Total pages in book: 175
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
And then I growl at myself, because why the kef am I checking in with anyone? This triad has polluted my brain.
“Why are you growling?” Dora asks, pulling her gaze away from the ship hangar. We’re inside the station, watching from a large window as several of Kaatir’s wives work on expanding the Pleasure Spot into a roomier ship that can accommodate all three of us comfortably. She gives my hand a little shake. “Don’t like the changes?”
“They’re ugly,” I say automatically, hiding my true thoughts.
Dora just chuckles. “Did you not see the ship before? It wasn’t winning any beauty contests. Besides, I like it. Hazza says we’re going to have room for a small garden inside. Just closet-size, really, but I like the thought of being able to grow flowers or something green. It’s been forever since I’ve seen growing things.” She tilts her head, frowning. “Or have I ever seen green growing things?”
“You did, back on Three Nebulas.” I don’t like it when she references her clone memories, because I know they bother her. “Remember? We sat in the atrium and there were plants around us.”
She brightens, the stress smoothing away from her face. “Oh! That’s right. Though I confess I was pretty distracted, what with you licking me.”
“Mmhmm.” I stare out at the monstrosity that’s now going to be the Pleasure Spot. The belly of the ship will bulge as if it’s pregnant and ungainly, but I’ve seen worse. And if Dora is excited for a closet-sized garden, well, she should have one. “This reminds me that I need to get back to work. As soon as we can take off, I have to check in with the guild.”
Dora’s hand twitches in mine. “What for?”
“Bounty contracts. I need to start earning credits again. Get back on the job. I don’t like all this sitting around.”
I brace myself, expecting Dora to whine and complain about me working. That she doesn’t want me to take time away from her. That I’m being unfair. Isn’t that how every relationship goes? It’s all fun and pussy-eating games until someone has to bring in the credits, and then someone else gets mad that they’re not getting enough attention.
But Dora just nods her head. “No reason to put it off. I imagine you’ll want me to stay with the ship until I get better with my aim, right?”
I gaze down at her in surprise. Her easy acceptance feels…too easy. “That’s not going to bother you?”
“No. Why should it? Right now I’d be a terrible bounty hunter. And someone should guard the ship if both you and Jamef have to work.”
I think about her nightmares, how she doesn’t like sleeping alone because it scares her, and I squeeze her hand. “I imagine we’d trade off. We wouldn’t leave you alone and defenseless. Someone would be with you at all times.”
“Well, then that’s fine. As long as you don’t try to dump me on someone at the next place we stop.”
“Me?” I put a hand to my chest with mock innocence. “I would never.”
“You’d better not.” She turns and eyes me with amusement. “I know you’re testing me to see if I’m going to want to bail, Bethiah, but you need to realize that I’m with you. Both of you. You’re bounty hunters. You’ll need to bounty hunt at some point. That’s part of the job.”
“Yes, and then you’ll get bored because we spend so much time away from the ship trying to earn credits, and then it’ll be our fault for you feeling lonely and afraid.”
“So get me a plant.” She shrugs. “As long as I know you’re coming back to me—both of you—I’ll manage.” Her gaze goes out to the ship and she watches as a strong female lifts a section of ship into place and begins to solder the metal. “This is going to work. You wait and see.” Then she pauses. “By the way, should I be on birth control?”
“Only if a tongue can make you pregnant,” I joke.
“They can’t, but you and I are going to be riding Jamef’s cock tonight so we need to think about that kind of thing.” She smiles sweetly at me and then smacks my ass. “I’ll go ask Hazza.”
Kef me. For a scared little human, she’s certainly come a long way. I clench my thighs together, replaying her words in my mind. You and I are going to be riding Jamef’s cock tonight.
She’s determined to make our three-way work, and while part of me is nervous about that, a larger (stupider) part of me is excited to see what tonight will bring. Maybe I need to be on birth control, too.
Kef me.
Sixty-Four
JAMEF
I eye the invoice that Kaatir sent to my data-pad with amused dismay. You’d think that listening to ten thousand war stories would at least warrant a discount, but not so much. The old male’s a crafty one. While his wives are busy upgrading your ship, he keeps you busy with talk for so long that by the time he’s done, you just want to get away and you’ll chew off your own arm in order to accomplish it.