Page 47 of Zalis
“Yes, there were some clues.” He kept his face so perfectly stoic as he spoke but the sparkle in the eyes gave him away.
Gemma laughed. “Right.”
His plan in shambles, he put the tablet away. Instantly, his posture tensed. He ran a hand over his horns.
Poor guy. He was nervous and didn’t know what to say.
Fortunately, when the twins were diving up talents in the womb, she got all the social skills. She said, “How about you tell me why there’s a psychedelic garden on the ship?”
His posture relaxed. “The ship’s history is very interesting. This garden is a remnant from the original builders.”
Who clearly enjoyed tripping balls. Gemma kept that thought to herself. She followed Zalis deeper into the garden, letting him show her interesting and noteworthy features. He practically vibrated with happiness, the giant nerd.
Yeah. She liked him. A lot.
“This garden was overgrown and neglected for several years. When I was a youth, it was considered haunted,” he said.
They came to a shallow pond with stepping stones, leading to a small island with a stone bench in the center. Colorful orbs floated above, reflected in the water. It was very picturesque but not overly controlled. The garden had a lush wildness to it, with the flowers and greenery straining to burst free from the garden beds. She could easily picture the garden as an abandoned relic from another era.
Zalis crouched down at the pond’s edge, pulling the fabric in his trousers taut. He plucked a blade of grass and tossed it onto the water, where it drifted away slowly. With a pleased expression, he glanced over his shoulder and caught her staring.
Gemma quickly looked away, because she had been the hardass who said no sex and no romance, blah blah blah, and she wouldn’t be called out for being a hypocrite thirsting over his nice butt.
She struggled to find the most innocent topic possible. “You grew up on the ship? I thought your parents were on Sangrin.”
Zalis stood, wiping his hands on his thighs, and made an affirmative noise. “They are on Sangrin now. When I was this old—” He held out his hand, palm down, at his mid-chest height. “My father accepted a position to teach at the Mahdfel Academy and we left theJudgment.”
“How old is this old?” She mimicked his gesture.
“Six or seven.”
Making him an extraordinarily tall six-year-old. Mahdfel grew fast—that was what Mercy told her during the tour—but Gemma had a hard time imagining a first grader that could look her in the eyes.
“So, a haunted garden. Is that why this is your favorite place?” she asked.
“I’ll show you.”
He removed his shoes and socks, and lavender toes flexed in the grass. Gemma couldn’t really explain why she had such a hard time not staring at his feet. She didn’t have a thing for feet, pinky swear. He just seemed so relaxed standing barefoot in the grass and it was a good look on him.
Honestly, it’d be hard to find a bad look on him.Zalis’ features weren’t human but they were appealing. Strong jaw and nose. Lively eyes. A soothing voice.
An ass that looks fantastic in tight pants.
Barefoot, he stepped onto the stones and made his way across the water. He made it half way across before he noticed that she wasn’t following.
“Not with my foot,” Gemma said. The stepping stones were slippery and just a little too far apart for her to make without jumping. There was absolutely no way she was going to risk breaking her other foot by falling into the water.
Zalis returned in a few, easy strides. “Forgive my thoughtlessness. I should also apologize for what I will do next, but I will not. I already announced my intentions to court you. The grand gesture to help a lady in distress is a logical next step.”
Gemma narrowed her eyes. That did not sound like him. Thegrand gesturedid, but not that particular combination of words. “Where did you learn that phrase?”
“A film.” He then scooped her up and crossed the stones surefootedly. As far as grand gestures went, it was rather effective. Oh, a cheap trick to use his blatant strength, without question, but nice regardless. Being in his arms was… nice. He felt solid and real. She had this warm, uneasy sensation spreading in her center. It was a swoon coming. She was going to swoon and there was nothing she could do about it.
Before she could swoon properly and embarrass herself, he deposited her on the island’s stone bench.
“You knew I wouldn’t be able to make it across the stepping stones,” she said. “You tricked me.”
He grinned, as if pleased with himself. “I said I would court you. I did not say I would play fair.”
