I hesitate, because now that I am going to claim Lucy as mine, I don't want her to leave my sight. I can't drag her into the office with me while I demand Khex back off, though. But surely Port is safe, and the general store is right across the street, in view of my office. "Very well, but do not leave without checking with me first. We will need to take extra precautions for your safety while this male is staking out your property."
Now her expression changes to one of worry. "Do you think it's unsafe in town, then?"
I want to grab her and crush her to my chest, but I know that would scare her. I drop my gaze and shake my head. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you're safe. This I promise, Lucy."
"All right." Her words are soft, and she reaches out and touches my hand. "Thank you, Rektar."
That small touch reminds me of how she caressed my cock last night, and I have to take several deep, steadying breaths before I'm composed enough to move even a single step. I watch, instead, as she heads across the street to the small mercantile that serves the dry goods needs for the colonists here. She pauses just inside, then raises a hand in greeting and begins to talk to another human female. Good. Safe. I scan the area, but there are no others around, so I head into my office to talk to Khex.
My co-worker has his feet kicked up on his desk and is watching vids on his data pad. He glances up at me as I enter, looking amused. "You'll never guess who I just pulled in for trespassing at the docks this morning."
I pause. I've been so busy trying to think of the right way to bring things up to Khex that I'm thrown for a loop. "Who?"
He glances down at his data pad. "The name is Mezzak Sta'Iq and I believe you filed a warrant for trespassing last night?"
I'm stunned. Nothing is ever this easy. "That's the one that was trespassing on Lucy's property. He was trespassing in town?"
"Yup." Khex sits up, his feet on the floor. He nods toward the jail cells in the back. "Our friend decided he was going to try and stow away on a ship heading to Three Nebulas and was caught hiding in their cargo hold. Seems he's got warrants on three other stations, too, so I'm arranging for a prison transport to come and pick him up, and we'll collect the bounties and add them to the local funds…unless you object?"
"No objection," I say, mystified. Normally we have to chase down every idiot that breaks the law. This one just fell into our laps. It's…too easy. It's like the universe is letting me know that I don't have to marry Lucy after all. That she'll be safe without a husband. It's an easy out if I want it.
But I absolutely don't want it.
I want Lucy. "Good job," I say to Khex. "Lucy will be pleased."
He sets his data pad down and rummages through some of the items on his desk, looking for something, distracted. "You're here early. Did your night not go as planned?"
"Yes and no," I admit. It went wildly better than I dreamed, and yet…not how I intended. "I am going to marry Lucy," I blurt out. "Today."
Khex sits up, a baffled expression on his face. "You are?"
"I am."
"A marriage? Like…a human ceremony?"
"Yes." I hesitate again, wondering how much I should confess to him. "She says she needs a mate, and she asked if you were available. I am here to tell you that you cannot have her."
Khex crosses his arms over his chest. "What if I want her?"
My entire body stiffens with anger. I bare my teeth, ready to fight…and realize that he's grinning. He's teasing me. "You are a rotten friend," I mutter. "For a moment you had me believing you."
"What brought about this change of heart? You've been afraid to talk to her for weeks now. She comes in daily and pushes her tits right under you rnose and you never look at her. I thought the poor thing was going to give up."
Khex thinks she's coming in to see me? That she's trying to lure me into noticing her? Me, an unwanted, overfed bastard son with no name to call his own? I'm utterly surprised…and yet in a way it makes sense. I've just been too blind to notice it. She does come in daily. She always sits right across from me. Her clothes are always low cut. I think about this morning, and the welcoming smile on her face…and how her breasts practically spilled out of her dress and onto my plate.
Kef me, I'm an idiot. "I never realized." I rub a hand down my face. "I…she…we touched last night."