Page 27

“She won’t love that. Not with me. I’ve screwed it up.”

“Did the princess love it?”

“She must have, but if she found me now, she’d have me arrested. She can have her pick of any guy, but she knows how to hold a grudge.”

“Your princess wants the one who got away,” Tegor said. “She wants you bleeding on her floor and groveling for forgiveness. Man, she sounds like a nightmare. She’s going in my psycho girlfriend book.”

“You have a psycho girlfriend book?”

“It’s all up here.” Tegor tapped the side of his head. “Things to look out for when you’re dating. Biting during sex is okay, so long as they don’t take a chunk of flesh when they do so.”

Elias shuddered as a flashback hit of Princess Isolt sinking her teeth into him. Retar females had vicious teeth that could easily saw through flesh and had been known to break bone.

“If you want my advice about Hayley, you need to keep fighting for her,” Tegor said. “You’ve scared her; that’s all. You like her.”

“I thought I did, but she hates me. Hayley won’t want anything to do with me now she knows about my shameful behavior.”

“There’s nothing shameful about wanting to keep your dick attached to the rest of you. You’ll regret it if you run away from this woman like you did your princess.”

“Do you think Hayley will give me a second chance?”

“There’s only one way to find out. You have to try again. Don’t give up because she reacted badly. Hell, even I was shocked when you first told me. You need to sit her down and tell her everything. It’s not every day you meet a guy who shagged a princess and then ran off at the crucial moment.” Tegor started laughing again. “I am so sorry.”

“You’re really not helping.”

Tegor grinned. “I aim to please. Seriously, don’t give up on Hayley. Try again. You might be surprised by the results.”

Elias downed his coffee, feeling more optimistic. Tegor was right. Maybe Hayley had reacted badly because she wasn’t expecting to hear that story. She was smart. When she got over the shock, she’d realize not everyone agreed with the Retar way of doing things. If he gave her time to think it through, she’d reconsider and reach out to him. Even if she didn’t, he’d make a move. Elias hated the thought of leaving things on a sour note and never seeing her sparkling blue eyes and that grin on her face when she got excited.

“Let’s sort out this backlog of work and see if we can’t throw a spanner into that dick’s engine before he leaves,” Tegor said.

Elias nodded and followed Tegor to the computer on the wall to check the scheduled work log for the next forty-eight hours.

“Busy days ahead. You might have to wait awhile before charming your girl,” Tegor said.

“Go back a screen.” Elias re-read the information. “There’s a Class One Retar ship docking later today.”

“Someone you know?” Tegor asked.

He shook his head as a cautious smile crossed his face. “No one knows I’m here.” But this would be a good opportunity to find out what was going on back home and see what people thought about the committee investigation.

Elias made a note of the arrival time, so he’d be around. He would also do some discreet checking on Princess Isolt and make sure she wasn’t hunting him as a part of this investigation.

His shoulders felt lighter than they had for days. He would try again with Hayley and had a chance to get news of his home. Finally, things were looking up.

Chapter 11

A frustrating morning of work slid by. Hayley pushed back from her desk and glared at the ceiling. She’d made three incorrect matches and was about ready to punch her port screen. She needed a break. Her mind was whirling with the conversation she’d had with Elias yesterday.

She was still stunned by what he’d told her. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him when he said how bad the mating was, but Hayley needed to see a traditional Retar mating for herself.

It was just Hayley, Nell, and Avril in the office. Vegas was in a meeting with Diadora, and Sinead and Kendra were shadowing Ivy for the day to see her in action.

“I’m taking a break.” Hayley stood and walked to the food replicator.

“I won’t be far behind you,” Nell said. “Are you doing anything fun for lunch?”

Hayley punched in a number for a club sandwich. “I’m staying here to watch some info pods.”