She took them with one arm, while the other stayed over her chest. “Thank you.”
She turned for the bathroom.
“Stop,” he ordered. “You can dress right here.”
She turned back toward him, the hesitation in her expression growing hard. “In front of you?”
“I don’t want you hiding from me anymore.”
She exhaled but didn’t fight him. He wondered if it was because she knew she’d lose. Or maybe it’s because it was fucking late and she had to be tired. And aching…
“Fuck,” he snapped, rising to his feet and storming to the replicator in the corner of his room. He had it create acetaminophen tablets and pulled out a globule of water. By the time he came back, she had fastened her bra and was reaching for her shirt. “Take these.” He handed her the pills and water. “It’s a basic painkiller.”
She took the tablets from him and shot them back, ignoring the water. He stared like a man obsessed as her throat bobbed. Hysterian cleared his throat.
“Thank you,” she said again, agitating him further.
“Don’t. It’s the least I can do.”
He walked down the short steps to the front of his quarters, needing to be away from the bed he’d just taken her virginity in. He wasn’t a drinker but wished he’d tossed back vodka while he’d been waiting.
“What time is it?” she asked, following him.
“Late. Shift starts in three hours.”
“Do you think—”
He spun to face her. “No.”
“I’m tired.”
“You can take the morning off, catch up on your sleep then.”
“But the locusts…”
“Alexa...” His voice held warning. “I’ll deal with them. Sit.” He pointed to the sectional to his left.
She sighed, and he never wanted to put someone over his knee and spank them as much as he wanted to right now. If ever. Everything about Alexa plagued him, and he never fully understood why.
Was it sadness? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, somehow being near her calmed him as much as it drove him crazy. He recognized something in her.
Now that he’d broken whatever innocence she had remaining, he was adamant not to break anything else.
She sat stiffly, tangling her fingers together.
“Are you sick?” he asked.
“What? No,” she answered quickly.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“I’m not sick. I’m not. Is this about the blood?”
“It’s about a lot more than that! You couldn’t get away fast enough. The bedding was soaked with sweat. I need to know…” He hadn’t found any trace of his poison, and she seemed fine, but he had to be certain. “Do you feel lightheaded at all? Do you ache anywhere besides there?” He indicated her middle region. “It’s important, Alexa. Do you feel strange, in any way?”
She looked down at her body, confusion flitting over her face. “I feel…”
He strode forward, closing the distance between them, and kneeled before her. “Tell me.”
