awe and joy that was in his heart. Put together a combination of words that made her know how much all of this had meant to him.
Nothing came out.
There was just too much to be said, and he was too satiated to do anything other than mumble.
So he let his fingers do the walking.
Stroking her hair back from her face, he caressed her throat, her collarbone . . . her sternum. With a gentle touch, he drew circles around one of her breasts and then a line down her belly. Her body was as finely built as her facial features were, her curves and her straightaways subtle and perfect, and he took his time with his lazy, loving, exploration.
In response, she did some exploring of her own, running her hand up and down his arm, lingering over the bulge of his biceps and the slice of his triceps.
As their bodies cooled, they communicated by contact, everything shared and accepted, all thoughts and feelings out on the table, the experience they’d had memorized by the quiet, peaceful aftermath—
The banging sound had him jacking upright and reaching for a gun he did not have holstered on him—because, hello, he was frickin’ naked. When the banging happened again, he looked to the ceiling.
Helania laughed. “It’s the humans overhead.”
Creeeeeak. Boom, boom, boom.
“They’re getting in the shower.”
Boone glared at the sounds. “The hell they are. They’re square-dancing with concrete shoes.”
“We’re going to get about eight minutes of quiet next.”
Boone glanced at the digital clock. “You’ve timed it?”
“With the amount of noise they make every weekday morning, I’ve had to adapt and it helps to know the different stages. You can get through almost anything as long as you know it won’t last forever.”
Resettling beside her, he folded her in against him and stroked the outside of her arm. “Eight minutes?”
“Soap, shampoo and conditioner.”
“Is it a man or a woman up there?”
“One of each.”
“Oh, God, they could breed. And then there would be more of them.”
“I can always move out.”
Boone opened his mouth, but then slapped it shut when he realized he was about to suggest that she could come stay with him. Talk about moving fast—it was way, way too early for that.
Next week he could bring it up. Or maybe tomorrow night.
J/k, he thought.
In all seriousness, he had often overheard Craeg, Peyton, and Axe talk about their females at the training center or after hours when they were all chilling on the bus. It was like a constant, low-level preoccupation for his buddies: when they were seeing their mates, where they were going to go with them, how they were going to enjoy the time they had. He’d never understood it before. Sure, he’d appreciated a fine-looking female on occasion; take Rochelle, for example—even though he’d had his reservations about committing to a lifetime with her, he had not been blind to her obvious beauty and poise.
But he’d never come anywhere close to what he’d seen from his friends.
Now? He so fucking got that drill. And like his buddies, it wasn’t just about sex for him. He wanted to tell Helania about the Fade Ceremony. Find out how she was feeling about the investigation. Ask her advice about things pertaining to Marquist and his father’s household and the goddamn will.
This connection he had with a relative stranger was just like what the other three males had likewise been shocked by: Instead of time and experiences revealing a compatibility that led to a relationship, with Helania, it had been less a gradual evolution of feeling for him and more like a bank vault being opened by the correct combination.
An unlocking that was an instantaneous—
Boom! Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.
Boone glanced at the clock. “Oh, my God, eight minutes. You’re right.”
“I’ve had some experience with them.” She pressed a kiss to his chest. “Next is dressing. It’s going to get louder because they’re right above us.”
Man, she did not underestimate the floor show. The banging and crashing, creaking and bouncing, made him doubt that clothes were the only thing involved.
“Are you sure they’re not playing jai alai up there?” As she giggled, he looked over at her. “Listen, I can take care of this for you. I can make this go away.”
“By doing what?”
“Breaking both their legs.” He winked at her. “Or if there are more than two, all of the legs that are up there. It’ll cut down on the noise huge.”
Helania smiled. “You’re joking, right?”
“Yes.” He got serious. “I’m not into hurting things unnecessarily.” The instant