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She didn’t know what to say, so she fell into a static pause and pulled away her hand, mulling over his words and keen perception.
It took a moment before she spoke in a still, small voice. ‘Father was the best man I’ve ever known. I’m not quite ready yet to speak but thank you, it’s very generous of you. I’ll keep your offer in mind.’
‘Please do,khamila.’
They exchanged a glance, and her heart warmed at the depth of his sincerity.
‘In all honesty, he was the closest thing to a father I knew,’ Kainan added quietly. ‘It would be an honour to help however I can.’
Selene felt overwhelmed, and she scrambled for a way to retain control.
‘Why do you keep calling mekhamila?’ she said.
Kainan’s brows rose, and then he ran his eyes over her face, features, hair, and mouth.
‘Do you know the meaning?’ he asked.
She nodded wordlessly.
‘Then know this. I call it as I see it.’
Her heart kicked again, and heat hammered every cell in her body.
He silently handed her the napkin he’d been drawing on, and she drew in her breath. He’d captured her and her father in a portrait. Not just their faces but their shared love, their essence, and their full, happy smiles.
The unexpected gesture deeply touched her. ‘How did you-? Wow, this is amazing. No one has ever drawn my father, and I like this. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say thank you,khamila. That’s all I need.’
‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘This means more than you know.’
He inclined his head and watched her with a small smile as she carefully tucked the drawing into her bag, handling it like it was the most precious thing she owned.
They fell into a tranquil stillness, yet she was primally aware of his presence. He’d somehow shifted his chair with one oversized boot planted on the lower rail stretcher of her barstool and his thick thighs encompassing her body. It was either an extremely possessive stance or a protective one. She couldn’t be entirely sure and didn’t have the balls to ask.
‘Tell me more about your friends,’ she said, eager to shift the deep emotion welling up inside her.
‘What do you want to know?’ Kainan replied, leaning back to pop a breaded morsel into his mouth.
‘How and when did you all meet?’
His eyes darkened, and he glanced at the table to his right where the other Sable Riders sat. ‘We’ve known each other since we were children. We met when we served our city as members of the Eden Guards Kubai. We became great friends. We endured some bad shit together. We banded together and survived. Then we landed here on Eden II, where we scrapped and worked very hard to get to where we are today. We’re closer than many blood families. We consider ourselves brothers, which is why we took the same last name. We’ve always had each other’s back. We’ll even kill for and with each other when needed.’
His last statement was said fiercely, and she thought she caught a flicker of pure flames behind his otherworldly eyes. She knew he meant each word without a shadow of a doubt.
Selene sensed more to the story, but he didn’t embellish it further, perhaps unwilling to divulge too much. She was about to insist on more when a voice rang out nearby.
‘Kainan! I thought it was you.’
A body suddenly inserted itself between them. A long arm accompanied by thin, painted fingers trailed across Kainan’s chest. At the same time, a rich cloud of blossomed perfume slammed into their shared space.
Selene reared in surprise just as Kainan’s face fell into stony hardness.
‘Uba,’ he said through gritted teeth, using his strong hands to extricate the woman from his neck. She was, without a doubt, a stunningly beautiful woman—a Rhesian brunette with gleaming black hair flowing down her stunning backside.
Behind her stood two figures with bowed heads, conceivably her entourage or assistants.
‘It’s been too long, lover,’ the woman crooned.
