Page 19 of Proslo

“I’d like to get some sporka from my homeworld,” he replied. “It is typically slow roasted in broth and I believe the thing you called a Crockpot would work wonderfully.”

“Sporka? What kind of critter is that?’

He tapped his kunnarskyn before proffering his arm for me to take a look. If the world’s ugliest chicken had a turkey fertlize an egg and the baby grew up and mated a pig, this feathered and pig snouted thing would be their offspring.

“I bet it tastes like chicken,” I joked.

“I am told it reminds humans of duck, but without being as oily.”

Okay, I could deal with that. “Sure, let’s get one. I’ll try it.” After all, he’d taken one look at the sparse amount of toppings on the frozen pizza and replicated more to add to it, then apparently asked Xeranos what kind of salad one usually ate with pizza and presented me with a gorgeous bowl filled with romaine, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grated mozzarella, cheddar, and gouda cheeses, along with an entire set of tiny bowls filled with different salad dressings. As if that wasn’t enough, when dessert time arrived, there were blonde and fudge brownies as well as peanut butter and chocolate ones, all of them warm and with French vanilla ice cream to scoop out onto the top. The least I could do was try this thing that tasted like duck.

He beamed and we finished our breakfast before taking a leisurely stroll through the park. His scales were more in evidence this morning, something I’d not noticed until now as he’d slept on the sofa and showered and changed in the other bathroom this morning in order to give me my space.

Tonight, I decided. Tonight, I’d make us a candlelit dinner and take him to bed. Heat pooled deep in my belly at the thought of his strong arms around me, those plush lips licking and sucking my skin, us kissing. My panties grew damp and his nostrils flared. He let out a low growl and I gave his hand a squeeze.

“Is that the supermarket?” I asked, pointing.

“If we weren’t already here and so far from our quarters, I’d take care of your need,” he rumbled.

I gave him a saucy look. “Oh, you’re on, big guy. Tonight.”

Heat flared in his eyes and he heard the promise in my voice.

12

PROSLO

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to read for a bit while we wait for the groceries to arrive,” my bride said, picking up her Kindle.

I felt relieved that she wished to amuse herself for a short while, actually. Not that I didn’t want to spend time in her company, but I really needed to get with Michik and get him up to speed so he could ensure my duties were covered. As Assistant Chief Medical Officer, he was, of course, a very competent male and our medical staff were among the best in all the Fleet, so I knew I was leaving things in very competent hands. That didn’t mean that he didn’t need to be given details to allow him and the others to do the very best job possible.

“That sounds great, actually,” I admitted. “I need to go to Sickbay and meet with my second and do a handover.”

“Oh! Right, because you were on your day off and came straight to get me and all that.” She smiled. “Will you be back in time for lunch?”

I gusted out a sigh. “A late one, yes.”

She patted her stomach. “After eating two beignets and having three cups of coffee, I’m good for quite a while, so I’ll wait for you then.”

I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to put the shopping away by yourself.”

“Well, I gotta tell you, I am pretty darn good at putting groceries away. Been doing it for years, yup, sure have.”

I chuckled. “I’ll make it as brief as I can and hurry back to your side.”

She shoved at my arm playfully. “Go on, away with you. The faster you get there, the sooner you can get back. And I gotta figure out how to sync this to the Fleet Library system without losing what I’ve borrowed this month already.”

“You could read using your tablet,” I pointed out, straightening up and smoothing down my trousers. I hadn’t bothered wearing a shirt today, as I wasn’t going planetside nor was I treating any patients today.

“That’s cool and all, but this feels more familiar.”

I nodded in understanding, palming the door sensor to go out. “If you need anything, just ask Xeranos. Simply say his name aloud first to get his attention.”

“Maybe he can make sure I’m syncing this correctly,” I heard her mutter as the door closed behind me.

Several minutes later, I entered Sickbay.

“Chief Proslo!” Lillian gasped, seeing me. “I thought you’d gotten matched? And wasn’t today your day off anyway?”