Page 58 of The Warrior's Oath
She glanced up. Korvin’s gold-rimmed irises faintly gleamed as he watched her, not shy, not looking away. She raised her arms over her head, stretching out long before slowly slipping the clean shirt over her body, pulling it tighter as it descended over her breasts.
Nyota felt a tingle inside as the material grazed across her nipples, and for just a moment she could have sworn she saw the dormant length hanging between Korvin’s legs rouse, at least a little.
He broke the stare, quickly shifting his attention to loading the remainder of their things into his pack, which he slid onto his shoulders with ease. Reluctantly, Nyota did the same, the weight settling into place, comfortable for now, but cementing the reality of this morning’s task.
They would walk.
A lot.
The terrain was easier than the prior day, and even better, there was no Tarzan routine required as they made their way toward the location of the next downed section of the Raxxian ship. Better still, the trees thinned as they hiked, providing them a much better view of any potential threats as they stayed in the denser portions of the tree line scanning the area.
There were native birds of a sort, colorful and large, gliding on the thermals in the not so far distance, seemingly at ease. Korvin said that meant no Dohrag ships had flown here recently. The skies were a warning system, just like everything else around them, if only one knew where to look.
Crossing from the thicker woods, the footing here was a bit on the rocky side, which hindered larger trees for the most part, but did allow smaller ones to take root. Nyota veered deeper into the shady part toward a cluster of somewhat out-of-place trees.
“Varxin nuts?” Nyota asked as she plucked a large yellow pod from a low branch.
“Vorxin,” Korvin corrected. “But yes, one of the edible crops placed by the conglomerate.
“And yellow is ripe, right? Orange means not ready, and brown can’t be eaten but is good for disinfecting scrapes and cuts.”
“You remember all of that from the other day? Good recall.”
“When you’re stuck on an alien world and someone tells you how to survive, it’s probably a good idea to pay attention,” she replied with a flirty smile.
Korvin, stoic to the end, nevertheless seemed to have a slight blush rise to his cheeks, and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing she’d seen in ages.
“You want some?” she asked, ripping open the waxy skin to reveal clusters of small tan nuts the size of small grapes.
“Yes, thank you,” he said, accepting the half she offered him. He popped one in his mouth and chewed with gusto. “You picked a good one.”
“Of course I did.”
He chuckled. “It is more of an art than a science. Vorxin are notoriously fickle about their bounty.”
“Hey, I was the gal who could always tell the ripest, sweetest watermelon back home, so you’re in good hands.”
“A melon that produces water?”
“It’s just called that. It’s actually really good. Sweet and full of juice.”
“Hence the name, I take it?”
“Yeah, that’s my guess, though I never actually Googled it.”
“What is a Google?”
“Tell you what. If we ever make it back to Earth, I’ll teach you all about it.”
“A generous offer.”
“He says, not knowing what Google is. Now that’s a rabbit hole you don’t want to go down.”
“Nevertheless,” he said with a warm look in his eyes. “And this watermelon. You would show me this as well.”
“If you can find a way to get me home, I’ll show you whatever you want.”
Korvin looked away as his cheeks began to flush again. Not what you’d expect of a rough-and-tough soldier by any means.
