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His stormy gaze remained fixed on her face. "Ollie's sire. Is he… still around?"
"His sire? You mean his father?" she asked with a frown. The question had taken her by surprise. He hadn't shown any interest in learning anything about her before. Taking a steadying breath, she shook her head. "No, Ollie's father passed away a long time ago. It's just the two of us."
He gave a slow nod, his eyes never leaving her face. She thought she saw a flicker of something there… Satisfaction or relief? She couldn't tell, and it was gone before she could be sure.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he rumbled. "It cannot have been easy, on your own with a child."
She looked down, tracing a finger along the crease in her jumpsuit pants. "It had its challenges, but we've managed alright. Halle has been my rock, I wouldn't have been able to cope without her."
She lifted her gaze back to meet his. "What about you? Any family on Lathar or on the station?"
His expression shuttered briefly before he answered. "No, no close family. My mother was a victim of the plague, and my father passed away during my first combat posting. I have some cousins scattered throughout the empire. One on the station."
She blinked in surprise. "Oh? Who is that?"
He slid her a look. "S'aad V'renn. A med-tech with the Mate Program. The talkative one. I'm told he's popular with the unmated females."
She shrugged. "I'm afraid I haven't met him. I'm not registered with the Mate Program yet, so I don't know many Latharians outside of Halle and Kaas' circle."
One corner of his lips quirked up. "No? Why haven't you registered yet?"
She lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. "I've been focused on Ollie mostly. Haven't had time yet. Perhaps it's time I considered it."
She held his gaze. Was he telling her that she should register? For what reason? Did he hope they would be matched? But if he was interested in her, why didn't he just say so? As far as she understood Latharian culture, he could express a claim for her without needing to go through the Mate Program…
"The program has its benefits for both species. But the choice is yours." He turned his attention back to the console, adjusting their course.
"So I'm told," she said, shifting to get comfortable in the huge chair.
A rumbling gurgle erupted from her stomach, loud in the cockpit. She pressed a hand to her belly, heat blooming over her cheeks. "Oh my word, sorry about that."
"Why are you sorry? Your body is just telling you to eat." He glanced at her, his brow furrowing. "You require sustenance. When did you last eat?"
She gave him a sheepish look. "I was too excited about the mission to have breakfast."
He arched an eyebrow and growled in displeasure. "Yet you had time to bake… That won't do. You are far too small to skip meals."
Levering himself from the pilot's seat with more grace than a man that big should be capable of, he moved to a storage locker at the back of the cabin. She twisted in her seat, looking around it curiously as he pulled out a small packet and what looked like a portable heating unit. He set them both on the open door of the locker where it created a shelf to work on.
With quick, efficient motions, he tore open the packet and upended the contents—a brown, crumbly mixture—into a square bowl. A look of concentration on his face, he poured water from a container into the mixture, then slotted the bowl into the heating unit. When he tapped a button on the side the device sprang to life and a low hum filled the cabin. Within moments, a rich aroma filled the air.
"What is that?" she asked, her mouth watering at the heavenly scent.
"Field cake." He watched the bowl. "Standard combat rations, concentrated for nutritional content."
After a few seconds, he removed the bowl from the heating unit. The brown crumbs had transformed into a moist, fudgy cake that looked like chocolate lava.
He held out the bowl and offered her a spork. "Careful, it's hot."
She took it carefully, but the bowl was cool to the touch. Balancing it in one hand, she used the other to scoop up a small bite, blowing on it before lifting it to her lips.
The flavor exploded across her tongue… it was the most exquisite rich, velvety chocolate, with gentle spicy notes she couldn't quite place. Moist and tender, it was less cake and more mousse-like.
"Oh my god." She moaned in delight. It was heaven in a bowl, and the most decadent chocolate cake she had ever tasted. "This is incredible! I've never tasted anything like it."
One corner of his mouth lifted in a hint of a smile. "I'm pleased it meets your standards."
He settled back into the pilot's seat but angled himself to face her as she ate. She savored each luxurious mouthful, the rich chocolate warming her from the inside.
