Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
It’s that happy tail that makes me blush and tells me this isn’t a simple “you forgot something at the station” visit. Ainar came after me? I was pretty specific that last night didn’t have to mean anything at all…but maybe he misunderstood?
Smoothing my hair, I get to my feet and wince, because I still haven’t showered. I’m still…well, I’m still wet in all the inappropriate and very sore places. I’m also still wearing his shirt.
Oh. Oh, maybe he came for it. He wants his shirt back. But then why bring flowers?
I straighten my clothing and then move to the door and open it. “Hi again.” It’s hard not to smile when his eyes immediately light up at the sight of me. “Is everything okay?”
Ainar thrusts the flowers toward me. “I wish to taste your cunt.”
Um…?
At my blank expression, his falls and his tail goes still. “Was that inappropriate? Khex said I should be straightforward.”
“It’s okay. I was just surprised, that’s all. So…was that like a greeting, or…?”
Ainar gives me a sheepish little smile, lifting the flowers and holding them out to me again. “I am trying to tell you what I want. I wished to say something at the office but I was distracted. And then you left, and now these things are unsaid. So I am trying to say them now.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, feeling sweaty and disheveled and weirdly happy. “Do you want to come inside? Have breakfast? I just got home not too long ago and haven’t even showered yet.” I gesture at what I’m wearing. “Obviously.”
“Are you all right?” he asks, and his tail starts to swing in that hopeful manner again. “Did I wear you out? Do you need help?”
He looks excited at the thought of helping me, but I feel a little silly. “Actually I was putting my legs up for a little longer, just in case it was needed.” My face feels hot. “We can talk over breakfast and then I should shower and look in on the animals.”
“I will make you breakfast, if you like?” Ainar says with a smile. “I have some small skill with cooking.”
“Oh, um, sure?” I take the flowers and give him a quick peek through my lashes. “You did hear me when I said you didn’t have to stick around, right? That if we do make a baby I’m not wanting a father for it? I don’t want you to feel obligated about last night in the slightest. It was just sex.”
“I understand,” he says, stepping inside. “Would you like noodles? Or pancakes? Rektar’s mate Lucy taught me how to make human foods, and while I do not like eggs, I enjoy the other cakes you have for your morning meal. And I can make a good cup of night tea.”
Night tea is nasty, bitter in a way that coffee isn’t, but it’s what people use here to caffeinate. “I’m not a huge fan of night tea, but yes to the pancakes? I have some ground meal that’s almost like flour if you want to give it a try?” I wander toward my kitchen, trying to figure out what I’m going to put my flowers in. They’re noli flowers, I think, which I’ve been told to be cautious with around praxiians, but there aren’t any here, so it’s a moot point.
“I shall ready everything,” Ainar tells me cheerfully, and takes the flowers from my hand. “You can shower and I will ready a meal for you.”
“Actually I should see to my farm first,” I admit, and then sniff the borrowed shirt delicately. “Unless you’re telling me I stink…?”
His eyes widen and then his mouth curls in a reluctant, almost shy smile. His tail goes back and forth like mad, though, as if it’s showing all the emotions he’s trying to hide. “You smell like me and mating. I would like it if you wore that scent forever.”
Oh. I blush.
“Do you need help with your farm?” he asks.
“No, I’m fine. I can handle it.” I move to the door and put my shoes on. “If you don’t mind waiting a few minutes, I’ll get things checked out.”
He dips his chin in an eager nod. “I will make you a fine morning meal.”
I can feel myself blushing again—a man is going to cook for me after we had a ridiculous amount of sex? I don’t know what to think…just that I like it. But I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t grin like an absolute lunatic. “Be back soon.”
Going out to the barn allows me to clear my head for a bit. It’s not that the farm itself isn’t almost completely mechanized. Bots run everything, from taking stool samples of the cattle for vitamin readings to herding to feedings, there’s very little a human has to do. But even the best, most well-programmed bot gets stuck from time to time or malfunctions. I always check over everything because it’s what I was taught. You can’t rely on machines to do everything. You still have to be the brain behind the works. Sure enough, one of the feeder bots is stuck in the deployment chute, and several others are stuck behind it. The space cattle (called “meat-stock” by the unimaginative mesakkah) are gathered around the chute, lowing and bleating their displeasure. I wade in, pushing the hungry cattle aside, and free the bot from the chute. The others pour out immediately, and the cattle immediately follow them out to the feeding spots. A quick check of the chute shows that there’s a tiny metal edge that’s come up on one smooth side of the chute. I hammer it back down and then check the readings on the rest of my farm equipment before heading back in.