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That sounded so much nicer than what he had told her last night. It sounded like an offer of a romance and not a clinical transaction.
Margo let out a breath. "Thank you. I accept."
Negal seemed surprised. "I thought that I would need to work harder at winning you over."
"Oh, you will." She grimaced. "If you are up to it. I have a feeling that our views on what constitutes courtship differ."
"Isn't it about getting to know one another?"
"It is." There was no way around it. She just had to spell it out for him and be done with it. "I can't have sex with you before I get to know you. It's not because I'm a prude or that I want to prove anything. It's just the way I am. I need more time."
He nodded as if that was perfectly normal, and that was a huge relief. Maybe on his home world, people took their time and didn't engage in bed-hopping like her generation of humans did.
"I have only until the end of the cruise. After that, my teammates and I and their mates are heading to Tibet. We have a mission we need to complete."
That was news to her. "Frankie didn't tell me anything about going to Tibet with Dagor."
Was Negal making it up?
If he were a human, she would have suspected that he was saying that to pressure her to hurry up, but she was starting to realize that he operated according to a better code of conduct, and deceiving his partners was not part of it.
"Maybe it has slipped her mind," Negal said. "Or maybe she plans on joining us a little later because of her transition. I hope Aru will agree to wait a few more days before heading out to give her time to recover. But yes, that's the plan." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "But if you need more time and you enjoy hiking, you could join us, and we could get to know each other over a longer period of time. I don't want you to feel pressured."
That actually sounded lovely, but there were two big problems with his idea.
"Given that Frankie needs medical supervision during her transition, I assume that I will need it as well, so I can't transition while trekking through Tibet. Also, I'm supposed to start working for the Perfect Match Virtual Reality Studios as a beta tester. Is there any way that the trip could be postponed by a few months?"
"We have our orders." Negal sighed. "But perhaps we can negotiate something. I need to talk to Aru."
"Orders from whom?"
"Our commander. I can't really say more."
She nodded. "I understand. I truly appreciate your willingness to make an effort to give me more time."
Reaching over the small table, he took her hand. "The best things in life are worth waiting for, and since you are the best, so are you."
Margo could fall in love with Negal just for saying that, and she refused to let her suspicious mind ruin the moment by doubting his sincerity.
"That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."
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Finally, Negal had managed to say something right.
There were tears in Margo's eyes, but he knew they weren't the result of sadness. She was emotional in a good way.
He lightly squeezed her hand. "I'm not good with words, but I promise to do my best to say more nice things to you that will make you happy."
Margo chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short. What counts is the sincerity of what you said rather than the words you used to say it. In this instant-gratification world, it is rare to meet someone who is not in a rush and is willing to take his time."
Should he say what he really thought about her statement or try to say what she wanted to hear him say?
It was a dilemma.
On the one hand Margo appreciated the truth, but on the other hand, if he told her that he was the farthest from patient she could imagine, she would get defensive again and retract into her shell.
