Page 8 of Grumpy Alien Lumberjack
"You mentioned taking me back to the colony. I should go."
A muscle jumped in Methic's jaw. "I will not allow him to imprison you."
The conviction in his voice made her breath catch. "That's... that's sweet, but I'm supposed to be on the transport ship leaving for Regulan Z today."
He rose abruptly from his seat and went to the cupboards, flinging one open to rummage inside.
"That is an ice planet, too far from the suns to be habitable."
Her lips pressed into a grim line. "Wrong. It's where the human asylum is, where I've been for the past three years."
Whatever he was holding slammed onto the counter with enough force to rattle the dishes. "I do not understand."
She opened her mouth to explain, but he spun around with absolute fire in his eyes. "There is a colony of humans on the ice planet?"
Jeneva nodded, transfixed by the fury in his expression. Why did this affect him so much? Why did he care?
"It's called an asylum because, a long time ago on Earth, that's where people who weren't physically or mentally strong went. It's like a special facility for the sick and injured, but most never get better, and the majority never leave."
He shook his head slowly, his braid swaying with the motion. "The Majaki care for their own no matter the issue. All the advancements you humans have made, and yet you still cannot accept each other as you are."
Without another word, he returned to whatever he was doing at the counter, his shoulders tense with barely contained anger. She sipped her almost-coffee and watched the rigid line of his back as he worked. He wasn't wrong about humans and their treatment of the "imperfect."
When he finally turned back to the table, he set a plate of what looked like berries in front of her. They were deep purple, almost black, and glistened like jewels. "Eat this. The berries are sweet."
Touched by the gesture, she smiled her thanks and popped one in her mouth. It burst with flavor—tart and sweet and utterly delicious. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had opened a whole can of worms by saying too much to Methic, but something about him made her want to keep talking, keep sharing.
He left the kitchen without a word. She heard him moving around in the other room, and when he returned a few minutes later, Jeneva dropped the berry she had been holding.
"No way."
With an annoyed growl, Methic glanced at her as he crossed the kitchen and grabbed the massive axe by the door. "What is this, 'no way'?"
"You're wearing a flannel shirt."
Holding the axe in one hand, he faced her fully, standing close enough that she got a complete view. A black and white checkered shirt clung to his powerful frame. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing thick forearms corded with muscle. Small fibers gave the fabric an ultra-soft, brushed appearance not unlike wool. The front was fastened with a series of leather ties, and the hem fell to his hips where it stopped just above the very large and unignorable bulge in the front of his pants.
Her lips parted. How had she missed that before? Heat rushed to her face, pooling low in her belly. She hadn't felt attraction like this in... ever. A soft stutter rushed from her mouth.
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh, um, your, your axe! That's a very impressive axe."
Cheeks flaming, she looked away and stuffed a few berries into her mouth.
"Yes. It's hefty, thick, and strong. It performs well." He turned the axe over in his hands with a pleased grin on his lips. "Would you like to experience what it feels like in your hands?"
Oh, God. Her mind went straight to the gutter, and she choked on the berries.
"No, that's okay. I'm more interested in where you got that shirt."
He looked down at himself, one hand smoothing over the soft fabric. "It is just a garment."
"Flannel is literally a lumberjack's uniform."
One corner of his mouth twitched upward. "This was made in the human colony from the pelt of the cloud animal."
Cloud animal? She hadn't seen the colony farms to know what animals were there. "I think you mean sheep. They have fluffy white wool that looks like clouds." She snickered at the description. The thought would never have occurred to her.
