Page 101 of Auctioned to the Convicts
“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Vaughn asked.
“Mind your own fucking business.”
“What’s your problem?” Vaughn shot back. “Jealous of Ky’Li? Of me? Of Sersie?”
Fucking yes. The others in this unit had the one luxury on this planet that every other male wanted, including Ren and there wasn’t a damn thing Ren could do about it.
The need to touch her but not being allowed to was driving him insane. Ky’Li threatened Ren practically every time he even looked at Hannah, let alone spoke to her. Not that it mattered what the beast wanted. It was Hannah who mattered. She still shied away from him. Ren really had fucked himself over that first week.
Once he’d stopped blaming her for their situation, it hadn’t taken Ren long to get to know her, to appreciate her smile each morning, as well as her cooking for third meal. While her talents in the kitchen put the commissary to shame, it was the way she treated each and every one of them as if they mattered, truly mattered, that made her special.
“I’m heading to my workshop,” Ren said, grabbing his jacket from the peg on the wall. “And if you don’t like the walls in this house, figure out a way to get me the proper materials I need to soundproof her bedroom. I’m not going back to Brody for anything, not after what he demanded last time. Or maybe we build a room for you off the back of the house where you won’t hear her fucking anyone. I’ve gotten used to the noise.”
Vaughn raised a brow, with a hint of laughter touching his mouth.
“Screw you,” Ren said as he headed out the door and nearly plowed Hannah down.
He grabbed her arm and steadied her at the last minute. Sersie stood behind her, ready to catch her. The guy’s hair was tousled, and he had that stupid grin on his face again. How the hell the younger guy managed to be with Hannah and not get pulverized by Ky’Li impressed the hell out of Ren. And made him fucking jealous too.
Fuck. Now he was jealous of an ape and an addict.
“Sorry, didn’t see you there,” Ren pushed the words out, surprised he hadn’t snapped at her. Then again, he’d didn’t like to see her look so wounded. The night she’d come home after being attacked, he’d been climbing the walls with the need to gut the asshole who’d hurt her.
“Where you going?” she asked with a smile on her face. She must have had a good shift. Ren relaxed.
“I’m heading to my workshop. Vaughn’s inside pouting or something. I guess that means you two are in charge of making third meal.”
“Great!” Sersie said, slipping a hand around Hannah’s waist. “I love being in the kitchen.”
“Do I want to know?” Ren asked him.
Sersie’s stupid-ass grin gave him his answer.
“Watch that attitude, Sersie, unless you want to lose a few teeth.” Ren pushed past them.
“Ren, wait up!” Hannah called. She caught his arm as the gate clicked open. “I have a small favor to ask, if you don’t mind.”
Hell, didn’t she know how hard it was being next to her without touching her?
“I need to weigh a paddadou. A few preferably.”
“Why?” he asked, not that he really cared, except it would keep her talking and give him an excuse to simply breathe her in, watch her beautifully expressive face without Ky’Li threatening to kill him or that puppy-dog Sersie falling all over himself to hold her.
“For calculations at the port. The scales there are intended for large shipping containers. They’re not likely to register a minor load of a few paddadou, not with any true accuracy. And I need a tape measure too, while I’m at it. Do you have any of that in your workshop?”
“I’m a mechanical and geological engineer. Did you really just ask me if I have tools to measure and weigh objects?”
She nodded in that cute unabashed way of hers. Who the hell needed to weigh fruit on Narkos? The port had the best scales on the planet, with accuracy down to .375 ounces. Ren should know. He oversaw the measurement compliance check every six months.
Accuracy was too damn important at a transport dock. This bullshit about not being able to measure small items was a ruse. What was she up to?
Chapter Twenty
HANNAH
Ren motioned Hannah to follow. She left Sersie behind without a word. She’d explain it later. She really did need Ren’s help, plus she wanted to get to know him better, the calm Ren, not the one who always seemed so angry. She had a feeling time away from the house—away from Ky’Li especially—would make getting to know Ren easier.
“I was trying to be polite when I asked if you had the necessary tools in your workshop. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
