Ajos: The Restitution - A Sci-fi Alien Romance, Book 1, стр. 26
The first one smelled like coconut, and she found she quite liked it.
The second one made her close her eyes and she inhaled it twice.
Fresh winter air.
She was about to inhale the scent again when she caught herself.
Her cheeks burned with realization immediately.
Ajos.
This was the scent he liked to use.
It smelled exactly like him.
Clearing her throat, Kerena put down the packet and tried the last one.
It didn’t have a scent.
“Computer, is the green one unscented?”
“Affirmative. Would you like to load the unscented cleansing agent?”
“Yes.”
The slot slid back into the wall and soon a soft foam was forming on the water as it rained down on her.
As she showered, Kerena smiled.
The water felt good and as the minutes ticked by, she could feel herself slowly relaxing.
This wasn’t so bad.
If she wanted, she could pretend she was at some futuristic hotel on Earth on a vacation or something.
Ajos’ place was…nice.
And the computer. Wow.
It was some high-tech shit.
If the bad guys had technology that was even better than this, then what the fuck did they have?
A thought crossed her mind.
“Computer, tell me about this place.”
Kerena bit her lip as she waited for a reply. It was just a hunch, but she hoped the computer was a bit like Siri and she could “alien-Google” things.
“These quarters belong to Ajos Khattull. Species: Shum’ai.”
Oh…
Kerena paused and froze. She hadn’t intended to ask about Ajos, she was asking about the Restitution as a whole, but now that the computer was talking, she couldn’t help the fact that she wanted to know more.
The way he’d frozen up when she’d asked why he’d left his planet was still on her mind and she knew she was prying, but her survival was at the forefront of her mind.
What if she was mindlessly trusting him and it would lead to her demise?
Clearing her throat, she asked, “Was there some kind of disaster on the Shum’ai home world? Like something that forced them to leave.”
There was a pause and for a moment, she thought she had probably asked the computer too much.
“No such disaster is on the record.”
Wiping the water from her face, Kerena frowned.
“Then why did he leave?” she murmured to herself. “He said he ‘had to go.’”
“That part of the commander’s records is classified,” the computer said.
Kerena felt a surge or slight shock. “Oh, I didn’t mean to ask—” Letting out a breath, she shook her head. “Nevermind.”
She was just about finished showering anyway.
Telling the computer she was finished, she watched as the water shut off. The pole disappeared into the ceiling, and the water at her feet seemed to seep into the floor itself.
The door to the stall slid open and Kerena stepped out, hugging herself.
Shaking as much of the water as she could from herself, she headed back to the bedroom only to realize she was no longer alone. Kerena yelped, one arm covering her breasts as the other flew to cover her crotch.
Ajos turned at the sound, and his eyes visibly widened.
“Um, I—” Kerena stuttered.
Fuck. It.
This was the second time she’d shown him her nakedness without intending to.
“I didn’t know you were in here.”
He was crouching over the bed and she realized he’d been setting something on it that looked like a mattress.
Something inside her melted a little.
He’d gone to look for bedding for her? He’d even placed a blanket on top.
It was obvious he didn’t sleep with those things, so he’d gone out of his way without her asking.
“A mattress?” She smiled. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.” Just looking at it, she knew she was going to sleep like a log and God knew she needed the rest.
These past few days had just been mad.
That’s when she realized that he wasn’t saying anything.
And, when her eyes fell on him again, she became aware he was simply staring at her.
And…he looked different.
Something about him was different, and she couldn’t quite tell what that thing was.
For what felt like long seconds, he just stared at her, and he was looking at her as if he was some wild thing that was about to pounce.
Shit.
She could almost feel herself go pale as she took a step backward.
Had he heard her? Had he heard her asking about him in the bathroom?
Shiiiiiiit.
Kerena blinked, trying to find the right words.
What should she say?
She’d been a horrible guest by being so nosy, but she’d done it because she also didn’t want to be that idiot who got killed because of their own ignorance.
Before she could even think though, Ajos moved toward her, and with her stupid ass, she couldn’t move.
She was frozen like a deer in headlights.
He stooped when he was almost upon her, so close she could smell that fresh winter scent of his, and reached forward.
His arm brushed her naked leg as he took hold of her dirty clothes, his large hand fisting the fabric in such a way that made her gulp, her mind moving to some dirty, dirty thoughts that had nothing to do with laundry.
He paused there, so close to her body, and the entire thing was suddenly so intense, she didn’t know what to do.
What’s worse, there was a tingle—a tingle deep inside of her that wasn’t supposed to be there.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Ajos spoke before she could.
“I will clean these for you,” he said, slowly rising to his full height.
The air stirred and every hair on her body stood on end, her skin tingling as if there was unseen energy charging the space between them.
When his eyes met hers, they looked feral and even his voice had come out like a growl.
Still, she wasn’t afraid.
She fucking should be. Some long-lost instinct was telling her that. But it seemed it was being trampled by something more powerful.
“Sleep well, Keh-reh-nah.” Ajos jerked as he moved away from her, almost as if he was forcing his limbs to move. Even the tendons in his neck looked taut.
What was happening?
“Ajos, I…”
At the sound