Page 57 of My Tiny Giant

I thought about all the nights I’d spent alone, too. It had been so long since I’d had been physically close with anyone like this. Other than Agan, I couldn’t even remember when exactly it happened the last time. I inhaled deeply, making him rise on my chest.

He misunderstood my sigh. “Tell me if you want me to leave.”

I shook my head quickly.

“No. Stay, please.” I arranged the corner of my blanket over him, tucking it around his legs. “Do you often have trouble sleeping?”

He laughed softly. “No. Normally, I’m gone the moment my head hits the pillow, or whatever it is I may be using for a pillow on any given night.”

I suspected his sleeping habits had changed since the experiment. The first time I saw him after that, he looked sleep deprived.

“Have you been with a man, Eleven?” he asked unexpectedly.

“Me?” Was that what had been keeping him awake tonight? “Yes, I have.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“Who was he? A human?”

“Yes. I’ve had boyfriends, Agan. A couple. Does it bother you?”

“No, not those you’ve had before. I want to know if there is a man either on your ship or back on Earth waiting for you, right now.”

I shook my head. “I would’ve never let you kiss me if there was one.”

His expression relaxed as he released a long breath.

“I guess I should’ve asked, earlier, instead of driving myself mad thinking you may be another man’s woman.”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

“Because I didn’t want your answer to stop me from coming over here tonight.”

“But what if I already had someone?”

He shrugged unapologetically.

“I figured if you did have a man and cared about him, you wouldn’t agree to have a date with me. And if you did agree, then whoever he was, he obviously wasn’t the right man for you.”

“Interesting logic.”

“So, I ordered some Valentine cupcakes , and had myself delivered into your lap. Literally.”

He leaned against my right breast, using it like a pillow or a beanbag. I gave him a look but let it happen—he seemed too comfy to make him move.

“How did you even come up with that idea?”

“It’s not like I had many options.” He shrugged. “I can’t get around the city the way others do. I can’t even order an aircraft to fly me here. The onboard computer wouldn’t recognize me as a passenger—not enough height or weight. Earth Girl’s Cupcakes is owned by a human woman, so I figured you would like their baked goods. I ordered a delivery to the Ravil Army base first then changed the destination to your address—which I got from the Liaison Committee. Then, I climbed in the box before the drone departed.”

“How about the flowers? The note and the ribbon? Who did that for you?”

“I asked Inzea, a girl from the unit.”

“Inzea? Is it the woman who answered my call?”

The image of the gorgeous green eyes of the elegant Ravil woman rose in my mind. Inzea . Even her name was so pretty.

“Inzea is a seven-year-old girl,” Agan said. “Definitely not yet a woman. We’ve become good friends in the past few days, though she treats me like a toy or a pet at times and tries to swaddle me in blankets and feed me by hand.” He cocked his head with a teasing glimmer dancing in his eyes. “Were you jealous, Eleven?”

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