stunning green eyes—his daughter’s eyes were a soft brown.
As he studied Jade’s face, he found himself admiring her delicate little features—so different from his own and yet so attractive. Her eyebrows were smooth arches above those amazing eyes, her funny little nose not as prominent as the other human females, and her mouth… He could easily envision tasting those full pink lips the way Hrebec tasted Abby’s.
“Your tail is back,” she said dryly, and he snatched it away from her wrist.
“I apologize.”
“It’s all right.” She gave it a casual pat and his knees almost buckled. “I’m just still adjusting to all of this.”
“Do you wish to remain on the ship with your companions?” he asked, unsure of which answer he wanted most.
She looked around the room, then shook her head, straightening her small shoulders.
“No. If there’s any chance that one of those children is my Hana, then I want to go with you.”
Equal portions of exhilaration and fear filled him, but he managed to keep his face and voice composed as he extended a hand to her.
“Then let us leave.”
Chapter Six
Jade stared up at the big Cire warrior offering her his hand. She had been standing in the medical bay, cradling Naomi’s son and observing the other women, when he appeared. Surprisingly, neither of them seemed in a hurry to return to Earth. Ashley bloomed under the obvious interest of the Cire warriors, fluttering helpless eyelashes at them. Naomi’s flirting was a lot less subtle. Jade tried her best to wait patiently but her nerves were beginning to fray by the time the door opened and a strange Cire appeared.
He looked around the room before their eyes met, but as soon as they did, she felt an odd little shock travel down her spine. Is this the emissary? She frowned as he turned back to Naomi, annoyed that he had dismissed her so quickly. Determined to get an answer, she went to join him.
When his tail curled around her wrist, she felt the same shock, like a jolt of recognition, but that was impossible. And then he turned to face her, big black eyes focusing on her face. Like the other Cires, he had a flat nose and a thin, almost lipless mouth, but the ridges running back over his skull were more pronounced, along with the small nubs that patterned his deep green skin. Even in a room full of big warriors, he stood out. But it was more than the impressive muscles revealed by his tight-fitting tunic. He had an air of authority that dominated the small room, and she suspected that he was older than the young males that made up the rest of the crew.
She drew in a quick breath and his spicy scent washed over her, comforting and exciting at the same time. When he confirmed that he was the one sent to accompany her to Trevelor, an unexpected sense of relief swept over her. To her own astonishment, she took his hand.
Jade followed the big Cire warrior through several corridors to the landing ramp, nerves tying her stomach in knots. Leaving Ashley and Naomi had been harder than she expected. Ashley cried when she left, and even Naomi cracked enough to give her a quick hug and wish her well. Now she was completely on her own in this strange new world. So far, the Cire had treated her with nothing but courtesy, but she didn’t easily place her trust in the unknown. Yet something about this particular male made her feel oddly safe.
She rejected the notion as soon as it surfaced—the only person she could rely on was herself.
He paused at the top of the landing ramp, and she took the opportunity to look around. The sight that met her eyes was both like and unlike every science fiction movie she had ever seen. An astonishing array of spaceships met her eyes in a multitude of shapes and colors, but no movie could have captured the other aspects—the hum of machinery, the clanking and swearing from workers loading odd-looking cargo, and once again the astonishing variety of smells that wafted past her nose. She took a deep breath and realized that the predominant scent was that of the male next to her, a warm, spicy scent that made her want to rub her face against him. The thought made her nipples tighten and a pleasant ache start low in her belly.
Fuck! What was she thinking? This was no time for her long-neglected libido