Hunted By the Alien Pirate by Celia Kyle Page 0,13
thinking the same about me, mate—if not more,” he replies with a grin.
“Oh, so not that much at all then,” I say, unable to hold in my laughter when his mouth drops open in response. It comes out in an unbecoming snort, but I don’t care.
“Tease,” he says, but his voice is as loving as the kiss he presses down onto my lips.
“Always,” I say against his mouth.
He takes my hand before we leave the workshop, closing the door behind us. I follow him down the weaving hallways to the hold where we indeed find Grantian buried nearly up to his eyeballs in varying forms of tactical gear.
“There you are—finally,” he says. His voice is gruff as always, but there’s a knowing gleam in his eye. “By the time you’d left me waiting ten minutes I figured you were finally getting better acquainted, as opposed to all the pussyfooting around you’ve been doing for weeks now. I decided I’d better get started on sorting this shit myself.”
Again, Montier’s jaw nearly falls to the floor, but I only laugh in response.
“Was it that obvious?” I ask.
“Any more obvious and I think one of us would have had to take matters into our own hands. Our Monty here isn’t stupid by any means—obviously, since he keeps this bird in the sky—but when it comes to matters of the heart, I think he’s a bit clueless at times,” Grantian says.
“It’s not like she was just some female I was hoping to hump and dump!” Montier exclaims incredulously. “She’s my jalshagar!”
“I know. And I can smell her all over you, you old dog, so let’s get this show on the road so we can get to Perseus, hack the building, get the supplies, and get the fuck back here so you two can finish what you started. Shall we?”
Grantian’s grin is wider than a BBL field as he hands me a tactical suit. I can’t help but be amused by his banter. Since his mating ceremony with Lamira, we’ve all seen a different side of the ex-merc, and it’s one I rather enjoy. His sarcastic wit and dry humor are nearly unmatched by anyone else on the crew.
“Is this for me?” I ask, noticing the armor is nowhere near as big as the others.
“Sure is, little lady. I’ve fixed up more than enough suits in my heyday, so it took me no time at all to fashion something for you. It may not fit like a glove, but it’ll do for now. I’m not too concerned about your welfare anyway, to be honest. With your jalshagar by your side, you’ll be more than well protected,” he says.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing that word,” I say aloud before I even realize I’m speaking.
“Keep it up and you’ll make me lose that delicious calamansi I just consumed,” Grantian grumbles, but again his eyes hold a bit of a spark.
“Okay, that’s enough. We get it. We’re disgustingly soppy. May I remind you of how you pined for Lamira long before you told her you suspected she was your own true mate? You, more than anyone, should know how it feels immediately after confirmation,” Montier says, clearly irked by Grantian’s ribbing.
I’ve known since Varia became Solair’s jalshagar that Kilgari males become somewhat testy and territorial once their mating bonds are confirmed, but I’d never seen it up close. Although I don’t want Montier to do something he’ll regret to the Queen’s first mate, I must admit that seeing him all riled up on my behalf is a turn-on.
“Oh, he’s just having a bit of fun,” I say as I pull on the tac gear. “You needn’t worry about him offending me, Montier. It takes a lot more than that to get me going. I grew up with three older brothers who never stopped pestering me until the day I left home. No one’s got thicker skin than I do when it comes to someone trying to get my goat.”
“Why would either of us try to get you a goat? That seems like an awfully strange mating gift,” Montier says, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
At his comment, both Grantian and I burst out laughing. Clearly, the ex-mercenary has heard the old Terran expression somewhere before, which doesn’t surprise me given his former career with the Hael Hounds.
“I’m sorry. It doesn’t translate to galactic standard. It means when someone’s trying to get a rise out of you or annoy you. As the younger sister of three brothers, I’m more