Jax finished preparing the coffee, now visibly ignoring the fact that Fiona was gorgeous and dressed like a goddess who wanted to get a little dirty. Merrick didn’t seem to notice, and I had eyes, but that didn’t mean I was interested. I set aside the news and got up to put our plates on the table.
Fiona doled out the orange, and while I’d set a place for Mwende, who hadn’t shown up yet, Fiona gave the extra part to Merrick. We all stared at that double portion, but only Jax, Tess, and Fiona suddenly got very quiet. I knew from something Tess had said that Fiona always gave the extra part to Shiori. The blind woman hadn’t known she was getting more than the rest of them, and no one ever told her.
Mwende walked into the kitchen with a clipped stride and a no-nonsense attitude. Despite that, for the first time in our presence, she seemed to hesitate.
“Here’s your spot.” I pointed to the empty plate next to Tess’s. It was where I knew Miko used to sit.
Mwende didn’t move. “I can find my food elsewhere when we’re not flying.”
“Just eat, Sanaa.” Tess dumped a heap of vaguely bacon-and-egg-shaped globs onto the lieutenant’s plate before doing the same around the table.
Mwende sat. Merrick looked at her, at his plate, and then back at her again. He tossed the extra orange wedge at her. Mwende caught it with whip-fast reflexes and without comment.
Jax filled the mugs and set them on the table. As he leaned over to give Fiona hers, he muttered, “Didn’t know that’s how gardeners dressed these days.”
Fiona sipped, hiding a smile behind her cup of coffee.
Tess had shared some of Jax’s story with me. He’d lost his family to a Dark Watch raid on his home planet. Wife, children, visiting sister—all destroyed in mere minutes before the soldiers had trapped him and sent him off to prison. What Jax didn’t seem to realize, even seven years later, was that moving forward with his own life didn’t mean forgetting or betraying them.
Considering his past, I was surprised he’d gone along with Mwende being on the ship, even temporarily. It was because he trusted Tess implicitly. But Tess could make mistakes, just like anyone. I really hoped putting her faith in her uncle and Mwende wouldn’t be one of them.
Fiona’s posture at the table was impeccable, which highlighted her bare neck and shoulders. She was clearly on a campaign to shake Jax out of the past and make him see her. That hadn’t seemed like the case before she’d been shot and Jax had gone nearly catatonic with grief and worry. He obviously loved her. Did he think losing her would devastate him any less just because he wouldn’t admit it?
Across from me, Jax took his seat next to Fiona’s at the table and plunked his mug down heavily. Was he pissed off and fighting it? Or did he not even understand why he was fuming to begin with? That was always irritating as hell for anyone.
“You look like you’re about to turn tricks for vegetables.” He glanced at Fiona sideways.
Fiona whipped her head around. Her brows slashed together. “What the fuck, Jax?”
His eyes dipped very pointedly to her chest. This time, he made it obvious he was looking. Fiona didn’t have much going on there, but what she had was displayed nicely. The choice of clothing was a little bold for a tour of a greenhouse, but who cared? Too bad Tess didn’t have that outfit.
Red slowly crept over Fiona’s chest and face. Her eyes flashed, furious. “Do you have any idea how nice it would be to have fresh fruit on a regular basis? The orange is great, and I’m glad we always make sure to stock up, and they store well, thank the Powers, but aren’t you sick of it? Vegetables aren’t that hard to grow, even on a spaceship, but fruit is really delicate. If they have something good here and are willing to share, I want it. And if I have to shake my ass a little to get it for us, then I’ll do it!”
Jax’s face turned to stone. “What ass? You’re as thin as a rail, Fiona.”
Fiona stood up so fast her chair fell over. With a sudden howl of rage, she cracked her palm across Jax’s cheek. He didn’t even budge, probably because he outweighed her by more than twofold. His expression turned even blanker. A statue looked up at her from where he still sat at the breakfast table. His skin turned ruddy on both sides of his face—though more on one side than the other. A handprint gradually became visible. For a few long seconds, they stared at each other.
Fiona turned on her heel and left the kitchen, her breakfast untouched. No one moved, in shock probably. And if I was anything to go by, highly uncomfortable. I looked to Tess for her reaction.
“You’re an idiot, Jax.” Crossing her arms, she leaned back in her chair and shook her head at him.
“Did you see her?” Jax flapped his hands in the approximate shape of a woman. “That outfit?”
“Yeah. And she looked fantastic,” Tess shot back. “Which is what you should’ve told her.”
Jax gaped at her. Then he turned to me. “Back me up here,” he demanded.
I shook my head in a firm negative. “You were an asshole.”
Tess’s gaze jumped to mine, her expression grateful and even a little surprised. Did she not expect me to back her up? Moreover, I agreed with her.
“Looking like that, she could get…” Jax’s jaw bulged, a big muscle bouncing. “Someone might…”
“Admire her?” Tess offered.
“Frank—he’s always…” Jax scowled, stiffening.
“Always what, Jax?” Tess asked sharply.
Grumbling a curse, Jax turned to Merrick. “Merrick?”
Merrick pursed his lips. “It was a bit different from her usual, but most women don’t live in a lab coat, either.”
“But her hair…” Jax growled.
“Was loose?” Tess’s brows flew up, her eyes screaming like twin meteors ready to crash down in a pit of fury and destruction. “What’s the matter with you, Jax? If you’re so concerned about what Fiona is doing with her hair and clothes and body, maybe you should make it so that you actually have the right to express an opinion about any of that.”
He stared at her, seeming more stunned than angry. He looked completely blindsided, like he’d just gone through a really rough reentry. Jax’s usual pallor doubled in seconds.
Pressing her mouth into a thin line, Tess shook her head at him again. She ate quickly, scraping the brown uni-glob off her plate with efficiency and ignoring the bread that was the only part of this anyone really wanted. When she was done, she put her dishes in the sink and turned to kiss me. Our lips met briefly. “You can have my toast,” she whispered before pulling away again.
I smiled. “I like toast.”