Page 52 of Legend

Vyk poured two glasses and handed one to me. “Zenarian gin. It comes from a small planet that produces vast quantities of spices from their trees. It tastes sweet but it has a kick.”

I swirled the drink in my glass, captivated by the way it shifted colors from gold to amber to brown. “Here goes nothing.” Islammed it back in a single gulp, gasping as the liquid slid down my throat and burned my stomach.

Vyk took a small sip of his as he eyed me. “I have never seen anyone drink it as fast as you did.”

I fanned my mouth as I tried to breathe. “I assumed you chugged it. Don’t Drexians chug everything?”

He poured me another glass of a clear liquid. “You have very peculiar ideas about Drexians, considering you have lived among us for a while now.”

I took the glass, hesitating.

“You can drink that in one gulp. It is bubbling water.”

I gratefully tossed it back, sighing as the cool drink doused the fire. I sank into one of the chairs as the alien gin made my fingers and toes tingle and the room sway a bit.

Vyk took both empty glasses from me and sat in the other chair. “Are all human females as bold as you?”

“Don’t you mean foolish and impulsive?” Now that my throat wasn’t in flames, I was starting to feel embarrassed for being so overly confident. I was used to being the woman who could drink everyone under the table, beat everyone at cards, and outsmart my opponents on the battlefield. I was not used to being beaten or being bested by an alien liquor.

“If I meant that, I would have said that.” Vyk leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I should have warned you not to drink it in one gulp, although it did not occur to me that a female would do that.”

He’d been doing so well until he’d called out me being a woman. “Because females you know are smarter than me?”

“No, because they are too afraid. I do not know any females as smart as you.”

Okay, that got him a bit back in my good graces. “Even if you beat me badly at cards?”

He took another sip of his drink. “Even so. You were brave enough to play me, even though you could not have had the decades of experience I do.”

“I think we’re back to me being overly confident.”

Vyk twitched one shoulder, as if dismissing this. “I am Drexian. There is no such thing as overly confident.”

I snorted at this and then slapped a hand over my mouth. Well, I was making a truly stellar impression. Then I remembered that I shouldn’t care what kind of impression I made. I was here because I’d lost a bet. I didn’t owe Vyk charming companionship. Which was good, because he certainly wasn’t getting any from me.

“You want to know why I’m so tough?” I asked, fully aware that the booze was loosening my tongue. For some reason, I wanted to tell him. “I had to be. I learned early on that life is cruel and no one will take care of me but me.” I thought about losing Jack and then my father walking out. “I trained myself to be so smart and so tough that I could always save myself.”

When I glanced at Vyk, his gaze was locked onto me, but I didn’t see pity in it, which was good. I despised pity. He said nothing, but there was an understanding in his eyes. He knew what it was like to build walls to protect yourself.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, partially so I could pretend I wasn’t embarrassing myself and partly because my body was now tingling all over. He hadn’t been joking about the ginbeing stronger than Drexian wine, and Drexian wine was no joke. I was pretty sure I couldn’t walk a straight line, and it was all I could do not to roll off the chair and onto the floor. Especially with the fire warming me and the sounds of the flames lulling me to sleep.

When I felt a hand take mine, I opened my eyes instantly and jerked my hand away.

Vyk stood next to the chair looking down at me with what I would swear was amusement. “I was going to help you stand.”

“Oh.” I took his hand and let him help me up. “Wait, why am I standing?”

Vyk still had my hand, and he was so close that I could feel the heat from his body pulsing into mine. “It is time for bed.”

My pulse jangled. He wasn’t taking me to bed as intakingme to bed, was he? Then I realized that the thought wasn’t so horrible. I wouldn’t mind seeing what was beneath the uniform. Or, to be more specific, the uniform pants, since I’d seen him in a towel.

I tipped my head to meet his gaze, startled by the intensity in them. I lifted one hand and ran it across his cheek and then to the nape of his neck. Not only was the gin strong, it seemed to dissolve my inhibitions. Suddenly, I needed to touch him, taste him, feel him.

Scraping my fingers into the back of his hair, I yanked his mouth to mine. His lips were soft, and the short hairs of his beard tickled my cheek as I allowed myself to sink into the kiss. But before I could enjoy the smoky taste of him and the spicy scent of his skin, he was pulling away from me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling dazed.

“This is not you,” he gritted out, each word sounding pained.

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