“I pinkie promise,” he said flatly, “that I do not currently require medical intervention.”
“Great!” I gave his pinkie a little squeeze with mine, then released it. His hand hovered in the air for a moment, as if waiting for me to reclaim it, before it dropped.
“Because I’d hate to have to try to take your appendix out or something,” I went on. “I haven’t had to perform a procedure like that since my first round of surgical training. I wouldn’t know where to begin looking for a Zabrian appendix. Do you even have one?”
“An appendix is a section of extra information at the end of a written document,” he grunted.
“So that’s a no. Well, good. Glad your appendix isn’t about to burst on me.”
He made an odd sound when I said “burst.” Not quite a bitter snort, but something close to it.
“Indeed,” he muttered.
“So if you’re not sick or anything, what the heck are you doing down there?”
As if to punctuate my question, a big melty drop of snow slipped from the roof above and landed with a heavy splat on his right ear. He didn’t move his massive body at all, except to tilt, then flick, the ear in question.
Finally, he stood. He did it slowly. Stiffly. Like it took a lot of effort. He remained facing away from the window and me.
“I had to check something by this side of the house,” he said after a beat. “And then, I found it necessary to spend some time on the ground.”
Illuminating explanation, Warden. Truly.
I didn’t bother saying that part out loud. If he wanted to give me some more information, he would. I was beginning to think that Warden Hallum was not only an intense, controlled, and commanding warden. But that he was also just, like, hella weird.
I found myself smiling at the back of his head. His sleek black hair was once again tied neatly, and tightly, back. The lengthof the ponytail laid straight along the strong line of his spine. Up close like this, I could appreciate the tight, tailored fit of his uniform. It followed the wide V of his torso perfectly, like it had been made for him. Maybe it had been. The trousers, too. They clung to the thick ridges and shapes of his muscles. His tremendous thighs.
And a glorious ass. MyGod.
The tail emerging from a small hole in the trousers and wrapped around that ingenious little belt hook was just the cherry on top. A little quirk of cuteness to balance out all the hotness. My cheeks warmed.
I kind of wanted to reach out and tug it.
I wouldn’t. Because that would be insane.
Instead, I asked him if he’d eaten breakfast yet, to which he answered he hadn’t. He did that weird snorty thing when I mentioned the morning meal, same way he had earlier when I’d said burst. Maybe his blood sugar was a little low, and that’s why he was being so weird and snorty and crouchy this morning.
“I have a few more chores to do out here yet,” he announced. He still hadn’t turned around to face me. Maybe he was aware of my bare legs and felt weird about that. But they were hidden by the wall, so even if he looked at me through the window, he wouldn’t be able to see them now. I shrugged it off.
“I’m going to get ready, and then I’ll make you something,” I said.
“That is not necessary.”
“What? Zabrians don’t eat?”
“We do.”
“Well, I’m going to be cooking enough for both of us,” I told the back of his head. “And I’d rather eat with you than eat alone.”
He made some kind of sound of acknowledgement, not quite a word, then stalked away. I watched him as he went. Without even being aware of it, I’d placed my elbow back on thewindowsill and was leaning my chin on my hand, my head tilting goofily. Like I was some kind of besotted idiot.
But I honestly couldn’t help it. The man’s body was a marvel. It was incredibly satisfying to simply watch him move. To observe him as he drove those powerful legs, those tall boots, through the melting snow. Even outside, in the breathless expanse of this wide world, he took up so much space. Not just physically – his entire presence was something to be reckoned with. It was as if every step he took was an indication of some deep, determined well of intention. Every movement a precise measure of strength. He appeared to be a man entirely in control of himself and his own colossal strength.
Well, except for his ears. I smirked, remembering their adorably twitchy nature. Something told me he wasn’t entirely in control of those.
Humming to myself, I strode from the bedroom, finding the rest of my boxes from the saloon piled up around the edges of the kitchen. I sighed when I saw the state of the floor out here. I’d meant to tidy up at least a little bit last night. But after Warden Hallum left on the next round of box-retrieval, my energy levels had given out on me.
Oh, well. I’d get to it today. Resuming my cheery tune, whistling this time instead of humming, I began hunting through the new boxes. While I didn’t exactly think that dumping more of my crap onto the floor was the best strategy at the moment, none of the already-open boxes had contained any of my clothing.
