Page 10 of Baby For The Tark Commander

He looked intrigued. “I must earn her blessing?”

“I hope you will and can, anyway. She’s like an older sister to me.”

“I’d be honored to meet your friend.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Today is her day off, so I’ll send her a vid message to see if she wants to meet somewhere. Our POD is tiny, and you’d swallow all the available space.” She evaluated him, unable to hide her hunger as she had the thought.

He chuckled. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll accomplish nothing but more mating.”

She grinned. “I can’t help it. I’m addicted to you.”

He smiled, looking pleased with himself. “I’m glad to hear it. You’re irresistible to me as well.”

She flushed, her cheeks heating. “I’ll send the message.”

“I’ll try not to distract you.”

She laughed, knowing it was futile. He was a constant distraction, and she loved it. While he went to change, she vid’d Priya, whose worried face filled the small screen.

“Are you still alive?” asked Priya, mostly humorously.

“Yes, and I have news. I’d like you to meet Sarko. He’s...amazing.”

Priya’s eyes narrowed. “Amazing? What’s he done to you?”

She laughed. “Nothing bad. I promise. Just meet us at the cafe in an hour. Trust me.”

“Okay, but if you don’t show, I’m going to hunt you down and drag you out of that ship.”

“I’ll be there. I swear.”

“All right. See you in an hour.”

Rana ended the call and turned to find Sarko standing behind her. “Is she suspicious?”

“Very. She’s convinced you’ve brainwashed me or something, I guess.” She tilted her head. “Isn’t that one of the rebellion’s claims?”

He shrugged. “I don’t pay attention to them. About your friend... How do we convince her otherwise?”

“I think we have to show her. She’s not easily swayed, but she just wants me to be happy.”

“I see.” He nodded. “I will do my best to win her over.”

“I know you will.” She smiled up at him, her heart full of admiration and affection. “Now, let’s go meet my friend.”

They left the ship and made their way to the coffee bar, arriving a few minutes early. A large crowd had gathered around the block and intersection, and it left her uneasy. “Once we find Priya, we should go somewhere else.”

He looked surprised. “Why?”

She gestured to the group, and they all wore some kind of face-coverings. It wasn’t unusual to protect oneself from pollution with a mask, but something about them left her unsettled.

“I’m not sure. I just have a bad feeling.”

“We can leave if you wish.”

“No, we can’t. Priya will think you’re kidnapping me if we do.”

He frowned. “I suppose that’s true.”

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