Kareena gave her a shaky smile and walked away while Wanda knocked on Alicia’s door. There was no immediate response, and she had just decided that maybe the other woman was sleeping when the door opened.
“Mganak has prepared a meal for us.”
“I hope it’s edible,” Alicia sniffed.
Wanda felt a rush of annoyance. “Why do you have to be like that? He’s just trying to do something nice.”
Alicia drew herself up, and Wanda braced for a withering comment, but then the other woman sagged unexpectedly. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s just…”
“It’s just what?” Wanda asked gently.
Alicia looked at her, and for the first time Wanda noticed the faint traces that indicated the normally unflappable woman had been crying.
“It all feels so futile, somehow. Even if they manage to take us back, we’re not the same anymore. I’m not the same. I could never tell anyone about this.” Alicia’s lips twisted bitterly. “Everyone would think I was crazy.”
“Not everyone. I know you aren’t crazy.”
She hadn’t really considered the matter before, but Alicia was right. They would never be able to tell anyone. How was she ever going to explain her absence to the library board? What if she lost her job? Firmly putting that horrible thought aside to deal with at another time, she reached out and gave Alicia’s hand a quick squeeze.
“We’ll think of something. And if you ever want to talk about it, you can come visit me.”
“In the charming city of Edgerton?” Despite the slightly sardonic question, Alicia’s smile was genuine as she returned the clasp of Wanda’s hand. “All right. Let’s go try your captain’s cooking.”
Wanda felt the heat rising in her cheeks. “He’s not my captain.”
“Isn’t he?” Alicia arched a knowing eyebrow before heading to the lounge.
Wanda followed, her cheeks still burning, but when she entered the room and saw Mganak waiting for her, she couldn’t help a feeling of regret. Under other circumstances, she thought perhaps he could have been her captain.
Chapter Five
A subdued group sat around the table to eat the meal that Mganak had prepared. It had an odd resemblance to chicken and rice soup, although it couldn’t possibly have been either chicken or rice. Nonetheless, it was warm and comforting, and everyone devoured it eagerly, along with a loaf of hard, reddish bread with a pleasant nutty taste. Davy wouldn’t eat the soup, but he ate more fruit after once again cutting it into small cubes. He also accepted the bread readily enough.
No one had much to say, and Wanda suspected that they were all still stunned at the change in circumstances. Could they actually be on the first step of the journey home? Alicia’s questions rang through her mind. How were they going to be able to explain their absence? If her calculations were correct and it had taken them three weeks to get to this point, would it be another three weeks before they were home? And how could she explain the six-week absence?
Kareena excused herself as soon as the meal was finished. She had eaten quickly and quietly, casting nervous glances at Mganak as she did. Wanda wanted to reassure her, but she suspected that only time would ease the other female’s nervousness. Considering that her own people had decided to use her for breeding, Wanda could understand her hesitation.
To Wanda’s surprise, Alicia offered to help clean up after dinner but Mganak shook his head. “The galley is too small for more than one person and I know where everything should go.”
“Very well.” Alicia nodded regally, then cast a quick, wistful glance at the children.
“Is your ship set for a night shift?” Wanda asked Mganak quietly.
“It is. And it will occur quite shortly, unless that displeases you.”
“Not at all. I think we’re all tired. The lifeboat didn’t track time, and that seemed to make it harder to maintain any kind of schedule.” She turned to Alicia. “Perhaps you could tell the children a story before they go to bed.”
Darla immediately scowled at both of them. “It’s too early to go to bed. I’m not tired.”
“You were sleeping earlier,” Wanda said dryly.
“Which is why I’m not tired now.” The words would have been more convincing if they hadn’t been interrupted by a huge yawn. Darla rolled her eyes, then gave a sheepish grin. “All right, all right. But we’re gonna talk about this tomorrow.”
Wanda gave her a quick, affectionate hug. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
“Come on, Davy.” Oblivious to their conversation, her brother had taken the last of the bread and started arranging it in a pattern on the tabletop. “Time for bed. Miss Alicia is going to tell us the story.”
He screwed up his face, and Wanda held her breath, wondering if this was the onset of another meltdown.
“Sagat too,” he insisted. The animal was curled under the table, but he lifted his head when Davy said his name.
Mganak laughed. “He goes where he wants to go, but he likes to find a comfortable spot and he seems to like your bunk. Perhaps he will join you.”
Davy climbed down from the table and poked his head under the table. “Sleep here.”
“Why don’t we try your bunk first?” Wanda suggested.
To her relief, when Davy reluctantly agreed, Sagat stretched and accompanied him out of the room.
Which meant that she and Mganak were alone. The awareness of his presence that had been building since their earlier encounter flared up again. Rather than look at him, she began gathering up the dishes. “Do you have a dishwasher?”
“A machine to clean with? Yes, but you do not need to do anything else.”
“I’ll just carry these into the galley,” she said quickly.
“You do not need to help me. You should be resting.”
“I’ve done nothing but rest,” she huffed as she carried the dishes into the small kitchen area. “I probably need some exercise.”
She turned as she finished talking and realized that he was right behind her. Big and green and muscled, and close enough that she could feel the heat emanating from his body and catch that wonderful, tantalizing fragrance. The kitchen suddenly seemed to shrink around them until the two of them were locked in their own little bubble.
“If you would really like to exercise, I would be happy to assist.”
His voice was low and husky, and she had a sudden vision of what that exercise might entail. A pulse of arousal rushed to her suddenly swollen clit. How long had it been she had been with a man? The disadvantage of small towns was that everyone knew your business, and she preferred to keep some things to herself. As a result, it had been almost two years since she ended an amiable but ultimately unsatisfying relationship with a lawyer in Charleston.
It’s just hormones, she told herself firmly. The books all mentioned that my libido might increase later in my pregnancy. But this didn’t feel like hormones—this felt deeper and more urgent.
He was still waiting for a reply, she realized with a start and gave a nervous laugh. “Maybe some other time. It’s been kind of a long day. At least I think it’s been a day. Time is all muddled up in my head.”