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“You know damn well that’s not a problem, sweet cheeks.” He squeezes her ass and they head to the front to pay. In an effort to squelch the jealousy their relationship provokes, I look away. But it just brings my gaze to Zenth. He’s still looking at me with that foreign, intense expression. An expression that makes me clench my thighs.
Am I so shallow that a few muscles and a new suit are all it takes for me to lust after my best friend?
But it’s not the suit. It’s that look. The way his pupils dilate. The way his gaze trails down my body like a touch. I’ve seen him look at a beautiful engine design with this kind of intensity, but never a woman.
Maybe he’s the shallow one. A magnificent dress, and he’s drooling. Somehow I don’t think it’s just the dress, though. With how awkward he’s been lately, I wonder if there’s more below the surface of our friendship than I’ve consciously let myself realize.
He steps forward and his hands drag down my arms from my shoulders to my wrists. his knuckles brush against the soft fabric of the dress all the way down the sides of my body. I suck in a breath. Trying to ease some of the pressure building in my chest and return to solid footing, I nudge his shoulder. “Even you aren’t immune to touching me in this dress, boss man.”
My attempt only makes the heat between us build.
“Stop calling me that,” he says. “I may technically be your boss, but we’ve always been more like partners.”
Partners. It’s a good word for our relationship. We work well together. There’s a solid give and take we’ve honed over twenty-six years. We know each other. Which is why I’m starting to think the real reason he doesn’t like me calling him boss man goes much deeper.
I can’t help wondering if the way we work together would extend to other areas…like the bedroom. My eyes keep gravitating to his mouth, wondering what he’d taste like. His lips are full and a darker shade of blue than the rest of his skin. They almost match his suit.
“We should go,” I whisper. “The rest of the team will already be at Horrow House.”
“I don’t want to go to the casino, Vera.” His look is so fierce it feels as if it’s burning right through this dress and leaving me exposed. There’s so much heated desire pouring off him that the air feels thick and heavy.
I lick my dry lips, and his eyes follow the movement. “Where do you want to go?”
“You two gonna pay, or are you planning to just walk out of here?” Ada yells at us from the front of the store, not caring who she might disturb.
It breaks the tension. Zenth clears his throat and hip checks me as he says, “You know I want to go back to the ship and get out of this ridiculous suit.”
He’s being playful again, but fuck if I don’t conjure up images of going with him and taking it off for him.
“Seriously, are you two coming or not?” Ada calls again. “I thought we were going to blow some credits and make some pour decisions.”
Zenth looks at me as he says, “Yeah. We’re coming.”
“Not yet, I’m not,” I joke.
Zenth laughs, and something snaps back into place. He walks ahead of me and pays for the dress. I only protest a little because he got a small fortune from his parents and has the better salary.
“Shall we?” Zenth holds out his elbow like a character from one of those Old Earth romance movies we used to watch when our parents would go to dignitary events. He doesn’t want to go gamble, but he’s here, holding out his arm, because I want him to be here. It makes my chest swell and ache at the same time.
I loop my arm in his. “What happens on Mookon 5, stays on Mookon 5. Let’s go make some terrible decisions.”
He frowns, but leads me out of the store and back into the chaos of the main street. The warmth from where our arms touch is more attention grabbing than any of the surrounding glitz and glamour.
Zenth
Ishouldletgoof her arm, put some distance between us, instead I squeeze the hand that’s wrapped around my elbow and pull her closer. The lillhora flower perfume Vera wears stands out against the smell of smoke, booze, and body odor all around us. I lean in and inhale.
The back of her dress dips all the way down her spine, drawing attention to her backside. When she walks, the skirt sweeps away, leaving her entire leg exposed through the slit. Her calf brushes my pant leg as we walk, and the boner I barely got under control snaps to life again.
I’ve wanted to kiss Vera for as long as I can remember, but I know better than to act on that urge. She’s my best friend and I won’t risk what we have on an impulsive physical reaction. But… that dress.
I want to run my hand down her bare skin and slip it under the thin fabric covering her backside. I wanted to grab her thigh through the slit and wrap it around my waist so I could rub myself against her.
Back in the dressing room, I thought she might want that too. She was looking at me in a way she’s never looked at me before, which made me hopeful and hard. Then, she saidwhat happens on Mookon 5 is lost to the void,and whatever hope I had flew out the window. This chemistry is just the glitz and glamor of being here. A place she’s always wanted to visit.
“Why are you scowling again?” Vera uses her thumb and forefinger to push up the corners of my lips. I fight the urge to kiss her palm. I want to suck her finger into my mouth, but hold myself back.
I gather some control and step away. “Sorry.”
