Page 73 of Taken for Granite
The medic consulted a handheld device. “Well, yourHondassa’sgenome has altered slightly. I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues to alter with repeated exposure.”
Juniper looked from the medic to Tas and back again. Tas had explained way-back-when that his mating fluid could change her. That seemed so long ago. “What does that mean?”
“Dassain a Khargal female helps prepare our bodies for childbirth. It keeps us healthy and strong. I suspect that in your species, it will increase your rate of healing and possibly extend your lifespan,” the medic said.
Tas’ hand tightened on her shoulder. “Do you know this for certain or is this speculation?”
“It is the pattern with other Khargal-alien matings.”
Tas issued a happy, warbly croon. He never expressed concern about their age difference—he was over a thousand years old and she was twenty-six, for crying out loud—but clearly, it had worried him.
“What about the other human female?” he asked.
“Seriously injured. The attending medic put her in a coma until she stabilizes.”
“Will Rhoda survive?” Juniper asked. She had the woman’s blood on her; she needed to know.
“I cannot say.” The medic stepped back and flashed a fang-filled smile. “I’ll give you a clean bill of health. I recommend a full panel of vaccines to protect you against our more common viruses, when we know more about humans.”
Juniper nodded. She didn’t want to get the space pox. “Am I safe without it?”
“For the time being, yourdassaexposure will keep you healthy. Now, perhaps your mate would take you to your cabin to make use of the bathing facilities?”
A shower sounded amazing.
The two soldiers escorted them to Tas’ assigned cabin. The door slid open to reveal a spacious, comfortable room. Juniper couldn’t help but notice it was empty.
“Chloe has been assigned her own cabin,” Tas said, preemptively answering her question. “Shower. I will find a change of clothes for you.”
“And yourself?” The scandalized looks the crew gave Tas did not go unnoticed by her. He leaped into action that morning without pausing to put on shoes or a shirt, not that he could wear a human-designed shirt with his wings. The Khargal crew wore a clean-lined uniform.
“Yes.”
“Good, because I suspect that I’m going to like the look of you in uniform,” she said.
He led her into a smaller room and demonstrated how to use the shower. Warm water fell from the ceiling like rain, she was pleased to discover, half expecting a shower with sonic waves or enzymes.
“Are you tired?” She stripped off her filthy sweater and jeans, recognizing there was no saving the garment.
“I will fall into a deep stone sleep but not yet.” He ran his hand over her head and down her ponytail, tugging on the strands. “There is still strength in this old warrior. Now, get in the cleansing unit. I will wash you.”
Built for a Khargal warrior, the stall was more than large enough to accommodate her and a gargoyle. He picked up a bottle, added some gel to his hand, and washed her hair. A pleasing, woodsy scent filled the room. The water sluiced away the dirt and blood of the day. Her shoulders unknotted and the tightly wound feeling she’d been carrying for days vanished in the steam.
Once satisfied with her hair, Tas soaped up her back and front, carefully covering every part of her. He knelt and picked up her foot, kneading the muscles in the sole. By the time he finished, she was boneless—and really turned on. They hadn’t a moment alone with each other in days, not since Chloe loudly announced she’d rather sleep in the car than listen to them kiss.
That killed the mood for her. Even if they’d gotten separate hotel rooms, Juniper just couldn’t get past the fact that her sister slept on the other side of the wall—knowing that Juniper and Tas were having sex. It was weird and tangled in her head, but now she had her sexy alien kneeling at her feet, watching her with half-closed eyes, and all those complications left her.
He growled, that low rumble that made her toes curl with anticipation. No doubt he could smell her arousal.
“You know, we’ve never had shower sex,” she said.
He ran his hand up the inside of her thigh, stopping when he reached her pussy and cupping it possessively. “Earth showers were too small.”
A bell chimed. She sighed, cockblocked again. “Is that the captain?”
“Probably.” His fingers brushed through her damp curls before parting her folds.
“Should we answer the door?”
