Page 24 of Right on Time

Too bad there was no distracting him from the precious feel of Loe in his arms. Vrixiel and the cleaning crew would arrive shortly, but that couldn’t erase the memory of this moment.

Nitiel had thought himself a disciplined male in full control of his basic urges, but he hadn’t been around many females, had he now? And Loe was not just any female, she was… Loe. He could not be trusted with her. Unless Commander Siriniel assumed his responsibilities as her niel, Nitiel had no choice but to entrust someone other than himself with her safety for the time being.

Even if both his hearts hurt at the thought, from now on he had to stay as far away from Loe as possible.

CHAPTER 13

Growly and Naked

Chloe dangled her legs from the high bed and took in Nitiel’s cabin. Her new cabin, if she had understood correctly Commander Siriniel’s gravelly instructions to Nitiel over his communication badge. She should ask Nitiel, but he had excused himself after the short call and had disappeared in the bathroom.

The cabin was identical to her previous one in terms of furniture and space view, just slightly smaller. The lack of personal touches and knick-knacks of Nitiel’s made it look Spartan. However, the bed was fancier: it was covered in the same blue jelly but the frame was a massive open clamshell. Ariel, eat your heart out!

Chloe sighed. She didn’t need a luxury bed, just a place where she wouldn’t die from hypothermia, or from the licks of bouncing drain dwellers. She was lucky to be in one piece; she didn’t even need a shot against infection.

Trixie had brought a special cream from the doctor when she had shown up shortly after Vrixiel and the space station’s pest control guys. Chloe had applied the gooey substance on the reddened lines on her arms while being carried here by Nitiel like some ancient queen. She had treated the tender places on her legs after the Subcommander had gently placed her on his own bed and went to comm her ‘fated mate’.

Fated mate. Ha-ha. The guy’s voice had grated on her nerves rather than getting her excited. Nitiel’s voice during the somewhat heated conversation about her future accommodation and protection? Now that was a seductive sound that made Chloe squeeze her bare thighs together.

Perhaps Nitiel’s presence was why she was yet to worry about her stay on the station having just been prolonged. Indefinitely. Trixie’s smart advice about enjoying the present moment also had a role to play.

Chloe was in a captivating alien’s bed wearing only a towel. The two of them were going to share a cabin, as per Commander Curly Horn’s orders. To ensure her safety, the Subcommander was not to leave her side. She should focus on these exciting facts, rather than on the length of her stay that she had no control over. She had wanted a date with Nitiel, hadn’t she? Well, a date couldn’t get more intimate than a night in the guy’s bed, so…

Then again, Chloe couldn’t enjoy her extra time with Nitiel if he didn’t want her around. He had certainly been scandalized by the Commander’s orders, to the point where he had argued with his superior, insisting that Vrixiel accommodate her instead. Curly Horn – or was it Twirly Horn? – hadn’t budged: he trusted no one else but Nitiel with Chloe's protection. She was sure Nitiel would comply with the order, but would he be giving her the bad eye about it? Or avoiding her altogether, by hiding in the bathroom?

Some ten minutes later, just when Chloe was about to bet on the second option, the bathroom door slid aside. Her swinging legs paused in mid-air and her eyes zeroed in on the misty space within. Nitiel had taken a shower! Her pulse sped up at the thought of him towel-clad and wet. What would his bare chest be like? Would his hair cascade down his shoulders when unbraided? Would it be darker when wet? What would his wings look like when wet? Could the feathers even get wet?

As a dry-looking Nitiel stepped into the main room, Chloe bit her bottom lip. She had definitely not been prepared for that sight. She couldn’t help it: she went into a fit of giggles.

“Lady Loe?”

Even his attempt to resume addressing her formally – again – couldn’t keep her giggles in. Not when he moved further into the room with one arm around his chest and the other, around his middle. Each clutching a small towel to his body, like a shy woman trying to hide all her assets but with the smallest pieces of cloth available. Only that Nitiel was a huge-ass male, so the effect was hilarious.

“Loe?”

“I’m sorry, Nitiel, it’s just that…” She choked down a giggle so she wouldn't offend him. “Didn’t you have a bathrobe or something equally big?”

“Forgive me, my lady.” He wrapped his wings tighter against him, using them as additional cover. “This is unseemly, I know. But in my absence, my extra clothes appear to have been taken for decontamination, and so has my big post-cleansing towel. Unknowing of this, I put my dirty uniform down the decontamination chute. I should have been informed; this is… unseemly. ”

Chloe blinked. Had he just told her he had nothing to wear? Oh my. “It’s… okay.”

“It is not okay,” he grumbled. “I called for a spare uniform, but it is yet to arrive, just like your dress. It should not be taking so long.”

It sounded like the universe was on Chloe’s perv-y side. “It’s truly okay, Nitiel. You’re not hurting my delicate sensibilities – I’m a Terran, remember? Our men wrap a towel around their hips and strut around in it for hours, no biggie.”

He shook his head. “I am no Terran. A Gaenthian cannot leave his belly button on display when a lady is present. It is scandalous.”

“Really?” She had not read that on the way here, because she would have remembered. “How peculiar. Is that area considered sexy?”

His wings fluttered. “It is very vulnerable. As such, it is reserved only for the eyes of a female the Gaenthian trusts enough to allow in his bed.”

“Why, Nitiel,” Chloe smiled coyly, “you’ve already allowed me in your bed, so… you can lose the towel over your chest.”

Nitiel just stood there, unmoving and unblinking. Had she broken his chivalrous mind with her spontaneous flirting?

Suddenly, Nitiel turned his back to her and went to the illuminator, eyes on the view. “The bed is no longer mine, Lady Loe,” he said firmly. “It is yours. I will be sleeping on the bench from now on.”

“What?” She eyed the narrow piece of metal levitating under the illuminator. “Don’t be ridiculous, Nitiel. That thing has space for one of your legs only.”

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