Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

F or the rest of the day, they were careful to keep the curtains pulled tight as Rixx kept his voice low. Even though they'd told Donya that Myrria's husband was home, the fact that she had heard him meant that others might also hear his deep voice from outside. Since the Zevrians were still searching the city, they did not want any reason to draw the search parties closer.

Rixx busied himself with more repairs while Myrria tried out the newly restored sewing machine. Her eyes lit up when it whirred to life, and she choked back a sob when it swiftly pulled the fabric through, creating a perfect hem in a matter of seconds.

"I'll be able to take in so much more work now," she told Rixx, her voice heavy with emotion. "This changes everything."

Pride swelled his chest. "I am glad."

Rixx had always considered himself skilled when it came to females. Even on a planet with a derth of females, he'd been known for charming the available ones. But pleasing Myrria brought him more satisfaction than all the fluttered eyelashes and breathy sighs.

Pleasing her was something real. There had been no artifice in what he'd done to help her and Zala. No attempt to seduce. No manufactured charm. No agenda aside from gratitude and a desire to make their lives better. But the rush of happiness he experienced was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Was it because his happiness was now also mixed up with hers?

Rixx brushed that idea aside, convincing himself his weakened state was the reason he'd been more attuned to her feelings. Unless she was part Dothvek. That would explain his ability to detect her emotions. He stole a glance at the fair-skinned female with dark hair and decidedly rounded ears, his breath going shallow. He allowed his gaze to drift lower, skimming along her ridge-less back to the curve of her ass before she moved to the kitchen, and he snatched his gaze away.

No, there was no hint of Dothvek blood, even if his people had ever ventured off their world before, which they hadn't.

"Are you sure that's doing anything?"

Rixx jerked his gaze back to the lamp he was fixing on the small side table while Zala assisted him. She held a long, metal tool in one hand and one eyebrow raised while he idly poked the gnarled wiring.

He forced himself to concentrate on the lamp, reminding himself that the simple light source was nothing compared to the illumination system on the sky ship. That complex tangle of wires and circuitry had taken him a long time to master, but this would be quick work. That is if he could stop thinking about all the ways that Myrria was unlike Dothvek females—her soft skin, her round-topped ears, her lack of ridges. He knew if he allowed himself to wonder about the parts of human females that his Dothvek brothers had talked about in reverent whispers—especially the part that made women gasp and moan—he would be unable to fix so much as a hangnail.

He was saved from having to explain his lack of concentration by a quick inhalation from Zala. He swiveled his head to the door, preparing himself to either fight or flee—or act like a fake husband—but it wasn't the door that had grabbed Zala's attention. It was Myrria holding out a dusty bottle.

"I've been saving this for too long." She brushed the bottle's label and coughed when a cloud of dust drifted into the air. "I think tonight is a night to celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Zala's expression was caught between excitement and confusion. "But Donya almost caught Rixx. She knows he's here."

Myrria shrugged. "She knows someone is here. Besides, my sewing machine is fixed, which means I will be able to make more than just what we need to scrape by, and Rixx is better."

"And we were sure he was going to die," Zala added.

Rixx couldn't help laughing, even though Myrria looked horrified by Zala's admission. "I would say that not dying is worth celebrating."

"And we have more of Serena's sweet breads for dessert," Zala said, rushing to the bag on the table and forgetting all about the broken lamp.

Rixx met Myrria's gaze before glancing at the bottle in her hands. "You are sure you don't want to save it for something else?" He hesitated. "Maybe the day your husband actually returns?"

She smiled instantly faded, and she pressed her lips together with a quick look at her daughter. Then she shook her head and gave him a tight smile. "According to Zala and my landlady, you are him. Besides, I have been holding onto this bottle for far too long."

Rixx was surprised by how fervently he wished he was Myrria's husband. He had never desired a mate before. He had always loved the thrill of the chase, the excitement of flirting, the prospect of someone new. But now all that seemed like a waste of time. How was it possible that he'd never been happier than he was at that moment in a cramped house with a woman who did not wear fancy clothes or sweet perfumes? After craving the freedom of traveling the skies, how was he content in her small world?

It didn't matter, he told himself. No matter how much he wished it, he was not her husband. Myrria was still married. It was all a game to keep him alive and them safe. It was not real, even if what he felt for her was so intense it sent sharp claws into his heart.

"If this is a party, I need to put on my fancy dress." Zala spun on her heel and rushed to the ladder, practically hoisting herself up to the loft.

Myrria's bright smile returned. "It's been a long time since I've seen her this happy." She pivoted to him. "Thank you."

"You do not need to—"

She cut him off. "I do. You have made my daughter happy. You have made me…" She paused as their gazes fused, and the world seemed to stop spinning, then she glanced at the sewing machine. "You have made our lives better."

Rixx's face flamed. "I have done nothing that any honorable male would not have done."

"Maybe on your planet, but not on this one." Myrria's soft voice hardened. "I am grateful that you have shown my daughter what a good man looks like."

"But I am not a man," Rixx reminded her with a grin.

She drew in a quick breath as her gaze roamed his face. "No, you are not." Then she squared her shoulders and pinned him with a sharp gaze. "I know you have already done so much for us, but I need to ask you for something else."

"Anything." Rixx rasped as they stood facing each other, his pulse jangling.

"I need to return to my bed."

Embarrassment flooded him. Of course, the woman wanted her bed back. He should have thought to vacate it earlier. Rixx nodded. "I will move to the floor."

She shook her head, her gaze falling to the floor before she lifted it to his again. "I need you to share the bed with me."