Chapter 5

“Sol, you have been through this before, right?”

“Of course.” He sounded offended or something, but then he deflated. “Once. This is only my third cycle. The first time I made it home, and my partner was Ssarften.”

“And the second time you took suppressants,” I added, understanding dawning.

“Is that…is that a problem?”

I hated to hear the hesitancy in his tone. He was so commanding when directing his platoon, and he kept the station safe. A big job, to be sure. And he handled it effortlessly, even when going up against Ryel.

“Not a problem,” I assured him, resuming my soothing rubbing. I liked touching him. But more than that, it was clear he liked being touched. The thought gave me pause. I wondered how close we were to things beginning with him, considering how much he liked being petted right now. “How long until your cycle starts?”