Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Baird nodded. “It’s a jungle planet with a helluva lot more scary animals than Bebo here.” He crouched down to scratch the little animal under its chin. Its large eyes closed and it made a sort of grunting purr as it submitted to his caress.
“A jungle planet,” Liv murmured. “Only instead of green, most of the vegetation is blue.”
“That’s right.” Baird looked up from where he was crouched on the floor, a startled expression on his chiseled features. “How did you know that?”
“I saw it in a dream.” Liv blushed and looked down. “One of the dreams we shared I think. I saw you…never mind.” She shook her head. “Anyway, that accounts for his bright blue fur. I still don’t understand why he tried to attack me though.”
“He tried to attack you?” Though he was clearly trying to keep the skepticism from his voice, Baird wasn’t succeeding too well.
“Well, he bared his teeth at me!” Liv said, irritated. Of course now that its master was home the little animal was acting like butter wouldn’t melt in its alien mouth. Its alien mouth filled with shark teeth, she reminded herself.
“That’s just a greeting stance. He probably did it because he was meeting you for the first time.” Baird rose and dusted blue feathery fur off his large hands. “I’m sorry if he scared you. He’s not dangerous though, just curious.”
“Curious enough to make me drop the milk carton and chase me down the hall?” Liv raised an eyebrow, still not buying the whole Bebo-is-such-a-good-boy routine.
“The what carton?” Baird shook his head. “Sorry, I thought I knew all of your language but sometimes the slang still throws me.”
“It’s not slang, it’s a drink,” Liv explained as Bebo shuffled off down the hall. Apparently she and Baird held no further interest for the little creature. “It comes from a cow and we drink it. That’s what I thought the white stuff in the kitchen, er, food-prep area was. Or that’s what it kind of looked like, anyway.”
“Oh, so that’s what happened to my fireflower juice. It’s a pretty potent alcoholic beverage you know.”
Liv sighed. “I sort of found that out the hard way. But I told you, it looked like milk which is about as far from alcohol as you can get on Earth.”
Baird looked confused. “But this milk…you said it comes from a cow? Isn’t that a large bovine animal with horns?”
Liv nodded. “Uh-huh. Farmers keep them—well, dairy farmers anyway. And they milk them, uh, squeeze the milk out of them, every day for humans to drink.”
Baird made a face. “So you’re sayin’ you drink liquid that’s been squeezed out of an animal?”
“When you say it like that it sounds terrible.” Liv frowned. “Don’t the Kindred have any domesticated animals?”
“None that I’d want to drink what came out when I squeezed it. Where do they squeeze the bovine to get this milk anyway? The horns?”
“Uh, no.” Liv sighed. “Actually I think it has this big bag between its, uh, its hind legs.”
“Between its legs? The squeezings come from between its legs?” Baird shook his head and then burst out laughing again. “Sorry, I’m sure the Kindred have some ways that seem strange to you but that…that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Despite herself Liv felt the corners of her mouth twitching. His deep rumbling laugh was infectious and somehow everything she’d been through in the past hour seemed so silly now. Stumbling around in the dark, drinking hard liquor and thinking it was milk, being chased by what amounted to a toy poodle, at least from Baird’s point of view…Even the attack by the mat didn’t seem so bad now that she knew she’d just pressed the wrong buttons. And now, trying to explain where milk came from…Well, I supposed it does sound kind of disgusting, she admitted to herself. But still…
“Milk’s good for you,” she lectured, trying to keep from laughing.
“Good for you, huh?” He grinned. “Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“No, but it is.” Liv put her hands on her hips, forgetting about the ragged, gaping hole in her nighty. “It builds strong bones and shiny hair and…and…” She tried to think of something else.
“And smooth, soft skin?” The laughter was suddenly gone from Baird’s voice and there was a heat in his eyes that made Liv’s pulse start to race.
“Well…sure. I guess so.” She shrugged.
“Then you must have had a lot of it.” He took a step toward her and ran one fingertip down the column of her throat and over the upper curve of her breasts.
“Why would you say—oh!” Looking down Liv realized that she was on display, both breasts fully visible through the hole the Touch-U had torn in the black silk and lace of her nighty. Her nipples were hard from his gentle touch and her heart was pounding.