“Let me return the favor, little flower. I am thirsty and Ibelieve you may have something to sate me,” he murmured.
“Why yes I do,” she said with a wink as she shimmied herpants down her hips. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Excuse me, Poppy? Wheaton?” It was Hannah’s voice that camethrough the door.
“Yes?” Wheaton asked, his voice still rough from his earliergroans and moans.
“We need to get back to the Council. We’re running late butyou seemed…busy.” Even through the door, Poppy could tell Hannah was blushing.To be honest, that blush probably matched the color on Poppy’s face.
For a moment there, she’d completely forgotten there wereothers in the med center. At least the supply closet was at the end of the hallso hopefully they hadn’t heard too much. Poppy wasn’t a prude but she wasn’tone for public sex or even semipublic sex.
Wheaton gazed down at Poppy with disappointment in his eyes.“I have to go. I forgot that we needed to get back so quickly.”
Poppy laid her palm against his cheek. She couldn’t stopherself from smiling when he closed his eyes and relaxed into her hand. Shereached up and gave him a deep kiss.
“I understand, babe. Just remember I have something for youto drink tonight.” Winking at him when he groaned and adjusted himself in hisbreeches, she fixed her own clothes. Finding her discarded hair tie on thefloor, she swooped it back up into a messy bun.
Leaving the closet was fairly embarrassing. Hannah wasbright red as she waited for Wheaton. Tamin and Rodin wouldn’t meet her gazeand Behyr just nodded at her with a small close-lipped smile.
After the door closed behind them, she turned to her threefriends and held up a finger.
“Not one word,” she said in the sternest voice she could muster.
This caused all three males to start laughing, first softlyand then louder when she joined in herself a moment later.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The rest of the afternoon was fairly boring for Poppy. Taminand Rodin had expected the other brides to visit the med center but nobody hadshown up yet. Poppy decided to keep to the supply closet for a while to makesure they would have things handy for when the brides did happen to show up.She also made sure to tuck the exercise mat back where she’d moved it from.That would hopefully come in handy again.
Behyr had been called away to the training rooms after lunchbut showed up at the end of the day looking disappointed.
“What’s up?” she said, not really wanting to hear theanswer.
“Wheaton has been held up in the Council and will not beable to walk you back to your quarters or meet for dinner.” Behyr was studyingher and obviously trying to gauge her mood.
“Well…that sucks.” Poppy couldn’t stop the disappointmentthat swept through her, but she was sure it was out of his control. Sherealized this meant they would also be unable to finish what they’d started inthe closet at lunch.
Behyr was still staring at her as if she might burst intotears at any given moment. Knowing she needed to reassure him before hepanicked, she shrugged.
“I guess this means I’m free for dinner. Want to join me?”Her question was delivered with a sad smile.
“That would be nice, although I received a message fromThorne that Valerie was wanting to see you also. Would you like to invite themto your quarters for a meal? Thorne suggested it when I spoke to him earlier.”
“Sounds like a plan. Company should help keep me occupied.” Asshe gathered her belongings, she yelled to Tamin, who had been fiddling with aninstrument in the exam room, “Tamin, I’m heading out.”
“K.O.,” was yelled back.
“It’s ‘okay,’ you big goofball,” Poppy replied with agiggle.
Deep laughter was followed by, “See you tomorrow morning,Poppy.”
She was excited to see Val again. From what she had beentold earlier, Valerie had been occupied with Council work all this time. If theglances Thorne had kept tossing Val’s way were any indicator then Poppy wouldbet he’d been Val’s shadow while she was on the ship.
As they entered the apartment, Poppy decided a shower was inorder. Her time in the closet this afternoon with Wheaton had been enough tomake at least a change of clothes necessary. “I’ll be quick, feel free to watchone of the movies I have uploaded.”
“I can wait until you are finished to start the vid. I wasthinking of watching something that we have already seen.”
Hanging out these past couple weeks, Poppy had introducedhim to some of the films she loved. Behyr had quickly gotten addicted to anymovie with Simon Pegg. His current favorite was Hot Fuzz and they’dwatched it four times so far. Seeing where this was going, she quickly shotdown another night of that movie and had him choose something else.
“But it is so entertaining, Poppy,” Behyr said with whatsounded close to a whine.
“No.”
“But—”
“No. No more Hot Fuzz.” Poppy put her foot down.
Hearing him grumble as she left the room, she almost laughedout loud. Poppy tried to finish quickly so she was ready when Val arrived. Justas she had entered the living area with still-wet hair, she heard the tone atthe door.
Waving her hand to open it, she smiled big when she saw avery flustered-looking Val and Thorne. Well well well. It appeared as thoughher pal Val had been participating in a make-out session recently, judging bythe whisker burn on her neck and cheeks.
“Hello, my long-lost buddy.”
Catching the knowing smirk on Poppy’s face, Valerie grinnedand stepped into the room to hug her.
“Hey, lady, there’s so much we have to talk about,” shesaid.
Poppy still hadn’t told Val of her pregnancy so she agreedwith a quick nod. “Maybe we can talk real quick in private though?”
“Of course.” Valerie nodded at Behyr
