Mission: Planet Biter (Veslor Mates #4)(26)

“It doesn’t grow longer. Vera, you are not making much sense. I will get a medic.”

She slid her hands up and down his chest lightly. “Please don’t. I’m okay. I promise. I just had a moment since you weren’t here with me. My mind wandered to a weird place. I’m better now.”

He seemed to study her.

“I mean it. I had too much time on my hands while you showered, and I kind of…well, it doesn’t matter. I feel better when you’re with me. You have to be the nicest man ever born to put up with my crazy.”

“You were drugged against your will. None of this is your fault.”

“I know, but you must think I’m the biggest pain in the ass.”

“You are not an annoyance, Vera. I am grateful that you are doing better and that you trust me. Most humans fear Veslors.”

“Most humans aren’t too smart, from my experience.”

He smiled. “There are a lot of good ones.”

“I guess you’re right. I just haven’t known too many. I tend to be a jerk magnet, especially with men.”

He stepped closer. “What does that mean?”

“Which part didn’t you understand? Jerks are people who will treat you badly and try to use you. Magnet? Well…jerks are drawn to me for some reason. It’s why I no longer date and just avoid relationships. For instance, I make great money working for New Worlds, and my last boyfriend figured out a way to steal from me when I let him stay at my place, while I was away on a job. He bought things and charged them to my account. I was gone for five months, so it was a good thing I had a limit cap on my monthly spending, or he’d have sucked my account dry. He also moved another woman in with him. So not only was he a thief, but a cheater.

“The one before that used me for my connections. He kept saying how great it would be if we could work together, rather than being separated when I was on a job. He even asked me to marry him. I got him hired on at New Worlds, then he dumped me as soon as he signed a contract with the company.”

“The male lied about making you his mate to gain a job?” Roth appeared surprised.

“New Worlds pays really well, but it’s tough to get hired by them if you don’t have the specialized skills they need. I’m not only a drone operator, I can also repair and reprogram them for just about any task. That means I can do the jobs of three people, and my skills are in high demand for survey companies. My ex didn’t have that going for him. I begged a few favors from friends at New Worlds and got him into security. Basically, he just had to be physically fit.”

“I am sorry those males were bad to you.”

She shrugged. “I learned my lesson and stopped dating. Like I said…I’m a jerk magnet.”

“Was it one of those males who you were yelling at when you were seeing things? You said something about him not getting money if you died.”

“No. That was my biological father. Unfortunately, I was seeing and hearing him a lot while drugged. He always finds women to support him because he’s too lazy to work. My mom was one of them, though she got pregnant because her birth control implant malfunctioned. Raising a baby can be dangerous on Mars, and she didn’t have the money to burn anymore after she moved our family to Earth, right after I was born. It’s more expensive there, but much safer.

“My father left us within a matter of weeks. He had nothing to do with me for years, until he somehow found out about my mom’s death four years ago. Then he wanted money from her estate, claiming they were legally married—which was a lie; they were never married. And she was broke by the time she’d died. She’d been injured and couldn’t work for the last year of her life. Her medical bills ate through her savings. When my father investigated her finances, he discovered that I’d been supporting her. The jerk actually tracked me down to demand that I do the same for him…that I pay his bills. It was the first time I’d ever seen or spoken to him. I told him to fuck off. I don’t owe him anything.”

Roth growled low, anger in his golden eyes. “He has no honor.”

“He doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. I think I imagined him while I was drugged because I thought I was going to die. He’s the sort who would try to profit off that by claiming to be my devoted father.” She rolled her eyes. “I made sure that wouldn’t happen. My death benefit payout will go to a charity for single mothers struggling to raise their children alone. I chose them to honor my mother. She raised me without any help from him.”

“He sounds like a bad male.”

“Yeah. He is. I’ve had to move twice because of him.”

Roth leaned in closer. “Has this male hurt you?”

“No. He’s just annoying. Sometimes he shows up to raise hell and demand money. He’s not as handsome or charming as he used to be. Women don’t take his crap anymore, and they’re smart enough not to give him access to their funds. Mostly he gets tossed out by them. He’s shown up on my doorstep demanding a place to live. Rather than keep fighting with him, I moved.”

Roth seemed to study her.

“He’d never dare hit me. I’d have him arrested if he did. Out of all his flaws—and there are many—beating on women isn’t one of them. My mom would have warned me if he’d been abusive. We were very close.”