Raashh Decisions (Xxan War Book 3) by Brenna Lyons Read Free Book Online

plastic bag next to it. “I’ll need you to remove your clothing and put it in the bag. There is a shower through that door—you can change in there—and a clean medical gown hung in there for your use. After that, we’ll get you patched up.”
    “Can the clothing be cleaned?”
    “I’m afraid it’s evidence, miss. But we’ll—”
    “I’ll take care of clothing, Ms. Patterson,” Arren interrupted whatever the doctor was going to say. He started to turn away.
    “You don’t have to,” Joy called out after him.
    Arren offered her a smile. “I own a clothing company. It’s really no trouble at all.”
    Before she could answer, he was racing down the corridor. Thankfully, he wasn’t going toward the shuttles. If he went back to Spice now, his seir was sure to hurt them both for it.
     
    ****
     
    The doctor returned to the room with a garment bag. She’d disappeared at a comm a few minutes earlier. “This was just delivered for you, and Arren informs me that Karl is ready to take you home in Raashh’s shuttle, at your convenience.”
    She nodded and took the bag. With it laid out over the examination bed, Joy unzipped it and started parting the tissue inside.
    “If you would like to speak to a cosmetic surgeon, there are several I can recommend. Raashh will pay for it, of course.”
    “What? No. You can hardly see the scar.” Even a bit of face powder would cover it completely. Someone who didn’t know about the attack probably wouldn’t even notice it.
    She pulled out the dress, swallowing a gasp of shock. It was the most expensive dress Spice made, one of Daveed’s early commercial successes in the human market. It was a full-length evening gown that was nearly backless and had a long slit up to the center of her left thigh. A quick check showed it was her size. Moreover, there were underwear and shoes to match it in the bag.
    “That’s pretty,” the doctor noted.
    “Yes. It is.” It was the also the inspiration of her entire line. She’d adored Daveed’s sense of style and had wanted to make clothing as beautiful as his.
    “If you’d rather have privacy…” the doctor hinted.
    “I would. Thank you.”
    She left with a smile, and Joy dressed. Every touch teased her body with sensual awareness. Though her new salary would allow her to purchase clothing like this, Joy had never dreamed of owning this dress.
    Her senses scattered, Joy left the room. Arren was waiting for her in the hall, and she offered him a smile.
    “I hope the dress is to your liking,” he offered in a tone that felt far too formal for a child to utter.
    “It is. Thank you, but really… This is too much.”
    He snorted. “It’s nothing.” He turned away, leading the way to the landing bay. “Besides, I know it’s your favorite.”
    Her heart stuttered. “How could you know a thing like that?”
    Arren chuckled. “When you look at it…even an image of it, your eyes linger, your scent changes. You wanted this dress, so that’s what I ordered for you.”
    Words stuck in her throat. “Thank you, Arren. It’s lovely.”
    “It is,” he agreed.
    There was a comfortable moment of silence between them.
    Arren broke it. “If it wouldn’t be too intrusive to say something?” he hinted. “I don’t want to offend you.”
    Joy stared at him, shocked by a child of eight saying something so adult. “I’ll try not to be offended.”
    He looked up at her, his expression starkly serious. “I’ve seen the way you look at Daveed.”
    Her cheeks flamed at that. “Arren, romances in the workplace aren’t really professional…or smart.”
    “I’ve seen the way Daveed looks at you too. I don’t think it would be sex between you. If you let him, he would be a very good mate.”
    Words deserted her. Joy stopped cold in the middle of the hallway, finding it hard to make eye contact with Arren.
    “It wasn’t an accident that Daveed was on that elevator with you. It wasn’t fate. He was on his way to the shuttle with