it was. But he seemed to jerk his head awkwardly in a nod.
“I will show you where the fah-brik merchant is.”
That made her burst into a smile. Finally, after wandering so aimlessly, she was getting somewhere.
“That would be much appreciated.”
He was staring at her smile for so long, she was about to ask him if there was something in her teeth.
“This way,” he finally said, and she saw his eyes change again, almost as if his pupil contracted completely before dilating again.
As she followed behind him, Evren narrowed her gaze on his back as a thought hit her.
She hadn’t told him she’d been in the pleasure section of the market.
He had been following her.
The number of people in the market seemed to have increased from when she’d been walking alone.
Now, it was hard to even keep up with Kyro, though she was quite sure he was walking slowly just so she could keep pace with him.
When she had to increase her pace for the seventh time so as not to be separated from him, she reached forward and snaked her hand around his elbow.
She felt him stiffen beneath her grasp and, for a second, she expected him to snatch his arm away, but he didn’t.
Instead, he glanced down at her hand holding on to him and she could swear she saw him smile a little.
Just a little.
She would have surely missed it if she hadn’t been staring up into his face like she was still awestruck.
They were walking for about three minutes when Kyro suddenly stopped in front of a stall with bales, upon bales of colorful fabric.
“Wow.” Still holding onto his arm, she moved over to the first bale, Kyro in tow, and ran her fingers over the material.
“It’s so soft.” She touched another. “Pretty sure this isn’t cotton though.”
“You wish for cotton only? I believe that material is only found on your planet.” Kyro’s eyes followed every single bale that she touched, watching her hand move over the fabric as if he was noting every movement her fingers made.
Evren glanced back at him, a grin forming on her face.
“It was a joke.”
Kyro frowned. “Ah. I am acquainted with human humor. Your jokes are...”
He seemed to be thinking of how to describe it without hurting her feelings and that made the grin that was forming on her lips come forth to spread across her face.
“Come on, give it to me.”
Kyro stopped dead in his tracks and Evren only realized when she felt resistance in his arm as she continued walking.
“What is it?” Apprehension flooded through her immediately as she looked around them, expecting to see Shive.
Kyro shifted, glancing down at her hand holding on to his arm then to her, his gaze somewhat confused, somewhat surprised, and...somewhat turned on?
“You want me to ‘give it to you?’”
Evren tilted her head as she eyed him, slightly confused. “Huh?”
“Copulation?”
She could see herself in his eyes as his pupils dilated. She hadn’t known he knew that much about human phrases or she wouldn’t have spoken like that.
But the way his voice had deepened as he said it, it made a little shiver of something run down her spine.
At the look on her face, his pupils went back to their usual size and he jerked his head toward her. “Another human joke?”
Evren caught herself and cleared her throat.
Before she could respond, a voice came from behind them, causing her to jump at the sudden intrusion. She’d forgotten they weren’t alone. They were inside the stall, which actually went back a fair bit.
“M’Agunt at your service. Do you need assistance?”
Evren turned to see who was talking and found a stocky character of a male in extravagant shimmering clothing. His long dress was designed to fall just above the ground.
He was not what she expected when she’d imagined a fabric merchant. He looked as if he was dressed to go to a fancy party, not to sell in a crowded market such as this.
“M’Agunt,” Kyro began, “we are seeking material for clothing.”
“Ah,” M’Agunt grinned at them, his eyes focused on her as he showed his set of jewel-encrusted teeth. “The occasion?”
Kyro glanced down at her, his pupils dilating.
“For coitus,” he said without missing a beat. “She wishes coitus clothing.”
6
M’Agunt’s eyes seemed to light up while hers were growing large in her head as a result of shock.
Mouth agape, she looked up at Kyro, but before she could say anything, the vendor piped up.
“I have what you need.” M’Agunt’s grin deepened on his rounded face. His face