Gemma shrugs. “I’ve already quit my job, so I’d say so.”
Felix’s eyes practically bug out of his head. “Youwhat?”
She throws her head back and laughs, and the deep throaty sound makes my tentacles writhe with desire. I refrain—barely—from tapping my foot in frustration. Patience has never been my strong suit, and I’ve already been waiting to get my hands, and tentacles, on Gemma since we first met through the ship’s viewscreen.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Gemma explains. “I love helping people as a doctor, but I’ve become really fucking jaded by the American healthcare system. Prior to all of this”—she gestures to us—“I was seriously contemplating moving to New Zealand or something, try a new experience in a place that might value actual humans and their health over profit.” She shrugs. “Then the universe saw fit to open up a whole can of whoop-ass, er, I mean guided me on a different path, and I’m totally ready to try it out. Besides, I can always come back if I want to. Najar and Khephren have promised me. They’ll even let me keep my memories.”
I gape at my friends.Thisis news to me.
Kheph leans closer and whispers, “Trust me. Gemma Taylor is a ruthless negotiator. She could give you a run for your money, Luna.”
Hell to the fucking yeah. I’m so into this side of her.
All sides of her, if I’m being honest.
Gemma continues undeterred, “I’ve told most of my colleagues I’m taking some time off to deal with personal family issues, but I might be back in a couple of years or so. Who knows? They were actually all pretty cool about it. Some of them were even envious.”
The smug, satisfied look on her face makes me want to swoon. A strong, independent woman fucking does it for me. Big time.
“B-but what about your medical license?” Felix sputters.
She holds up a hand and cuts him off. “That’s for me to worry about, not you. I love you, big bro, but I am a full-fledged adult now, and I have been for a long time. You’re not responsible for my life choices.”
You tell him, you fierce, sexy femme!
“I know,” Felix whispers. “I don’t want you to make a rash decision that could leave you unhappy and full of regret. Your happiness is equally as important to me as my own.”
Gemma pulls him back into a hug. “Sure, it’s a comparatively quick one, but not rash. For instance, I’ve asked all your new friends about a million questions in the process of making my decision.”
That’s true. Me, Kheph, Najar, and even Sasha have been thoroughly interrogated over the last week. I don’t know about them, but I loved the experience. I’m already envisioning a scenario in which she ties me up and interrogates me in an even more pleasurable fashion. Mmmm….
“She really has,” Sasha agrees. “It was seriously intense. I was way impressed.”
Same, bro. Same.
“She was even able to intimidate me a little, which I respect as a warrior,” Najar mutters under his breath.
I can’t hold back a dreamy sigh. “I thought it was totally hot.”
Sasha snickers. “Of course you did.”
Gemma grins at Felix. “I’m not the kind of person who’s going to make an uninformed choice over something that affects my life in a massive way. I’ve done my research.” She gestures to the Sleigh Belle. “And talk about kismet. This ship of yours didn’t have a medical professional on it, and now it will. I’ll be responsible for keeping the crew healthy and medically safe during our travels.” She rubs her hands together with obvious anticipation. “I’m psyched to check out the high-tech equipment Luna told me your medical bay has.”
Did I use that as a bargaining chip with her? Fuck yes, I did!
A flirty tentacle of mine playfully twirls one of my pigtails. “I’d be happy to give you a private tour, Gemma.”
Najar smirks at me knowingly, but I ignore him. After all, I’m not going to be an idiot like he was with Felix. Lesbians don’t mess around. If we’re interested, we’re pretty much all in from the get-go. Now that Gemma’s joining us, I’ll be doing my damnedest to woo the hell out of her.
A trembling Felix takes hold of Gemma’s hands, his face a picture of combined hope and worry. “You’re completely sure about this?”
I already liked Felix, but seeing how much he cares for his sister earns him major candy cane points with me!
She smiles at him, affection written all over her face. “I love you, Felix, and I want you to be happy. You found someone special and you want to spend the rest of your life with him. There’s no way I’d stand for you turning that down because of me. I refuse to be an impediment to true love, dammit.”
Once again, Felix sputters. “B-but I didn’t even tell you he’d proposed.”
“Honey, you didn’t need to tell me. I knew you were falling in love with him almost from the start. Then, of course, Najar shared all the details when he called. So I grilled his ass like a no-nonsense MRI tech saying, ‘Did you REALLY remove all metal from your person?’ He passed the test.” She glances over at Najar. “You’re totally Felix’s type, by the way.”
