Solace, I have known you a very long time. Don’t you presume to know what I do and don’t need to thank a body for.” She crossed her arms and gave him her best glare.
He chuckled rather than skittering off like so many did. He put time into her, attention. She narrowed her eyes, waiting.
“Okay then. You’re right, and you’re welcome.”
She played through his words, looking for any sign that he’d patronized her, and found none.
“Last night I noticed you didn’t have guards posted, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t have anyone here in medtech training?”
“You’ve been busy.” Anyone but him poking around that much, and she’d be suspicious and angry. She respected his opinion, and it helped that he was right.
“Just took a look around. I spoke with Kenner about doing some defense training while I’m here. That can address the lack of posted guards. Really, Piper, with all this upheaval around you, there should be guards posted every moment of the day. Perhaps a little update on munitions would be helpful as well.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“How long will you be here?”
“Long as it takes.”
“You used to be nice to me,” she teased with a laugh. If she hadn’t, she might have blurted out how glad she was to see him. How much she’d missed him.
He looked up again, amusement clear on his features. Her gut squeezed at how he looked, at the way it felt to simply be with him again. She fisted her hands rather than let them shake.
He went back to work, the smile still on his lips. “You used to say that all the time. Usually when you wanted to be involved in something inherently dangerous, and I said no.”
Unwillingly, she snorted, totally guilty. She supposed she might have—at one point in her life when she was very young and had the most beautiful boy around—been a tad spoiled. He’d guarded her. Protected her. Everyone had known she was his, and because of that, no one dared harm her.
“You wound me.” She sniffed delicately and looked back to the valve in his hands. She still had the little tributes he’d brought back to her. A bracelet made from the shiniest of baubles he’d boosted from some outlander down at the Portal. A picture in a delicate frame. Someone else taken somewhere else, but the lady in it had been regal and beautifully exotic to Piper’s eyes. A scarf, a pin, a hat, gloves. Most precious of all were the books. Two classics from Earth. Because he knew it meant something to her. And a collection of poetry from Ravena’s top modern poet, Eleni Portony.
“I read Little Women to Eiriq and Lune’s children.”
He swallowed and licked his lips. Inside, in that place she hadn’t wanted to face, the place where the voice in her head had told her he didn’t care anymore, that place eased, dissolved like smoke.
She did still affect him. To what extent she didn’t know. But it hadn’t been some memory she’d embellished over the years. That connection, that bright spark that she’d always felt was special and unique, really was between them.
Then and now. Perched near him, watching him work and enjoying his presence, it was as if those years hadn’t existed. It was so very simple to her. She wanted him now, as she’d wanted him then. No, no, she wanted him more. She was older. More experienced. Harder in many ways. She wanted to know what he felt like, naked, against her back. His lips on hers. Wanted to know what it felt to have his cock inside her when they didn’t have to worry about getting caught. When they both knew a few more things about pleasure.
“Do they get any schooling?” he asked, bringing her back from the dirty place in her head where she’d been riding his cock, his hands all over her.
“The children here? The town school sends out teachers a few times each lunar cycle. We supplement with practical life work. Taryn works with them in the greenhouses and nurseries.”
Her grin lightened his heart.
He chuckled rather than skittering off like so many did. He put time into her, attention. She narrowed her eyes, waiting.
“Okay then. You’re right, and you’re welcome.”
She played through his words, looking for any sign that he’d patronized her, and found none.
“Last night I noticed you didn’t have guards posted, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t have anyone here in medtech training?”
“You’ve been busy.” Anyone but him poking around that much, and she’d be suspicious and angry. She respected his opinion, and it helped that he was right.
“Just took a look around. I spoke with Kenner about doing some defense training while I’m here. That can address the lack of posted guards. Really, Piper, with all this upheaval around you, there should be guards posted every moment of the day. Perhaps a little update on munitions would be helpful as well.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“How long will you be here?”
“Long as it takes.”
“You used to be nice to me,” she teased with a laugh. If she hadn’t, she might have blurted out how glad she was to see him. How much she’d missed him.
He looked up again, amusement clear on his features. Her gut squeezed at how he looked, at the way it felt to simply be with him again. She fisted her hands rather than let them shake.
He went back to work, the smile still on his lips. “You used to say that all the time. Usually when you wanted to be involved in something inherently dangerous, and I said no.”
Unwillingly, she snorted, totally guilty. She supposed she might have—at one point in her life when she was very young and had the most beautiful boy around—been a tad spoiled. He’d guarded her. Protected her. Everyone had known she was his, and because of that, no one dared harm her.
“You wound me.” She sniffed delicately and looked back to the valve in his hands. She still had the little tributes he’d brought back to her. A bracelet made from the shiniest of baubles he’d boosted from some outlander down at the Portal. A picture in a delicate frame. Someone else taken somewhere else, but the lady in it had been regal and beautifully exotic to Piper’s eyes. A scarf, a pin, a hat, gloves. Most precious of all were the books. Two classics from Earth. Because he knew it meant something to her. And a collection of poetry from Ravena’s top modern poet, Eleni Portony.
“I read Little Women to Eiriq and Lune’s children.”
He swallowed and licked his lips. Inside, in that place she hadn’t wanted to face, the place where the voice in her head had told her he didn’t care anymore, that place eased, dissolved like smoke.
She did still affect him. To what extent she didn’t know. But it hadn’t been some memory she’d embellished over the years. That connection, that bright spark that she’d always felt was special and unique, really was between them.
Then and now. Perched near him, watching him work and enjoying his presence, it was as if those years hadn’t existed. It was so very simple to her. She wanted him now, as she’d wanted him then. No, no, she wanted him more. She was older. More experienced. Harder in many ways. She wanted to know what he felt like, naked, against her back. His lips on hers. Wanted to know what it felt to have his cock inside her when they didn’t have to worry about getting caught. When they both knew a few more things about pleasure.
“Do they get any schooling?” he asked, bringing her back from the dirty place in her head where she’d been riding his cock, his hands all over her.
“The children here? The town school sends out teachers a few times each lunar cycle. We supplement with practical life work. Taryn works with them in the greenhouses and nurseries.”
Her grin lightened his heart.
Similar Books
