Page 41 of Coveted

“But it’s already midsummer. Are your cycles that far apart?”

Confused, she stared up at him until the problem clicked.

“On Libeqor it’s still early spring. I have about two months before my heat.”

His brows lifted, face clearing as he understood.

“Ah. So that means I have two months to convince you we’re compatible.”

His wicked grin sent a spike of lust straight to her womb, but she tried to settle her features into something bland.

“Well, I guess you better get to work on that then. Hopefully, by not snoring all night.”

She turned away from Vax, skin tingling with excitement from their teasing. She enjoyed it, enjoyed the freedom to letherself relax, at least when they were alone. She hoped it wouldn’t change when they arrived on Farcon 1.

Carefully climbing over the pillows she’d placed at the edge of the couch, she settled into the bowl of her nest, tugging the top blanket up to her chest. Vax hadn’t moved, his playful expression morphing into something heated before he turned away and returned to his desk. He used the controls on it to dim the lights in the room as he took his seat.

“I still have a couple messages to catch up on, but I’ll try to keep quiet so you can rest.”

Alana wanted to deny that she was tired, but a yawn interrupted her. She’d been fine before she started working on her nest, but snuggled in the middle of the deep bedding, the tension seeped out of her and she could barely keep her eyes open.

“M’kay.”

When she’d made the nest she hadn’t thought about which way she’d be facing when she laid down. Vax’s desk was behind her head to her left, and she couldn’t see him without levering herself up and craning her neck back. She debated adjusting everything so she could lie the other way where she could watch him, but it seemed like too much effort, so she let her gaze turn to the window over the couch. She’d left it on, and she watched the bright pricks of light from the suns they were passing. They weren’t traveling fast enough to turn them into streaks, but it was enough that each one was only in view for a minute or two.

Cuddled in her nest with the scent of Vax surrounding her, she slowly drifted to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Vax

He could barely see the top of Alana’s head from where he sat at the desk, but he found himself staring at it, listening to the sound of her breathing in the quiet of the room. It had taken longer than he’d thought to finish up what he needed to do, and she’d dozed off long before he decided to stop, but instead of going to bed himself, he continued to sit in the chair and watch her.

She’d started to relax from the formal woman he’d met at the Collection Center, and he liked the little snippets of personality breaking through. She was sweet and caring and intelligent, and while she still seemed to be holding back, he’d loved the way she teased him before crawling into her nest.

How was he supposed to be good enough for her? He wanted to spend more time with her, devote himself to bringing out the woman she’d hidden inside a shell, but his attention was needed elsewhere.

Sighing, he slid his chair back and stood. He kicked his shoes off before padding over to the bed, pulling back the covers and shedding his shirt before climbing in. Removing his pants would be too much temptation.

Laying on his side so he could see the couch, regret curled inside him at the distance between them. Her little nest looked so comfortable, and while there was plenty of space on the bed for him to sprawl out, he’d rather have been on the couch with her.

He sucked in a deep breath, searching for her sweet citrus blossom scent. His own almost overpowered it, and he wished he could bury his nose in her neck to drink it straight from the source.

The ship passed through another solar system, the sun blazing in the window and making Alana stir in her sleep. Her little whimper had him lurching from the bed to get to the controls before she fully woke, dimming the window without turning it off completely.

He stood next to the desk looking down at her as she settled again, studying her face. She looked younger in her sleep, innocent, but her lips were tipped down in a frown. He had the feeling she’d been sad more than she had been happy during her life, and he wanted to change that. He had no idea how an omega he’d only looked at because she could help with the other Chancellors had gotten under his skin so fast, but he could already feel the pull to forget everything else and focus on her.

He couldn’t let that happen. Farcon 1 needed him, and while he needed Alana’s education and skills, he had to remain focused until they were past their current issues.

Turning away from the sleeping omega, he crawled into bed, keeping his back to the couch. He had to remember how many people were relying on him and not get distracted by big green eyes and pretty pink lips.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alana

The rest of their time aboard the hopper followed the pattern of the first day. Alana would eat meals with Vax, teaching proper etiquette while they ate, and they’d discuss everything from the food to the plans they were working on, then Vax would go back to work. If he didn’t have any meetings scheduled she could use the tablet, but the closer they got to Farcon 1, the more calls he had. She’d always thought her father was a workaholic, but Vax took it to a whole new level.

Swallowing her sigh, she placed the last of her clothing in her bag. They were making their decent onto Farcon 1, and while she was excited to see her new home, worry gnawed at her belly. She already felt useless, staring out the window for hours when Vax needed the tablet, and she had no idea what she was going to do once they landed and Vax went back to his usual schedule. If she already had little time with him while sharing a single room, how much time was she going to get with the man supposed to be her mate once there was an entire planet to wander off to.

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