He stared at her for long moments. “I can restrict their duties so you have no contact with them if you wish.” His blue eyes narrowed. “I offer you this, Shanna. Do you wish to take over their duties?”

“I’m sure they’ll adjust to me and hell no. In the morning one of them will have to show me what they do around here though so I can pitch in and help out. This is a monster house so I’m sure there’s a ton of things to do.” Berrr nodded right as someone knocked at the door again. Berrr softly growled as his body tensed. Shanna expected it this time as she turned her head, watching the bedroom door open up to allow a tall, muscular blonde woman with hair down to her thighs into the bedroom this time. Her head wasn’t bowed as she glanced at Shanna with a frown before her dark gaze shifted to Berrr.

“We are going to bed now, Hyvin.”

He looked irritated. “I was already informed by Wana.” The woman frowned. “Are you sleeping in here tonight with her?” Berrr growled, looking pissed instantly. “I may.” Anger made the woman’s mouth turn downward. “The house helpers are upset and worried because she is human and they don’t approve of her being here. I don’t want the house in disarray and as house lead, it is my duty to let you know that they will resent it if you stay the night in her bed. I think you need to give them time to adjust to her being with you before you spend entire nights alone with her.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Ovoly. This is my house and I won’t have my house helpers tell me where I can sleep.”

This is the woman who cuts Berrr’s hair, Shanna thought, feeling slightly embarrassed that Berrr and the woman were arguing. From what she’d seen, this was a Zorn version of one since the other women she’d met had just bowed and took off out of Berrr’s sight when he got pissed. Shanna glanced at him, seeing him glaring at Ovoly, obviously really bent out of shape at the woman calling him on the mat for fooling around with Shanna. Ovoly had said she was house lead so that must mean she was in charge of the staff.

“He was leaving,” Shanna said quickly as she met Berrr’s angry eyes that widened at her statement. “You should sleep in your room. I don’t want to cause a war with your staff and she probably has a point. I just got here from another planet and they probably need time to get to know me so they don’t worry that I’ll make their lives miserable.” Berrr wasn’t happy one bit as he frowned at Shanna. “You wish to not sleep with me?”

Acutely aware of the other woman standing in the bedroom watching and listening to everything they said, Shanna bit her lip, then released it. “It’s not that I don’t want to but I think it’s best if you go to your own room tonight. I’ll see you first thing in the morning if you’re home. Do you work tomorrow?”

He took a deep breath. “I have meetings at first light but then I will return.”

“I’ll see you then.”

The door closed. Shanna turned her head, relieved that the Zorn woman had left as she moved off Berrr to sit on her ass on the bed and looked at him again. “I don’t want them to hate me. You said I’m never going back to Earth so I’m here for the long haul. I don’t want to make enemies. I’d love to sleep with you but I don’t want your house in an uproar over it either.”

“My room is right next door to the left.” Berrr rolled off the bed and bent over to yank his pants off the floor. “If you yell out I will hear you.” He looked pissed as he jerked up his pants, turning when the front of them were closed. His bright blue eyes glowed in the dim room. “I will see you when I return after my meetings. Expect me at lunch.”

Shanna watched Berrr storm out of her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him. She missed him immediately as her gaze drifted around the large room full of shadows. The room seemed bigger, even a little frightening, and a whole hell of a lot colder without Berrr.

Depression hit Shanna hard. Her life as she knew it was gone, a distant planet away, and she had no way to get back to it. Not that there was that much to return to, she admitted. Her job was shit, her life was downright sad, and she didn’t really have that much she’d miss besides a crappy apartment with old furniture that would be right at home in a city dump, a car that needed hundreds of dollars in repairs, and a bunch of drunk perverts who harassed her at work. There were also bill collectors who still hounded her trying to get her to pay all the debts her parents had accumulated before they died just two years apart from alcohol-related illnesses. In other words, she wasn’t missing much.

“Oh fuck this,” Shanna sighed.

If she sat there thinking about it all she’d get really bummed out. So what if Berrr’s damn staff had a problem with her being there? She’d rather deal with some dirty looks from them tomorrow than face a sleepless night in a strange place all alone. Berrr was right next door and the guy was the best thing that had happened to her probably ever.

No man ever made her laugh the way he did or had ever gotten her off repeatedly.

He was funny, sweet, sexy and she wanted to be with him. She climbed out of bed and wrapped the sheet more firmly around her body. Eyeing the fire, she realized it was safe to leave it unattended so she didn’t worry about putting it out. Even if an ember popped out there was nothing remotely near it to set on fire since it was just tile flooring.

She opened the door carefully to stare out at a dark hallway. She stepped into the hall, leaving her door partially open to see by in the pitch darkness since no nightlight had been left on. She smiled when she saw light under the door to the left, realizing that Berrr’s door was really close to hers, thinking maybe no one would be the wiser if she slipped in and out of his room. If she got up early, she could return to her own room and his staff couldn’t have a fit over them sleeping together.

She walked to his door and hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and gripped the handle, opening it. When on Zorn… She smiled. They just knocked and walked in so she did it, stepping into the well-lit room that was larger than her own but very similar.

There was a fire roaring in his fireplace to the immediate right, obviously just lit, and her gaze darted around the large room, looking for Berrr. The bed was to her left almost behind the open door she gripped so she had to peer around it. The bed was even larger than the one in her room, if it were possible, and then her eyes took in everything on the bed.