Page 18 of Rescued

Before I could ask, he doled out a large helping of each dish onto a tray and handed it to me.

“Eat up,” he instructed, before turning to his own plate.

The food was delicious, despite the fact that I had no idea what it was. I decided I’d rather not ask and risk ruining the flavor by learning something unpleasant about the customs of the planet we were on. The less information I had, the happier I would be, I supposed.

Unfortunately, that left us with precious little to talk about as we watched strangers walking by outside our window beneath the field of incoming ships. The silence stretched out between us until Herod finished his meal and set it aside, leaning back with his hands behind his head and propping his feet up on the command console. He let out a satisfied groan. I marveled at the way his muscled arms flexed over his head. I couldn’t peel my eyes away from him.

“It’s quiet out there tonight,” he mused, breaking the silence and making me realize that I’d been staring.

“Is it not usually so quiet?”

“Depends. Major ports always bring in the riffraff, but it’s usually the Patrol that stirs stuff up. As long as they keep their distance, the rest of us get along just fine in our own way.” There was a lengthy pause before he spoke up again. “I’m glad the clothes fit.”

I hiccuped, almost choking on my food before I regained my composure.

“Yes, they were wonderful. Or at least, most of them were,” I answered with a wry smile thinking of the blocky, colorful outfit that I had set aside.

At this, he laughed, a sincere laugh that shook his shoulders.

“You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t shopped for a mate in a long time, and I wasn’t sure what the style is these days.”

His words caught me and suddenly I had a million questions swirling through my mind.

“Why haven’t you had a mate?” I blurted.

He cast a sidelong glance my way, shook his head, and turned back to the movement outside.

“It’s complicated.”

I frowned. “How complicated could it be?”

He snorted. “The life of a pirate isn’t exactly the ideal for most women. I would leave them behind. I couldn’t promise to be home every night. I couldn’t promise any of them a future. Eventually, I gave up on meeting my soulmate and found my pleasures elsewhere.”

He cut himself off at that, and I found myself blushing.

“But what about your friend? He met someone, and they’re together now, right?”

Herod rolled his eyes.

“I guess. But I wouldn’t put my money on them lasting. Sooner or later, Tayla will tire of life on the ship, and she’ll run out of women to rescue. When that happens, I doubt she’ll be so enthusiastic about chasing Adreax all over the universe.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back with a huff. “I don’t think that’s very fair.”

He turned to face me, his brows creased in confusion. “And why is that? Are you some kind of expert on interplanetary romantic affairs?”

“You may be shocked to learn that not all women want to sit at home and twiddle our thumbs. And if this Tayla was a researcher, you can bet she has a heart for curiosity and adventure.”

“Be that as it may,” he cut me off, “there’s still lightyears between having the comforts of a place to come home to each night and being stuck on a tight little ship bouncing all over space. It’s been my experience that all women grow tired of nomadic life sooner or later.”

Now it was my turn to snort derisively. “Your experience? You just told me you had hardly any experience to speak of. And I’d say it’s a bit of a stretch to call yourself nomads. Perhaps the women never choose to stick around because they don’t like being put in impossible situations with shady characters at every turn. Have you ever considered that?”

I could see Herod’s expression falter, and we were no longer having an easy bout of slinging questions at one another. Now we had touched on something personal, and neither of us was backing down.

“I have considered that,” he finally answered, “and that is why I choose not to have a mate on my ship. It’s easier to work without the distractions.”

He stood up and left, a stormy look in his eyes, and I found myself sitting alone in the cockpit. For some reason, his words stung. He would never have a mate on his ship? Earlier I had felt bad for him, assuming him to be lonely, but now, some rebellious part of me wanted to show him that I could hack it aboard his ship. I didn’t even know what I felt toward him, but I knew that I wouldn’t let him lump me in with some archaic view of what women are supposed to be. No, I was going to be the best damn pirate I could as long as I was stuck with him.

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