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at the sound of Anders’s voice outside my door made me feel even more ridiculous. I wrapped my arms around my waist and leaned against the wall, wondering if I’d ever be able to function normally. Wondering just what functioning normally really was. Would I ever be able to sit around a table discussing gross bodily functions? Probably not. I couldn’t stop the short chortle that escaped my mouth as I imagined the expression on the woman’s face when the smell hit her. Unfortunately, I’d spent a night or two dealing with unpleasant bed partners who’d eaten things they shouldn’t have.
    Anders’s voice came through the door again. “You okay, Siri?”
    I reached up and palmed the door open. Anders’s big form filled the doorway. He saw me leaning against the wall and stepped in to do the same. He stared down at me, his bulk making me feel small. “It’s nice to see you smiling. Speero thought he’d scared you. There’s no need to be worried about him. Has a mouth like an Earth speed junkie, but he’s harmless. Juniper, on the other hand…”
    “He’d hurt me?”
    He shook his head. “No, never. I was kidding. All three of those men can be dangerous when needed but they’d never hurt a woman. They might stare. A lot. Your face is too pretty to ignore.”
    I snorted, then gasped and covered my mouth.
    Anders gently tugged on my wrist and pulled my hand down. “Remember, you can say whatever you want. So, why the noise? Don’t think you’re pretty?” He frowned. “From everything I’ve heard about your former owner, he only ever wanted the prettiest, so surely you know you are.”
    I shrugged. Today’s red-rimmed eyes and swollen lips hadn’t looked pretty to me. But I’d looked worse. Much, much worse.
    “Speero also mentioned they ran you out of the galley. You hungry, sweetheart? They’re all gone now, so the room is clear. I was about to grab some food if you want to join me. Then we’ll have to take care of the pesky enforcer questions on the vidscreen.”
    I cleared my throat. “I won’t be able to tell them anything important.”
    “Don’t worry about that—just tell them what you do know and let them do their own damn jobs. Wanna eat?”
    I nodded.
    “Come.” He held out his hand.
    I stared at it for a long moment then slipped my fingers into his grip. His hand felt warm, comforting…yet it also made me feel something else I didn’t truly understand. A sort of anticipation and excitement. Frowning, I let him tug me from the room and followed him down the passageway into the galley.
    “We’ll be restocking this thing at the next stop when we pick up the rest of the crew. I believe there are still some Kithran dishes available.”
    “I had gorvo fruit last night.”
    “Clay loves that stuff and Lux surprised us when she filled the replicator with it. We were in a hurry and didn’t have time to get a lot of things before going after Lashin.”
    “Who’s Lux?”
    The question surprised him. He halted briefly, frowned. I looked away because it shocked me too. Especially because the emotion that prompted the question felt fast, powerful…and strange. I hated the idea of him and a woman, and the vehemence shocked me.
    “She’s the captain of the one ship that can fly into Kithra—though that’s about to change. They’ve mined enough kithronite to build a couple of ships now. You’ll meet her. She married a human and a Gwinarian man and made Kithra her home.” He programmed something into one of the simulators. It smelled so good, I stepped closer to see.
    There were four white circles, like flattened bread, stuffed with meat and vegetables I didn’t recognize. “What are they?”
    “Chicken tacos like my mama used to make on Earth. Well, as close as I can get to ’em. I programmed the recipe in myself.”
    I sniffed again and my stomach grumbled.
    He grinned, handed me his plate and keyed in another. “What would you like to drink? Want to try my mama’s lemonade?