She smiled now. “I didn’t bring anychauriwith me, babe.” But an “I did” got rid of her smile. “If you think I’m going to step one foot on my world wearing one of those—”
“When you needs be a Sec 1, you may dress accordingly.”
“Stars, who’s the captain around here, anyway?” she grumbled. “Martha claims to be.”
“Well, Martha is still answerable to me, though she likes to pretend otherwise. And I know farden well you haven’t had time to unpack anything yet, so how about compromising a little and letting me wear what I want to until you do?”
“When a warrior begins compromising—”
“Challen! Be reasonable for once, dammit!”
“If the Challen is displeasing to you, Tedra De Arr, I will—”
Tedra rounded on the android. “Stay out of this, Corth!”
“No,” Challen said menacingly. “I would hear what the man would do.”
Tedra rounded back on the warrior. “He isn’t a man. Why can’t you grasp that simple concept? He’s a machine, a companion, an entertainment android. He’s here to amuse me, and nothing else. He’s like a pet, Challen. Doesthatmake sense to you?”
“I am also a fully functional sex-sharer,” Corth pointed out, much to Tedra’s horror.
“Now, Challen …” she said when he started toward the android again. “I’ve never used him in that capacity. You, more than anyone, ought to know that.”
“Nor will you be able to when I am finished with him,” the warrior growled.
“Will you stop! You can’t be jealous of a machine.” And then Tedra’s eyes widened at what she’d said. “Can you? Are you jealous, warrior?”
The look he gave her was priceless, full of chagrin, exasperation—and bewilderment. Warriors weren’t supposed to experience jealousy. That was a woman’s emotion. Yet he felt it, and couldn’t deny it, and Tedra was so delighted, all she wanted to do was shower him with kisses.
“Why don’t you go visit Martha in the Control Room, Corth,” Tedra suggested, doing her best to keep an idiotic grin off her lips. “I think she’s just got the results she masterminded and needs someone to crow to. Don’t you, Martha?”
“Sure do,” came the smug voice out of the large audiovisual console against one wall.
The voice and turned-on screen temporarily distracted Challen, and Tedra shooed Corth out while he wasn’t looking, then came up behind the warrior to wrap her arms around him. “You know, I swore a long time ago that one day I’d get you into a solaray bath. But you aren’t dirty, not even a little sweaty. But I know a way to get you sweaty. Wanna hear about it?”
He turned around so he was the one doing the holding. “Best you show me instead.”
That idiotic grin got loose as she unbuckled her blouse to drop it over the console screen. “Just remember, babe,” she said as she wrapped herself around him and was picked up in his arms, “if the bed moves—ignore it.”
Chapter Forty-four
“Oh, my Stars, they’ve brought in the big guns and haven’t even bothered to dress them appropriately,” was Rourk Ce Dell’s alarmed comment before it dawned on him that the giant was standing in his living room. “Wait a minute. How did you get in here?”
“He’s with me, babe,” Tedra said, stepping out from behind Challen.
“Tedra!” And she was pounced on for a hug that swung her around the room. “Oh, babe, it’s good to see you! But when did you … why are you … dammit, Tedra, it’s too soon. Nothing’s changed yet.”
Before she could answer, she was separated from Rourk, who was still holding her, the entire span of Challen’s arms. Rourk, understandably, lost his train of thought. All he could do was stare at the warrior, who was giving him a don’t-touch-my-woman-again look.
Tedra shook her head, snapping her fingers in front of her friend’s eyes. “You’d be surprised whathaschanged, Rourk. He’s not one of them, he’s mine, and there’s more where he came from.”
That got Rourk’s attention back real quick. “What do you mean, yours? Who is he, Tedra?”
“Challen Ly-San-Ter,shodanof Sha-Ka-Ra on the planet Sha-Ka’an.”
“You mean Sha-Ka’ar?”
“No, I mean Sha-Ka’an. You suggested I do a tittle world discovering while I was gone, remember? Well, guess what I discovered?”
