“Tests?!”I hissed, lowering my voice when my bundle stirred. “I’m not letting a bunch of Stellarians cut Pedro open with their katana-tendrils.”
Over my dead body.
My katana-wielding alien smiled kindly. “This was a rescue mission, sunshine, which means we will need to determine where this creature came from—so we can return them to their home planet.” He paused as something like regret passed over his deceptively boyish face. “Remember, this isn’t the old Astrum Force. I promise, Honnor would never allow anything bad to happen to your… friend.”
He’s trying.
“I know,” I muttered, slightly embarrassed I’d implied his kind would treat Pedro like a lab rat. “I’m just… feeling protective, I guess…”
Ziggy hummed, his gaze growing hooded again. “I noticed.”
I bet you did.
“Do you like what you see, Space Daddy?” I covered Pedro’s ears once again, unable to resist flirting with my man. “Does it get you thinking about what Gabe said—about how pretty I'd look all knocked up?”
You’d look pretty too.
“Careful, Micah,” he warned in a tone that made my toes curl. “Before I wreck you all over again.”
As tempting as that threat was, even I could admit I was legitimately sore from Maroxian monster cock.
Plus, we have a mission to complete!
I smirked, determined to get in the last word anyway. “Lemme just go put the baby to bed…” When Ziggy’s eyes lit up, I laughed. “So we cancleanthis disaster of a ship together! Get your mind out of the gutter, sheesh.”
My man growled in annoyance but dutifully turned and began gathering the weapons I’d dumped here earlier.
And if I took an extra moment to admire the way his ass flexed in his slutty gray sweatpants… Well, who could blame me?
We’ll be alone again soon enough…
Ignoring how weirdlysadthat made me, I headed toward the weapons-room-nursery, dutifully focused on settling Pedro into their crib before tackling the Maroxian goo situation on the gangway.
Just another day as a bad bish mercenary for Astrum Force.
6
ZIGGY
For as often as Micah referred to me as a “bad bish mercenary,” I certainly didn’t feel like one at the moment.
“Try making airplane noises,” my mate nonsensically suggested asPedroonce again turned up their snout at the perfectly adequate spoonful of hatini I was graciously offering. “Err… spaceship noises?”
“Are you asking or telling?” I huffed, tossing the spoon in front of the insufferable creature who, of course, immediately grabbed the cutlery and threw it on the floor. “Besides,whyin Stellaria’s name would the sound of a quad engine, even the low speed of Mach 52, encourageanyoneto eat?”
Instead of answering the question, Micah simply gazed at me with the same dreamy expression he got after I fucked him senseless.
And there’s been a distinct lack of fucking since the asset hatched.
Excuse me—Pedro the Asset.
“Just keep trying, Zig,” he murmured, fetching a fresh spoon and taking over. “This isn’t the kind of thing you can be perfect at right away.”
My bone-deep distaste for the task at hand suddenly made sense. There was no good reason for me to spend valuable time on anything I didn’t naturally excel at—which wasn’t much—or that I had no interest in.
Like spoon-feeding the cargo.
“Why not just put out food and water bowls for them?” I grumbled, glancing around the cluttered kitchen for a suitable spot.
