She kept staring out the window. “Maybe.”
“You like having something hard on your hip all the time?”
“Makes me feel strong,” she said and grinned. She’d taken to wearing the bat on her hip everywhere they went. She explained it made her feel like some kind of space knight she’d told him about.
More of her world’s fiction stories.
She flexed her muscles. “I do like having something hard on me all the time.”
He caressed the little muscle, and she relaxed, leaning toward him. A sense of calm and tranquility filled him, something he’d not really known most of his life.
Simple. And in his mind, it was a far more enjoyable experience than a night at the bar back home. With each passing day, he became more certain that she had reshaped his life for the better.
Or she would, once he got everything sorted.
Though he couldn’t help the thoughts in the back of his mind—would she still want to leave when this arrangement was all said and done, as she claimed?
The looming idea tainted every happy moment, casting an ominous shadow in the back of his mind.
He glanced at her, the way her hair fell down to her shoulders in its clean shape, her hair fluttering softly from the moving air in the suite.
Will he be well if she left?
That might be the most important question.
The opening of the external door interrupted his thoughts.
Erzo leaped to his feet, standing between the door and Polly, his tail curling around her.
In came Olmed and Tori.
Polly leaped up, shoving his tail away, and charged at Tori. “Hey! There you are!”
Erzo relaxed and smiled at the two of them as they collided in an embrace before he acknowledged Olmed, who looked exhausted.
He raised his eyebrow. “Rough trip?”
Olmed shook his head. “I hate fulfilling favors.”
Erzo wasn’t a fan of owing anyone anything, either. “Favors can go right out of an airlock.”
Olmed nodded and picked up Erzo’s ale. “Got more?”
“Finish it,” Erzo said. “You look like you need it.”
Olmed’s gaze ran over the table, including the tray of small bites they’d been eating. Polly called them hors d'oeuvres. They were tiny bites, as far as he was concerned. But appetizing.
“You two having a moment?” Olmed asked, gesturing to the table.
“We have had a few,” Erzo replied. His gaze snapped to Tori, noticing her dress, and then back at Olmed. “Kantenan armor? You must like her.”
“She is an acceptable mate.”
For a second, Tori glanced past Polly to Olmed.
Did Olmed smile at her? He must truly like the female. It was unusual to see a red-skinned Kantenan looking pleased with anyone who wasn’t Kantenan.
The good match made Erzo happy for his friend. Maybe he would be more pleasant now.
