Page 18 of Breakaway
She, thankfully, isn't upset when she sees the images. She has no problem with the way my shadows had clung to her body, wrapped around her bare skin, and held her close to me. It was an invasion of her space, but seeing as I was distracted, they were unruly and rude. Not that they were repentant at all, if anything, I can feel them scheming ways to do it again.
My comm makes a soft chiming sound, one that's used only when one of the crew needs something. I check it, not wanting to make anyone wait if it's important. Reese is drifting between consciousness and dreams as Marr takes us back to theapartment. It's been a long day. Based on how the woman likes to spend her time relaxing when she's not cooking or baking, I'm surprised she's lasted as long as she has, since we've been going nonstop since this morning.
Kolos
Anything you want to tell the rest of us?
Kolos's message is followed up with an image taken earlier today, and I let out a soft groan at it already making its rounds so much so that the crew knows about it. He already knows how I feel about Reese, but he was waiting to give me a hard time about it until it was out in the open. At least he has some ethics. Another chime comes in, followed by a second message from Kolos.
Kolos
Can't believe boss man is out here sleeping with clients. How's that going to make the rest of us look?
Isha
Didn't you try to sleep with the Fizneran ambassador's twin daughters when you were there for his birthday?
Isha's message pops up while I'm trying to keep myself from being too angry at Kolos's statement. Reducing what I feel for Reese to something as trivial as sleeping with her is low, even for him. But then again, Kolos has made a joke of the bond between a Sombran and their soulbond ever since his rejected him. And thankfully, the others are in the chat better able to diffuse the situation than I am, considering I'd like to whack him on the back of the head.
Kolos
Try implies I was unsuccessful.
Skia
Is everything okay? Do I need to take a transport to you?
Skia's message ignores everyone else's, and if I know Kolos and Isha, which I do pretty well at this point, they're bickering up in the ship about how he's acting like an ass.
I'm fine. Isha, will you hit Kolos on the back of the head for me?
There's no new message for a moment, and then a few come in all at once, all of them from Kolos.
Kolos
She'd already hit me.
Kolos
But you'll be happy to know she did it twice more for good measure.
Kolos
But seriously, how did that happen?
"Everything okay?" Reese asks me.
Her eyes are heavy, her voice thick with sleepiness. I silence my comm, not thinking about how annoying the chiming might've been to her since she was trying to sleep.
"Everything's fine," I tell her, locking the screen and tucking it back into my pocket. "My crew saw the pictures and had questions, but they're mostly just trying to annoy me."
"Oh, did they not know about it?" she asks, her voice morphing with a yawn as she leans back against her arm that'stucked up against the window. "You can tell them it's fake. I doubt they'll go out and sell the story to the tabloids."
I don't respond to her statement, just watch as her eyes flutter back closed, her breathing deepening. I brush a piece of her hair out of her face, my thumb lingering over her cheek for a moment long enough for my shadows to think it's permission to scatter all over her. A few of them spread across her face. One of them is daring enough to press against her lips. I rein them back in, pulling them back to my body and keeping them where they belong.
"When do you plan on telling her?" Marr asks from the driver's seat, his eyes on me in the rearview mirror.
"When this is over," I answer him honestly. "I don't want her pushing me away while she still might be in danger. And trust me, the guy who will take my place is a lot more annoying than my unrequited crush on Reese."
