more of a warning to himself more than anything else, because every day it got harder and harder to stay away.
So, each day he woke as early as she did, and he came to the shuttle port to watch her work.
It was hard watching her scrub the grime from the dirty transports, grime that should be cleaned by machines if the cheap shuttle manager had paid to keep the machines serviced.
He was sure the Restitution gave the shuttle manager credits to do so but he suspected, and Evren’s presence doing such a job was proof, that the male had pocketed those credits for himself, opting to lure unsuspecting beings to do the dirty work instead.
He shivered to think of the paltry amount the shuttle manager must be paying her to work so hard. If she didn’t seem to enjoy working so much, he’d have made sure the manager learned the error of his ways a long time ago.
But she was happy.
Every evening when she finished working and was given her credits, the smile of gratitude and accomplishment that spread over her face was so vivid, he knew he couldn’t take away this one pleasure from her.
She wanted to work.
She enjoyed it.
Who was he to dictate what she could or couldn’t do with her life? He had no claim on her.
But you want to.
Even as he watched her now, climbing atop the shuttle to clean the gazer, a bitter taste formed in his mouth.
That was his problem, wasn’t it?
He had no claim on her. Trouble was, he wanted to.
This feeling was like a beast growing in his gut, clawing and thrashing and trying to make itself known.
Ever since that night she’d stirred in her bed and he’d joined her to calm her, the beast had taken root and would not go away. Even now, he could still feel her soft body nestled against his, he could see her smooth naked legs, see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, see her long, smooth neck bent back as she’d rested her head against his chest...
And her scent, wild and sweet—he could scent her as if she was still right beside him, nestled against him.
He would groan in frustration, but he couldn’t give away his position. And he wasn’t ready to speak to her yet. He had to steel himself for such contact.
And every day he steeled himself.
As he watched her scrub the gazer of the ship, Kyro frowned.
The shorts she was wearing were hugging her rump as she knelt on the shuttle...and that top...her entire midsection was showing.
His eyes narrowed.
It irked him to think that other males were going to look at her as she headed back home. It irked him. Every. Single. Day.
It took almost all of his restraint not to unleash his fury on them for even daring to look her way.
The only thing holding him back was the fact that SHE WAS NOT HIS.
He had no claim on her.
No claim.
How many times should he have to repeat those lines to himself? Apparently, a thousand times would not do.
And she didn’t need him.
She hadn’t even tried to contact him. Apart from them sharing jokes via datapad daily, they hadn’t spoken otherwise.
She was keeping away from him, just like how he was keeping away from her or, at least, should be keeping away.
Still, it bothered him that she hadn’t reached out to him. She hadn’t reached out to any of the other humans either.
He knew.
He was watching her every second of the day, his own life forgotten.
Every day she worked and headed home to repeat the process the next day. No friends were visiting and she wasn’t visiting them.
M’Agunt still tried to catch her attention in the street, but she always managed to spot him before he spotted her and she’d take another route.
He took pleasure in that.
He hated the merchant.
Still, for her to yearn for no one to keep her company...
It echoed a life he knew all too well and he didn’t want her living like that.
It was a lonely existence.
Was this how she lived on Earth?
No.
She’d mentioned her pet.
“A calico cat,” she’d said. One that was mostly white with black and brown spots and a black spot that was shaped like the beast’s own dark heart.
Kyro smiled.
She’d mentioned no lovers, no friends, only her cat.
Looking at her now, ass in the air as she used her entire upper body strength to scrub the gazer, his insides began to warm.
Why did that make him happy? That she’d