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response.
    “Okay.” She sighed. “So, what do you eat?” Her focus dropped to his bare chest.
    “The oatmeal obviously doesn’t suit you.”
    “Your repeated attempts at wit are failures.”
    “It’s a good thing I’m not a comedian then or I’d be out of a job.” She turned,
    moving toward the storage lockers, and yanked open the lower ones, sure that she had
    cleansing foam containers stored in one of them. The third one she opened contained
    two bottles of the stuff. She grabbed one and turned, kicking the door closed with her
    boot. “If you don’t want Roid to clean you then I guess I’ll have to do it.”
    The cyborg watched angrily. “Set me free.”
    “We’ve been over this. The Jenny is all I have and I’m not about to risk losing her to
    you.”
    “The Jenny ?”
    “That’s the name of this shuttle. It used to belong to my father but he died a year
    ago and left it to me.”
    That got some flicker of emotion from him. “I’m familiar with human relationships.
    Where is your male? You must have one. I demand to speak to him. Males are more
    reasonable than females.”
    “Good luck with that. Last I heard, my ex-husband had set up shop on Saturn but
    he moves around a lot.” She stopped near him and studied the nozzle of the container.
    “And bite your tongue over that last remark. I’d call my ex a lot of things but
    reasonable would never be one of them. If he were here running this outfit you’d still be
    on that freighter with those jerks who liked to punch and torture you. He’s not one to
    do anything nice for anyone else unless there is something in it for him.” She twisted
    the cap and a hiss sounded, the small nozzle lifting as it filled. “I lost a trade contact
    saving your ass so that sure didn’t benefit me.”
    “Why did you do it?”
    She lifted her gaze, meeting his. “I told you, I’m a sucker but I’m well aware of my
    flaws. I always had this thing about rescuing stray animals since I used to be pretty
    lonely growing up. I guess, now that I’m an adult, I’ve chosen to save people.” She
    inched closer. “Close your eyes and I’ll hose you down. Have you ever used cleansing
    foam before? You don’t want it to get into your eyes. It doesn’t hurt but it won’t feel
    good either. It will eat away the oatmeal but not your skin. It melts harmlessly into
    water.”
    24

    Stealing Coal
    He watched her silently. She expected him to struggle or attempt something but he
    didn’t move. She bit her lip, glanced down his body, and her gaze froze on his shorts.
    “I refuse to breed with you.”
    Her gaze jerked to his face. “What is up with you and sex? I’m not going to tear
    your shorts off and attack you.”
    “You were staring at my groin.”
    “I’m trying to think of a way to hose you down without getting your shorts wet. I
    doubt you’d be comfortable with them drying on your body.” A horrible thought
    crossed her mind. “Um, how do you go to the bathroom?”
    “You think of this now that I’ve been on your ship for over twenty-four hours?”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it at all. I’m not used to having someone who needs
    to go.” She frowned. “Do you go?” Heat warmed her cheeks as she set the canister
    down on the floor by him. “Sorry. That’s kind of a personal question.”
    “Your android has assisted me.”
    She didn’t ask how he’d done that and didn’t want to know either. “Good. Great.”
    Embarrassment still flowed through her. She should have considered all his needs, not
    just making sure he had been kept warm and given access to food. “Got any ideas?”
    “Release me. You haven’t harmed me and for that reason, I’ll allow you to live.”
    “Gee, thanks.” She gave him a forced smile. “Aren’t you a sweetheart? I guess for a
    guy who won’t even give his name or say thank you for saving his life, that’s a huge
    concession.”
    “Could you at least release one of my arms? I could clean and