Page 73 of Havik: Warlord Brides
“Well, I haven’t steered you wrong yet.” She paused for a beat. “Come on, that was funny.” Much better than his crass sex joke.
“As you say, I am new to jokes.” His eyes sparkled with mirth and good humor.
She pressed her hand to the inked palm print on his chest. She loved this side of him, the soft, affectionate side that teased and joked. No one else got to see it but her.
“Six days until we reach Rolusdreus?” she asked.
“Correct,” he said.
“Excellent, because there’s a few more chairs we need to wreck.”
Chapter 19
Havik
His mate—he enjoyed the sound of the words—insisted on accompanying him when he delivered Stabs and the kumakre egg to the rescue organization.
“I’m gonna miss his face,” she cooed, crouched on the floor. Stabs partially buried himself in the sand and curled around the egg. The kumakre lifted his head and twitched his mandibles.
“Come. Radiation levels on the planet are detrimental for a Terran. You must wear this.” He opened a locker and found the smallest set of flex armor, an older set belonging to Ren.
Thalia frowned. “I’m gonna look like a kid playing dress-up.”
“The material will adjust.”
She took the suit. “It’s not as heavy as I expected. I just put this on over my clothes?”
“If you like, but that is not strictly necessary.”
Thalia kicked off her shoes and stripped down to her undergarments. She paused, “Ohmigod, I just parsed what you said. You’re going commando, aren’t you? You’re naked under there, and during the raid—” She shook her head and stepped into the suit. “You naughty boy.”
He felt overly warm, not entirely understanding why Thalia commented on what he wore under the armor but enjoying the playful look she gave him. “You undressed me after the raid. This is not new information.”
She chuckled lightly. “Fair enough. I was just too excited about getting you naked to question it.”
He assisted while she slid her arms into the sleeves. “I was excited as well,” he said.
Her face flushed a charming pink. “How do I zip this thing?”
“The fabric melds when you press the sides together.” He pulled the suit closed over her chest, touching the two halves together. The fabric united in one seamless weave. Automatically, the fabric adjusted the length and tightened, shrinking to the correct size.
“God, that felt weird,” Thalia said.
“Is it comfortable? Walk for me.”
She walked the length of the cargo hold, flexing her arms like she was fighting an invisible opponent. “Feels good. What about shoes?”
The armor covered her from feet to her neck, including her hands. “Unnecessary. You will need the helmet.”
She cast a dubious eye at the helmet. “Am I going to be able to breathe in that thing?”
“Terrans need to breathe?” She sputtered, which amused him greatly. “Yes, my mate. The armor will protect you from radiation and will filter the air.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure. Sometimes you don’t see the forest for the trees.”
Her words made no sense at all. “Is the translator working correctly? This environment is a desert. There is no forest.”
“What I mean is, sometimes you lose sight of the small details when you’re working on a big problem.” She set the helmet in place. The dark visor obscured her face. “You did lock your first wife inside the house rather than think of this solution.” Her voice came through his comm unit.
