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“Slow down.” Ulrek’s voice tickled her ear. His hand rested on her lower back, supporting her.
“Don’t you tell me to slow down,” she snapped, turning her ire on him. Who was he to tell her what to do?
That had Ulrek grinning. Despite his disguise, the smile looked genuine and went straight to her core, which was just plain wrong, because this was Ulrek the Horrible, for fuck’s sake.
And why the hell did he seem to like her snapping at him?
She took a step, heading for her own seat across the table, and wobbled. Rhean spirit was strong stuff. It hit fast too, though she’d already had two glasses of wine before this and had barely touched her food. She reached out a hand to steady herself and got a palm full of muscle instead.
Ooh. That was nice.
She gave the bulging bicep an exploratory squeeze. Ulrek wore a plain black sleeveless top that molded to his body and showed off every muscle.
What was she doing again? Damn, that Rhean spirit was potent. Oh. Right. She was heading back to her seat.
Before she could move, Ulrek sat and pulled her onto his lap. He reached across the table, moved her plate of food in front of them, and handed her a medallion of fried tuber. She stared at it for a moment, not quite recognizing what it was as the alcohol worked its magic on her brain. He held it to her lips, and she took a bite.
Mmm. Alien fries.
Fried jadroot was even better than its potato counterpart. Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. There was a nuttiness to them that potato fries didn’t have. They sold normal fries here too, of course, ever since they’d managed to get potatoes growing in the greenhouse. Delaney had worked on Project Potato herself. But she still preferred Reka 5’s jadroot version.
Delaney looked up at the people at their table. Why was everyone staring at her? Gavin had his brow raised, and Angie was frowning. Ulia looked disappointed. Had she done something wrong? She didn’t think so.
Angie cleared her throat. “I should get Delaney back to her room. It’s probably better she’s somewhere safe in case those assholes come looking for her. She’s dealt with enough today.” She narrowed her eyes, but the look shot over Delaney’s head and landed on the sexy older Tallean male behind her.
“But I’m not done with my alien fries.” Delaney wiggled on his lap and reached up to trace a finger along his cheek crease. “And this guy’s kinda hot.”
“Yup, definitely time to go home,” Angie announced, wrapping up Delaney’s food in a fabric napkin.
“I can take her,” the Tallean male offered. “She’s technically my crew.”
“No!” Angie and Jillian both said at the same time.
“I’ll escort you.” Holden stood, his eyes still on the door.
The room spun around as Delaney got up.Whee! Angie stuffed the bundle of tubers into her arms and ushered her toward the door.
“Bye, Mr. Sexy Stranger Alien,” she hollered over her shoulder.
Ulrek
Ulrek watched as Delaney stumbled out of The Hideout, her arm slung around Angie. Those arms should be wrapped around him instead.
Jakkan’s mate Jillian was still glaring at him like he’d been the one to upset her rather than the one who rushed to stand up for her. Jillian knew who he really was, having met him multiple times as both Ulrek and as Uzzar.
Ulrek had been shocked when he first learned that Jakkan was actually the same person he knew as Ballus when he’d been on the other side. Ballus was a slightly portly and very gaudily dressed merchant. It had all been a disguise. Jakkan lived a double life.
When Ulrek bumped into him as Ballus, his female was usually dressed like a merchant’s showpiece, dripping in gems and jewels and painted with colorful, iridescent pigments. The crazy outfits and makeup were disguise enough. Most people they met couldn’t see past them. Today, Jillian wore something comfortable and casual.
The females were trying to protect Delaney from him. Ulrek didn’t blame them, considering who he was. But their efforts would be in vain. It wouldn’t be long before the powers that be deemed the contract Delaney had signed with theNew Horizonwas valid, and she’d be on her way off the colony on his ship.
Natalia walked over. “Is everything okay?”
“Angie’s walking her home in case those guys come back and cause trouble,” Jillian said.
“I’m glad she’s finally getting free of that asshole.” Natalia glanced over at Ulrek’s empty drink. “I’ll grab you another one.”
Now it made sense to Ulrek why Delaney had applied for a job on theNew Horizon. She was trying to free herself from an abusive male. The job was perfect: not only would the generous pay make it possible for her to live on her own once her term on his ship was over, but also it physically removed her from the planet and an angry and possibly dangerous male for an entire year.
