Page 17 of Bounty Hunter's Match

His ears twitched again. “Would that work?”

“Hypothetically?” I pretended to consider. “A man who makes an effort to learn other cultures... shows attention to detail... demonstrates hidden depths...”

“Hypothetically,” he repeated, voice low.

“Purely professional analysis, of course.”

“Of course.” His hand brushed mine as he reached for his drink. “Like my analysis of human microexpressions when discussing romantic interests.”

Heat crept up my neck. “Research?”

“Very thorough research.”

The food arrived, saving me from having to respond. My dish turned out to be some kind of glowing pasta that changed colors with temperature. Barek’s looked like standard protein cubes until he touched them with his fork - they immediately rearranged themselves into intricate patterns.

“Interactive dining,” I noted. “Very trendy.”

He prodded a cube, watching it spiral into a new shape. “Impractical.”

“But pretty.” I twirled some color-changing pasta. “Like someone I know pretending he only reads dating guides for research purposes.”

His fork paused mid-bite. “Bishop.”

“Yes?”

“Eat your glowing noodles.”

I laughed, and for a while we focused on the food. The pasta tasted better than it looked, rich with unfamiliar spices. Barek’s dish apparently passed his inspection - he ate with efficient precision, but cleaned his plate.

“Not bad,” he admitted. “Though the security setup needs work. Those privacy fields have three exploitable weaknesses.”

“Only three? You’re slipping.” I pushed my empty plate aside. “Want to explain the weak points over dessert?”

“Professional discussion only?”

“Absolutely.” I flagged down the server. “Though if you’d rather discuss chapter seven of ‘Interspecies Romance: Advanced Techniques’...”

His scowl lost any ferocity when the corner of his lips quirked up. “One dessert. Then we should-”

A crash from below cut him off. We looked down to see a Mondian couple arguing with their server, their table’s privacy field flickering.

“No bioluminescent garnish means no payment!” The larger Mondian stood, rattling nearby platforms. “False advertising!”

“Oh no,” I muttered. “Those are the ones from the speed dating disaster.”

Barek was already moving, somehow making the leap to their platform look easy. I watched him defuse the situation with surprisingly diplomatic skill, though his hand never strayed far from his weapon.

“Crisis handled,” he said when he returned to our platform. “Though we should probably leave before-”

“Before their friends arrive?” I nodded toward a group of Mondians entering the restaurant. “Good call. Back exit?”

“Service corridor.” He dropped payment on the table. “Unless you want to explain to the twins why their favorite couple got banned from another restaurant?”

“Stars, no. They’d just make another viral video about it.” I stood, steadier on the floating platform than I expected. “Though speaking of the twins...”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

---