Sneak-Peek: In Space, It's Still Hard to Hook Up (Patreon)

I had a whole plan and a schedule for this month's short story drop, and then we had that heatwave in the Pacific Northwest & western Canada. I grew up in Phoenix and LA, so I know heat; this was a whole different deal, and it was scary. We got through, but as a result it's gonna be a couple days before story time again. This month will be some Good Intentions non-smuts with Alex, Molly, and Onyx.

In the meantime: progress on Riley and Selene's story continues! (Still not gonna title it Hard Restart like I planned, just tagging it here for continuity.) I feel like this scene is fun on its own, but I think the final book when launched will give the scene a whole new run of fun once you have the full context.  :) Anyway, turns out it's always hard to find a special someone, even in a space bar full of bear-people and other aliens...

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“I mean, we told those squatters what would happen. And how do they think they’ll talk their way out of trouble once we show up, right? ‘Oh, we can’t leave, we have sick, we have nowhere else to go.’ Like that’s our problem?” Ankra scoffed. “The best part of that whole job was the wail when Shiirul blew their power station.”

Fur and muscle rippled with laughter and pride. Riley felt Shiirul's laugh even more than he heard it, thanks to her thick arm around his waist holding him uncomfortably close. “It really flew, didn’t it? I didn’t—ah, we’re not here to talk about work,” Shiirul corrected after a glance at her newest companion. “Our job gets a little unpleasant sometimes,” she said to Riley, staring up at her without the amiable smile he’d worn until now. “Not everyone wants to hear it.”

Riley set his drink down on the bar. “That’s fine. I’m glad I heard. I’m out.” He stepped away.

“What? Wait, it’s just a job! We’re only joking!” Shiirul protested amid groans and scowls at Riley from her coworkers.

“Uh-huh.” Riley made it two steps away before Shiirul covered the same distance with one to block his path away from the crowd and back into the open with the rest of the party. He didn’t get a threatening impression from her now, but that was only because she saw him differently than people outside the party, apparently. She didn’t want to bully him like she bullied others. It didn’t win any of his sympathy or favor.

“You don’t need to leave. We won’t talk about it. Come back, have a drink, we’ll—”

“I had a drink,” said Riley. “Y’know, I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated when you stepped up to me. You had obvious ideas, and I tend not to think of humans and Gankriid as having that kind of compatibility. But you were into it, and I thought, hey, new experiences are okay. Maybe I’m being closed-minded. Maybe I can confront my biases. And then you drop this bomb. A literal bomb, apparently. Kind of makes all the rest of it irrelevant. You said yourselves, those people were destitute except for whatever they could scrounge. They had nowhere else to go, and you blew up what little they had for it. Whatever you had in mind with me? I’m out. Bye.”

“Hey.” Shiirul didn’t try to grab him, but her friend did. Kate snatched Riley’s arm opposite the big Gankriid and turned him halfway around by momentum and surprise alone. “You don’t talk to her like that. Apologize.”

“For saying I’m not interested? No.” He tried to walk again. Kate got in his way.

“Kate, you don’t have to—” Shiirul began.

“Oh, I think I do,” said Kate, still glaring at Riley. “Apologize.”

“You want an empty apology based on intimidation?”

“Sure,” Kate seethed.

“You’d have to intimidate me first.” He let a beat pass as she considered a retort before he shrugged. “Security will throw me out, but not before you get embarrassed.” Rather than standing his ground or pushing forward, Riley took a step back.

She understood the step as clearly as his words. With a disdainful snort, she abandoned the confrontation, checking him with her shoulder along the way back to her friends and their spot for the sake of pride. He gladly accepted that if it avoided a fight. “Come on, Shiirul. We’ll find you someone worth your time,” she grumbled.