Page 14 of BrOdByc
It wasn’t working.
Casey was just on the other side of the door getting dressed in an outfit his brothers had chosen for the women. It bothered him. That he hadn’t gone and picked out the clothing that would touch her body… But he hadn’t wanted to leave her side for the time it would take to go shopping.
Three of the men had gone into the market, near the house where he’d rescued his mate. First, they took supplies to the Captain and kept watch for an hour while Bao and BOlaBe took a break. Then the three went to the nearby market, searching for something to fit the Earth women.
Once they rescued Casey’s sister, they would need to leave the planet. Better to have clothing for both women before that happened—as they might need to escape quickly.
Brode hadn’t told his woman that one brother took a set of Viant robes to Reb. He’d requested them. The long, hooded robes would cover the female better than the small medical outfit she wore in the treatment room. The robes would also work to hide Reb and her sister once they escaped. Brode knew they’d make the attempt soon. When he had additional information, then he’d tell Casey. He didn’t want her to worry until it was time.
Reb also requested the hover. His brother was certain the female wouldn’t be able to walk on her own once they removed Cameron from the medical facility. Reb could carry her a short distance, but if he needed to fight, he wouldn’t have the use of his hands. Getting her to the hover was Reb’s best bet. He could cloak the small ship. Increasing the odds of escaping her captors and making it to the DoMicile.
While they waited for her sister… what should he do? Did he tell Casey about the mating bands? Explain how they signified he was her mate? Should he do that before he kissed her—or after?
In over eighty cycles of life, all Brode’s interactions with women had been platonic, or he’d paid for his pleasure. He had never been more than friends with any female. To be truthful… he’d never even been friends with one. He’d been an acquaintance, a customer, a savior.
Until the bands moved at the sound of her scream.
His eyes shifted to the dark swirls on his right bicep. They ached. Throbbed. Itched. Each of the brother’s markings were unique. Brode’s band was in two pieces. The first ran from the top of his shoulder to the middle of his bicep. Then the second, mirrored piece started just a fingertip away and traced around the arm… ending on the inside of his elbow. The scroll work had a large and small wavelike swirl on the top and bottom of each section.
Brode frowned, studying the markings. The swirls had changed. They’d shifted a bit. That didn’t surprise him as he felt them move. But now there were smaller bands stretched alongside his original tattoos. What the hell?
He couldn’t deal with this right now. Picking up his shirt, Brode considered the look on Casey’s face every time she saw his bare chest.
She liked his muscles.
Brode wanted his female to be happy.
Chapter Ten
Casey
The more time Casey spent around BrOdByc, the more she felt guilty. She should be pacing the floors, worried about her sister. Instead, she was sitting in the ship’s dining hall, eating and laughing with the alien hottie. Or walking the halls of the ship, joking and flirting.
Or, as she was now, sitting in Brode’s room, listening to him get dressed in the bathroom, while she pawed through the clothing his brothers dropped off. Squeezing the armload of fabrics to her chest, she closed her eyes. The clothes weren’t just hers. They were bought from the alien vendor on Viant for Cammy, too.
So yes, she felt guilty because of her growing attraction to the mint-green alien. The agony of waiting for her sister to be rescued shouldn’t be offset with feeling happy every time she looked at BrOdByc. Not knowing what was going on with Cammy was killing her. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to spend every second in Brode’s company. She loved talking to him. Her fascination with that green body grew every second.
She wanted to reach out and touch. To feel his pale green skin. And trace his distinctive, scrolled tattoo. Casey felt like she could outline the swirled ink for hours. Breathe in his uniquely spicy scent and snuggle in his arms forever. She wondered if aliens kissed. Or kissed differently than they did on Earth? Wouldn’t it be fun to find out?
What the hell was wrong with her?
Was it an effect of the compliance pool? Of the aphrodisiacs she’d basted in. Lowering her lashes, Cas assessed her body. This wasn’t lust. Or well, it wasn’t all lust. Not the driving force she’d felt when she was first made to get in that tub. This was... nice. Warm. A little throbbing heat to go along with the excitement of discovery. This was infatuation blossoming into the first throes of a relationship.
Frowning, Casey realized it couldn’t be a relationship unless BrOdByc was also interested. Besides, should she really be doing this right now? Before her mind could list all the reasons getting close to him was a bad idea... she remembered the shadow on her lungs. The one the... Siloth doctor discovered. There was a pretty good chance that she didn’t have a lot of time. It was up to her to spend it wisely.
What would Cammy do in this situation? Or what would she want Casey to do? Cas snorted and eyed the door to the bathroom. Cammy would tell her to quit blubbering and hit that.
Her sister had always been fun-loving and free. Until her latest boyfriend. That had sucked Cammy’s soul right out of her body and dried up all the fun. Once she woke from whatever was keeping her in a coma, Casey wanted the crazy, happy sister to kick in. When her sister was safe, Casey wanted her to flirt and flutter around the brothers with a wide smile and an open heart.
Cameron would want Casey to do the same thing. Hell... Casey wanted to do it. It had been years since she went on a date. Longer since she’d had sex. She’d never had a relationship that lasted more than a few months. She didn’t know how much time she had with Brode. Where would they go when Cammy was safe? Back home?
Casey sighed away from that thought. It seemed unlikely. Worrying about anything other than getting her sister back was too much right now.
So, she thought about Brode instead. She didn’t know what the future held. She never worried about having a relationship. Mostly because Casey didn’t want one. She was always afraid of getting cancer again. She avoided falling in love because she didn’t think that would be fair to anyone.
Something that just occurred to her, was that evading any connection with someone outside of her family hadn’t been fair to Casey either.
The door to the bathroom opened. Casey was still in her robe. She hadn’t decided what to wear.
