Page 21 of Tail Me No Lies
No. She was many things, but a fool wasn’t one of them.
Nox kept himself busy with a never-ending list of tasks, starting with a review of the footage from Geral’s house. So far, the male had not found the transmitters, nor had he said anything particularly interesting. At least he could listen while he handled more practical matters.
While he had none of the skills to make necessary repairs, with video tutorials and a toolbox, he managed. He soon reached the end of what he could do with the aging equipment, so he branched out into other improvement projects.
Nox took inventory of the property’s existing security system. It was laughable. Decades out of date and barely functional. The grime on the cameras was so bad that it had even gummed up the inner workings. It was a wonder that Ruth didn’t have her throat slit in the night by an intruder. The situation was unsafe and what some would call her paranoia was fully justified fear.
He tidied the kitchen which became a whole-house cleaning. The wuap, his little hunter, found the process fascinating and followed him about as he dusted, scrubbed, swept, and folded. He cleaned off tables and counters, which Little Hunter had to investigate. He stored items in their most logical location. He went through closets to find useful items that never made it out of the shipping box.
Working kept his hands busy and allowed him to devise the best approach to court Ruth. Completing these repairs and improving the domicile would prove his worth as a mate. This seemed the most prudent method to success considering the house had suffered from years of Handyman Specials, as Ruth called the previous make-do repairs.
Yet instinct told him to take the direct approach.
Time to be direct.
Ruth needed to take a break. The day was sweltering, and there was a pond on the property. The solution was obvious to him.
“Do you ever wear shirts?” Ruth pressed her back against the workbench, clutching the edge of the counter in a fierce grip. The white lab coat she wore hung open, revealing far too many clothes in his opinion.
“You like,” he said, because how could she not? The swimming briefs fit him like they had been stitched onto his body. They even had an opening in the back for his tail. He turned to display, well aware of how the briefs clung to his ass.
“They’re very…very green.”
“The color suits me.” Nox knew others considered vanity to be a flaw, but he never saw the point in the pretense of modesty. He was not the most attractive male in the galaxy, but he was hardly the worst.
Ruth sure seemed to appreciate the view, if the tip of her tongue peeking out from her lips was any indication.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked, leaning one hip against a counter and angling his hips to display himself to the best advantage.
Her eyes lifted from the briefs to his face. “I’m thinking about all the safety protocols you’re violating by being half-naked. Health and Safety is going to level so many fines on me.”
“Seems a shame to pay those fines for being only half-naked. Would being entirely naked help?”
The loud explosion of her laughter rang through the building. “Do you need something, or did you just come in here to preen?”
He needed many things. Her, wearing just the white coat, bent over the workbench for starts, tail in the air. Nox bit his thumb and let his gaze sweep over Ruth.
He said, “Come swimming with me.”
Ruth
“Swimming?”
Nox was making being ethical extremely difficult with all that skin on display. Dark amber stripes ran vertically down his chest, drawing her eyes down to the shorts that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Probably because there was no room for anything else in those shorts.
Dear God, what is he smuggling in there?
Nox cleared his throat. Her eyes snapped up. His tawny eyes sparked with amusement as he bit his lower lip. Her mind went blank for a minute.
They were adults, capable of making decisions. There was nothing wrong with having fun together. Would it be so bad? It might be good. Very, very good.
Her brain rebooted and common sense came back online. She didn’t know his name. She knew nothing about him, other than he was hiding from dangerous people. He was bad news, and she didn’t know his real name and so many other valid reasons that felt flimsy.
“I’m working.” She picked up a tablet, turning her back to him in a clear sign of dismissal. The screen displayed interior shots of the agripod. She’d stare at the screen and literally watch grass grow until Nox got the message and left.
Nox stepped close, reaching around her to pluck the tablet from her hands. He was so close, the heat radiating from him. “Turn around, kitten.”
So help her, she did.
