Tymber Dalton - Out of Bight, Out of Mind

She was lounging by the pool in her new bathing suit and sipping a Martian Muumuu when Caph found her an hour later.

He plopped down onto the lounge next to her with a playful smile. “Lady, we have to quit meeting next to pools like this. People will talk.”

Emi giggled, more from the effects of her third M-squared, as they called them. “Maybe I like people talking about me.” She ran her tongue over the tip of her straw in what she hoped appeared to be a seductive and not inebriated way.

He reached over and took the glass from her and took a sip, nearly choking as he got a taste of the frozen concoction. “Holy crap, babe. How many of these have you had?” He handed back the purple, slushy drink.

She stuck her tongue between her teeth and looked up at the ceiling, which was a huge sky sim. “Umm…” She took another sip and held up two fingers.

“That’s your second?”

“No. I already had two.”

“That’s your third?”

“Unless I’ve forgotten one.”

He closed his eyes as he tried to hold back his raucous laugh. “You’re drunk, Doctor.”

“Not yet. Getting there.”

He lay back and rolled onto his side to look at her. “You okay?”

She nearly hiccupped into tears, but managed to swallow them down. “Yeah. Don’t harsh my buzz.”

He reached across to her lounger and stroked her arm. “It’s okay, babe. Stick with me. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks, big guy.”

“Hey, that’s what I’m here for.” He smiled, his green eyes playfully shining. “Well, that and to fuck your brains out. Ford threw rock to my paper or he’d be here. You’d think he’d learn.”

“You’d think. What’s he doing?”

“He’s helping Aaron handle stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Aaron told me what happened, hon. Let’s just say they’re handling stuff. All right?”

She let out a sniff. “Is that guy going to be roaming our ship while we’re here?”

“You really want to talk about this?” When she didn’t respond, he let out a sigh. “Naw. They’re just loading his equipment right now, that’s all. His cabin pod will be loaded before we ship out.”

She nodded. “Good.”

“Can I say something serious, and then I promise not to mention it again?”

“Okay.” She sipped her drink and prayed her eyes didn’t start watering. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. Although she suspected she was far drunker than she’d let on. She wasn’t sure she could even walk at that point.

He lowered his voice. “If you think something’s wrong, I believe you. Yeah, on paper he looks great. I met him and he seems like a nice enough guy. But you’re my wife and I will always have your back.”

That finished her. She felt him take the chilled glass from her hand as tears filled her eyes. He shifted her over so he could lie on her lounger with her, holding her against his chest as she quietly wept. “I don’t know why I feel like this,” she whispered. “I don’t want to feel like this.”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Because you’re drunk.”

“No. Not that.” She sniffled again. “I know I’m being irrational about this guy. And I hate that I can’t be objective. I should be better than this.”

“Hey, you’re a trained empath. No telling what it is you sensed. I trust you. I know you, and you’re an intelligent woman. If you think something’s wrong, it’s wrong. Look how it saved your life against Eckhart.”

She snuggled up against his chest. “Yeah.”

“I wish I could fix this for you, but Cap’s right. It’s a direct order from higher up, and unless the guy does something to allow us cause, we can’t boot him or refuse the temp assignment.” He gently tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. “We’re not choosing him over you. I just want to make sure you understand that. The three of us feel like crap that we can’t refuse the order and make him go away.”

“I know. I hate I’m feeling like this. It’s so childish.”

“No, don’t hate it. It’s part of what makes you so beautiful, inside and out, babe.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Look how you healed Aaron. All of us. It was that special part of you, the empath part of you, that made you perfect for us.” He nuzzled her nose with his. “And if it means there are times you have conflicts with others because of it, I’m okay with that. I’ll always trust your instincts over anything else.”

She took a deep breath, held it, and let it out again. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. “I love you. You don’t need to thank me.”

“Okay.” She listened to his heartbeat rumbling in her ear through his shirt. “Caph?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Can I have my drink back now?”

“I’m not sure. You feeling okay?”

She started to say yes when she broke down crying again. He cradled her against his large, comforting body. Maybe I am drunk.

No, she knew it was a mix of the inevitable, along with hating herself for feeling like this.

Okay, maybe a little of the M-squareds.

After a few minutes, she sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” She sniffled again as she looked at his attire while he untangled himself from her and stood. Still in his casual crew uniform, he didn’t exactly fit in with the other resort patrons surrounding the pool. “Did you bring a bathing suit?”

“Yep. I brought yours, too, but looks like you beat me to it.”

“Aww. You packed for me?”

“No, Ford did.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll go change and be back in a little while. Don’t go anywhere.” He started to turn to leave, but he reached over, picked up her drink, and handed it to her. “And don’t get too shitfaced, sweetie.”

“I’ll be waiting right here.” While he was gone, she hurriedly finished that one and ordered herself another drink. She might regret it the next day, but it was rare she could totally slough off her duties and just be a normal human.

And she needed that now more than ever. Especially since she knew what was coming after her three-day mini-vacation ended.

By the time Caph returned, she’d lowered the level of her fresh drink to match the one he’d last seen her with. He sat on the lounger next to hers.

Resplendent in swim trunks and nothing else, his abs rippled, a blond dusting of curls scattered across his chest while a treasure trail headed south from his navel, disappearing under his waistband and leading to what she knew to be a large, delicious cock.

He smirked. “You sure you’re okay, babe?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why don’t I believe you? You look a little out of it.”

She settled back onto her lounger and lowered her sunglasses over her eyes. She felt around for the sunlamp button on the lounger’s arm. Above her, a directed beam of UV light soaked her skin at nearly Earth levels. “Just enjoying myself.”

He signaled a waiter. “Bring me one of those,” he said, pointing to Emi’s glass. The man nodded and hurried off. Caph settled back in his lounger and activated his sunlamp button. “Well, don’t enjoy yourself too much. I have plans for you later.”

They spent another two hours there before Caph convinced Emi it was time to return to their room. When she wobbled upon standing, he laughed and slipped an arm around her waist.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, but the room’s moving awfully fast.”

Caph kept a supportive arm around her waist during their slow trip back to the room. “Why won’t the corridors hold still? What’s wrong with this place?”