Page 34 of Zalis
“Your shoes are too small,” Zalis said, repeating the infamous line with his mother.
“I was so worried about getting a citation for missing the social and here this male brought me shoes. He saw me outside the social. When I didn’t go in, he tracked my scent.”
“A love match.” The rarest of all matches for a Mahdfel and the one he secretly longed for.
“Very much so, but love didn’t change the fact that your father and I knew nothing about each other in the beginning. We had to listen to each other.”
“Human expectations?—”
“Darling, my love, people are the same. They want to be listened to,” Lyresh said. Her hand twitched, as if she wanted to reach through the screen and pat Zalis on the head as she had when he was a youth. “Ask her about those human traditions and listen.”
Zalis rubbed a hand over his horn. That was doable.
Before he could acknowledge his mother’s words, the door chimed and his comm unit buzzed. Gemma was at the door. He disconnected the call without a farewell, an offense that he would pay for later.
Gemma waited outside his door in a motorized chair. “Hey. We should talk.”
GEMMA
First, Zalis wasn’t wearing a shirt. Second, she intended to have a very grownup, very serious talk, but how could she be expected to do that when he was allthat? Anyone else and she’d assume they were playing dirty; except she couldn’t imagine Zalis answering the door half-naked on purpose. He was just so damn earnest.
Understanding that didn’t stop the words from falling out of her head, though. Her mind went blank because Zalis was… perfection with the kind of ripped muscles and zero body fat you only saw in the movies. Black ink decorated his shoulders and arms. His short dark hair, normally styled with precision, was tousled.
Great. Now she needed to addobjectificationto her apology.
“Shirt,” Gemma said, shielding her eyes.
Anyone else might have flexed and preened. Zalis flushed, his cheeks darkening. He stepped back, allowing her to enter. “Apologies. I could not sleep and lost track of time. I have not changed out of my sleepwear.”
“It’s the middle of the day.”
“Several tasks kept me preoccupied.”
“Okay, let me get this out. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for coercing you into this marriage,” Gemma said, following him into the room and continuing to speak. Words tumbled out of her, gaining speed as she went. She couldn’t stop or she’d never say it. “I tookaway your choice. I was scared. Terrified of going back to Earth on my own. I thought I could take back a bit of control rather than be stuck with some rando. I know it’s no excuse, but that’s my thought process. I did to you exactly the thing I hate that’s done to women on Earth. And I objectified you. I’m a hypocrite. I’m so, so sorry. I’ll go back to Earth and salvage the bakery. So, yeah, that’s what I decided.”
She waited for a response.
And waited.
Finally, he said, “No.”
“No?” The hand over her eyes slipped. She caught a glimpse of lavender skin and the movement of cloth as Zalis dressed. She wouldn’t look. She wouldn’t…
“You may look.” He sounded amused.
“No,” she said, hand firmly over her eyes. “I may be a hypocrite, but I’m not a creep. Also, not your decision to make.”
“Allowing you to view me? That can only be my decision.” He sounded amused, like he deliberately misunderstood.
“Me going back to Earth,” she said. The urge to peek to see if he was teasing her was overwhelming.
Zalis removed her hand, and nothing got easier on her end. That wasn’t a smile on his face but almost a grin, giving her no answer about the teasing and managed to create a new problem. Her hand tingled where they touched.
Gemma jerked her hand away.
“Your apology is appreciated but unnecessary, much like this modesty,” he said. Then he grinned and it was devastating.De-va-stating. The strong angles of his face softened, his lips pulled back to show fangs, and Gemma was ready to swear that his eyes sparkled.
Calm down, girl.She needed to deflect. Now.
