Taming Two Warriors (Kindred Tales)

He was just beginning to think that Jodi’s amazing fiancé must have stood her up when a short, balding human male wearing a white lab coat called her name.

“Jodi, there you are!”

Jodi got up at once and went to him and kissed him. In the heels she was wearing, she was almost an inch taller than him.

The male, who must be James, frowned.

“Well, you’re looking tall today, darling.”

“Sorry,” Jodi mumbled, looking down at her heels. “I’m teaching today so I wanted to look professional.”

“Ah, yes. Well, as professional as one can be while teaching one of the soft sciences,” James said and followed this rather derogatory comment with a fruity laugh, clearly meant to say, I’m only joking!

“James…” Jodi rolled her eyes. Clearly this was an argument they’d had before. “Just because Psychology isn’t one of the hard sciences doesn’t make it worthless. People have to live in the real world, you know—we can’t all have our head in the clouds all the time.”

“Like some astrophysicists you know?” He grinned self-deprecatingly, though it was clear to Vorn he was inordinately proud of his self-proclaimed title.

Jodi sighed. “Yes, exactly. Come on—our food will get cold.”

They sat in the booth and though Vorn tried to keep his eyes on his own plate, he couldn’t help throwing an incredulous glance at the two of them. Really? This was the male who had won Jodi’s heart? Vorn had expected a whole hell of a lot more—not just physically, though he had thought the male would at least be taller than Jodi—but emotionally as well. So far James didn’t seem like a very attentive partner at all.

Still, maybe I’m missing something, Vorn thought, looking back down at his own plate and the half-finished sandwich again. He decided to just listen to their conversation and try to see what Jodi saw in the diminutive male. Maybe there was more to James than met the eye.

“So, how has your day been going, Darling?” he asked Jodi. “Been having a bit of a rough patch lately, haven’t you?”

Being attacked by Varians who wanted to kill her, brought up to the Mother Ship, and sent back down again with a Kindred guard she apparently couldn’t stand was more than a “rough patch” as far as Vorn was concerned. But before Jodi could reply, James was speaking again.

“Been having a bit of a rough patch myself lately, actually,” he told her. “Do you know Dr. Barnes in the lab said my theory of…”

And he went on, rattling off a theory in scientific jargon that Jodi probably wouldn’t know unless she had studied astrophysics herself—which Vorn was pretty sure she hadn’t.

He, however, had. He wasn’t just a warrior—he was a pilot and navigator as well, which meant he knew more than just the basics of how a ship maneuvered in space and the physics behind how it worked. As he listened, he became convinced that James had no fucking clue what he was talking about—though of course, to someone who hadn’t’ studied his field—he would probably come off sounding like a Goddess-damned genius.

Jodi listened sympathetically to the whole speech—which took up most of their lunchtime together—making understanding and encouraging comments the whole time as though she actually cared. It wasn’t until they had both finished their food that James finally stopped for breath and asked her again how she was doing.

This time, Jodi was quick to jump in, probably, Vorn thought dryly, because she knew if she didn’t, that self-centered asshole would start talking about himself again.

“It’s been kind of rough without you these last few days,” she told him. “Are you coming home tonight?” She leaned across the table and put her hand on her fiancé’s. Looking into James’ eyes she murmured, “I really miss you. I’d like to spend some quality time together, if you know what I mean.”

If he doesn’t pick up that clue, he’s a fucking idiot, Vorn thought, shooting a glance across the restaurant. Even from here, he could catch her hot, needy scent. Jodi was practically begging her fiancé to come home and fuck her. And while Vorn knew a human male probably couldn’t smell her heat like he could, her desire ought to be apparent in her big, gorgeous green eyes which were pleading with her fiancé to meet her needs.

But James frowned and shook his head.

“Afraid I can’t tonight, darling. I’m scheduled to speak at that conference in New York. But don’t worry, I’ll only be gone a few days.”

“A few days?” Jodi exclaimed. “But James, it’s been so long since we’ve, uh, been together.”

“And whose fault is that?” He raised an eyebrow at her reprovingly. “Didn’t we have our twice-monthly date scheduled for the other night? And then you never came home from the mother-daughter movie night so I wound up sleeping alone.”