Page 214 (1/2)

“I’ve got to pee,” she said, pulling on a robe and heading out the door Holden just nodded to her, still not quite capable of speech

He shifted over to the s for a moment The truth was the Roci’s cabins were not built for two occupants, least of all the crash couches that doubled as beds But over the course of the last year, he’d spentin Naomi’s cabin, until it sort of became their cabin and he just didn’t sleep anywhere else any maneuvers, but so far they’d never been asleep anyti A trend that was likely to continue

Holden was starting to doze off when the hatch opened and Naomi came back in She tossed a cold, ashcloth onto his belly

“Wow, that’s bracing,” Holden said, sitting up with a start

“It was hot when I left the head with it”

“That,” Holden said while he cleaned up, “sounded very dirty”

Naoe of the bunk and poked hiht we got that out of your systes for my refractory period”

Naomi climbed into the bunk next to him, still wrapped in her robe

“You know,” she said, “this was h sex”

“Why do I get the feeling that there is a ‘but’at the end of that sentence?”

“But—”

“Ah, there it is”

“There’s soood ti her, and pushed up onto one elbow A thick strand of hair was hanging in her face, and he brushed it back with his other hand

“What did I do?” he said

“It’s not exactly anything you’ve done,” Naoht now”

Holden put his hand on her arm but waited for her to continue The soft cloth of her robe clung to the wet skin beneath it

“I’ off to Tycho to do so really rash”