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“You,” she pointed at Nerx, “need to take this girl back to her home.” She stomped across to stab him in the chest with her forefinger, barely noting how good his pec felt when she poked him through his bulletproof vest.

“And why would I do that?” he demanded, dipping to widen his arms for Lily to leap into. “She is my daughter.”

“What?” Britt roared. “You kidnap a girl and think you have the right to? That it’s just fine and dandy because you’re some powerful race?” She jabbed his chest, then again, while avoiding Lily’s arm.

“Kidnap?” Matir laughed. “Supreme Commander Nerx adopted Lily. He is her father.”

“Adopted?” Britt whispered, curled in her extended finger, and stepped back. “Her daddy’s not on Earth?” She raised wide eyes to Nerx, hoping he’d save her from perhaps another blunder.

“He is,” Nerx growled, his gaze on Lily. “The bad daddy.” His eyes narrowed, and determination solidified his handsome features. Britt had no doubt, if he wanted to, Bad Daddy would die a horrifying death.

“Oh,” she said, heat blasting her cheeks. She cupped them while offering the room a weak smile. “Sorry. I thought—” What could she say? That the girl led her to believe she’d been stolen? No, she couldn’t place the blame on little Lily. “I jumped to the wrong conclusions.”

“Something you need to work on,” Nerx said, his voice hoarse.

Great, I’ve offended him…again.

She sidled back, aiming her ass for the door. The sound it made opening was music to her ears. She slipped out then hurried down the passage before anyone could chastise her for her wild accusations. And damn if she didn’t owe Nerx another apology.

Wait until Mom learned about this. Aldur would blab, no doubt. Britt drew in a deep breath, pinched her brow, then marched to the table to gather the tablet and water bottle. Off to find a quiet place where no one would find her while she wallowed in her mortification alone.

N erx lowered Lily to the floor by kneeling, his trembling knees too weak to hold them both.

She scampered off, unaware that a white-hot ecstasy shuddered through his body.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the burning pain.

No, please Maker, not her. Anyone but Britta.

But the powerful emotions squeezing his chest didn’t lie.

Nor did the vision imprinting into his memories the image of a naked Britta, her beautiful breasts unbound, her stomach contoured, her hips more than a handful.

Her back was against the wall, her hands splayed on the Maloidian steel panels, even as she cried out, then whimpered.

Her leg was thrown over his shoulder, her feminine folds before him glistening and fragrant.

And her expression was one he longed to see again.

He sucked in a deep breath, fighting for calm.

“Supreme Commander?” Matir rested his hand on Nerx’s upper arm.

He shook him off, unable to bear the slightest touch. Holding Lily had been torture. Hiding his reaction in Britta’s presence more so. He struggled to his feet, then opened his eyes to meet Matir’s gaze. “Is it true?” he asked.

Ziot glanced over his shoulder and froze.

Matir opened and closed his mouth, no words escaping.

“Lady Britta?” Ziot asked, peeking at the door. “She is your Dar Eth?”

“Yes.” That word encompassed delight at having found his female and agony that it was her, of all humans. Now he’d have to talk to her. And how would he convince her to stay with him when she couldn’t bear to be in the same room as him?

“I like Britt,” Lily said, clinging to Matir’s hand as he swung her back and forth. “She’s pretty.”

Yes, she was. Joy swept through Nerx’s chest, warming him. The way she’d been protective over Lily gave him hope. If she stayed with him, then Lily would have a mother. He couldn’t mess this up, for both their sakes.

“What is on your hands and cheek?” he asked, able to speak and think now that the pain had subsided.

“Paint.” Lily danced around him, then slipped her hand in his. “Come. Look.”

Her fruitless attempts to drag him had him chuckling.

Giving in, he let her ‘pull’ him down the passage.

His chest constricted at the possibility of spotting Britta but there was no sign of her.

Her cheeks had bloomed a brilliant peach color, which he knew to be embarrassment.

He liked that she’d realized her mistake.

The court was in her ball, as the humans said.

Never in Nerx’s life had he painted anything.

It was such an odd thing to do. Dip a brush into a pot of color and smear it across paper?

Yes, odd. Although, the way the nib had spread the color was satisfying.

Lily’s images were that of a male and a little female beside him.

The long black line had to denote his hair.

The female wore pink, that had to mean Lily.

Strange symbols decorated the edges: a yellow circle with arrows pointing outward, big loops that looked like flowers, and one-winged black-and-yellow-striped flying objects.

Realizing she watched him, he held the paper high and said, “It is well-done.”

She beamed, settled beside the pots of bold color, and took up a brush again.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, ordered her a juice and cookie, then left their quarters.

The door remained open. He didn’t want her to feel trapped or unwelcome.

The way to the engine room was restricted to ensure she remained safe, but she had access everywhere else on the scimitar.

He strolled to the comm, visiting the common for a hot chocolate. Britta sat with her head on the table, her arms covering her head. She was muttering, “…stupid ship. Why does it have to be so small? Surely there’s somewhere quiet on this blasted thing?”

“Lady Britta?”

At his voice, she groaned and tightened her arms. “No, this can’t be happening,” she whispered. “I’m not a bad person, I swear.”

He rolled his lips, trying to smother a chuckle. She was amusing; he’d give her that. Her tablet rested by her elbow, a bottle of water beside that. Somewhere quiet, she’d said. “The scimitar is smaller than a battleship, but there is a viewing deck if you are willing to climb a ladder.”

Her head shot up. The smile she blessed him with shot to two spots on his body: his chest and malehood. He hurried to adjust his suit when his temperature spiked, forming perspiration on his temple. How could one female have such control over him? And she had yet to touch him.

“Thank you,” she said as she leaped to her feet. With tablet and bottle in hand, she strode toward him.

He swept a gaze over her body, knowing just what her garments hid.

Without much effort on his part, he caught the gentle bounce of her breasts, the way her tunic cinched in at her waist, the sway of her hips his palms knew the feel of.

He drew in a deep inhale, capturing her scent, the pure essence of her as a female… As his female.

He may have stared at her upturned face too long. There was just something fascinating about the tiny dots across her cheeks. A sensation built, uncoiled, looped and reformed, somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. His void had frozen, no longer pulsing and making demands to ‘feel.’

This female had saved him, and she knew it not. Had she been Etterian, they’d be in a spare quarters, his mouth between her thighs.

“Is it far?” she asked, her plump lips forming the words.

His nostrils flared as he fought the urge to lower his mouth to hers. She had no idea what she was doing to him. And for now, he’d keep it that way. There had to be time to soften her before she learned the truth.

“This way.” He led her to the comm, then faced a hidden panel opposite the comm’s door. He pressed the side and the bulkhead gaped. Behind it, a light flickered on to illuminate the narrow ladder. “Up there. No one will bother you.”

The gray of her eyes sparkled before she tucked the tablet into the back of her pants and scampered up the ladder. He watched, unable to drag his gaze from her enticing backside. With her out of sight, he shut the bulkhead and faced the comm.

At least he knew where she was.