Page 81 of A World Enough

Brogan took that as a cue to go back and sit down and leave Camber alone, for as much time as she needed.

She sat on the couch and picked up her drawing pad. After their argument today, Brogan had left it in the RR. But Camber had brought it out and left it on the table by the couch.

What she really wanted to do was get her pencils and do some work on the drawing. But that would just make her hands dirty, and she’d transfer smudged colours onto her suit.

She loved the way the drawing had started. Because Camber was telling her the story of how and why the rebellion had started. Brogan got a more relaxed Camber, not one who was posing for a picture. It allowed Brogan to see Camber calmer, relaxed, and passionate about what she was talking about.

No matter what happened, if Brogan was going home, she was determined to finish this portrait before she left. She wanted to make a duplicate, so Camber could have one and Brogan could have the duplicate to take home.

Even as she thought that in her brain, her stomach clenched at the thought of going home. Not because she wouldn’t be happy to go to Earth, far from it. Everything was different here. She wanted familiarity, to feel confident in a world she understood, But being there without Camber…was just torturous.

Brogan heard the door open to Camber’s bedroom. The vision she saw next made her jaw and her tongue hit the floor.

She could barely form words when she said, “Wow, you look…beautiful. I mean, you always look beautiful, but you look even more, no not even more, you look—”

“Different?” Camber said.

“No, just absolutely gorgeous.”

Camber had on a red evening dress slit to the thigh and matching shoes, and her hair was let down in waves to the middle of her back.

Camber, looking shy, looked down at the floor. She cleared her throat and said, “You look handsome too, Wolfy.”

Brogan had to stop herself from growling. Then she remembered something. “Wait there. Just a second.”

Brogan went back to her bedroom and picked up the bouquet of flowers she’d asked to have sent up. This was Camber’s one night out, after all.

She came back to the main room and saw a big smile spread across Camber’s face.

“These are for you. It’s human tradition to give a lady flowers when you take her out for the evening. I hope you like them.”

The flowers were red, but Brogan had no idea what they were. It had been hard to describe red roses to someone in a different galaxy, but she thought she’d done pretty well.

Brogan knew Camber’s dress was going to be red, according to Ziggy, so they complemented it perfectly.

“They are gorgeous. Thank you, Brogan.” Camber inhaled the scent.

“Nice?”

“Beautiful. Listen, I’d like it if we forgot about our argument earlier on and just enjoy tonight. Would that be okay?”

“That would be perfect. Let’s go and show the other diners what a beautiful woman you are,” Brogan said.

Camber took a few paces forwards and smoothed down Brogan’s lapels. “Just remember,” Camber said, “even with a long red dress and heels, I can still kick your butt, Wolfy.”

“I think you’ll always be able to get me, Camber.”

They grinned at each other and then their heads got closer together. Then Camber snapped out of it. “What will we do with the flowers?”

“They came up in some water. I’ll put them back, and we can sort them out when we get back,” Brogan said.

She hurried back and Camber said, “Let’s go. I’ll tell Ziggy it was your fault we’re late.”

“Very funny.”

Camber was floating on air as they went down the hotel lift to dinner. She had a nervous ball of energy spinning around in her stomach. Earlier on, she didn’t think this night was going to happen, after their argument, after how much she’d hurt Brogan, but Brogan was quick to forgive her.

Maybe she was trying to hurt Brogan so that she didn’t need to face her growing feeling for the wolf. But Brogan generously allowed them to move on from it.