Page 32 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
Zero arrived with a life preserver and helped her fasten it in place. Once secure, she returned to her post of clutching the handhold as though her continued existence depended on it. She stared out at the water, her complexion turning green.
“First time?” he asked.
“I’ve been on a ship before,” she replied. Then, quieter, “Just not one on water. Look, I can tell Zero sprung this on you and you’re not thrilled. I can leave.”
Winter wanted very much to ask her to leave. She had already crashed into their lives during the storm. Somehow, she charmed his kit, and now the human female seemed impossible to remove. Sailing had been the excuse to spend the day with Zero, only the two of them on the water. Soon, Zero would be at school and Winter would have to compete with books, schoolwork, and adolescents for Zero’s attention.
“Dad doesn’t mind. Do you?” Zero turned his gaze to Winter, ears pitched forward.
It was only one day.
“As you say,” Winter said.
Marigold gave him a look that baffled him. Her eyes squinted as her head tilted to one side. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Zero seems determined to bring you along.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile. His tail swayed, and he found himself mirroring the motion.
“You know, he offered me the pilot job,” she said.
His entire body stilled. What promises had his kit been making? “He cannot.”
“But you do need a pilot?”
“A pilot with qualifications,” he clarified.
Her cheeks puffed out and her hands moved in a fluttery gesture he had no lexicon to interpret. “Oh, of course, I’m qualified. I wandered through the wilderness for three days with nothing but a handful of psychoactive berries and a spoon. Anyway, long story short, I totally awoke my inner knowledge of how to operate complex interstellar flight-capable vessels.” She huffed, almost a laugh. “Or I went to school, passed my exams, and am now an Interstellar Union-approved pilot with certificates and a real license.”
She held out her hand and raised an eyebrow in an impatient expression. She gave her hand a wiggle. Did she expect him to do something?
Cautiously, he reached out and grasped her fingertips. He pumped her hand up and down in the greeting ritual he had seen humans perform in a film, once.
This time her laughter was loud, almost brash. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and he wondered what color she would ascribe them.
“I meant to scan my ID chip. You’ll see I’m a fully qualified pilot,” she said.
“Unnecessary. I do not require my kit’s assistance in hiring a pilot.”
“Good, because I’m not interested, I just thought you should know he’s actively recruiting.” She huffed again, this time sounding tired. “How do you get under my skin like that? I never get snippy. I apologize. You’ve been nothing but kind to me, and I’m throwing this attitude around. I’ve never been sailing, and I’d be delighted if you’ll still have me.”
The mention of the word skin short-circuited his brain. The rest of her speech dropped away, and all he could see was her exposed shoulders and bare arms. Human skin was thinner than Tal, and softer, or so he had heard. He had known many humans but had never touched anything more than hands or casual brushes. His hand rose, wanting to find out if the rumors were true.
A swell rocked the boat. She clutched at the railing.
“You appear nervous,” he said.
“A little, yeah.” She rubbed her bare arm over the faint striations. “So, are we cool?”
He had no idea why she inquired about the temperature. “Cool? We will not be overly warm on the water.”
“Look, I’m giving you an olive branch here,” she said and extended her hand, the thumb and index finger pressed together as if she held an invisible object. His translation chip provided aceremonial peace twig. She held an invisible twig.
“I do not understand.” At all. Humans were so strange.
She sighed. “It means a peace offering. I’m trying to apologize so we can move forward, but if you want to be all prickly about it, fine. I’m sure being trapped on a boat is going to be awesome.”
Yes. Awesome was one word for it.
