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“Operations Commander Malo said you asked for an examination, milady?” Medic Brynr hovered in the door, not entering unless she invited him in.
Caro grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the quarters, drawing a grunt from him.
“Brynr, call me Caro. I want a full assessment, just to make sure there’re no ill effects from my...adventure.” She gestured to her leggings and baggy T-shirt. “Want me to undress?”
He shook his head, fear and horror in his wide eyes and gaping mouth. “That will not be necessary, milady.” He tapped on his O.D.I. with trembling fingers.
“Caro.” She raised her arms at her sides and let him scan her.
He did so from numerous angles, silence thickening the air. When he had finished, he stepped back, his cheeks a darker hue.
“And?” She lowered her arms, her fingers twitching while she waited for the verdict.
“You are well if not a little malnourished, but rest and frequent meals will repair that.” He tapped on his O.D.I. “I have added nutrients to the cleanser.”
Disappointment teased at her heart. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to smack him even though not falling pregnant wasn’t his fault. “And?”
“What concerns you, milady?” He lowered his arm and met her gaze.
“Caro.” She gestured to her lower abdomen. “My...cycle is late, Brynr.”
“Of course it is.” He nodded like a sage old man, as if nothing fazed him. “As per Medic Aldur’s findings, your menstrual cycle pauses when you are with damu.”
She punched him on the arm.
He yelped, leaping away but not before glaring at her.
“Start with that. Tell me I’m pregnant first, Brynr. What? Am I supposed to guess?”
“My apologies, mil...Caro.” He tapped his O.D.I. but kept his distance. “Have you had other symptoms? Nausea, swollen breasts, lethargy?”
“None of those. A little emotional, but I’ve only known Malo two and a half weeks. Isn’t it too soon to be pregnant?” She snorted, rolling her eyes. Look who she was asking.
Brynr stared at her, hesitant to speak. “Let me know if you need me.”
“Wait, what about a due date?” Dizziness struck. Frowning, she flopped into the nearest comfy. I’m pregnant with Malo’s child. They hadn’t had a chance to be a couple, to flesh out their marriage. Did he want children?
A memory surfaced the day of their first kiss. Yes, he wanted many with her. She sniffed and rubbed her flat stomach. This news would make him happy. A slow smile formed, and she raised her gaze to meet Brynr’s worried dark blue eyes.
“I’m pregnant.” A sob escaped her lips, and she laughed, letting the tears flow unchecked.
The poor male bolted, leaving her alone in her blubbering state. There was no one except Malo to tell. Vorn protected Izzy was all Malo had said when Caro had asked about her this morning.
She’d also put in a request that he help Bezu somehow, explaining how a Yithian male had befriended her and sent Malo her location despite the danger it had put him in. He’d been there for her when Imarri had her tortured. That had led to a fuming Malo contacting everyone he knew. In the end, he’d promised he’d ensure Bezu and his estuuba would be safe.
Veor was somewhere on board, receiving the best care.
The door slid open. Malo burst into the room, snatching Caro out of the comfy for a crushing hug. “You are with damu.” He kissed her, stealing her breath despite her pounding his chest.
She wasn’t about to succumb to his delicious mouth and his wonderous tongue when she was fuming. “This was my news to share. How dare he tell you.” She shoved Malo back, aware he allowed her to do so. “Patient-doctor confidentiality?”
She threw her hands in the air, pacing to burn off the anger coursing through her. It was her first pregnancy. She should have been the one to tell Malo, to reveal the change in his role. Not...this. The ass didn’t show remorse either, instead, he wore the biggest, brightest grin. She sighed, torn between her heart and the injustice of it all.
“He was concerned for you, thamani. You are his first human female and now, his first pregnant one.” Malo chuckled, gathering her within his arms. “Then you cried. The male did not know what to do.”
She sucked in a long calming breath, pressing her temple to Malo’s uniformed chest. “I frightened him?”
“He entered the comm room, stuttering about crying, offers to undress, and ended it with the news.” Malo leaned back to tip her chin up with a delicate touch. “Is it true? You carry my damu?”
Faced with his handsome features and the ice blue of his eyes, she couldn’t deny the truth. She was going to be a mom.
She gasped. “Oh, no, Izzy will make the worst aunt.”
He frowned. “We will keep her away from our damu.”
Caro laughed. “No, I mean she’ll spoil him with gifts and affection.”
“Males are not shown affection.” He jerked back as if he couldn’t understand the idea of it.
“Male?” Her heart twisted. She’d have liked a daughter. “Did Brynr’s scans reveal the gender?”
“No, most damu are male, ensa.” He hugged her gently like he feared to harm her.
“Yes, I remember. A boy.” She looped her arms around his neck and feathered kisses along his jaw. “Need to hurry back, or can you spare the mother of your damu a little of your body?”
“A little?” He smirked, a dimple forming.
She rose onto her toes to dip the tip of her tongue in the indent. “I want fast, Malo.”
He stilled before bending to kiss her on the lips, small sips, humming when he did so. “No more fast, only slow, careful.” A growl rumbled from his chest and up his throat. “Thorough.”
He plundered her mouth, ravaging her senses, stealing her will to breathe, but he kept his eyes open, his expression intense. He broke the kiss, sucking in ragged breaths. “I do not deserve you, ensa, but I will never cease to cherish you.”
She grinned, loving this softer side to him. “You’re an engineer-operative-whatever, not a murderer, Malo.”
He arched an eyebrow, a smile twisting his sensual lips. “There is a difference?”
“To me there is, especially when you saved me.” She wiggled closer, drawing a moan from him.
“You could have saved yourself, Caro. Your technique was...impressive.” He slid his hands down to grip her hips while dropping a kiss onto the tip of her nose.
“It sounds like you want a demonstration.” She stepped back, studying his face. Vinnie was stowed in the corner of their bedroom.
“Please.” He darted around her to sit in the comfy.
She tossed him a lust-filled look. He shifted in the comfy. A glance revealed a large bulge she was fond of. “Let me grab my katac.”
In the room, she stripped out of her leggings and shirt, tossing them and her underwear onto the bed before grabbing Vinnie. Malo had his back to her when she marched to him. She spun the katac to warm her muscles. When she paused in front of him, he stilled. His heated gaze trailed from the tips of her toes to her breasts.
He groaned, leaning back in the comfy to spread his thighs. “Caro, this is madness.”
She twirled the katac, moving through every stance with deliberate slowness. With each lunge, spin, and thrust, his breathing shuddered. By the time she rested Vinnie on the floor, the demonstration complete, a fine sheen of sweat dewed Malo’s forehead. He gripped the comfy’s arms with white knuckles.
“Still think it’s madness?” She pouted, running an appraisal along his taut body.
“Maker, you drive me to incredible, sinful insanity.” He bolted out of the chair to place a kiss on her pebbled nipple. With an arm around her, he tugged her closer, granting him access to her breasts, which he lavished his attention on.
“You didn’t like my demonstration?” She battered her eyelashes at him, trying to appear innocent or unaffected when desire had her throbbing and panting. “I’ll go shower. I’ll see you later after your shift?”
“Alodon’s balls, thamani, I am not leaving these quarters, not until you have screamed my name and eased my longing for you.” He cupped her cheeks, keeping her in place for his intense gaze. Something promising swirled in their beautiful depths. “I ache for you, Caro. When I am with you or not, it makes no difference.”
He desired her, nothing more. She lowered her gaze, hiding the sting of tears. “I’m your wife, your Dar Eth, Malo. I’m yours as you’re mine.”
Pain gripped her chest, but she shoved it aside. What had she expected? They’d known each other for less than a week, Imarri’s adventure notwithstanding. Caro had to remember they were in the honeymoon stage where sex was on the agenda and not the state of her heart.
Pasting on a smile, she clasped his hand, trying to lead him to their bedroom. She would love him, and perhaps, one day, he would return it. If his species couldn’t love, she’d find consolation in his warm regard and the joys of being a mother.
Yet, despite those brave thoughts, her heart wrenched, having longed for the rainbow tower in the clouds with the happy-ever-after. Granny’s nipples, her love for him trapped her. Etterians couldn’t divorce, and if they could, she wouldn’t leave him. Fool that she was.
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