Page 66 of Pets in Space 10

He waved her apology away. “It’s okay. Really.

The result was better than we could have hoped for.

” A smile touched his lips. “Okonye believes we cleared out whatever was going wrong with the ship’s systems. Besides, it’s an ace talent to have.

Can you do the amplification thing with anyone’s talent? ”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I can sense talents around me, kind of like pools of potential, waiting to be activated. It works better with the external talents like your telekinesis, or the telepathy and affinity talents, but my filer and finder friends in university said they could feel a difference. But that might have been the primo chems talking — we were all gliding orbit-high at the time.”

“Yeah, chems play havoc with my teke, too. My accuracy goes all to hell.”

“I practice with mine when I can get away with it,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to be on the ‘repressed minder went crazy’ list.”

He sipped his cider. “According to my brother, that’s a myth the CPS fosters to make sure the general public stays afraid of minders.”

“Well, if they do, that’s a stupid policy.” The injustice of it rankled her. “Probably half the people I know have minder talents. Making the other half afraid of them seems like the opposite of keeping the galactic peace.”

“Tell me about it,” Gaerynx agreed with feeling. He was quiet for a moment. “Did you really have a restraining order on your ex? Did he try to exploit your talent?”

“‘No’ to both,” she replied, grateful for the small blessing.

“I never told him about my talent. He’s a controlling, slimy asshole who ran more schemes than there are stars in the galaxy, but he’s ultimately a coward.

He had me fooled for a long time. Maybe I fooled myself, too.

I wanted to believe in him because the organization he built and hired me for was doing really good things.

” She blew out a long breath. “That’s part of why I joined RyoGenomica, to get away from the lofty idealism in the nonprofit sector.

Of course, the down-to-earth realism of the corporate sector isn’t sparking joy at the moment, either. ”

Gaerynx laughed, a low, warm sound. He took another sip of cider, then asked, “What did you think of Consuelo Margoth’s memo this morning?”

She was glad he’d brought it up. It was a good starting place for the conversation she knew they needed to have.

“I’m… ambivalent,” she replied. “I appreciated the bonus, or whatever that was, and the offer to increase our compensation and extend our contract terms for three years is a good sign. I’m intrigued by the invitation to meet with her about opportunities to grow our departments, but…

” She trailed off as doubts clamored in her mind.

“I sync that,” he agreed. “I’m not sure I trust the company anymore.

It was too easy for a few people to destroy the years of work we’ve each put into building our departments.

Not to mention how fast they pushed Tikka Parnumaya out the airlock.

” He frowned into his mug. “Even with incalloy-armored contracts, the company could still, say, let us keep our titles but move us to an obscure satellite office on the other side of the galaxy.”

Amalena made a rude sound. “I don’t feel sorry for President Dequer. Or Vice President Wazeed from BioChem, either, for that matter. Greed isn’t a good look for executives.” She snorted. “Never stops them from trying it on for size, though.”

“How true. But it does mean the company has leadership holes to fill. Plus all the Support Department staff we’ve lost, and customer goodwill.

” He reached over to stroke Pavrel, who had stretched a back paw to rest on his thigh.

“I’m grateful to RyoGenomica for giving me six steady years to prove I’m not a disaster magnet as far as jobs.

But I don’t think they really know what to do with me.

My lawyer says they’ll probably never fully trust me again, despite Margoth’s assurances. ”

“That’s probably a realistic assessment,” she said. “If nothing else, because we remind them they fucked up.” She grabbed his empty mug and hers and stood. “If you don’t want more, I’ll take these to the sanitizer now before I forget them.”

He stood to come with her. “I like smooth sailing, not headwinds. But I also like variety.” He gave her a wry smile. “I guess I want the perfect job.”

“Me, too,” Amalena said. “I can’t say I’m enamored with the pharma industry in general. From what I’ve read recently, they’re too entangled with the Citizen Protection Service. Even though RyoGenomica has vowed never to do business with them, the CPS obviously knows the lure of juicy profits.”

He was silent as she put the mugs in the sanitizer cabinet, which would run quietly later that evening. If Merix was around, he would probably notice and come tell her.

When she turned back to Gaerynx, he was standing with his hands in his pockets, his expression serious. “I wouldn’t blame you for leaving. But I don’t want to lose you.” He caught her gaze. “You see me. I’d miss you very much if you moved away.”

The raw vulnerability in his eyes made her breath catch.

She took a deep breath to quell her suddenly dancing heart.

He deserved to know what she was thinking.

“I have trust issues when it comes to relationships with coworkers. I don’t want to mess up whatever we could have because I’m still clearing away debris from the past.”

“To be perfectly honest,” he said, his voice dropping lower, “I’m falling for you.”

A wave of relief and joy washed over her. “I think I’m on that tumble with you.”

He opened his arms, a silent invitation. She stepped into them, and her heart soaked in the affection like a drought-stricken plant. Tucked against his chest, another doubt assailed her. “You’re not worried about physical contact with me, are you? Because of my talent?”

He pulled back just enough to look at her. “Worried? Are you crazy? I’ve been aching for this. Aching to kiss you. It’s making me crazy.”

“Me, too,” she confessed, her voice breathy. “You are so nova hot. Especially in those tight maroon bike pants you wore to work yesterday.”

He laughed, a startled, happy sound, and then his mouth was on hers. It was better than she could have imagined — warm and sure and full of unspoken promise. Then the doubts crept back in. She was out of practice. It was too soon for him. There was no future for them.

He pulled back, his brow furrowed with concern as he watched her expression. “Are you okay?”

“More than okay. Just… fretting.” A fragile hope sparked in her heart. “What about you?”

“I’m great,” he said softly. “But if this is too fast, we can go slow.”

That gentle offer, that consideration, was all she needed. Anticipation rising like a starship launching for the stratosphere, she tightened her arms around his neck. “Let’s try again, and I’ll shut off my brain.”

The second kiss was better than the first, slower and deeper, chasing away the last of her fears. When they finally broke for air, he rested his forehead against hers.

“I’ll find a new job,” he said, “if it means we can be together.”

She laughed, amazement bubbling up. “I was going to say the same thing. I want something in a different industry, so our relationship wouldn’t be a problem.

Jobs, even meaningful ones, are everywhere.

” She couldn’t resist putting a palm to his cheek, loving the feel of his skin.

“Clever, sexy, artistic men with kulaks are extremely rare and to be cherished.”

She never wanted their third kiss to end.