her lips to the warm mug. “And safer.”So much safer. And better.
Maybe?
Zeph’s smile turned devious. His mouth hovered over her ear. “I’m not the one who’d wake you. I’m the one who puts you to sleep.”
“Not here,” she said. Janet clenched her eyelids shut when his lips caressed the top of her ear.
“Why not?”
“Lily.”
Janet twisted away and sucked air into her lungs, turning her back to the Cyborg. She scanned the lounge and found Bin-one—Mr. Heartface—at the counter where two trays of food sat. One of them had been partially devoured. She sat in front of the other, knowing Zeph’s gaze remained locked onto her back.
“Lily, are you done eating?” she called out.
Lily rushed to her side, looked at her food, and ran back to the window, her video game tablet dangling from her hand all the while. “I wanna see the moon monster!”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Janet muttered.
She peered at the food before her. It wasn’t another Kepler delicacy but a standard breakfast: toast, oatmeal, and fruit. She poked the berries once before diving in with a moan. Fresh. Zeph managed to keep fresh fruit on his ship. When she was done with her tray, she picked at Lily’s plate and finished up the leftovers.
Once there was no more food to keep her busy, Janet licked her lips and forced her attention back on the room without looking at Zeph. Tension strained every muscle in her body.
Was she intimidated by him? She pushed her hair off her shoulders. Men rarely made her feel that way, but with him, the fluttering in her gut wouldn’t go away. It made it hard to stay in control of herself when she was constantly being plagued with the feeling. Last night had only made matters worse.
Laughter filled her ears, drawing her eyes back to the porthole.
“Now if you look carefully at the clouds, you may see some swirling and opening. If that happens, study the openings and you may just see something,” Zeph said, kneeling beside Lily.
“Where?”
“Keep looking. I’ll move us closer, but your job is to find the creature.”
Bin-one took his place as Zeph moved away and joined her at the counter.
Purple clouds and the moon’s hidden landscape filled the porthole. Janet wanted to join her sister in the search, but the grown-up part of her knew they only needed one kid on the ship.
“Are there really giant monsters? Or is this a ruse?” she asked, glancing at Zeph, her common sense no match for her curiosity.
“Oh, there’s something on that moon. No one’s ever gotten close enough and lived to tell the tale.”
“Really?” She set her cup down.
