by Lily Harlem
“Fuck me, Mateo. Fuck me, Mateo. Fuck me, Mateo.” Magic hopped from one foot to the other. “Fuck me, Mateo.”
My heart stuttered. A rush of heat flooded my cheeks. Had he really just said that?
“Fuck me, Mateo.” The feathers on the back of Magic’s neck crested, and he released another shriek.
Quickly, I held out my palm, hoping the crumbs would shut him the hell up.
But it was too late. One look at Anki’s face, and I knew the damage had been done.
His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide. He held a cookie halfway to his lips. He was staring straight at me.
“Don’t mind him. He’s got a potty mouth,” I said. “Makes things up, too.”
“He’s a mimic.” Anki dropped his hand to his side, the cookie unbitten. “He doesn’t make things up.”
“He strings sounds together, he doesn’t know what they mean.”
“He repeats sounds.”
I swallowed. Embarrassment was like a fist in my guts, twisting them around and catching the air in my throat.
“He heard you say that.”
My scalp itched, and I shifted from one foot to the other, unable to make eye contact with Anki.
“You were obviously in here with Mateo, and Magic heard you say that.” Anki sat heavily in the chair at my desk. “So you and Mateo are…”
“Lovers, yes.” My voice had been a bit harsher than I’d intended. “No rule saying we can’t be.”
“I didn’t say there was.” His usual smile had slipped.
“So why the shock?”
“Well, apart from hearing a creature from Earth mimicking you in the throes of passion, I thought…”
“You thought what?” I flicked the last of the crumbs from my palm.
“I…” He shook his head. “I guess I just thought. No…” He huffed. “How foolish of me.”
“You just thought what?”
“That there was…” He stood, tugging at his tunic then setting down his shoulders. “Or rather, I thought there could be something between us.”
“Us?”
“I know, stupid right? You’re a human, and I’m an Athion. But we were getting on well. I thought we were enjoying each other’s company.”
I hated the dejection on his handsome face. His eyebrows were pulled low, and his mouth, usually a cute smile, was a tight line. “I thought we were getting on well, too. I mean, we are getting on well.”
“When you’re not…”
“You can say it.” I frowned, knowing the words on his lips included fuck and Mateo.
“I’d prefer not to.” He reached for his coffee and took a couple of deep slugs. “Thanks for the drink. I should go.”
“Why?”
He stepped toward the door.
“Why do you have to go because you’ve found out there’s something between Mateo and me? It’s not like he owns me. I can have other friends…other…”
“What?”
“Boyfriends.”
He raised his eyebrows. “From what I gather, that’s not something Earth men like to do…share.”
“Perhaps some Earth men have no choice.” I tilted my chin. “I’m not an owned woman. I don’t belong to anyone and I can do whatever the heck I want.”
He stared at me as if searching for the truth in my face, then he opened the door. “I’ll see you at the pens later.”
He left me alone, shutting me into my quarters with my traitorous parrot. The quiet click of the handle seemed to rattle like thunder around my brain. What the hell had just happened?
I sat on the bed and rammed the heels of my hands over my eyes. Much as I was embarrassed that Magic had shouted out my words, I was also indignant. I could screw Mateo all I wanted to. It was no business of Anki’s.
Except it kind of was when we’d had a bit of a flirt, and he was right, there was chemistry between us. It had been unspoken, unacted upon, but we would have addressed it at some point.
And now?
Damn it. I’d really managed to mess this up. I’d wanted to kiss him, feel his sexy lips against mine. I’d wanted to get to know him better, much better. Find out what his life was like on Athion, what made him tick. What he hated to eat, what he loved. Bigger things like his dreams for the future.
Of course, with so much time, chances were I’d learn many of those things about him still, but not in the intimate way I’d come to think of.
Now I’d never get to see what was beneath that tunic or know what it felt like to fuck an Athion.
“Fuck me, Anki,” I whispered, seeing how his name would have sounded on my lips. Quickly, I glared up at Magic, hoping he hadn’t heard me say that.
He hadn’t; he’d returned to his cage and was cheeping quietly at his mirror.
Restless, I decided to go for a swim. Beside the ship’s gym was a deep pool designed to keep us fit and as emergency drinking water should there be any problems with the potable supply.
I dragged my hair up into a ponytail, shut Magic’s cage door, and grabbed my black bikini. Once out in the empty corridor, I stalked along at a fast pace. It was as if I needed to use up the excess emotions pinging around my body. A swim would do me good. I’d been on the county team at one point, so being in water was second nature to me, and because of that I found it both soothing and a way to vent frustration. I always managed to clear my thoughts once I began to slice through a pool.
Even these thoughts?
I frowned at the memory of Anki’s face going from shock, to confusion, to comprehension. Athions were a proud, complicated race, and I couldn’t deny they fascinated me.
I pushed into the fitness pod and the scent of chlorine wafted toward me. To the right was a gym, and I paused at the door and looked through the small round window wondering if anyone was using it.
My breath caught.
It was indeed being used…by Hurin.
He was shirtless, and his wide shoulders were tensed as he bench-pressed what looked to be an impossible weight. His legs were spread wide, and beneath his sweats a huge wedge of flesh jutted upward from his groin.
I swallowed, and my feet twitched. I shouldn’t watch…shouldn’t stare.
But I couldn’t help it.
He was glorious lying there on his back. His blue skin sheened with sweat, and his strength seemed to radiate from him.
The weight dropped into its holder, and he released it, stretching his fingers then snapping to an upright position, his abdominal muscles tensed.
He stared straight at me. Surprise washed over his face.
I’d been caught watching him in his unguarded moment.
Suddenly his guard came back. He stood and turned so I had his back to look at. And look I did, taking in his high, taut butt and the long gutter of his spine. The man was one hell of a specimen of his planet.
It was then I gathered my senses. I was being rude. I’d only just met Hurin, and here I was, openly gawping at him—actually no, not openly, I’d been covert about it. Or at least that was what he’d think.
I scooted into the pool area and the female changing room. I dumped my bikini on a table and began to strip. Embarrassment washed over me again. I should have walked straight past that door—what had I been thinking?
Once in my bikini, I quickly showered, then went to the pool. It was about half the size of Olympic standard and much deeper owing to the amount of emergency water required by International law. Spanning one entire side of it was a floor-to-ceiling window showcasing the blackness of space and a scattering of diamond-white stars. It all looked so peaceful and calm despite the huge speed we were traveling at and the dangers that lurked out there.
I checked the in-wall panel to make sure the water was at the right temperature and the chemical balance within parameters, then dived in.
The moment my body became surrounded, suspended in the water, it was as if a pressure had been taken off me. I struck out, grabbed a lungful of air at the surface, then broke into a fast cr
awl.
Within seconds, my body was alive with energy. I sped up, reached the far end, ducked under, and turned. I was racing to the other side of the pool, but it felt as though I was racing through my turmoil.
I allowed thoughts to slip through my mind with each kick of my legs and stretch of my arms.
Mateo wanted me.
Anki did…does he still?
Gavyn’s vulnerability had drawn me to him after all this time.
Hurin’s shyness of his gorgeous body intrigued me more than I ever could have imagined.
By the time I’d pounded out twenty lengths, the adrenaline in my system had been soaked up. I decided to do another ten for good measure and pushed deliberations of the four men on board Equinox to the back of my mind.
The familiar rhythm of swimming and the water wrapped around my body became all I thought of. It was meditation in motion.
Eventually I drew to a halt at the side. I hooked my elbows over the edge and drew in fast, deep breaths as I hung there.
Before me were a pair of feet, blue feet and ankles, with gray sweatpants folded over several times. I drew my gaze upward.
Before me stood Hurin. His t-shirt was on again, and his hair was damp.
He was staring down at me, much the same way as I’d stared at him when he’d been in the gym—with undisguised curiosity.
“Hey,” I said.
He didn’t say anything.
He had his tablet beneath this arm. He was never far from it.
“Did you have a good workout?” I asked, hoisting myself out of the pool. Water cascaded down my body, flooding the floor around me, and I wrung more from my hair.
Still he didn’t speak; instead, his gaze roamed down to my feet and back up again. Slowly, indulgently, as though he was drinking me in.
I checked my bikini, presuming something had gone astray. But everything was in order. No escaped boobs or missing bottoms.
I frowned and reached for a micro-fibre towel.
Still he stared.
“You never seen a woman in a bikini before?” I asked, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
“No.”
I secured the towel and raised my eyebrows. “Really?”
“No, how could I have? There are no women where I’m from, and I have never had a pass to leave the ship when I’ve docked on Earth.”
I frowned. “But you’ve seen the Earth women sleepers.”
“Those Earth women are in an induced coma. They don’t move from the moment they come into my care until they go out of it.”
“Ah, okay.” I still wasn’t sure there was a difference between them and me when it came to our body shapes.
“And you…” He swallowed loudly then cleared his throat. “You move in a way I didn’t know women could.”
I gestured to the pool. “You mean my swimming? I had lessons for years, competing, too, before…well, before the Tradrych landings, which, as you know, was when everything changed for us.”
His gaze dipped to my breasts. “I didn’t expect you to move how you do out of the water either.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your chest, it…”
I folded my arms over my breasts. “Jiggles?”
He nodded.
I didn’t have particularly large breasts, a perfect handful Mateo always told me. Even so, there must be enough movement when I walked to have caught Hurin’s attention.
It didn’t feel like sexual attention, though, more that of a scientist curious about a specimen.
“And your hips,” he went on. “They kind of roll.” He spun his hand. “They’re not stiff like a man’s pelvis, a man from Earth or Athion.”
“I’m no doctor, Hurin, but I’d say that’s for childbirth.”
“I am a medic and I do know that.” He took a step back. “I just haven’t seen it before, the way you haven’t seen one of my type before. I’m sure you understand how that can make a person stare.”
A familiar flush of embarrassment came over me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in the gym earlier. I was thinking of using it but…”
“There’s no reason why you couldn’t. It’s not for my personal use.”
“I didn’t want to intrude.”
He studied me for a moment, his dark blue eyes seeming to penetrate my mind, then he looked at his tablet. “I have routine observations to perform.”
“Yes, okay. I’ll see you later.”
He turned and walked to the door, his bare feet quiet on the white flooring.
After he’d gone, I stared at the window but didn’t see the stars. I saw my reflection, seeing what Hurin had seen. My gentle female curves, long, slim limbs, and pale skin. All of it was the opposite of his body.
And damn. I was fascinated by his big body, the way he was by mine.
Not that I’d ever get to study it.
Hurin wasn’t that sort of Athion.
Chapter Seven
I showered again, then pulled on my regular work clothes. It was time to check on the goats.
I hoped Anki would be there already so I went straight to the livestock pod. My legs felt light after the swim, and I knew I’d be hungry for my dinner.
After unlocking the door I stepped in, but as I did so, a streak of white raced past me, accompanied by the trip-trap of hooves.
“Oh no, stop it!” Anki shouted, lunging for the door.
The goat bleated and took off down the corridor.
“Shit!” I raced after it. It weaved from side to side and I scooted in its tracks.
Anki was behind me muttering words in a language I didn’t understand.
“What the hell were you doing?” I asked breathlessly.
“She’s got a cut on her ear. I brought her out of the pen for you to look at.” He overtook me and then managed to get past the goat. Stooping, he held out his arms.
The goat came to an abrupt stop now that its way down the corridor was practically blocked.
“We can’t let her get any further,” I called.
“I won’t.” He wore a determined expression and closed in on the goat.
“See if you can grab her collar.” I, too, held out my arms and approached the escapee. “Hurin will have a fit if he sees a goat on the loose, so will Gavyn.”
“I know,” he said.
“Easy does it,” I lowered my voice. “She’s scared.”
“I know that, too.” Anki moved slowly. “Come here, girl. No need to be frightened. Let’s take you back to your pen for some grain.”
The goat bleated and glanced around as though looking for an alternative route.
“Nowhere to go around here,” Anki went on in his low, gentle voice. “Except for the never-ending abyss of space. Your pen is the best place for you until you get to your new home on Athion.”
There was kindness in his eyes, and the goat must have seen it, for she stepped up to him, allowing him to tuck his finger into her collar. “There, there, good goat,” he said.
“Phew, well done.” I straightened. “That could have been much more of a drama.”
“I remember you told me about the goats chewing through wires. We don’t want that.”
“No, we don’t. Come on, let’s get her back to safety.”
I’d been worried it might be awkward seeing Anki after our last conversation over coffee, but our runaway had put a stop to that.
“Her ear is bleeding,” he said, pointing to a small gash.
“Mmm, probably a nibble off one of the others.” I swiped my key card over the door. “I’ll show you how to treat minor wounds.”
We returned the goat safely to the observation pen, and I reached for the sanitizing wipes and antibiotic powder. “Here, you do it.
He took the wipes. “You sure?”
“It’s not hard.” I smiled. “Just give it a wipe, starting from the center of the wound so you don’t drag dirt in from around the edge.”
He did as instructed, and to my surprise, the go
at stood very still, allowing him to clean the small cut.
“There you are, girl,” he said, giving her a stroke on her neck.
“Perfect. Now a little shake of the powder to stop infection. Don’t get it in her eyes, though. There’s a different powder for eye infections.”
Gently, he cupped his big hand over the goat’s right eye to protect it as he doused the wound in white powder.
“We’ll log the injury and check her tomorrow.” I scanned her chip. “Number forty-one.”
“So she can go back into her pen with the others?”
“Yes, she’ll be fine now.”
He tickled her neck again. “Here that, number forty-one? You’re going to be fine.”
She bleated, showing us her small pink tongue.
I laughed. “She likes you.”
“A female admirer, eh.”
I laughed harder, pleased we’d slipped back into our easy way to be together. “Shall I milk Dolly while you do the hay and water?” I suggested.
“Suits me.”
He gently shooed number forty-one into her pen. She greeted her goat friends as though she’d been away for light-years.
Anki chuckled then set about gathering hay.
As I milked Dolly, I watched him work. It was clear he was a natural with Earth’s animals, even if he didn’t know it yet. He moved in a quiet way that didn’t startle them. He spoke in a soothing voice, and already I knew I’d only ever need to show him or tell him something once and he’d have that skill or information stored for life.
I was sure he’d go on to learn about other animals rather than just goats. If Earth and Athion maintained and grew their relationship, then even more species could be rehomed on Athion, and they’d all need to be cared for, initially at least.
I finished milking Dolly and poured the milk into the pasteurizer. It would be heated, cooled, then sent to the canteen so we could drink it or make it into cheese or yogurt.
“There you go, Dolly,” I said, scooping the last of her grains into my palm and feeding her. “You’re doing so well on your flight to Athion.”
“Still a long way to go,” Anki said, appearing at my side.
“I try not to think about the vast distances we’re traveling.” I encouraged Dolly into her pen then closed the small gate. She went to her water dispenser and took a drink.