Jaded by Viola Grace Page B

arousing her again, but she did.
     
    Light kisses on her shoulder woke her. “Hmm?”
    “We have landed. Time to relax.”
    She grunted and rolled over, glaring at him. “I was relaxed.”
    He grinned, but there was an excitement around him. He dropped a bag on her bed. “Come on. The beach is calling. You can swim, can’t you?”
    She grimaced and got out of bed, stumbling to the lav. “Yes, I can swim.”
    A few minutes later and she was less sticky, had far less musk clinging to her and was moderately more awake.
    She reached for her uniform, but he put his hand over hers and put her casual clothing in her hand instead.
    “Casual only. We are here to relax. You are simply Jayd Gonzalez, working for the legal department of the imperium. I am your devoted lover and we are here for vacation.”
    She got dressed and wrinkled her nose. “Devoted lover?”
    “It is how the Shushan speak of interpersonal relationships. We are staying at my cousin’s resort.”
    He had her bag over his shoulder and she shuddered to imagine what he had packed for her while she had been asleep.
    “Harry, are you cool with this?”
    “Truanic has allowed me to provide him with a pager and has promised to check in once per day. Go and reset. Your mental output is filled with static.”
    Jayd hated starting a day on a grump fest, but it seemed to be what she was going to do.
    They exited the shuttle and a smiling man in a small conveyance was waiting for them.
    Jayd stumbled a little, but it was no surprise. It was the middle of the night.
    Truanic put his arm around her waist and escorted her to the transport. “Jayd, this is my cousin, Readic. Readic, this is my beloved, Jayd.”
    She elbowed him subtly, and he squeezed her waist.
    Readic inclined his head and opened the door for her. “Welcome to Ghaluud.”
    “Thank you. What time is it?”
    He chuckled. “Dark. We do not measure time here. It is for relaxation only.”
    Jayd sat down and Truanic sat next to her, lifting her hand to his lips for a kiss.
    Readic started the vehicle and they left the tarmac, skimming across the land and making their way downhill toward the sound of roaring.
    Jayd could not see much in the darkness, but when they shifted around a stone cliff face, she was looking out at a vast expanse of water illuminated by two huge moons. She grabbed for Truanic’s hand when the waves crashed in once again.
    “You do not care for the sound.”
    She whispered to him. “It is not something I am used to. I am sure that I will get the hang of it.”
    “I will be with you the entire time.”
    Jayd sighed. “You had better be, but I think you can swim in that, and I will sit and just meditate on the beach.”
    Readic chuckled. “If that is how you relax, you should enjoy yourself.”
    The resort was a huge structure that expanded against a sheer wall of rock and left the wide expanse of the beach completely clear. The vehicle pulled into an alcove and Readic opened his door, moving around to let her out of the transport, touching her hand lightly.
    There was a light spark as she touched Readic, but he jerked his hand back and surreptitiously rubbed it on his thigh. She chuckled and stood aside as Truanic picked up their bags and put his arm around her again.
    The vacation was about to commence.
     

Chapter Ten
     
     
    She could smell the sea in the air; all the windows of their huge rooms were wide open and facing the ocean. The curtains ruffled and billowed as the sound of the surf came in and wrapped around her.
    “The resort offers beach wear.” Truanic opened the wardrobe and pulled out a few long swaths of fabric.
    “I am not wearing that.”
    “Good. It is men’s clothing. Yours is still in the wardrobe.” He peeled out of his clothes and began to wrap the fabric without hesitation.
    She chuckled and moved to the carved wooden clothing storage and saw a set of fabrics in a deep blue all hanging together. “How the hell does this work?”
    He snorted