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She didn’t wear any shoes, probably because Sarah and Chrissy’s feet were smaller, but her ankle was decorated with a beaded gold chain.
Ulrek almost forgot how to breathe. She was always beautiful, but right now she was ravishing. This was exactly what he’d imagined when he’d mentioned Kean’s tailor-cum-dressmaker. She’d be perfect on his arm at his next Euphora or arms deal.
He wondered if she was wearing one of those annoying scraps of fabric humans called underwear beneath the dress.
“You going to sit, Ulrek? Or do you plan to eat standing?” Zharor said with a smirk. He’d already sat down next to his mate.
Fuck. He’d frozen in place when he saw Delaney. Ulrek placed the wrapped package of food on the table and sat down next to her.
The delicious-smelling skewers of perfectly-roasted, tender meat, bite-sized sweets, and local mead had nothing on Delaney. Especially when they went through the motions of what mated couples did, with Delaney taking nibbles of the food from his fingers and sharing delicate sips of his drink.
Any onlooker would assume they were three mated couples.
At the end of their meal, Nouma showed up with Kanon and Zara, and Ulrek felt a twinge of envy at his friends’ collective fortune. This was what he wanted, though he hadn’t realized it until this very moment. He’d always thought he’d continue captaining theRevengeuntil the Dominion finally caught him. Then he’d die in a ball of flames, taking down as many of his enemies as he could.
But a mate and offspring? A family?
“I’ll return tomorrow to take the two little rulers again,” Nouma promised.
“Nouma?” Ulrek said. “Can you call the tailor to come by tomorrow after the mid-day meal?”
“Of course.”
Delaney didn’t even hesitate when Ulrek opened the door to his suite and ushered her inside. She was a little tipsy from the sips she’d taken of his drink, and she leaned on him, hugging his arm.
“So this is your place here.” She looked around, her eyes settling on the large couch.
He brought her over to it, sat down, and pulled her to stand between his legs, careful with her borrowed dress. The fabric shifted, giving him a good view right up her legs. That answered the question of whether she was still wearing her Earth underwear or not.
She was.
“Let’s get this dress off you before we damage anything.” If it was a dress he’d had made for her, Ulrek wouldn’t mind losing a few gems; they could always get them sewn back on. But this was Chrissy’s.
He peeled the fancy garment off her, kissing every piece of skin as it was unwrapped and exposed. She stepped out of the gown, and Ulrek laid it carefully over the back of his couch before pulling a mostly-naked Delaney into his lap.
“Wait, Ulrek,” she put a hand on his chest. “We…we need to talk.”
Ulrek frowned. According to things he had heard from the human males on his ship, those were not good words.
“We can talk in the morning.”
“No. This is important. We have to talk now before the liquid courage fades.” She reached a hand to his face, her fingers brushing his skin lightly.
Ulrek grunted. “Okay. Speak.”
Chapter 25
Ulrek
“Am I your mate?” Delaney’s words hung in the air between them.
Ulrek hadn’t hidden this fact from Kean or Zharor. Their mates must have told her. That was fine. He’d planned on telling her tonight anyway.
He cupped her cheek, and Delaney closed her eyes and leaned into his palm. Stars! He wanted to nuzzle her so badly. “Yes. You are.”
Her brows drew together. “You’re one hundred percent sure? You’re not saying that just to get what you want?”
“I’d never lie about something so important. You’re mine.” He rubbed his nose along the long column of her neck, inhaling her scent. “I know you hate me. But I promise I’ll spend the rest of our lives together trying to convince you not to if you’ll give me the chance.”
