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She leans in and kisses my nose, her lips a feathery graze over my skin. Her eyelids are heavy, her lashes shielding her expression from me, but I don't think she's scared. She's not trembling in my arms. She seems comfortable as she leans over and presses a light kiss to my cheek, and then her thumb brushes over my cheekbone. "What would you do if I kissed your mouth?"
What would I do? "I would…smile?"
Sophie giggles and I feel a little foolish. Before I can react to that, though, she leans in and ever so carefully presses her lips to mine. It's just a momentary touch and gone as quickly as it happened. Warmth floods through my system, though, and I do smile.
And then…my smile fades. She said before that the kiss meant nothing. I have been imagining it as some great affection, a sign that she likes me as much as I do her…but what if I am wrong? "May I ask something?"
"Of course."
"Do you kiss everyone?"
She recoils as if stung, and hurt flashes over her face. I realize in that moment I've made a mistake. That this small gesture was special, and for me alone, and I have somehow ruined it.
Sophie shoots out of the bed as if it’s on fire, and I reach for her. I grab her wrist. "Wait. I did not mean it like that."
She gives me a wounded expression. "Then what did you mean?" Her voice is ice cold.
I struggle for the right thing to say. To explain that I do not understand how a female like her can show affection to a male like me. I have been broken in every way possible and have retreated from the universe. I have nothing to offer her. I have been cruel and cold…and yet she still wishes to kiss me? It feels like more than I deserve, and so the answer must clearly be that I am not special, that kisses are for everyone. It is the only thing that makes sense…even if I am wrong. Judging by her expression, I am very wrong. "I…do not understand why you would kiss a broken male."
Her expression softens. "Jerrok…"
The station's comm flares with alert. "Incoming craft. Incoming craft. Hailing frequency on channel three. Please respond."
Sophie stumbles backward, and I release her wrist. "What's going on?"
"Visitors," I grumble, irritated at their timing. "They announced that they'd be arriving while you were asleep. I told them to come on ahead." At her worried look, I add, "They're just dropping off salvage. No one's staying. You can hide in my rooms and no one will bother you. I promise this."
She gives me a skeptical look, but nods. "They'll be gone quickly?"
"Very quickly," I reassure her.
Sophie thinks for a moment and then gestures at me. "You should probably put some pants on, then."
I glance down and realize for the first time that I'm not wearing anything but the blanket, and it's pooled very low around my hips, showing off every scar and old marking that litters my body. But her smile is warm, and she runs her fingers lightly over my jaw before turning away.
And it seems I am going to greet my guests with a hard cock, because now I can't stop thinking about that touch…or her kiss.38JERROKVuttis takes his sweet time docking, and then even more time showing me what he's brought. I've dealt with the szzt pirate plenty of times in the past, and if he isn't my favorite person, he's mostly harmless. A drunk, actually.
Today, though, he has a new crew and I don't like the looks of them. There's three males, two more szzt and a ssithri with a shifty look in his eyes. They dock their shuttle and haul in their scrap, including a fancy little air sled that they probably stole from the last port they were at. It's a decent haul, but it'll also clean out my credit reserves. That's all right. I can make more.
"Where's your old crew?" I ask Vuttis, my arms crossed over my chest as I stand in front of the bay doors that lead to the station's living areas. Sophie and her pet are safely tucked away in my quarters, but even so, I don't want them thinking they can come and relax inside.
Vuttis just shrugs hard shoulders and scratches at the new symbol emblazoned on his tunic's chest, the one also on the hull of the ship. "We had a misunderstanding or three and parted ways."
Great. I watch as the szzt lifts a flask to his lips and belches. Behind him, the ssithri eyes my station with interest, touching wall panels and assessing the structure as the other two szzt unload the scrap vehicles they've brought. They're doing a poor job, which means they're likely drunk, too. My irritation rises.
