Frustrated, I put my knife aside and pick up a bit of root, nibbling on the chunk as I glance out the window to the barn. If the man isn't interested, I wish he'd just give me a sign.
REKTAR
The barn smells like her.
A groan escapes me as I walk through the doors and Lucy's scent pierces through the myriad smells. Her unpleasant perfume is there, and so is the scent of the meat-stock she keeps in her barn, but I stagger toward the basket of colorful clothing near the doors, hunting one particular scent. It's a scent that can't be ignored, no matter the other smells around it. I reach into the basket and pull out what must be an undergarment of some kind.
It smells thickly of musk.
I groan again, closing my eyes. Put it down, Rektar. Just put it down and walk away. It isn't yours.
I don't put it down, though. I put her undergarment in my pocket, keeping it for later so I can do shameful, shameful things to it. Lucy's scent is incredible, wafting through the air around me. If I close my eyes, I can imagine touching her slick cunt, feeling those juices for myself as she soaks my fingers and my tongue…
…and kef me, I'm as hard as steel.
I fight the urge to drop my trou right here. Just wrap that scrap of material around my cock and rub myself until I come. But…I have to get answers for her first. What kind of protector would I be if I ignored her needs?
Needs. Just thinking about Lucy's needs makes my knees weak.
I must focus. Must do my duty. Lucy's safety depends on it. She's counting on me to make her safe, to check over her farm and ensure she will not be harmed. Resolutely, I start my scanner up again, determined to ignore the enticing scent wafting around me. I growl as it chirps with confirmation, pulling up a DNA match for a local smuggler who's been in and out of Port's tiny jail cell more often than I like to think. The fact that he's staking out Lucy makes me angry. So angry I could break something. Clenching my jaw, I scan for other profiles, and when I'm satisfied that only one is a problem, I return to her door and knock.
"It's open," Lucy calls out from the next room. "It's not like I have anywhere to go."
"I will stand out here," I insist, waiting on the small step of her porch. It would not do for me to invade her home and make her feel ill at ease.
She appears in the doorway, frowning at me, her hands on her hips. "I swear you're determined to hurt my feelings today, aren't you?"
"Your feelings?" I am taken aback. "It isn't proper for me to go inside—protocol says—"
Lucy waves a hand in the air, dismissing my concerns. "Forget I said anything, officer. Just let me put away my dough and you can take me back to town." She walks away from the door, leaving me standing outside.
I lean in over the threshold, watching her as she heads into the small kitchen. Something in there smells fragrant and delicious, and Lucy smells like soap instead of her perfume. My cock instantly hardens again, and I think about the undergarment tucked into the front of my vest. I'm absolutely going to use it tonight. I won't be able to stop myself. Just like I can't stop staring at Lucy as she moves, her rounded hips swaying as she puts away things on the countertop. Her hair brushes over her shoulders and looks so silky I want to run my fingers through it. "Don't…don't you want to know what I found?"
She turns and puts a hand on one hip. "Let me guess, nothing?" There's a wry look on her face. "It's fine."
"Actually…" I pull up the scanner and hold it out to her. "You were correct. There is a male who is visiting your property without authority."
Her face pales, her expression changing instantly. Her eyes go wide. "Do…what?"
"Your assumptions were correct," I restate, wondering if I need to avert my gaze. She seems a little alarmed. "There is a male who has been in your barn recently. The DNA match is for a known criminal by the name of Mezzak Sta'Iq. Do you know this male?"
Lucy leans heavily on the counter. "No," she admits after a moment. "I don't. He was…here?"
"Within the last week, correct."
"In my barn?"
I glance behind me. "Unless I scanned the wrong one?"
She thinks for a minute and then pulls out a chair and sits down heavily. "Well, fuck." She cradles her head in her hands, silent for a long time, and I begin to feel uncomfortable, standing out on the step and watching her.
"Might I come in?" I ask, hesitant.