It was clear she was surprised at his words. At least she believed he was going to get her medical attention even if she was still suspicious of his future intentions. He might not have caused this injury but pulling her off the chair couldn’t have helped.
“I never meant to cause you pain.” He probably should’ve left it at that, but couldn’t help adding, “If you had just come with us in the beginning this wouldn't have happened.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Sorry, I'm not into the meek slave thing. I’m not conceding to anything.”
It took a moment to realize she thought they were going to use her as a sex worker. “We don't want a sex slave.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “Then why buy me? You said you don't have a circus. What else could you possibly want? There were offers in the past, but they never offered enough for the circus to sell me.”
“It’s a long story, but the short of it is that we want you to come live on Hissa and pick one of our warriors to enter a family pact with.” He expected questions and was taken off guard when she laughed in his face.
“Oh, that's how we're going to play this?” she asked. “Sure, I'd love to travel back to your home planet and marry you and have lots of little kids.” Her words were so heavy with sarcasm that he was surprised they didn’t hit the ground with a thud.
It was going to be a long trip back to Hissa, but eventually she would meet the other Decanted women and know he was being honest with her.
“You don't need to believe me. You'll see the truth soon enough.”
She mumbled something under her breath, and he didn't quite hear it. “What did you say?”
“You do realize the giant erection digging into my ass cheek isn't helping your story, right?” She wiggled a little in his lap,and Miran bit back a groan. “If your cause was so noble, you probably wouldn't be interested in getting between my legs yourself.”
“That isn’t my fault,” Miran said.
She pursed her lips. “Really?”
“It’s an uncontrollable biological response to being this close to someone who smells as good as you,” he said.
Her expression was genuinely confused. “You think I smell good? I'm dirty and sweaty!”
“The dirt is minor, and under it is your luscious scent,” he said, even as he tried to will his erection away. “I apologize for my ill-mannered cock. He’s never been pressed against someone so beautiful or clever before.”
She laughed. “I have an idea,” she said, stretching her face up to brush her lips against his chin. “You and I could run off together. No need to share me with your buddies and anyone else who can pay the rental fee. Wouldn’t that be better? You’d get all my attention. I might not have any experience, but I’m a fast learner.”
For a moment, Miran’s brain short-circuited. His mind filled with images of her naked and under him. He couldn’t help himself, he moved his face down to nuzzle her neck, filling his lungs with the intoxicating smell of her.
“That's right,” she whispered. “Just you and me. Or if you want to keep the family fiction thing going, you could be my male. If I get to choose, I choose you.”
She couldn’t know how much those words triggered something deep and needy he’d been ignoring his entire adult life. He wanted to rush back to Hissa and claim a spot in their planet’s vast jungle. He’d build her a beautiful home with high ceilings so she could climb if she felt like it.
They’d live there, just the two of them, blissfully ignorant of all the horribleness in the universe.
The image was so vivid he could smell the green jungle and hear her laughter.
With all those images in his head, he gave in. Opening his mouth, he flicked his tongue over her neck. She tasted as good as she smelled.
She sucked in a breath. For the first time, he smelled arousal from her. He reared back, intending to claim her mouth with his only to see her hand poised over his neck with a drug gun.
She flinched when he snatched the drug gun from her with a snarl. He was a fool.
He put pressure on the middle of the device until it snapped in half, careful not to accidentally inject himself.
“Your mouth says such sweet words, but your hands seem to have a different message,” he said, tossing the broken drug gun aside.
There was no guilt on her face, only a touch of fear. “You looked tired. I thought you might like a nap.”
He didn’t comment on her snark. “Where did you get it?”
Her eyes darted to the side, and he followed her gaze to see a small blue box mounted on a nearby wall. The front door was hanging open to reveal a row of drug guns ready to use to subdue an unruly or dangerous passenger. One slot was empty.
