Josie was staring down at him, face close to his. On impulse, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.It took her a moment to recover from the surprise and to pull back. She quickly jumped to her feet and stepped even further away, glaring at Tark.Tark, muscles still a little sluggish in responding, slowly sat up and then stood. He sniffed and wiped his sleeve across his nose, then faced Josie and smiled.Josie stepped forward …And punched him in the nose.It was not a particularly hard punch. But it did hurt. And it took Tark completely by surprise. He staggered but just managed to keep his footing. He put a hand to his face and wiped away a trickle of blood and a smear of green.‘Do that again and I’ll …’ Josie clenched her fist again, leaving the threat hanging.‘Wot?’ demanded Tark. ‘Sticks me in the eye with a needle?’Josie unclenched her fist.‘Or zaps me so I can’t move?’ His jaw tightened. ‘Or kidnap me?’‘If that’s what you do when you’re angry with someone … what happens when you like them?’ asked Josie.Tark stared at her for a moment, then his face broke into a smile and he chuckled.‘I wuz confused,’ he said, looking a little embarrassed.
