I cup his face in my hands as he carries me across the room. "I might need you an obsessive amount for the next while. Or the next fifty years."
"Only fifty?" Straik snorts as he moves confidently across our quarters. "You think my cock stops rising in your presence after fifty years? That's disappointing."
"Okay then, a hundred? How long do your people live anyhow?" A smile is tugging at my mouth despite things. "Two hundred years? Because I've got a newsflash for you, humans live to maybe eighty."
"Maybe on your backwards planet," he scoffs. His knees hit the bed and then he's setting me down oh-so-gently on the mattress. "With our technology, you're not going anywhere for at least another hundred years. You're stuck with my obsessiveness for the next century."
I smile at that, because it sounds wonderful to me.
81
STRAIK
Ruth clings to me in her sleep. We don't make love; I just hold her all afternoon while she sleeps. She needs time to work through things in her head, and so I remain quietly at her side, just letting her know that I'm here for her. While she dozes, her eyes flutter and she whimpers, caught in the grips of a nightmare.
Once her sleep grows deeper and her dreams less restless, I climb out of bed to get something to eat. I pull on a pair of trou and pad down the hall. The mess will hopefully be empty and I'll be able to get back to Ruth quickly. I don't want her to wake up and I'm not there.
Dopekh is posted at the far end of the hall, seated on a stool. He's distracted, flicking through his data pad with his thumb. The moment he spots me, he jumps to his feet, a worried look on his face. "Oh good, Captain. I'm glad you're awake. We have a problem."
My tail flicks uneasily. What keffing now? "Is it the fuel?"
Dopekh grimaces. "No, that's fine. It's the new passenger on the ship."
The clone. "Spit it out."
He purses his lips, adding to his look of distress. "Kazex has grown rather attached to her. He's been guarding her from the others and won't let anyone near her. He made me switch quarters so she can have our room to herself."
I pinch the thick, plated bridge of my nose, a headache starting behind it. "Wait, wait. Kazex booted you and stayed with her?"
"No, he's sleeping outside the door." Dopekh moves closer. "I worry he's half in love with her already, Captain."
I scrub my face with my hands. My a'ani crew has been loyal, hardworking and brave ever since I hired them. Throw a single female in the mix and they're all suddenly deciding to hit puberty at the same time. Kazex wants the new clone, Dopekh's in love with me…it's just a mess. "Is he being inappropriate with her?"
"I don't believe so."
"And he's sleeping outside the door? Where are you supposed to sleep?" I head down the hall, trying not to swat with my tail the man walking at my side. It's not his fault everyone's keeping me from getting a quick snack. I should have anticipated that someone on the crew would try to claim her as a mate. After all, my Ruth is beyond beautiful, and the a'ani wouldn't have a problem with cloning.
"Aithar offered for me to squeeze in with him and Zaemen, but I was wondering if I should set up in the maintenance locker until we figure out a more…permanent arrangement?" Dopekh clears his throat delicately. "Because I assume she's going to be staying for a time?"
"I don't know," I snap. I turn down the hall to the crew quarters, and sure enough, Kazex is stretched out in front of one of the doors, a thin blanket tossed over his uniform. I march to his side and nudge him with my bare foot. I give him a tight, unpleasant smile. "Having a nice nap, security officer?"
Kazex scrambles to his feet. "Sir. I can explain—"
"Don't bother. Dopekh already did." I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm told you're developing quite the attachment to the female. Is that true?"
A determined look moves across Kazex's face. His jaw clenches and for a moment, he looks angry, which is surprising to see. "She needs someone to look out for her best interests. She's had no one to watch her back this entire time. So…yeah, I am looking out for her."
I glare at him. "She has my wife's face, Kazex, so I take a vested interest in her safety. If I find out you're harassing her or making her uncomfortable in any way, I'm going to have you thrown in the brig and dumped at the nearest station, understand?"
"I'm not going to do anything to make her unhappy, Captain," Kazex says. "I love her."