Page 26 of Instinct for Disaster

“What’s the difference?”

“If I were perving on you, as you say, I would have seduced you in the gym.”

“That sounds so sinister but genteel.”

“I am a male of many moods.”

“Um. This is odd.”

“You knew, though.”

“I suspected. There wasn’t a way to confirm it without one of your kind or a full analysis. I wasn’t going to pay for that, so it was going to remain a mystery.”

He growled.

“What? If you have a bomb strapped to your back, would you rather that you detonate it or that you neutralize it?”

He blinked. “You think of me as an explosive device?”

“I think ofmeas an explosive device.”

There was a crowd in front of a well-lit shop, and a stack of Terrans were waiting for their turn. When they got close, Cassandra’s eyes widened. “Gelato?”

Nessa looked at her. “Gelato. The flavours are different, but it is still good. The thnikberry is lemony with raspberry overtones.”

Cassandra smiled. “Thank you.”

“We still remember the rationing of the treats, and those were two we left for you.”

“That was your choice.”

“That was all we could do to say thanks. Without you, we wouldn’t have lasted three months.”

“But we did. Now, we have a chance at life, and we are living it.”

The crowd started looking at them and parted to allow Yasku and Cassandra forward.

She looked at the crimson features of the vendor and smiled. “A scoop of thnikberry?”

The person nodded and got a scoop in a folded leaf with a small wooden spoon.

She went to pay, but Yasku gripped her waist to stop her. “My companion is unaware of the agreement I have with the shopkeepers. They send a bill to my city house once per month.”

The vendor smiled. “Of course, Master Yasku.”

She looked up at Yasku. “So, this is taking a weird turn.”

“Eat your dessert, Cassandra.” He caressed her cheek with his free hand.

Nessa muttered, “Whoa. That’s intense.”

Cassandra scooped her dessert with a crowd of twenty watching her. She tried it and blinked. She giggled. “Lemon raspberry.”

Yasku kissed her forehead then brushed her lips with his, and she felt the soft texture of the curve of his mouth. He leaned back and said, “It does taste good.”

The Terrans swooned, male and female. The other species bowed.

Cassandra looked around and avoided staring at Yasku. “What is going on?”

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