Page 31 of My Tiny Giant

“Rick? In private, please?” Emma clarified.

“Oh. Right.” The man finally got it, then headed in the direction of the landing pad at the back of the base. “I’ll go make sure the transport is ready. You have ten minutes.”

Ten minutes?

Agan wasn’t an expert in saying goodbyes, but ten minutes didn’t seem nearly enough.

He followed Emma’s gaze as she watched the captain depart. The recollection of being trapped between their bodies when the captain had hugged her earlier came to his mind.

“Is he your man?” he blurted out and immediately regretted it. Did he really want to know the answer? Did he need the confirmation that she already belonged to someone else?

He thought back to that warm place between her breasts where he’d spent most of the day. Sitting there had been comfortable. His hips fit snugly into her cleavage, his feet rested in the middle of her bra. However, the increasing awareness of her sweet, feminine scent and the exquisite sensation of her bare, furless skin had been hard to ignore. Despite his worry, his cock had grown painfully hard, fast. Thankfully, walking to the gate had calmed his arousal somewhat, sparing him the embarrassment of standing in front of his general with a raging erection in his pants.

Now, he severely disliked the possibility that her body could belong to another man—an odd notion, considering his circumstances. Emma’s personal life should be the least of his concerns right now.

“Who? Rick?” She scrunched that small, furless nose of hers in a funny grimace. “No! He’s my superior officer at work and my friend in private. He often behaves like my older brother, too, but he is most definitely not my man .”

There was still a chance she belonged to one of the other men in her unit. He bit his tongue, however, stopping himself from asking. If she indeed had a man, it’d just anger him. If she didn’t... Well, there wasn’t anything he could do either way.

“Listen...” She quickly scanned the surrounding area. Dinnertime was close, and most of the warriors had gone to the food serving area behind the main building. Some were still lingering, throwing curious glances their way. “Shall we go somewhere? Out of view?”

The sharp awareness of his current condition rushed back to him. What kind of warrior could he be in this state? How could he ever rip a single fescod apart if he was no bigger than the palm of a tiny woman?

Sorrow and dread painfully squeezed his heart.

“There.” He gestured to the side of the building, trying to chase the dark thoughts away. “Let’s go around the corner. There’re a couple of logs on the ground where you can sit.”

She carried him into the narrow space between the two buildings and out of anyone’s sight.

“Well, it’s a goodbye, then.” Emma sat on one of the wide logs piled up against the side of the general’s house.

Agan climbed out of her hand and straddled one of her knees, facing her.

“Are you...” She swiped aside a light-blonde wisp of hair that had made its way out of the tight knot on the back of her head. “Are you going to be okay, Agan?”

“Of course.” He shrugged, trying hard to look and sound as casual as possible—calm and undisturbed—even as his insides twisted with worry and fear.

What would happen now? Did he even have the right to remain at the base if he was unfit to be a warrior? They might as well send him to Neron, for the women and children in the entertainment unit to keep him as a pet.

This war was all he’d ever known. What could he do if he could no longer fight? Who would he be?

Fear descended on him like a dark, heavy shroud, making it hard to breathe. He closed his eyes and fisted his hands so tight, his fingernails painfully dug into his palms.

“Agan? Are you sure you don’t want to consider...” Emma started carefully.

He had to stop her or he’d lose it right here in her presence. Out of everything that had happened to him today, having a meltdown in front of this woman would be the most horrific.

He attempted to regain his composure.

“Thank you for everything, Eleven,” he said, striving for a safe, neutral tone. “It’s been an honor to fight side by side with you.”

Maybe not all was lost, yet. He had to trust his general. The leader of the Ravil Army kept his promises.

“You are a true warrior, Eleven. With or without your suit,” he added with a wink and even managed a genuine smile.

He meant every word, even though saying them to a woman still felt odd. He’d never met anyone like Emma before and having to part with her now brought an unexpected sadness. He sensed there was even more to this woman, but now he’d have no chance to discover any of it.

“I never thought I’d hear that from you.” She smiled back at him.