Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Y ede didn’t like the way Gemma tensed at his question. What did she expect from him?

She and her son needed protection and he was honor bound to provide it, but he had no intention of becoming involved with them. Especially since her presence was creating unwelcome feelings. He’d been drawn to her since the moment their eyes met during the storm, but when she’d walked into the kitchen and he’d seen the slender curves that had been concealed beneath her clothing, his reaction had been both immediate and unwanted.

It is simply because it has been many years since I have been with a female , he told himself, but the words did not ring true. He had seen other human females during the time when he was watching the other inhabitants of the planet, but he’d never been attracted to one before. He realized he was still staring at her, his eyes tracing the delicate curve of her cheekbone, the tempting red of her lips, the tempting swell of her breasts, just barely visible above the table.

“You will only stay in this area, the bedroom, and the sanitary facility. The rest of my residence is off limits.”

Her pretty little mouth tightened, but she nodded.

“What else is there?” Liam asked, his face alive with curiosity and he couldn’t quite bring himself to rebuff the boy.

“My office, my storerooms, my workshop. The hot springs,” he added, then sighed. “You may use them as well as long as I am not using them.”

He felt an annoying surge of pleasure when her eyes lit up, and quickly continued.

“You may not touch any of my equipment.”

“Fine.”

“I will create a schedule to provide…separation, and you will abide by those times.”

He half-expected anger but instead a delicate brow rose.

“Separation?”

“I value my solitude. Clear boundaries prevent complications.”

“All right. If that’s what you want.”

He should have felt more pleased by her agreement. He cleared his throat.

“Good. Then I will draw up a contract.”

Her lips quirked up.

“A contract? I suppose that’s all right, but I have a few conditions of my own.”

She was in no position to make demands of him, but he found himself curious.

“Which are?”

Instead of responding she smiled over at Liam.

‘Would you like some more soup, baby? That is, if that’s all right with you, Yede?”

“Of course.” He frowned at her. “I will feed both of you.”

“Thank you.”

She rose and his eyes followed the graceful sway of her small body as she refilled Liam’s bowl. Too small, he told himself. Even if he were interested—which he was not—she was too small and delicate to ever withstand his attentions.

“Shall we go and sign that contract while Liam eats?” she asked.

“Fine. Come with me.”

He led her past the living space to the office next to it. It was a pleasant room with shelves along one wall and the desk from his ship but without anyone to report to and no communication with others, he rarely used it. He spent most of his time in his workshop.

Pulling out an old-fashioned sheet of paper, he quickly listed his terms but when he tried to hand it to her, she shook her head.

“You’ve forgotten my terms.”

“Which are?”

“You will not touch my son. You will treat him with respect and as much kindness as possible.”

He reared back as if she had struck him.

“You think I would hurt the child?” he asked, horrified. He had no intention of being around the boy, but he was still offended that she would think such a thing.

“No, but I have been wrong before.” The pain in her voice eased his irritation. “And he’s smart and curious. He may unintentionally violate your rules, especially since he is intrigued by you.”

That also should not have pleased him as much as it did.

“I will never hurt him,” he promised. “But if it makes you feel better, I will add it to the contract.”

He added the additional conditions, then handed the paper to her. This time she took it and signed her name at the bottom in a pretty, looping script. The sight of their names together on the page was unexpectedly pleasing and he quickly folded the paper and put it away.

When he rose she looked up at him and grinned, catching him off guard..

“Of course you realize I couldn’t read any of that.” She shook her head, still smiling. “But I believe you wrote what you said.”

“Why didn’t you object to signing it if you couldn’t read it?”

The smile faded.

“I learned a long time ago that promises are worthless—written or not. Actions are what matter. I choose to trust that you will do the right thing.”

Her faith in him made his chest ache in ways he’d forgotten were possible and he found himself reaching out a hand towards her, but then the sound of approaching footsteps made him think better of it. Her son wandered into the room, his gaze bright and curious.

“What’s this room?”

“One of the places you’re not allowed,” she said firmly.

“Okay.” Liam smiled up at him, undeterred. “Can I see your workshop? Please.”

She shot him a helpless look, and he realized the point she’d been trying to make earlier about the boy’s curiosity. His first instinct was to refuse, to maintain the barriers he’d built. But Liam’s hopeful expression mirrored memories he’d locked away—of another boy who’d once looked at him with such eagerness.

“Very well. But stay close,” he said gruffly. “Don’t touch anything without permission.”

He led both of them to his workshop, biting back a smile at the boy’s gasp of astonishment. The huge cave was filled with salvaged parts, woodworking projects, and a vast array of tools. Liam followed him eagerly over to his workbench, pointing at a plasma cutter.

“What’s that one do?”

“It cuts through metal.”

He picked up the tool, demonstrating its activation sequence. The blue flame sparked to life, and Liam’s eyes grew even wider.

“Like magic!”

“It’s science,” he corrected, but found himself explaining the basic principles as Liam absorbed every word.

The boy’s genuine fascination with the process had him explaining far more than he’d intended. He looked up at one point and found Gemma watching them, an unreadable expression on her face.

Liam reached for a crystalline power cell, and he gently intercepted his hand.

“That one’s dangerous. But here—” He retrieved a defunct navigation compass. “This you can hold.”

He demonstrated the compass’s magnetic core to Liam and the boy’s wide-eyed wonder drew out a long buried memory—of standing at his father’s workbench as his father had performed a similar demonstration. His father’s eyes, so like his own, bright with pride when he grasped the concept.

The pain sliced through him, sharp and unexpected. He set the compass down with more force than necessary, the metal clanking against the workbench.

“That’s enough.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “I have work to do.”

Liam’s face fell, but Gemma stepped forward. He half-expected her to be angry but her gaze was thoughtful rather than annoyed.

“Come on, baby. Let’s give Yede some space.”

The lack of judgment in her voice somehow made him feel worse as she guided Liam towards the door.

“But Mama?—”

“Let’s go and put out things in order.”

Their footsteps faded down the hall, and he gripped the edge of his workbench, knuckles white beneath his fur. This was what he wanted—solitude, silence, the familiar comfort of his tools and projects. No complications. No connections.

Yet the workshop felt colder now, emptier. The quiet pressed in around him like the snow outside his windows. He picked up the compass Liam had held, its metal still warm from the boy’s touch. Three years he’d spent crafting this isolation, convincing himself it was enough.

The sound of distant laughter drifted down the corridor. He set the compass down and stared at his reflection in a darkened screen, seeing his father’s eyes staring back at him.