Page 7 of Phate's Mate: The Thelli Logs

Phate wanted to tell the female about Thelli. No. He wanted totakeher to Thelli. He wanted to introduce her to his parents and siblings. He wanted to take her shopping on one of the many pleasure planets known for their expensive dining, and leisure activities and spend every credit in his account on her.

He would rob, steal or kill to make her happy. Anything she required, he would do.

As overpowering emotions he couldn’t identify or control poured over him like warm water, Phate took a shuddering breath. He knew he was done for. He would lay the galaxy at this human’s tiny feet just to know her name.

The female next to her waved a hand in the air. “Hey! My name is Nisha.”

Nisha was pretty. Both were the same height, the top of their heads barely reaching his shoulders. The one who had his heart pounding was rounder. Voluptuous was the word he would use to describe her.

The unnamed female wore a black, long sleeved, loose shirt with matching pants while Nisha wore jeans needing repair to fix the rips down the front of them and a form fitting shirt that hugged her small frame.

Nisha elbowed the female next to her.

“Oh! Um...I’m Tasha. This is...uh...Nisha.”

Phate couldn’t take his eyes off Tasha and her beautiful, pink-tinged lips.

Tasha.

He hadn’t heard that name before. He liked it and repeated it over and over in his head to make sure his brain could pronounce it correctly.

“I already told them my name,” Nisha whispered to Tasha from the side of her mouth.

Tasha’s expressive brown eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. Well, um...I’m Tasha and this um...is Nisha.”

Nisha groaned and rolled her eyes. “Jesus. Get it together.”

A fine sheen of sweat formed on the top of Tasha’s brow and Phate had the urge to wipe it off just to feel her skin under his palm.

“My friend. I mean...she’s visiting. She doesn’t live here.”

Kien shouldered his way to stand next to Phate. “I’m Kien. The one at a loss for words is Phate and the one pacing behind us is Solgre.”

“Kien, Phate and Solgre,” Nisha repeated. Her lips curved into a smile as she bumped Tasha with a slender shoulder.

“It’s nice to meet you all. Sorry, for...um...eavesdropping,” Tasha said, shifting from one foot to the other and rubbing her hands down the front of her soft looking pants.

Nisha turned her back to Phate and Kien and stepped in front of Tasha, blocking her from view. “What is up with you? Pull it together.” Then Nisha stepped back into place and smiled again. “The walls in this apartment building are paper thin, am I right?”

“The walls are made from paper?” Solgre asked. He walked over and knocked on one of the walls. “No wonder tornados cause upheaval on this planet.”

Tasha chuckled nervously as her gaze moved from Phate to Solgre. “What did you say?”

Nisha’s brows creased in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘this planet’?”

“Great Ancients! I thought it would be one of you who wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut. But it’s me!” Solgre threw his hands in the air before stomping between Kien and Phate to slam the door shut in the females’ confused faces. “There. No more of that.”

“I never would’ve guessed it would be you who spilled the bananas,” Kien said, turning toward Solgre.

“I think it’s beans, not banana’s,” Phate offered, finally finding his voice.

* * *

NISHA AND TASHA STAREDat the closed apartment door.

Nisha’s smile dropped. “Well, that was weird. It’s not just me, right? Him saying ‘this planet’ was totally weird.”

Tasha stood in a daze. The entire meeting had been weird. It was weird the way the Phate guy had stared at her like he wanted to lick every inch of her skin from head to toe. Guys didnotstare at her like that. Ever. Especially not guys like Phate. And since when did she stammer and become flustered when talking to a man?

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