Page 60 of No Strings Attached

“That was one type of dancing. We often dance to music on Earth. Do Trallians dance?”

He shook his head, “No. We don’t make music, either. But we enjoy it when other species do. We often hear different music on the Ogo. I’ve seen some dancing, too, but nothing that looked like what we just did.”

“Did you like it?”

He leaned into her and gave her a heated look, “I like anything that allows me to hold your body next to mine.”

She smirked, “Sometimes we dance holding each other and sometimes we dance separately, but close to each other. Didn’t you ever hear music you really enjoyed and feel an uncontrollable urge to move your body, tap your foot even?”

“Not until I heard your music. But I didn’t know if it was allowed. Sometimes I see music on the Ogo and the audience remains perfectly still. I thought it might be disrespectful to move.”

“We have that kind of music on Earth, too, but that’s not the kind I like. I like the kind that makes you want to move around joyfully. I’d give anything to find my phone on the asteroid, I had thousands of songs loaded into it. It could be there since it was in my pocket when the Ulus took me.”

“Phone?”

“Um…a communication device that I had a lot of music stored on. I know it can’t be used as a communication device now, but if we could find a way to get it power, I could play those songs you like and you could hear the music that goes with them—not just the words. They’re even better to dance to with the music and beat.”

“Sing a song for me and dance while you do it. I’ll give you a beat.” He picked up a nearby pipe and made to bang it on the wall.

She ran to stop him and took the pipe out of his hands, laughing, “You can give me a beat just by clapping your hands. Like this.”

She started a beat and he followed, then she launched into Van Morrison’s “Jackie Wilson Said,” wanting something upbeat and flirty, shaking her ass and twirling as Bobby clapped and grinned. She leaned in close, smiling back at him, for the choruses.

They spent the rest of the day that way, until Vi went to the front and brought them back some food. After they ate, Bobby took her deeper into the hold and showed her a double hammock he had made for them. They climbed in and went to sleep together, Bobby the big spoon.

They were all crowded around the view screen as Acken oversaw the Trallian pilot pulling them into their berth. Vi had marveled at Blue Rift Station as they approached, its four giant domes making a clover-leaf pattern and the station continuing below the domes for many, many levels.

I’m out of my depth, she thought,really fucking far—drowning far. Bobby gave a single pump to their joined hands and she realized that she had been squeezing his, hard.

“Sorry,” she said, looking at him sheepishly.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to be just as amazing as you have been since I met you. Then we’re going to go home, where Acken is going to take over for five days while Caussus has the cooks deliver all our meals to the sitting room. We’re not going to leave the bedroom, except to walk back up from our pool below, for five days.”

Vi sighed, “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Bobby shook his head, “Itwillbe wonderful. I’ve already arranged it with Acken and Caussus.”

Vi’s eyes widened, “Wha…you have?”

“Yes, Vi, youdeservethat. Everyone agrees. We’re free because of you, with the opportunity to be so much more, also because of you. Everyone wants you to have some rest and…um…happinessbefore things change again for us. Before they pick up speed, which they almost certainly will.”

Vi looked up at him wistfully and they held each other’s gaze.

Twenty-Six: We Need to Come Out Swinging

Bahbi watched Vi, Caussus,Acken, and Mister Beastly walk down the ramp in their flowing, iridescent cloaks and onto the main hangar walkway before activating the ramp control that would retract it and close the doors. Then he ran back into the lounge area to sit with Trak and Friend, with Steev coiled up in a nearby corner, to listen. Acken was wearing a transmitting device under his cloak so that the crew could listen in to everything happening and be ready to either intervene or prepare for departure, as needed. There wasn’t any specific reason to expect trouble, but there wasn’t any specific reason to feel confident, either.

He heard Vi gasp and Acken say, “Don’t touch it!”

Bahbi felt his stomach starting to clench up already.Fuck, this was supposed to be the easy part.Trak groaned across the sofa from him.

Mister Beastly growled and Vi said, “No, I’m OK, Mister Beastly.”

The party went silent as the noise of the space station hangar activity grew louder, full of jostling people, public address announcements, and ship maintenance noises.

…

Acken: Through those doors. Check your weapons, everyone.

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