He could see her shoulders stiffen. “Why? Is it because I’m female?”
“No, not at all. You just don’t sound completely human.”
“I have studied your Earth languages thoroughly and can read and speak five of them fluently.”
“That’s the problem, you’re too good. Your pronunciation of words can be a little too exact and then your accent shows at times. Also, your looks might be a problem, so you’ll need to keep your head down or wear a hoodie or a hat.”
“What’s wrong with my looks?” she demanded.
“Nothing is wrong with you looks! Hell, I like… You’re pretty—too pretty. What I’m trying to say is that your complexion is flawless, your hair dark and silky, healthy-looking. With your eyes, it makes you exotic. However, you’re supposed to look like someone who’s been surviving in the tunnels for years.”
“I can understand the first thing, but the last...I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult.”
“Nix, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She held up her hand, silencing him. “I’ll go over there on the other side of that partial wall and change.”
***
Corey watched as Nix walked away. He hadn’t meant to insult her. It seemed that since day one of meeting the feisty Drastan woman, he had done nothing but get on her bad side. What the hell was up with that?
He had been popular with the girls when he was in school without having to work at it. After the disaster happened, he had a few sexual experiences, and seemed to leave his partners happy. Some had wanted a more serious relationship with him, but he had backed off from that. Truth was, he had stopped having sex with other women the moment he realized he loved Maggie. He had hoped that they would one day be a couple and didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for her to be in the same tribe with his previous lovers.
Now, though, Maggie was happily married with her baby and Corey accepted that. Actually, since the start of this mission, he’d found himself really feeling at peace with the situation for the first time. Maggie was no longer the dream. No, his dreams now all seemed to star the woman that was ten feet from him.
God, how did that happen? There was an attraction between them, had been from the very first time they met. At least on his side. He’d done what he always did when trying to impress a woman: told jokes, teased her, winked a few times. Sometimes he would glimpse a smile on her too-serious lips, a lovely blush on her cheeks, and he could swear she swayed those hips a little more when she knew he was watching. Maybe it was all in his head, though. Maybe being on the command ship affected his thinking.
“How do I look?” Nix asked, stepping around the wall.
Corey glanced up and smiled. “You definitely look like a human.”
“Aren’t these clothes too baggy?”
“Yes, but most people living in the subway wear worn clothes that were not always their size. No one will question it.” Which was all certainly true, but he found he definitely preferred Nix in her habitual (and more form-fitting) uniforms. She seemed more herself.
An image flashed through his mind of her naked and underneath him. He blinked, startled. What the hell? Where did that image come from? He had never seen her naked. Or had he? His dreams of her sometimes seemed so real: the feel of her soft skin, the taste of her arousal on his tongue and her moans—sounds of need and pleasure. He would wake confused and hard as hell. There were times he could swear he still felt her touch on his body.
He would surely remember bedding her if that had happened. Unless…unless maybe he hadn’t been in his right mind? There had been one night, a few months back, where he had memory loss. He remembered going to the recreation lounge, where the bar was, after a long week of training. Some of the other warriors he trained with had invited him to sit and try some of the Drastan beverages.
Corey hadn’t realized how strong those drinks would be or how his body would react. He remembered seeing Nix come into the bar. After that, there were only snippets here and there remaining in his memory. He guessed he must have said something that upset her, because after that night, she never smiled at him again or laughed at any of his jokes. He felt like someone who had come out of the darkness and gotten a glimpse of the sun, only to have it ripped away again to leave them in the dark once more.
Self-preservation had led him to act like nothing was affecting him, but training with her and seeing her easy interactions with other men while she showed no interest in him made him extremely jealous. That confused him even more, because he had no right to be possessive of her.
“Is something wrong?” Nix asked, running her hands along the jeans she wore.
“No. I’ll just go change into my clothes as well.”
“Okay. I’ll check the perimeter.”
Damn it!He should have done that. It felt like he failed again at protecting someone who was depending on him. He swore not to let that happen again, no matter how distracting she was. He would keep her safe. They were going to be traveling into his territory and he knew what to expect there. This was the reason he had been sent on this mission, his experience with the tribes. He needed to focus. Commander Estro believed in him and he refused to let him down.
