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)
Those things are mine.
But I do tell him that she wanted a baby and needed assistance. That her fertility treatment window ran out quickly and she had no choice but to ask for assistance.
“Keffing fertility treatments,” he groans, scrubbing a hand down his face and then shaking his head. “Those things cause more trouble than they’re worth.”
“They’re worth it to the colonists, sir,” I say stiffly, not wanting to feel disloyal to the female over at my desk, currently full to the brim with my release. “I think it’s understandable for them to want a family when theirs has been taken from them.”
Khex grunts. “I’ve a mind to tell Lord va’Rin that these medics are causing problems peddling their solutions under the table. But then if he makes them all leave the planet, my mate will kill me.”
“Because she wants a child?” I guess. I’ve met Ashley and while she didn’t seem as if she was pining for children, you never know.
“Because she wants the choice, and I won’t take that away from her.” Khex scrubs his face again. “All right, well, you said the situation is handled, right? Are you going to mate her? Do I need to cover your shift for the next few days while you two get yourselves sorted?”
My ears burn and I rub my chest, feeling a little ashamed. “Actually, she just wanted a donor…”
I trail off as the sound of a sled taking off hums from just outside. The only sled that close would have to be parked right in front of the custodial office, which means that Naomi has ran off without saying goodbye. And kef me, that hurts. I try not to keep a neutral face and not show my disappointment. She did make it quite clear what she was looking for.
I guess she got it and now she’s done with me.
Khex averts his gaze and slurps his tea really loud.
“I…suppose she got what she needed,” I say, stiff. “I am glad I could be of assistance to a colonist. To answer your question, no…I will not be needing time off.”
The room is silent.
Sluuuuurrrrrrrrp. Sluuuurrrrrp.
I’m tempted to knock the mug out of his hands.
“You want some advice from an old pro when it comes to females?”
“You?” I give him a skeptical look, crossing my arms over my bare chest. “Did you not just mate your female a few months ago? I am not sure that qualifies you as a ‘pro.’”
He just gives me a lazy grin and slurrrrrrrps his tea again.
I clench my teeth. “Fine. Speak.”
“I just want to point out that human females are not great communicators.” He shrugs, leaning against the desk near the front and raising his mug to his lips once more. “My mate in particular? Keffing terrible at it. They never tell you what they want. They expect you to read their minds.”
Pausing, I consider this. “Is mind-reading common on their planet?”
“No. Which is why it’s so incredibly frustrating.” He rolls his eyes. “They’re lucky they’re so appealing. But I’m telling you this because you should assume that she is bad at communicating what she wants, like the rest of her kind. If you wish to see her again, you’ll need to tell her. Get some flowers, show up on her doorstep, and tell her you had a good time.” His nose twitches. “I mean, it’s clear to me that from the reek of this place that you two were having a keffing great time.”
“It was rather nice…” Is he right? Is Naomi like Ashley in that she will not share her thoughts? She will expect me to read her mind in some fashion? To automatically know what she wants? This makes things tricky. “You truly think I should do so?”
“Would you rather her walk away and be done with her?”
“Well…no.”
Khex chuckles. “You’re like every other mesakkah. The moment you see your female, you just know she’s yours. I get it.”
I might think Naomi’s mine, but Naomi clearly doesn’t feel the same way. She did not even stop to tell me goodbye. I clench my jaw, because it does no good to feel wounded about the situation. She was quite specific. “What if she is not interested in more?”
“Then you know for sure and you can move past things.” He shrugs. “What can it hurt to throw things out there? Like I said, go tell this female you had a good time, and tell her exactly what you want. Be specific.”
Be specific. Tell Naomi what I want.
I…think I can do that. I nod.
“Great. But I’d recommend cleaning your desk up before Sinath and Paxon get in.” Khex’s nose twitches again. “And I’m going to open a few windows.”
Chapter
Five
NAOMI
I absently suck on my lower lip while I steer my sled into the dusty “parking space” in front of my house. Instead of feeling accomplished, I’m all over the place. My emotions are everywhere, and that’s not something I expected. This sex was supposed to be transactional. Just to make a baby. Ainar could have jizzed in a cup and gotten the job done, so I should not be thinking twice about him.