Page 8 of My Alien Bughead (Supernova Casanovas #4)
Chapter 8
D’Aakh
My pulsating anger is so strong that I could have stormed off to pace the entire ship back and forth several times cursing if it weren’t for the sobering image in front of me. There’s damage everywhere.
I might be pissed at the mouthy human, at both of them, actually. As well as Tareq, Zarkan, and pretty much the entire universe right now, but I came here for a reason and I better start acting like a professional. I wouldn’t put it past Zarkan to actually send me away for some “time out” just to prove his stupid point.
“D’Aakh!”
Hearing the captain’s heavy footsteps trailing somewhere behind me, I roll my eyes and sneak a quick inhale from the stimstick in my pocket. The stimulant clears the cobwebs from my brain and eases the tremors in my hands to a more manageable level. “Over here!”
Zarkan ducks under a massive coolant conduit on his approach to me. By the thunderous look on his face, it’s obvious he’s about to tear me a new one, so I beat him to it. “I know, I know. I was out of line. I’m sorry captain, I’ll do better.”
“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” Zarkan replies sternly. As is his usual way, it doesn’t take long before his expression softens. “If you keep pushing people away, you’re going to end up alone, D’Aakh.”
Blast it, not more of that crap. There’s no way I’m apologizing to that wannabe technician, nor am I open to any kind of soul searching. Deciding it’s time for a drastic change of topic, I declare, “The wiring is damaged here.” I point to the wall where a part of the wiring has been torn away from the wall itself. “It seems to be worse in that direction.”
“I’m serious, D’Aakh. On both counts,” Zarkan continues to argue. Ignoring him, I continue to examine the wall where the wiring has been cut. Sighing, Zarkan says, “We’ll continue discussing your behavior later.”
Yeah, or not. I don’t plan on making myself available for this kind of talk any time soon. “The wires are cut clean. Judging by the scorch marks here, they were still live when the bugs cut them.”
Zarkan grunts, finally letting the subject of me being an asshole drop. “Interesting. Do you think they used protective equipment or are they resistant to electricity?”
I unclip the flashlight from my uniform and angle it to get a better look at the damaged wires. “Hmm. This looks like it has been cut with pincers, so I’d say they have some resistance.”
“Insulated pincers, huh?” Lucía asks, her head popping up unexpectedly and peeking around Zarkan. I just about manage to not look startled at her sudden appearance. She’s a sneaky one. “That sounds useful,” she continues.
As she leans closer to examine the wall, I deliberately aim my flashlight away from the cut wiring. If she has to pollute the air with her obnoxious presence, she can use her own torch to look at things. And yes, I’m aware of how childish I sound.
Lucía merely rolls her eyes before grabbing her own flashlight to take a look. “No marks on the wall,” she notes. “A clean cut. Then…” Her eyes follow the missing cables down the corridor. “They just stripped it from the wall and carried it away?”
“Excellent observation,” I sneer, venom dripping from my every word. Even a child could see that the bugs stole the wires. Well, maybe not a human child, but still. “Do you have any other brilliant thoughts?”
Lucía scoffs. “Plenty. Most of them revolve around you acting like a petulant child. I don’t know what’s gotten your antennae all twisted in a knot but I suggest you untwist them and start acting like a grown-up. Like it or not, we will be working together. You don’t have to like me. I sure as hell don’t like you. But we can act like professionals. Right?”
I swallow roughly. During her passionate speech, Lucía kept stepping toward me and now she’s standing so close I can feel heat emanating from her soft body.
No. Not soft, I correct myself, looking at the muscles outlined by her form-fitting coveralls. This feisty human is anything but soft. In fact, she looks like she’s about to grab my arms and shake some sense into me. And…I kind of want her to?
But why?
My ahni angle forward as if trying to get closer to her. They detect the soft electromagnetic field Lucía’s body emits and are keen on exploring it further. To see how it changes when she’s calm. Or when she’s aroused.
Where in the darkest of black holes did that thought come from?
This is ridiculous. I should hate her. I do hate her. She’s a useless primate that Zarkan planted here to make my life more difficult. Nothing more.
She’s glaring at me, brows raised in challenge, as if expecting a response. I don’t even remember being asked a question. I was too distracted by her lips. Now, those are definitely soft. I’m not wondering what they’d taste like, though. Not at all.
“Stay away from me!” I growl, stepping back as far as the narrow corridor will allow, which is only about two inches. My instincts protest those two inches of extra distance between us, wanting me to pull Lucía in closer. It takes all of my willpower but I manage to stop myself from reaching for her.
Alright, that’s it. I’m getting off these stims. They’re messing with my head. After I’ve fixed the ship, of course. Can’t get the job done if I waste time sleeping. I’ll just have to avoid Lucía until then.
“Alright, cabrón ,” she smirks. “We can each make our own damage assessment, then compare notes?”
I can’t help but scoff. “I don’t need to be taking notes. I’m perfectly capable of remembering everything. And I’m not a bastard!”
Lucía stares at me as if she couldn’t decide whether I’m joking or completely stupid. “That’s a figure of speech, not questioning your heritage, bughead. ?Por el amor de Dios! (For the love of God!)” Her electromagnetic field flares as she huffs out a frustrated sigh. “Just lead the way, estúpido .”
My translator nodes suggest she’s being rude but I ignore it. It’s beneath me to respond. “Admitting you’re lost without my guidance already, zeeva ?” I hear myself saying. So much for not reacting to her words. Dammit!
“If you think I’ll back off just because you call me a bitch or whatever that word means, you’re gravely mistaken, bughead.” Glaring at me, Lucía puts her hands on her wide hips. “You might find yourself smacked with an oxl wrench, though.”
Ha! I’m getting to her. Only a creature of remarkably low intelligence would physically threaten someone far stronger and much better trained, which just shows what a mistake Zarkan has made bringing Lucía on board.
“It doesn’t mean bitch, little human,” I smirk. “Zeevas are tiny little animals from my homeworld. They make a lot of noise but startle easily. Then they flee with their tails tucked between their legs. They aren’t dangerous, just annoying. Pests.”
My ahni detect a slight change in the electromagnetic field around her chest as her heart speeds up. “Very funny,” she replies sarcastically. “Are you done? Or do you have more wisdom to share with us to waste our time?”
I suppress a growl. There’s nothing I want more than to grab the little pest and slam her into a wall. Then silence her with a kiss.
No, not a kiss. My hand on her throat. Her strong, yet fragile throat.
I want to strangle Lucía. And kiss her. Perhaps I could do both at once? My cock twitches, demanding attention, but I ignore the treacherous organ. It’s not supposed to be twitching for anyone, not since Mzr is gone.
The memory of Mzr barrels through my mind. What the fuck am I doing? Why am I needling Lucía to see if I can get a rise out of her? Why am I enjoying myself? Having fun, even? I’m not supposed to have fun! More importantly, why am I thinking about kissing Lucía?
I only ever wanted to kiss Mzr and now I feel like a filthy traitor. She’s only been gone for two months and I’m already lusting after someone else? A primitive creature at that?
Disgusted with myself, I turn away from Lucía. I need to focus on work. Nothing else matters. I’ll just ignore her from now on. Yes, I can absolutely do that.