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She’s a softy. We just have to get her to open up…which will never happen at the rate we’re going.
Bethiah’s best with a blaster in her hand, hmm? I glance up at Jamef. “That’s what we should do—get a blaster in Bethiah’s hand.”
Jamef gives me a puzzled glance. “While we’re mating?”
“Kinky, but no. I was thinking…she needs to shoot something.”
“Again, I have to ask—while we’re mating?”
I giggle, because he’s not following my line of thought. “No, no. I’m saying if Bethiah is most comfortable on a mission, then we go on a mission. We get a bounty or something. Keep her busy so she doesn’t notice us seducing her.” I wiggle my eyebrows meaningfully at him. “Until it’s too late, of course.”
He eyes me thoughtfully. “It’s a good idea. But…you don’t need seducing?”
It’s sweet that even now, he’s worried about me. I shake my head. “Honestly, I want stability. Safety. That’s the sexiest thing in the universe for me. Knowing that my partners will always keep me safe and have my back. That’ll have me on my back faster than anything.”
And it’s something I won’t have until Bethiah is fully in our relationship.
At his snort of amusement at my words, I touch his stomach. “What about you, Jamef? What is it you want in our partnership? What do you need?”
He’s quiet for a long moment, and then Jamef speaks so softly that I almost miss it.
“Acceptance.”
Something else that Bethiah is withholding from us. Ugh. I lean against his chest and hug him, wishing that all of my affection can somehow make up for Bethiah’s withholding.
Forty-Eight
JAMEF
Dora eventually leaves, kissing me on the cheek and telling me not to stay up too late. I promise her that I won’t, but I’m probably lying.
I’m not sure if Bethiah can handle me in the bed with her tonight. Dora’s slept with her in the past, so I’m sure she won’t kick her out. And Dora has such sweet, soft eyes that I doubt Bethiah can get mad at her for long. But if I come to bed, it’s going to remind Bethiah that we’re a triad, and that’s sure to send her scuttling away again.
I want to take care of my mates, and tonight, the best way to do that is to stay away from bed.
I think about what Dora said, though. Bethiah needs a blaster in her hands. She needs a mission of some kind, a bounty, to distract her from her emotions. We need her to be so busy that she doesn’t have time to draw away from us.
For a human clone that’s missing her memories, she doesn’t seem to have any problem deciphering our emotions.
All right, then. If one of my mates needs a bounty to occupy her, we’ll get her a bounty. I check flight records and the current path the ship is on. We’re less than a day away from Kaatir’s moon. There, we should be able to get clothes for Dora, some food supplies, and get the ship kitted out with an add-on or two. Old Kaatir was in the Homeworld military long before I was, and he’s familiar with all kinds of ships and quick fixes. I met a bounty hunter last year who’d taken an ooli bride and had a couple of compartments added on to his star-skimmer. It’s a matter of dissembling the existing ship, adding on additional housing and quarters to the body of the ship that interlock like puzzle pieces, and then having the entire thing welded and made climate-controlled once more. It’ll be expensive, but with three of us on the ship, it’s necessary.
I’ve been saving credits for a while. Seems like a good use for them.
Then once we get that taken care of, a bounty. I know Bethiah and I aren’t going to see eye to eye on what sort of bounty, but I’m hoping we can come to some kind of agreement.
The next morning, Dora hunts me down on the bridge. Her expression is hurt. “Where were you last night?”
She’s far too observant. I give her an apologetic smile and gesture at the control panel in front of me. “Just planning for the future. We’re near Kaatir’s moon and I wanted to make sure we had everything in order before we land.”
“Everything in order?” she asks, moving to my side. Her arm goes around my shoulders and she rubs the base of my neck. “What sorts of things in order?”
“Mmm.” Her touch feels amazing. I lean into her hand, groaning. I’m getting too old to stay up all night. “Making sure there are no records of us heading in this direction. Checking for trackers. Kaatir’s wanted in three star systems and if I want to do business with him, I need to make sure I’m not leading trouble to his doorstep. Double-checking our engine readings. Fiddly work.”
