I perform introductions. “Hari is a geologist,” I tell Danek. “He was just telling me his equipment can measure vibrations on the planet’s surface.”
Danek catches on immediately. “So you’d be able to know if something like a minor earthquake occurred?”
“Yes, of course.” His face draws into a frown. “Funny you should say that,” he says. “Because just yesterday, there were five seismic disruptions on the plains, all in the same area.”
Danek stiffens. “Do you have the location?”
“Unfortunately, no. We need to triangulate the disruptions to be able to locate the epicenter, and I don’t have seismographs that far away from the domes. All I can tell you is that it happened north-west of here, out of range of the skimmers.”
I glance at Danek. His eyes are sparkling, and there’s a small smile playing about his lips. “Admit it,” I murmur once we excuse ourselves from Hari. “I found you a clue.”
“You did.” He still has his arm around me. “A really good one. Tomorrow, I’ll head in the direction the geologist indicated, and see what I can find.” He brushes a kiss across the back of my hand. “Thank you.”
“Are you done talking to Kenia?” My voice comes out waspish.
He gives me a sideways look. “Is that jealousy I hear?”
“Hey, I’m just staying in cover. I’m a newly married woman, and my husband is flirting with a hot scientist.”
“I did not flirt with her,” he protests at once.
“Really? Because you were talking to her for a very long time.”
He laughs softly. “You are jealous,” he says. “Lovely Naomi, Kenia knows I have the Draekon gene. She’s Zorahn. Trust me, I’m the last person she would be interested in. She was talking to me about my genes. She’s realized they’re different from the other Draekons, and she wants to study them. She wanted my consent to do that.”
And are you interested in her? I bite back that question. He’s already getting too much enjoyment from my snit. “You were jealous too,” I accuse. “Isn’t that why you came over when I was talking to Hari? You weren’t subtle. I was half-ready for you to whip your penis out and pee in a circle around me to mark your territory.”
He stops dead in his tracks. “What?”
“Dogs pee…” I shake my head. “Never mind about that. It’s just a figure of speech.”
“Oh good.” He winks at me. “I mean, I like to think I’m open-minded, but—”
I punch his arm. “Idiot. Go on. I’ll admit it if you do.”
He bends down. His breath caresses my ear. “I was jealous,” he murmurs. “I’m not interested in Kenia. There’s only one woman here I want. Only one woman I can’t take my eyes off. You.”
Heat blazes through me. “Want to get out of here?”
“I thought you wanted to watch the soap opera.”
Fuck that. “Suddenly, I find I don't care about the soap opera.”
“Good.” Satisfaction drenches his tone. “All evening, I’ve been picturing tearing that blouse off you. Let’s go home and do that.” He presses a hard, firm kiss on my lips. “And more.”
When we get to the house, I’m almost giddy, like I drank a gulp of frothy champagne. Happy little bubbles dance in my chest. Danek shuts the door and I smile up at him, crowding close. He spins me around so my back’s to the door. His big frame cages me. I twine my arms around his shoulders and tip back my head for his kiss. He nuzzles up the line of my neck, kissing along my jaw before taking my mouth. I surge up against him, tugging at his shoulders, trying to draw him closer. His hands are on me too, roaming, seeking my skin. A ripping sound, and my ruffled pink top gapes open.
“Oops,” he murmurs against my lips.
He’s not sorry about it and neither am I. “It’s okay.” I press my newly bared breasts against his chest, wishing I were strong enough to rip open his shirt, too.
“I’ll buy you another,” he promises, and grips the back of my neck, holding me still so he can plunge his tongue into my mouth. My core clenches, hard. I kiss him back with everything I’ve got. My nails dig into his back, trying to get a palmful of the huge, flexing muscles underneath his shirt. His right hand is busy at the front of my pants, trying to undo them. A rumble rises in his chest, and I can tell he’s two seconds away from ripping them right off.
I can’t blame him for destroying my clothing. I want to do the same to his.
We’re about to make love right here, against the door. We didn’t even get five feet into our house. It’s almost like we are newlyweds.
I’m on tiptoe, trying to wriggle out of my pants without allowing an inch of air between us, when a pair of bright pink tails wave at me from beyond Danek’s shoulder. I angle my head to see more. Danek can tell I’m distracted and breaks the kiss.
“What is it, Naomi?”
“We have an audience,” I whisper and point to the little floofs who’ve lined up on the counter. Usually they rush to greet me, but now they’re watching us, their little heads tipped to the side as if they can’t quite understand what we’re doing. “We’ve traumatized them, poor dears.”
Danek growls under his breath as I duck under his arm and greet them. The floofs try to leap on me. I hold my ripped top against my breasts with one hand and fend them off with the other.
“No, no,” I laugh. “Your claws are sharp, you little terrors. Get off the countertop.”
“Little terrors indeed,” Danek grumbles, but he stoops to pet Pumpkin. The little floof arches into the Draekon’s huge hand. A hint of a smile curls the side of Danek’s
