“This and that,” he answered.
“Ah…” Kismet drew out the word dramatically.
“He didn’t mean it that way.” Karma’s cheeks turned pink.
“If you say so,” her sister said. “You’re turning red.”
She fanned her face. “It’s hot in here.”
He’d learned his outspoken, passionate wife was quite modest, a tantalizing and irresistible combination. Seeing her blush was making him hard. Harder. Everything she did turned him on. Horny had become his perpetual state.
But, while he enjoyed her blushes, he didn’t wish her to suffer embarrassment. “We’ve been busy with a special work project.”
“Work project?” Jaryk leaped on his comment. “What kind of work project?”
Hekkel.He made the minimum requisite charity appearances. Other than that, his only knownprojectsinvolvedinvoluntarily starring in KCN exposés. He wished he could take Jaryk into his confidence.
“Uh…”
“Project—like a baby?” Kismet leaped to the wrong conclusion.
Karma’s face turned pinker. “He didn’t say that.”
With a jolt, he realized he’d welcome having a child with her. But would it even be possible? Could their two species reproduce? They were anatomically compatible, but what about genetically? What would a child look like? Would it have pointed ears? Blue hair?
If they could reproduce, she might already be pregnant. They’d been going at it like rodents and had done nothing to prevent conception.
“Uh-huh.” Kismet smirked.
He met Karma’s wide-eyed gaze.Gods of Kaldor, I love this woman.They hadn’t exchanged words of devotion yet, but he was pretty sure they both felt it. Which was why he needed to get Kismet alone and ask for a favor. Hopefully, after dinner, Jaryk would suggest they retire to the library for a round of spirits and hologames, and he’d have a chance to pull Kismet aside.
* * * *
“You and Kismet seemed to have a lot to talk about,” Karma commented when they retired to their suite.
As he’d hoped, Jaryk had suggested they play hologames, to which Falkor had readily agreed, and then suggested they split up the couples—he and Kismet against Jaryk and Karma.
“We were plotting strategy,” he said not untruthfully. They had hatched a plot—it just didn’t involve game play.
“For all the good it did you. You two lost,” she crowed.
“I didn’t say it was a good strategy.” He and her sister had been too busy plotting to pay attention to the game.
“Jaryk and I wiped the floor with your asses,” she boasted, flashing a cheeky grin.
“You’re so eloquent. Wait for the rematch! If you must know, Kismet brought up the baby thing again.”
“I didn’t know what to say about work projects without revealing anything about Kaldoronics.”
“How do you feel about having children?” he asked. “We didn’t take any precautions.”
“Actually, we did. I have a birth control implant. I can’t become pregnant until it expires, or I have it removed.”
“Oh,” he said, more disappointed than he should be.
“Can humans and Kaldorans reproduce?”
He hesitated. “If we could, would you want a baby?” It struck him that it must be possible—or the king and queen wouldn’t have accepted Jaryk’s marriage to Kismet. Among his most important duties, the crown prince had to produce an heir to succeed him.
