Page 41 of Havik: Warlord Brides
“She is not here to please you.”
Ren laughed and muttered something she couldn’t hear. She heard Havik growl in response as the entire room seemed to vibrate with displeasure.
“Fine, she can be hidden away in a bag for all I care,” Ren said, defeat in his tone.
Funny thing was Thalia had a brief period of long, romantic style dresses when she was sixteen. She found a ton of dresses at a thrift store. Some she liberated. Some she purchased legitimately. The Jane Austen Empire-style suited her figure, but she didn’t like the attention it brought. Soon, she hid herself away in layers and continued to do so.
She plucked at the tank.
Well, her wardrobe on Earth had been chunky sweaters and shapeless hoodies. Now she had stretchy pants, tanks, and a pullover, not that she ever wore it because the guys kept their ship temperature just shy of the Bahamas.
She hadn’t really picked anything; those items were given to her without any input. Still, she could jazz up her wardrobe and wear something more flattering.
With a glass of cold water, she returned, painfully aware of how Havik watched her. Not with appreciation, if the sneer on his face was anything to go by. His tail flicked against the sofa. Cats did that when they were irritated, and he certainly looked irritated.
Why did she want to look nice for him, anyway? That was dumb.
They fell back into silence as the movie resumed. Before long, “He is an honorless scoundrel!” Havik shouted. “And he is to be rewarded by mating the youngest daughter? He deserved a blade through the belly.”
“I totally agree,” Thalia said.
Two hours in, the end credits rolled. Stretched out on the couch on her belly, the kumakre curled up in the small of her back.
“Female, are you asleep?”
“Nearly.” She flexed her fingers and stretched slowly, giving the critter time to move and complain about his nap being interrupted. “Thanks for watching with me. What did you think?”
Ren excused himself, claiming something about regulators that sounded technical. Havik moved from the sitting area, as if to leave the common room, then paused. He ran a hand down his braid and tossed it over his shoulder. His tail waved from side to side. “I am interested in the version with zombies.”
Thalia smiled, delighted how he sounded almost nervous. “Sure. I’d like a drink and a stretch before the next movie.”
In the kitchen area, she made herself a cup of coffee, or the closest thing to it they had on the ship. The dark brew had a bitter taste but hit enough of the coffee notes that she felt satisfied, especially when she added a powdered creamer. Whatever it was, particularly if it was ground bugs or something, she didn’t want to know.
“Shouldn’t you be flying the ship?” she asked before blowing across the steaming mug.
“Autopilot. The computer will notify me if an issue requires attention.”
“So, it’s just you and Ren on the ship?”
His back stiffened and his tail, once lazily waving behind him, tucked down next to his leg. “We are without a clan. You were aware of the situation when you agreed to the mission,” he said.
The sharpness in his tone felt bitter, almost brittle, and Thalia knew not to press the point. Havik, a mystery man without a wife and a clan, could keep his secrets.
* * *
The door opened at a touch.Steam hung in the air, but Thalia could see the massive red man in the shower just fine.
The perfectly shaped ass and thick thighs flexed as he soaped. The tail swayed from side to side. Long black hair hung in strands down his back. Seeing his hair undone felt more vulnerable and intimate than his naked butt and tail.
Thalia knew it was wrong to stare. She should back away and pretend she saw nothing, that the door had been locked—because who doesn’t lock the cleansing room door? —but her feet refused to move.
Havik reached down and lathered the length of his tail.
Thalia made some strangled gurgle that might be construed as attraction but had zero ability to actually attract anything. She dropped her towel and hairbrush.
Havik spun on his heel, surprise on his face.
She shouldn’t look down.
