“Okay, Del. I think that’s enough for today. I’m going to go grab a sonic shower. How about I meet you and G’baena in the mess hall and we can have dinner together?”
Del
nodded enthusiastically, and G’baena felt the admiration the young man felt for Devlin. She pretty much felt it herself. The man was amazing. Devlin had very literally done the thing that G’baena hadn’t seemed to be able to do—make
Del
smile.
Of course, it didn’t hurt anything that the man was a very confident and capable teacher or that he was well-built, handsome, and somehow had managed to wake up a libido she thought long dead. All those gleaming, sexy muscles…
“Okay with you, G’baena?” he asked casually. Trying to mentally shake herself away from useless daydreams, G’baena turned her focus on Devlin’s delicious mouth and tried not to fantasize about licking the man all over. It took a moment, but she felt his apprehension and was at a loss to explain it. Maybe her empathic senses were misreading his mood. He certainly looked relaxed, so she couldn’t figure out why he would be worried whether she and
Del
joined him for a meal or not.
“Of course,” she said quietly.
“I’ll meet you there in about a half hour?”
“Sure. Just one question, though.” She blinked at the spike in his emotions and almost lost her train of thought again. “How many Earth minutes is a half hour?”
He smiled again, outwardly still relaxed and calm, his emotions now seeming to match.
“Thirty Earth minutes. Do you want me to stop by your quarters on the way?”
She shook her head in reply as she wondered why he would offer. Devlin’s quarters were almost on the other side of the ship, not that she’d made a note of it or anything, so he’d practically have to walk through the mess hall to get to her and
Del
’s rooms.
And besides, if she invited him into her room again, she might not be able to let him leave.
“Okay,” he said easily. “I’ll see you there.”
* * * *
Devlin hurried through his shower, eager to make certain he wouldn’t be late for his dinner date. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a dinner date with
Del
there as well, but Devlin enjoyed spending time with them both.
Del
was obviously an intelligent, determined young man and seemed the type of personality
Jordan
preferred for his crew, albeit a little young. Devlin would discuss possible work placement for
Del
with the captain as soon as he could.
G’baena, though, was one hundred percent gorgeous female, and the things his body wanted to do with her, to her, belonged in one of the erotic romance novels the human women had added to the ship’s library. He shook himself sharply, berating his overactive imagination at the same time that he reminded himself that G’baena had been held for months as a slave. He didn’t know any details specific to G’baena, but he knew what Keytark’s female slaves were used for, and he had no idea how a woman of any species could move past that.
He’d almost busted an aneurysm when he’d found the books, certain that insensitive males on the crew had added them to the library, but a quick word to Tee-ani had calmed him down. He’d been surprised that any of the women would enjoy sex after their experiences, but as Tee-ani had explained to him, romance and love was quite different from being a sex slave. She’d also been very insistent on one point—a story is safe, the reader can dream and imagine without the fear of being hurt, and for the most part, even the highly erotic stories were about love and hope and happy endings.
He was so deep in thought he didn’t really register the sound of his communicator until it happened a second time. He quickly grabbed the small device. “Yes, Captain?”
“Dev, one of the cooling systems is flashing a warning light in engineering.”
Shit. “Yes, Captain. I’ll get right on it.” So much for dinner plans.
Chapter Three
G’baena watched the door to the mess hall. She couldn’t decide if she felt disappointed or relieved that she and
Del
had reached the mess hall before Devlin. Deep in thought, she didn’t see the human woman come from the kitchen until she felt a touch on her elbow.
“G’baena?”
G’baena nodded, a little disconcerted to be approached by someone she didn’t know. She stamped down the urge to lower her face like a good little slave and tried to smile at the woman instead.
“Devlin asked me to let you know that he won’t be able to make dinner.”
Disappointment swamped her.
She barely knew the man, and goddess knew he was human and likely ignorant of the mating customs of G’trobians, but somehow, none of that mattered when he was there. It had been a very long time since any man had drawn her attention. The fact that he was human just didn’t seem to make a difference to her libido.
“Thank you.” She turned to
Del
, who seemed even more disappointed than she felt. “I suppose we may as well get some dinner.”
At least the food was pretty good. Ben and Trey had told her that the kitchen’s meals were much more appetizing now that the human women had taken over. Apparently, when it had been an all-male ship, the food had been barely edible. G’baena smiled as she watched
Del
load a plate high. Considering the way the young man practically inhaled the stuff, G’baena wasn’t quite sure he’d notice the quality difference anyway.
It was nice, though, to know that there was enough food for everybody. She hadn’t been a slave very long, but she’d had her share of missed meals, and she suspected that
Del
had missed many, many more. After only a few days on board, he already looked healthier, stronger, his blue complexion growing a little deeper in color each day and returning to the healthier deep blue typical of Pendarians.
G’baena ate slowly, letting
Del
know that there was no hurry, but her eyes kept straying to the doorway just in case Devlin could make it after all. More than an hour later, she figured it had probably been a waste of time, and was about to suggest they leave, when the man himself rushed through the door.
His gaze bounced around the room until his eyes met hers. She couldn’t look away, his appearance mesmerizing her as he moved closer. For a breath-stealing moment, she thought he was going to haul her into his arms and kiss her, but at the last moment, he turned to smile at
Del
and then sat in the chair opposite her.
“Sorry I missed dinner. Have you eaten?”
G’baena actually wanted to say no, anything to spend time with Devlin, but
Del
answered for them both.
“We’ve eaten, but I wouldn’t mind another serving of this stuff. The lady at the counter said it’s called chocolate cheesecake.”
Devlin laughed happily, the sound doing funny things to G’baena’s insides. She’d never known anyone who could laugh so easily or as often as the humans on this ship, and she always found herself smiling whenever someone did.
Devlin’s laugh, however, affected her on a much deeper level. She crossed her legs, hoping to quell the tingling that had begun the moment Devlin walked through the door.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked, with a huge smile on his face. “I’m told that Narrelle’s chocolate cheesecake is a family recipe.” He looked around and whispered conspiratorially, “And a well-guarded secret. Would you like to try some?”
G’baena nodded enthusiastically, even though, when
Del
had started to eat his serving, she’d thought the strange concoction unappetizing simply by its color. Somehow, with Devlin offering, the dessert seemed more appealing.
He stood and headed to the counter. Desire tightened her insides again. The man truly was a delicious specimen, tall, good-looking, and hard, and rippled in all the right places. She tried to unglue her eyes from his gorgeous butt without success.
“You like him.” It wasn’t a question.
Del
was proving to be an interesting and intelligent young man, and he was obviously more observant than she realized. She nodded in agreement, unwilling to lie to someone who’d been lied to most of his life. “He likes you, too.” That caught her attention.
“He does?”
Del
nodded, his expression very serious, but Devlin was heading back to the table before she had a chance to ask why
Del
would think that.
“Last piece of Liz’s lasagna. Must be my lucky day,” Devlin said as he put a tray with four plates in the middle of the table. He passed the biggest piece of cheesecake to
Del
, a smaller piece to her, and then lowered himself to the chair opposite hers.
G’baena shifted uncomfortably in her own seat, unsure of appropriate dinner etiquette among humans. She’d seen the others in the mess hall engaged in lively conversation, so she assumed that talking was encouraged, but for the life of her, couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
Del
looked from her to his dessert and back again, finally lifting the spoon and digging into the sweet confection. So much for
Del
’s help.
“Are you looking forward to seeing your home again? I hear G’trobia is a beautiful planet.”
Home?
She didn’t know if she could ever call G’trobia home again. Her family’s betrayal was still too fresh in her mind, still too raw. She shook her head, the meal she’d just consumed threatening revolt in her stomach. No, she no longer belonged on G’trobia. Maybe she never had.
“I won’t be visiting the planet,” she said stiffly, trying to hide the unwelcome ache in her chest. It didn’t work. Devlin’s head snapped up, his gaze filled with questions. He reached across the narrow table and placed his hand over hers.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice very low and soothing. “Is there anything I can do? Would you like to talk about it?”
She shook her head, uncertain how much to tell him, worried that the truth may change the way he saw her.
* * * *
Devlin could practically feel her panic. He might not be an empath, but he sure knew terror when he saw it. Going home was not something G’baena wanted. But why? He had about a zillion questions he wanted to ask, but judging by the way G’baena’s face had paled and her gaze darted around the room, anything he asked was liable to cause more problems.
“I’m going to head back to my room,”
Del
said as he stretched his arms above his head. It was obvious by his movements that today’s training session had not been easy for the young man, but the whole time they’d been working out, Devlin hadn’t heard a single word of protest from the younger man’s lips. He’d have to make sure to moderate
Del
’s training schedule for a few days so that he didn’t do any real damage.
G’baena started to rise from her seat, and for a moment, Devlin had to fight the urge to hold her back.
Del
saw her move and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You stay,” he said quietly. “I can find my way to my quarters.”
He turned his gaze on Devlin for a moment, his clear blue eyes assessing, asking a silent question. He must’ve found what he sought because he nodded and then left the room quickly. G’baena watched the young man walk away, a small smile on her face.
“He’s an interesting young man,” he said carefully. “Very protective of you.” G’baena smiled sweetly.
“Considering what he’s been through, it’s amazing that he can be so comfortable around people. I still find myself wanting to cringe and lower my eyes whenever I pass someone in the hall.” She blushed then, confirming in Devlin’s mind that G’trobians were very close to humans, at least in their reactions. Tee-ani had even suggested that humans and G’trobians shared a common ancestor. She hadn’t yet figured out the genetic quirk that made all G’trobian male births identical twins, but he knew Tee-ani well enough to know she’d keep researching until she knew the answer.
Devlin leaned over the table and with a gentle hand lifted G’baena’s gaze off her cheesecake and onto him. “Don’t ever feel the need to act like a slave. You are free and safe and protected here and considered an equal. As the captain,
Jordan
may run this ship, but he’s worked hard to make sure that everyone has a function, a place to belong. We work as a team, as a family on this ship now, and no family member is more or less important than the others.”