Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
CHAPTER
SEVENTY-SEVEN
MAEVE
We make love all night long. There are pauses for recovery, of course, but I think Zhur doesn't like being in his own head. I'll start to drift off to sleep only to find his mouth on my breast, or on my pussy, and he coaxes me into another round of delicious orgasms. How can I possibly say no? After the drought I've had, this is awesome.
I just wish it didn't come at the expense of his peace of mind.
I pass out at some point near dawn and when I wake up, Zhur is gone. I check the feeds and find that he's in the barn, desperately cleaning the trough with a bristle-brush and muttering to the cattle that look on at him, perplexed. Well, if cleaning helps him clear his mind, he can do as much of that as he likes. I head to the shower, wincing at sore muscles that twinge as I walk.
He's still in the barn when I finish showering and dress, so I put some snacks on a plate and head out to meet him. "You want to come to town with me today?"
Zhur moves in toward me, and instead of taking the plate from my hands, he presses a kiss to my mouth. I melt at the small gesture. "I am not good company today," he admits. "I think I will stay here and work on cleaning up in the barn."
"Okay, well, don't go crazy. It's a barn. It's supposed to be a little dirty." At least I'm pretty sure that's the case. It's not like cattle are the world's cleanest animals. "You want me to bring you back a snack from Simone's stand?"
He shakes his head and reaches down to caress my cheek. "I will have my snack when you return."
I blush because I don't think he's talking about food. I leave the plate atop the computer station and head on out to Port.
Normally I don't mind the walk in, because I'm just grateful that I get to walk. There's no glass cage to pen me in. I could go anywhere I like on this planet, or even other planets if I dare the consequences. I love the small reminders that I'm free, but today it doesn't fill me with joy as it normally does. I'm too worried about Zhur. I don't know how to help, and I suspect that him marrying a human (even just for pretend) will not be looked upon fondly by his people. He already seems on the outs with them, and my existence will just make it worse. I can probably get him in to see his idol, Nassakth...but then what? Do I try to help him return home even though it sounds dangerous? Or do we just continue to hide out even though it's clearly not what he wants?
I wish there was an easy answer.
"You seem really distracted," Simone tells me as I swing by to pick up my daily order. "You okay?"
"Just a lot going on," I admit, and pull a sweet roll out of the box to nibble on. They're kind of flat and hard today but she stuffs them with jam so I don't care. I take a huge bite and wish I could tell her more than vague stuff. It would be nice to have a smarter person to bounce Zhur's problems off of, but I don't dare say anything.
"Is it, like, cattle problems or something else?" Simone asks, re-filling a tray at the front as we talk.
"Mmm, something else." I shove more food into my mouth. Maybe I can eat away my problems. I definitely need the calories after last night.
"Do I need to kill your husband?"
The sweet sticks to the roof of my mouth and I stare at her, waiting for her to laugh. She doesn't, and I realize Simone is serious. Oh god. I shake my head quickly. "S'not him," I lie. "Just got a lot of stuff on my mind. It's hard having a homestead. I think I need a new roof on the barn and it's going to cut into my savings."
It's a lie, but Simone opted not to have a homestead in exchange for a dwelling here in town and a monetary package, so she won't know how often barns need to be re-roofed. Hell, I don't even know how often barns need to be re-roofed.
Simone just gives me a sympathetic smile. "Here we thought that on this end of the universe we wouldn't have to worry about bills at least, right? And that's not the case."
"Nope," I joke, and some of the jam dribbles down the front of my tunic. "Shit. Now I look like a slob."
"Go see if Daph has any spot-cleaner maybe?" She puts on a bright smile as a few women approach the cart and waves them in. "She was here talking about the husband service you used. I'm sure she'd love to see you."