A hand clamped down on the grabby man’s wrist before his fingers could lock onto Lauren.
“She’s not lost,” Heath said, stepping in from the side and giving both men hard looks. “She’s with me.”
A warm, pleased feeling came over Lauren, replacing her fear. Yes, she was with Heath, and she trusted these brutes wouldn’t be a problem now.
Their eyes narrowed, and one stroked his beard thoughtfully as he considered Heath. He was just as tall as they were with more muscle and less fat, and he wore laser pistols and his knife openly on his belt. He also wore that fur cap, which one of the men twitched his eyebrows at, but neither of them commented on the out-of-place fashion choice. They must have decided their odds against him would not be good, because they backed away.
“Better keep her close then,” one said. “Women around here that get lost don’t stay lost for long, if you take my meaning.”
“Yes, it’s very clever.” Heath flicked his fingers to shoo them away, then offered his arm to Lauren. “May I walk you back to the ship, my lady? Or perhaps you would like an escort to do a little shopping?”
Lauren linked her arm with his, giving him a smile for his timely appearance. “I don’t think you can buy anything here except alcohol, adrenocharge, and fenwad.”
“So that’s a no?”
“That’s a no.” Lauren pointed toward the airlock.
“That’s too bad. I wouldn’t mind standing redoubtably and fearsomely at your shoulder while you peruse the kiosks. I wouldn’t wish you to be in any danger, of course, but I do like being able to protect you.” He looked down at her with a slit-eyed gaze, his eyelashes nearly dusting his cheeks.
They had engaged in intercourse several times now, using her cabin rather than her lab, thankfully, and she had come to recognize that expression and knew he was contemplating sex. He seemed to contemplate it oddly often—multiple times a day. She couldn’t say that the activity came to her mind that frequently, but when he combined his sultry look with a massage, she often found herself amenable to it.
“I’m fortunate to have such a strong protector,” she said, knowing the comment would please him. And she meant it. Back on the core worlds, she had never needed a man to look out for her, but the rim was dangerous, and she lacked Ankari’s martial arts and firearms prowess. Having protection, especially protection that she enjoyed walking beside, was nice.
“And for such a reasonable price,” he said. “Some people pay hundreds of aurums for bodyguards.”
“Whereas all I have to do is allow you access to my orifice?” she asked.
He grinned. “I was going to say you could have me for free, but if you’re offering orifice access, I would be foolish to refuse.”
“Ah. I do feel that you’re worth that.” She leaned closer to him as they walked, sliding her arm around his waist, then, with a shy smile, slipping her hand down to cup his butt. It was silly, but for some reason, she continued to like that particular hand rest.
His slit-eyed gaze changed from amused to smoldering. “On second thought,” he murmured, “I believe I’ve had enough of shopping. Perhaps we could enjoy my shore leave in my quarters.”
“There are still cookies in my lab.”
“I do have a newfound fondness for your lab.” He lowered his hand to her butt, and she bit down on a goofy grin as they walked back to the ship, arms wrapped around each other. “Though you seemed distraught by the amount of defiling that went on in it last time.”
“Yes, a great deal of cleaning was required. Perhaps we can move the cookies to your cabin.”
“So long as my collection of fur caps doesn’t alarm you.”
“Of course not.” She crinkled her nose at him. “What do you mean collection? There’s more than one?”
“Maybe we should go to your cabin.”
“Hm.”
THE END
Afterword
Thank you for following along with the Mandrake Company series. At this time, I don’t have plans to write more, but good sales and lots of reviews could always change my mind! (This is how an author bribes her readers.) But seriously, if you’ve enjoyed the book and have time to leave a review, I would appreciate it. Either way, thank you for choosing to spend time with my quirky characters!
The Tracker's Dilemma: (A Mandrake Company Science Fiction Romance) Page 24