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“Do we have to?” Lis said, knowing that, yes. Yes, they did. A promise was a promise, after all.
Nox shot her a look.
“I know. I just…” she trailed off to focus on making a course correction.
There was a steep learning curve to flying a ship so much more technologically advanced than anything she’d ever piloted. Even the shuttle she was guiding into Cinzia’s atmo presented a challenge.
But, once she got the hang of it, it was like riding a bike. The hardest part was learning the written language. She was still learning, but she knew enough to avoid accidentally discharging the rail gun when she meant to boost the speed.
“She’s just such a pain in the ass,” she said, finishing her thought.
“Yeah, like we need another one of those on the Luck,” Navi said from the safety of his seat at the back of the shuttle.
Lis growled at him over her shoulder.
“Navi,” Nox said, “you know what happens when you poke at her.”
“Hey, now. Maybe I was talking about myself.”
“I didn’t think you were that self-aware,” Lis shot back.
She’d been slightly concerned about how she’d fit in on Nox’s ship, but his entire crew adopted her as one of their own, enthusiastically helping her learn everything she needed to know about the system. A few years younger than her, Navi had become the younger brother she never wanted.
And Nox, well, he’d done exactly what he promised — he showed her the stars. She turned a smile on her mate. She still couldn’t get over that this man was hers forever. He’d made room for her in his world, welcomed her in, encouraged her to explore and make changes so she’d be comfortable and settled. So it would feel like home to her. She still missed Earth and the friends she’d left behind and always would, but being near Nox made everything better.
When Lis looked at him with her heart in her eyes, it never failed to make his own heart thunder in response. From the co-pilot’s seat, he reached out a hand, loving how easily she twined her fingers with his. “Thank you for agreeing to this, my mate,” he said.
“Eh, it’s just another transport job, only this time with live cargo. And I can tolerate Parvani for the week it’ll take to get to that colony she’s bound for. It’s only a week, right?”
“Should be,” he said, sliding his thumb over the back of her hand, marveling at the softness of her skin. “And after that, what would you say to a short trip down to Badin? A friend lent me a cabin for a few days. Right on the water.”
Her eyes lit up. “On the water?”
He nodded.
“Will there be frosty adult beverages?”
“Of course.”
“Oh, I’m so in,” she said with a bounce of excitement. “And, luckily for you, Feriq has sourced me a teeny tiny bikini that I can wear when we’re there.”
He swallowed hard. “What color?”
“Red,” she said, watching as Nox’s eyes darkened with desire.
“Please don’t kill us because you’re making googly eyes at each other,” Navi called from the back.
Rolling her eyes at her new, annoying little brother, Lis set the shuttle down directly in the center of the landing pad. “Perfect,” she crowed. “See? I can make googly eyes at my mate and land. Two things at once, what a concept.”
He made a rude gesture before checking and holstering his blasters.
She raised an eyebrow at Nox. “We expecting trouble?” she asked, fastening her weapon around her waist.
“Feriq says not right now, but it’s Cinzia,” he said with a shrug.
“Better safe than sorry.”
“Precisely.”
