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“Kiradoes give the best hugs,Commander, and once again,I’mso sorry.Itnever dawned on me to let someone know whereIwas.Letus get this cleaned up, and then we’ll be right there.I’mstarving.”

“Lacie,Ithought you said earlier you were not?”

“It’sjust a saying,MeK.”

“Hmm, from this point on, there will be sustenance stocked in all areas you are working.”

Rollingmy eyes,Ibend down to pick up a few pieces of the rivetsIhad missed, only to hear theCommanderlaughing as he walks off.

Chapter Fourteen

LACIE

Foronce,I’mup beforeBriar.Slidingdown the ladder as quietly asIcan,Itiptoe into the bathroom, not turning on the light untilI’vefully shut the door.Aftera quick ionic steam shower,Irun a brush through my long blonde hair, noticing that the ends look a bit ragged.Whilebrushing my teeth,Icontemplate putting on some makeup …Beforemy world shifted and my appearance got put on the back burner,Iwould’ve never left home without my eyeliner on, at the very least.

Pullingout the small makeup case thatIhad stuffed into my bag because it might have been the end of the world, yetIstill had to look good.Ishake my head at my foolishness, but what do they say,‘it’s spilt milk’?Takinga minute to really look at myself, the only real difference in my appearance is that my hair is longer thanIremember. “Timeto reclaim your life one step at a time,Lacie”,Iwhisper to the girl staring back at me.Sheknows the real reasonI’mapplying my makeup and fixing my hair … it’s that big, dark, beautiful alien whoIwill hopefully be working with again, especially sinceJamestold me he didn’t need me in the fields today.

Decidingto go subtle,Iput on some lip gloss and a lighter eyeliner thanIusually wear before grabbing another unflattering jumpsuit out of the wardrobe.JustasI’msliding my arms through,Briarknocks on the door.

“Hey, you done in there?I’mabout to pee on myself!”

“Comein, crazy ass.I’llturn around sinceIknow you have a shy bladder.”

“Ohhlook!Someone’sa little spruced up this morning,Iwonder why?”

“Noreason … just decidedIwould feel more like me ifIhad my war paint on.”

“Warpaint?”

“Yeah, that’s whatPapawalways called it.Saidyou could always tell when the girls were hunting by their war paint.”

“God,Iwould have loved that man.Youwere so lucky to have been raised by someone like him.”

“Yes, … yesIwas,Briar.”

Ifind myself on the dropship, actually anxious to land for a change.Themoment we land,I’mup out of my seat, standing at the ramp.Whenit starts to open,Ihave to bite my lip to keep from smiling asMeK’shuge form is waiting at the bottom.Skippingdown to meet him,Ican no longer hold in my grin. “Hey, fancy meeting you here, have you eaten yet?”

Hiseyes flash silver, andIswearIsee him physically fighting to stand still. “Whatis on your face?”

“Warpaint.Comeon,Ineed more than coffee.Mybelly thinks my throat has been cut.”

Suddenly,Ifind myself in his arms, my face inches from his as he lifts me slightly above him. “Isee no injuries.Whohave you been battling?”

Graspingmy hands behind his neck,Ikiss his forehead with a quick peck as he looks at my neck. “MeK, my poor, confused alien.It’sgonna take time, but you need to not take everythingIsay to heart.”ThenIreach up and wipe my lip gloss off his forehead before he sets me back down.Myface is now level with his chest as he towers over me. “Thatcolor was all wrong for you.Areyou done inspecting me now?”

MeKdoesn’t say anything, not thatIexpected him to, but he does follow me into the tent and even carries my tray whenIalmost trip.AsIsit down at the table, neither of us tries to say anything above all the noise of everyone preparing for their jobs for the day.Whenhe sees thatI’mfinished, he picks up both trays and takes them to the sanitizing station he had installed, then motions for me to follow him.Iwave atKiraasIhead out, noticing her watching me … us.

Followinghis massive frame toward theTimbersand the cleared spots for the other houses,Ihave to make myself stop watching his butt and those powerful legs when once again,Ialmost trip over my own feet several times.Lord, when didIget this clumsy?

Walkingpast the house we worked on yesterday,I’mshocked to see there are two more foundations already formed for the next ones to be installed. “MeK, did you stay up last night and do this?”

“No, the maintenance bots finished one section of perimeter fencing then ran out of materials, so they reverted to their next set of orders: the foundations of the new dwellings.Inthe nextcouple of shifts, an assembly bot will also be delivered, which will move things along much quicker and without my constant supervision.”

“I’veheard you all mention these bots several times now.Whydid you not bring a whole herd of them if they’re so handy?”

“Lacie, there are timesIstruggle with the meaning of your words.Ifyou are inquiring about the lack of bots brought along in the beginning, it is because there are no charging ports yet, and they cannot perform properly without actual docking stations.Thankfully,Iwas able to install two intoFather’sprivate shuttle, and then when you retired toANDIlast rising,Ifinalized one in mine as well.”

“Youstay here at night?Well,Imean when we leave?”