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Nerx stilled, his gaze landing on Britta hovering in the doorway.

Her face was that adorable peach color he liked seeing on her.

Her focus shifted down his sweat-soaked chest then she lowered her head, hiding her thoughts.

Without a word, she headed to the rehydrator, tapping with rapid fingers as if time was an issue.

He wanted to cleanse but hesitated. Any chance to gaze upon her was to be grasped with both hands.

So he settled beside her, ordering a towel from the replicator.

He too said nothing, though he snuck glances at her profile, admiring the way her hair curled around her face, her earlobe peeking out, the angle of her jaw, the flash of her tiny white teeth nibbling on her bottom lip.

Heat of another sort fired through him, heightening his senses and hardening his malehood.

Just a look; that was all it took. With towel in hand, he dabbed at his face and chest, rolling his lips to hide a smirk when her gaze shifted to him, then away, then back again.

She sucked in a shuddering breath, grabbed the pile of colorful packets she’d ordered, then raced from the common.

And in her wake, the luscious scent of her arousal lingered.

He laughed, delighted by that revelation. His Dar Eth finding him attractive was a good thing. He could work with that.

T wo hours before dinner, Lily appeared in the comm, demanding to climb onto Nerx’s lap. He lifted her and settled her against his chest.

“What is it, minus susa ?”

“Britt said she had to take a nap. I didn’t want to.” Lily raised a pleading gaze to his. “I don’t have to, do I?”

“Of course not. Unless you are tired.” He rubbed her back. “Do you want a pink milkshake?”

Lily nodded, yawned, then sank into him when he lifted her into his arms. Before he reached the common, she was sound asleep.

He grinned and continued to their quarters to tuck her into bed.

On the way to the comm room, he ordered two hot chocolates, handing one to Edon.

He sat, pulled the tablet closer, then stared at it.

He’d written the first word of his next poem when Lily had interrupted him.

Fire!

He blinked at it, then added the imagery that one word inspired.

She fires my blood.

My senses tumble along,

Sparking a newness that is breathtaking.

Britta…

Oh, how the Maker has blessed me.

It didn’t encompass this roiling, volatile, and growing ball of emotion that now resided in his chest. Matir grinned at him when he crossed the comm room to the war room on the side.

His humor deepened Nerx’s scowl. Matir tended to push the boundaries on acceptable emotions and usually Nerx didn’t mind.

Yet this afternoon, it worried him. To feel is to fail, the Etterian motto, was there to ensure they lost no males to the void.

Before he could reprimand him, for the male had yet to find his Dar Eth, silence descended on the comm room, no longer peppered with Edon’s tapping.

Nerx’s head shot up. On the display vid set to the common where Sena and Ziot sparred, it was easy to locate Britta coming out of Aldur’s quarters in a state of disarray. What is the meaning of this?

Nerx was on his feet before he knew he’d risen. He stormed to the common to find her watching the sparring match. Unsure why fury fired his blood or hazed his vision in red, he grabbed her by the elbow then ushered her into Aldur’s quarters, closing the door behind them.

A thorough search revealed the quarters to be empty. Where was Aldur? Nerx would kill him.

“He’s with my mother,” Britta said, dropping into a comfy as he rushed around the room. “I sleep here now.”

“You sleep…?” Nerx drew to a halt.

“Yup,” she snapped. “It’s better than the cold treehouse.”

“Why did you not come to me, Britta?”

“Would you have listened, Nerx?” She shrugged.

His gaze shot up to meet hers in alarm. He would have, yet she believed otherwise. She jumped up, presenting quite an enticing package in a baggy tunic that slipped off one bare shoulder and tight pants hugging every curve of her legs. He took the time to admire her well-toned calves and thighs.

“It doesn’t matter, I made a plan, and this suits me just fine. So, thank you for your concern .”

“Britta?” He paused, uncertain what words he could speak to alter her perception of him. They’d been making good progress.

She flashed him a look with her cool gray eyes, her hair tumbling around her.

“What? What do you want from me, Nerx? Yup, I’m sorry I hurt you, but please understand.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat. She’s all I have after my father died.

I would do anything to protect her. I’d taze your ass every day for a week and not regret it.

” She marched to the door and waved at him.

“Now, if you’ll leave, that would be great. ”

“Very well, but I shall collect you for dinner.” Considering that settled, he did as she asked.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

When he faced her to somehow convince her, he met steel instead. So much for her softening toward him. He returned to the comm in a daze. “I will be in the engine room,” he said, desperate for something to occupy his mind. Perhaps an in-depth analysis of all systems would do.