A ghost of a smile curved his lips as he led her to an open table. “I am slightly off schedule, but I can eat.”
“Off schedule,” she murmured. “You havegotto unwind a little, Zade.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I do not think that would be wise.”
There was an undercurrent to his voice that caused Ash to look up suddenly. His gaze, hot and electric blue, clashed with hers. He looked hungry, and not for food. She didn’t understand the mixed signals. His words were formal, but his body revealed something coiled and aching and barely leashed.
Ash moved her hands over the smooth table. The crystal turned a vivid shade of blue, shining through her hands and turning them the same color. She cleared her throat, eager to break the tension. “This is amazing.”
The bot zipped over to them. Text appeared on its body. It was in Baylan, so Zade ordered for both of them.
“I ordered a wide selection, so you may eat what you choose.” He leaned back on the cushions and rested an arm on a drawn-up knee. “TheAtriamawas one of my favorite places.”
“Was?” She raised an eyebrow.
“My duties do not allow me the free time I once had.” He looked around, as if seeing theAtriamafor the first time, or more likely, the first time in a long time. “I liked studying here. And meeting up with friends.”
“You have friends?” she asked, half joking.
“I do, although we rarely see each other now. Many are physicians on other ships.”
“All I’ve ever seen you do is work.” She cocked her head. “Do you sleep?”
For a moment, his brilliant blue eyes matched the vivid tones of the crystal table. “I sleep when you sleep,” he said. “I program myrejuto put me into restorative rest and to wake me when your brain signals show signs of awakening.”
Her brows went up. “You don’t just fall asleep when you’re tired?”
“I arrange my sleep around my highest priority patient.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Presently, that is you.”
That was the saddest thing Ash had ever heard. She leaned forward. “Zade, don’t you think that’s a little…unhealthy?”
A shadow crossed his features, before he pulled at the neckline of his uniform. “All of these soul markings denote my many duties. I cannot neglect them.”
She shook her head. “That’s fucked up. Just saying.”
His gaze went heavy on hers. “It could change.” He shrugged, trying to make the movement appear casual, but it came out as a jerk of his shoulders. “One day I may bond with a mate. That would cause me to make changes.”
Ash did not like the way those words felt.A mate. For Zade. The thought of a female putting her hands on his chiseled body made her hands curl into fists. She cleared her throat. “Do you…” she began without a clue where she was going with it, butthankfully the bot returned. Its domed top opened to reveal six shiny metal spheres, which Zade unloaded and opened up.
“This is a good sampling of authentic Baylan food,” he explained. His gaze was a weight on her. “We have kept our recipes from our home planet, as well as many of our customs.” He plucked an orange cube from a bowl and popped it in his mouth. “These are calledcruuls.” He picked up another one and held it to her lips. “Try one.” His silky command had her opening her mouth and taking in what he offered.
His fingers didn’t pull away immediately. As thecruulslid in, his fingertip brushed her lip. Ash barely tasted the thing she was eating. Distantly, her mind told her it was good, but all her senses were entirely attuned to the alien across from her. His vibrant blue eyes matched the marking on his skin and both seemed to swirl and illuminate.
“Would you like to try another?” he asked, low and husky.
“Yes, please,” she replied, with meaning. He couldn’t miss the suggestive tone to her words, or the blatant arousal undoubtedly beaming from her eyes. She was shameless, but so what? Maybe he was the kind of guy who neededreallyclear signals.
Zade fed her another piece of Baylan cuisine and Ash wondered what the hell was going on with her libido. Maybe she’d been celibate for too long. Another possibility: The crack to the head scrambled her brain and turned her into a sex maniac.
“Tell me about your life before you came here,” Zade said. “Did you have a profession?”
“I did. Do.” She swallowed her bite of food. “I mean, I think my job is still there.” Since arriving on the Raplan-B, Ash had given little thought to her job. It felt like it belonged in a different universe. “I was a bookkeeper.” She shook her head. “I mean, Iama bookkeeper. I worked a bunch of jobs—sometimestwo or three at a time—before I started doing the books for my mom’s hair salon.”
“A bookkeeper involves managing money.” He cocked his head. “You are good at math, then?”
“I am. It pays the bills.”And Shaun had accumulated a lot of them. “After a few years of doing my mom’s books, a few other businesses on her street hired me. I have a solid group of clients now. It pays the rent.” Itdid, but squinting at spreadsheets all day didn’t excite her. All it did was give her carpal tunnel. “A girl’s gotta make a living.” She said it flippantly, but meant it seriously.
Zade’s eyebrows rose. “Your work does not please you.”
