Page 6 of Wayfinder (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #5)

“Excuse me?” My ears buzzed slightly, and I didn’t feel nearly as upset about his comment as I should have.

“I vowed to protect you,” Jutuk said, removing his bandolier and dropping it on the table. “I cannot do that if we are separated.”

“It’s not like I’ll be sleeping in the hall.” I resisted and waved behind me. “Locked door?”

Jutuk snorted, completely unimpressed.

“Even now, the Framaddi and Romvesian plot to remove you from the contest.”

“What?” I blinked at him, a chill creeping along my spine. “How do you know that?”

Something that might have been a smile played at his full lips, and he tapped pointed ears that kind of reminded me of Legolas from Lord of the Rings.

“The male Framaddi occupies the room down the hall.” Jutuk settled on the sofa, bouncing slightly to test for comfort. “They are a species that excel at artistic endeavors.”

“Like cooking?” I guessed.

“Yes.” His golden gaze met mine, and I felt the slightest tingle of something dance along my skin. It had to be nerves.

“Do you really think they’ll try something?” Subterfuge in cooking competitions was nothing new. Although this might be the first time, someone might actually try to kill me.

“You will be safe. I will protect you,” Jutuk promised. “No matter what it takes.”

No matter what else I might think about him, I believed that.

“Thanks.” Our eyes met again, and the rather cool room suddenly felt stifling. My skin felt itchy and hot. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll use the bathroom and get ready for bed.”

Jutuk gave me a combination nod-grunt, more occupied with his weapons than my sudden awkwardness.

I slyly shot him one last glance before disappearing behind the dark blue screen that hid the bathroom from view.

I missed water. Granted, the alien shower set-up had its perks.

One could get steam-cleansed and blown dry in a matter of minutes.

The one and only one good thing about the Baron’s home was the massive Turkish-style baths on every level.

Being a frog-like species, water was probably more important to him than most. Brushing my teeth proved another experience—a Waterpik-type apparatus attached to the wall that used hot air to leave one’s mouth feeling minty fresh.

Other than the toilet, which was similar in shape to that of Earth, the only other piece of equipment in the bathroom was one of my favorites. The clothing synthesizer.

Fashion was never my thing, despite my mother’s desire to make me a model.

As a chef, I always wore the standard uniform of a white double-breasted jacket with black buttons signifying my level as a chef and black-and-white striped trousers.

I never bothered with the toque blanche , the traditional chef’s hat.

I had way too much hair to fool with that.

There had been a couple of occasions to play dress-up, but not many.

The clothing synthesizer resembled an old-fashioned ATM with a large screen and chute for output.

Since the thing in my head only translated spoken and not written words, I had to rely on pictures.

Still, I managed to dial up a modest, long-sleeved nightgown.

Most of the time, I slept in a t-shirt and panties or nude, but not with a gorgeous seven-foot alien on the sofa.

When I exited the bathroom, the sofa was empty. I suffered a sudden, stark moment of fear before I spotted Jutuk lying on the floor between the sofa and table.

“What happened to sleeping on the sofa?”

“Too short,” Jutuk grumbled, adjusting the pillow below his head. “This will be fine. I’ve slept on worse.”

I could offer to share the bed.

Good lord, where the hell was my head?

No, just no.

“The bathroom is free if you want it.” I offered another type of comfort instead.

“Thank you,” Jutuk murmured, rolling to his feet like a graceful cat. “I would like to clean up before they bring dinner.”

I waited until he disappeared into the bathroom before padding to the bed.

The mattress felt soft, and the pillows fluffy, just like any other five-star hotel.

Sounds of movement preceded steam from the shower floating over the air, accompanied by the headiest scent of spice and ocean.

The thought of him naked, the hot steam pouring over his muscles. ...

Seriously Pearl? Get a fucking grip.

Thankfully, a sharp rap on the door smacked my libido into submission.

My stomach grumbled in anticipation. Of course, opening a door on an alien cruise ship proved more difficult than on a regular cruise ship.

I waved my hand over everything before I discovered the small black button sensor that released the locking mechanism.

“Hello, lovely human.”

I glanced down, finding the little blue man draped in yellow robes. He held something that looked like a wine bottle but did not have food that I could see.

“Hello?” I ventured, just in case he had something to do with dinner this evening. It was never a good idea to piss off the chef.

He raised the bottle and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I wondered if you would like to have a drink with me and toast our good luck in the contest.”

Apparently, being creepy wasn’t solely a human trait.

“I was just headed to bed,” I said as a way of an excuse.

“That might be interesting as well.” The dark blue eyebrows raised higher.

My hand rose toward the sensor, wanting to put a barrier between me and this creep as soon as possible. But the blue bastard stepped inside before I could engage the door, his hand closing around my wrist. He might be no taller than a seven-year-old, but he was strong.

“Leave, please,” I huffed, squaring my shoulders.

The grip on my wrist became painful, and with a jerk, the Framaddi pulled me forward, bringing my face level with his.

“You and I have much to discuss, lovely human,” he crooned, a dark purple tongue sliding out to moisten thin lips.

Where was my damn knife?

I glanced to where my satchel lay on a table by the bed.

My mind began pondering scenarios to get to the blade when a low, threatening growl erupted from behind me.

The Framaddi’s eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open in shock—it was the only warning for what came next. The next thing I knew, Jutuk had extricated me from the blue bastard’s grasp and held the creature against the wall by the throat, the short legs kicking angrily.

“You do not touch Pearl.” The words came out raspy, throaty, and altogether too sexy for something meant to be a threat.

Fresh from the shower, Jutuk had dressed in a pair of cream-colored drawstring pants, leaving his chest bare.

His dark caramel hair was free of the braid, flowing in waves over his shoulders, reminding me of a lion’s mane.

The muscles of his chest and arms flexed as he held the squirming Framaddi, the dark chevrons across his shoulders seeming to undulate like waves with the effort.

My girly bits enjoyed the sight way too much.

“My apologies, warrior.” The Framaddi squeaked, clawing at the hand that held him. “I did not realize she was yours.”

I opened my mouth to assert that I belonged to no one, but the words faded as Jutuk flexed his hand, and the blue bastard crashed to the floor.

“Now you know she is under my protection.” Jutuk hissed the words more as a warning than a statement.

The Framaddi pressed his back against the wall, inching toward the door under Jutuk’s intense stare. Only once did his dark eyes shift in my direction, full of hate, before he rushed from the room.

Jutuk followed, closing the door with a swish of his hand and a loud grunt before turning his golden assessing gaze to me.

“I—I thought it was dinner,” I rasped as an excuse.

Another grunt as Jutuk transferred his attention to the discarded bottle on the floor. It might not be food, but after this, I could use a drink.

Without a word, Jutuk picked up the discarded libation, sniffing along the neck of the bottle and stopping at the cork.

“Poisoned,” he muttered, tossing the bottle in a nearby trash bin.

“Poisoned?” I gulped, feeling dizzy. “Was that blue bastard trying to kill me?”

“Perhaps not, but the poison would definitely have made you too sick to continue the competition.” Golden eyes shifted from the bottle to me. His gaze felt intense, not in a bad way, but in a manner that made me feel warm and protected.

Suddenly, I felt very glad to have this seven-foot-tall warrior at my side.