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Examining her bandaged fingers, Z’Ree’s lip disappears absentmindedly between her teeth as she clearly contemplates something. The sight of her cuteness goes straight to my cock with more force than ever. Fuck, I need to get a grip of myself. At least, until I can actually get a griponmyself. I barely manage to fight back the groan. Now I’m making stupid puns. Something’s really wrong with me.
Z’Ree glances at the datapad and I hand it over before she tries to pantomime her question. “Keep it,” I tell her. “I’ll get another one. I want you to be able to talk to me in whatever way is comfortable for you.”
She smiles timidly before typing something and showing me the screen.“Thank you,”the translated message says.“I’m sorry I freaked out before.”
“I completely understand. I would let you go if I could, but some stupid security protocol has been activated and is in control of all the doors right now. It should end soon. I apologize for grabbing you,” I repeat in case she was too shaken to notice my first apology. “I was merely trying to stop you from hurting yourself.”
Shaking her head, Z’Ree types something, pauses, then deletes it without showing me. I think I might have seen the symbols for“I didn’t mind”on the screen, but I’m not so proficient in reading Omnispeak to be certain. She sighs, writing just two symbols.“Thank you.”I recognize those even without translation.
“I guess I’m a little messed up,”she types, accompanying the words with a grimace.“I’m sorry.”
Shaking my head in disagreement I add, “Even if you were ‘messed up’, which you aren’t, it wouldn’t be your fault, so stop apologizing, please.”
I gently lower myself down next to her, resting my back against the cold metal container behind me. I’m sitting far enough from Z’Ree to not accidentally touch her but close enough to hear her breathing, not to mention, watch her eyelashes flutter every time she blinks and her throat work every time she swallows.
Chert voz’mi!(Dammit!) When did I become such a creepy stalker?!
Chapter 11
Nikolai
I shift uncomfortably, worriedZ’Ree will notice my stupid erection and rightfully freak out. “Are you hungry?” I ask, changing the subject while pointing to the food tray. “I see you haven’t touched the weird black sludge. Can’t say that I blame you. It looks like tar.”
Her shoulders twitch as she chuckles.“That’s ???,”she types. The word doesn’t translate, which must mean it doesn’t have an equivalent in Russian. No surprises there.
I study the symbols. “Pol-vo-ren?” I read the symbols aloud. “Did I get that right?” Her nod makes me feel like a highlyaccomplished linguist. “Well, it has a weird name. I asked the kitchen robot thing to give me the best and most popular dishes in the galaxy and I ended up with a bowl of tar. You have my apologies. I’ll throw it out.”
She grabs my wrist then, as if realizing what she’s just done, quickly draws her hand back before retreating further into the corner, trembling in what I suspect is fear. For a second, I’m completely disoriented because that low thrumming between us flared back to life when she touched me, silencing every thought except for one. The one that makes me desperately want to hold her.
Shaking off the feeling once again, I hesitate before saying, “Z’Ree?” I don’t know how to get through to her that she has nothing to fear anymore. She still doesn’t trust me and possibly never will. “You’re afraid because you touched me and you’re worried I’ll be angry with you because of it. Am I right?”
She nods and raises the datapad to type. Gently, I stop her. “If you’re about to apologize, please don’t. I’m not angry. I will never be angry with you for touching me. You can touch me all you want,” I add, my depraved mind already conjuring up the many ways she could touch me. Most of them involve my cock.
Z’Ree hesitates, mulling my words over. I imagine they directly contradict her understanding of the world, so it must be difficult to comprehend and accept what I’m saying.“I’m not allowed to touch anyone without permission,”she types eventually.“But… Please, do not throw out the polvoren. It’s a delicacy.”
It must take a lot of courage for her to make such a simple request. I’m proud of her. “I thought the machine glitched and gave me a bowl of engine sludge instead,” I joke, hoping to make her smile. “It doesn’t look like a delicacy.” I take the bowl, sniffing it carefully, scrunching my nose at the strange odor. “Nor does it smell like one.”
“It is,”Z’Ree insists.“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to eat it.”
Of course she wasn’t. “Well, right now you’re not onlyallowedto eat it but I’m going toinsistyou at least taste it in front of me,” I say, keeping my voice light and gently teasing. “Because I’m beginning to think you’re trying to trick me into eating something disgusting.”
She stiffens for a second, then relaxes as she realizes I was only joking. She even narrows her eyes at me a little, as if annoyed at me for scaring her.
My responding grin is wide and cheeky. I hope she does get angry. Not necessarily at me, but angry in general. It would be a great learning opportunity for her to see that no one is going to punish her for having emotions. It might crack that toughened exterior she’s developed and prove to her she’s safe. Free to glare at the idiot Russian who’s making fun of her… Or smack him upside his head.
“It’s delicious,”she types, still giving me the tiniest impression of a scowl.“Your loss,”she adds.
My grin increases to the point where I feel like my face might crack, loving her newfound sass.
She snags the bowl and buries a spoon into the black gunk. The polvoren looks like a very thick, very black, gelatinous pudding. She puts a spoonful of it into her mouth before closing her eyes to savor the taste, an expression of pure bliss spreading across her face. I nearly come in my pants just from watching her. I think I just developed a new kink—watching Z’Ree eat.
Entranced, I watch her put a few more spoonfuls into her mouth. When she finally lifts her eyes from the bowl she realizes I’m staring at her, the spoon freezing halfway to the bowl.
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I force myself to look away. “Sorry. I, um…didn’t mean to stare.” Oh yes, I did. I absolutely did. “It’s good to see you eat.” Enrapturing. “I’ll leave you alone,” I lie. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave her alone.
Her head shake stops me from getting up. She licks the spoon, then puts it down and reaches for the tablet. I’m too busy trying to hide the pre-cum stain that I’m certain just formed on my pants from watching her lick the damned spoon to read what she’s typing.
Turning the screen around, Z’Ree shows me the screen and I nearly die as I read,“Do you want some?”It takes a full minute to register that she’s talking about the food. Oh my god, what is happening to me?“It really is delicious. You should try it.”
