Chapter 14: Not cold and slimy

Heavy silence coated them, like a thick blanket of snow covering the Earth in winter-muted sound.

He stood so still that she half expected him to grow into the deck. When she'd offered to kiss him, did she shock him into rebooting his CPU or something? If that was it, he shouldn't be shocked. He's the one who talked about sex at every opportunity.

Very carefully, making sure that he didn't mistake it for an aggressive action, she placed her left hand on his massive chest, instinctively trying to feel his heartbeat. "Have you ever kissed a woman, Balthazar?"

His mouth pulled down in a universal sign of disgust. His eyebrows drew together, his eyes became fixed. "I would never betray my soul."

Betray his soul? For one confused moment, she had no idea what he meant. Then it clicked. He thought she was his soul - or the other half of his soul, at least. She held up her hands. "Okay, this might not be as good as you think it's going to be. I'm tired, and I want to sleep."