“Happiness. Humor. Caring and concern.”
He tossed a few seeds to their furry companions. “Well, I can’t speak for Valok, but I’m glad you showed me happiness. Everyone should experience that at least once in their lifetime.”
Simone hoped fervently that Kova would experience it again without her having to share it with him. It would be far better for him to find it himself.
Taking one of her hands in his, Kova turned her palm up and dropped several seeds into it. “I don’t think Valok would’ve thanked you if he didn’t feel the same.” He met her gaze. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for the sunlight.” One of the rinyas scampered up the rock, seated itself in her lap as if her hand were a banquet table, and helped itself to a snack. “And for the seeds,” she added with a grin.
“That one’s very competitive,” he warned good-naturedly. “He’ll keep stuffing seeds in his mouth until he has as many as Toa and still want more.”
She laughed when the little rinya did just that.
The faint sound of approaching footsteps carried to them.
“That must be Janwar,” she said. “Do you think I could talk him into letting me have one of these as a pet?”
“No,” Janwar answered as he exited the trees.
As always, seeing him lightened her spirits, though she feigned a pout. “Why? They’re so cute.”
“Yes, they are. But we already have a hard time keeping T from interrupting our… private moments. Do you really want one of these running around, tripping us up, and distracting us when I’m trying to get you naked?”
Heat crept into her cheeks as she laughed. “No! And don’t make me blush, damn it.” She dropped her voice to a loud whisper. “You aren’t supposed to talk about that sort of thing in front of others.”
Kova snorted. “You’ll soon realize that there are few secrets with a crew this small.”
She grinned. “It was the same back home. Immortal Guardians and their Seconds are enormous gossips.”
Both men chuckled.
Janwar stopped beside the boulder. When one of the little rinyas scurried up his form and perched on his shoulder, he plucked a seed from Simone’s hand and offered it to the little critter.
“You see,” she said with a smile. “You’re all just great big teddy bears.”
“You’re going to have to draw me a picture of a teddy bear so I can decide whether or not I should feel insulted,” Janwar said with a wry smile.
Simone laughed. “I’d show you a photo of one, but I lost my phone when I was fighting the Gathendiens.” She’d taken several photos of Adira playing with a big fluffy bear the last time she’d seen her.
Kova looked at her with interest. “A phone is a communication device?”
“Yes.”
“How big is it?”
As soon as the rinya finished liberating her of all the seeds in her hand, she pantomimed the size of her cell phone. “It’s flat and about this big. Black on one side, silver on the other.”
“I think I have it,” he said.
She stared at him in surprise. “What?”
“I found something like that on the Gathendien ship when we were cleaning everything up. I thought it might be some new kind of tech but couldn’t get it to activate.”
Excitement filled her. “I shut it down before the big battle. You have to press and hold two buttons for several seconds to turn it on.”
“That explains it. It doesn’t appear to be damaged. I was curious to see what it was and brought it back to examine later.”
“Then you have it here on the Tangata?”
He nodded. “It’s in my lab.”
Simone let out an ecstatic squeal that made every rinya stop and sit up on its haunches, eyes wide. Then she threw her arms around Kova and gave him a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
After a moment’s surprise, he returned the hug. Amusement and genuine happiness sifted into her where they touched. “All I did was pick up a piece of unfamiliar tech I found on the floor,” he mumbled.
Simone released him and slid off the rock. “Yes, but that phone has everything on it. Pictures and videos of my home on Earth, my friends, and my immortal family. Music. Books. Apps. Movies.” Her eyes widened as she threw her hands out in a hold everything gesture. “Ooh! We are so having a movie night!”
Both smiled, their amusement over her exuberance clear.
“Can I have it now?” she blurted, eager to get her hands on it. She’d thought she’d lost that last link to home.
Kova rose. “Come by my lab after your jog. I’ll give it to you then. If you want me to, I can also transfer a copy of the information on it to a standard datapad.”
Simone cocked her head to one side. “How did you know we were going on a jog?” She didn’t recall mentioning it.
He winked. “No secrets, remember? You two always jog about this time.”
“Right. Do you want to join us?” She glanced at Janwar, who seconded the invitation with an easy nod.
“No. I have to get Toa back to my quarters before he and Baki start squabbling.”
She glanced down. Sure enough, Toa and his chief competitor were standing nose-to-nose, issuing sharp little barks at each other as the hair along their backs rose.
She laughed.
Kova tossed the last seeds onto the grass and scooped up Toa. Giving Simone and Janwar a farewell nod, he transferred the little rinya to his shoulder and headed into the forest.
Toa glared at Baki and released several more barks before he and Kova disappeared.
Simone turned her attention to Janwar. Grabbing his arm, she started jumping up and down and sang, “I’m going to get my phone back. I’m going to get my phone back. Woohoo!”
Laughing, he wrapped her up in a hug. “You are too vuan adorable.”
She winked. “Right back at you, handsome.”
Dipping his head, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”
Amusement and affection warmed her as she leaned into him. “It’s only been an hour.”
“I still missed you. I’m used to spending the whole morning together.”
“Yeah. I missed you, too,” she admitted and loved that he was so open regarding his feelings for her. “I like that you didn’t go all Me-Tarzan-You-Jane when I hugged Kova.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
Chuckling, she slid her arms around his waist. “You didn’t turn caveman and get angry.”
His brow furrowed. “Why would I get angry? I’m glad you and Kova are friends. He’s part of my family. And I trust you both.”
Simone narrowed her eyes as she studied him.
“What?”
“I’m trying to figure out what I’m missing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re too perfect.”
He pretty much guffawed over that, laughing so hard she had to step back and give him room. “The entire Aldebarian Alliance—and the rest of the galaxy—would vociferously object to that description and ask if you were high on fosi.”
Simone grinned. “You see? I even like your laugh and sense of humor. Seriously, I’ve yet to find anything about you that I don’t like, Janwar.”