03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (21 page)

She studied their route again and nodded
thoughtfully. It would require only a two-day delay of their
schedule, which she considered acceptable. Of course she would have
to make up something to tell Xera, and Azor would need to know the
truth. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too provoking about it.

She thought about the offer he’d made that
afternoon and had to smile. Well, he couldn’t be too stuffy, could
he? He’d want to stay in her good graces. It was a nice feeling
having something to hold over a man like him.

CHAPTER 13

Her confident feelings didn’t guarantee his
approval, however, and Azor was not happy with her desired
destination.

“I’ve been there. It’s a hellhole,” he said
flatly. “I don’t appreciate him steering you toward a place like
that.” They were in the galley, and he’d been looking through
recipes on the computer, probably trying to think of something
interesting to make for dinner. He turned the machine off now, no
longer interested in food.

“He tried to talk me out of it,” she said,
“and he was even more unhappy when I offered to travel to his
planet instead. He said they’re having problems with pirates,
thieves from a neighboring star system. It’s not a good time to
travel there.”

His eyes glinted green. “I see no reason why
we should leave our present course. Let him send you the
information. You’re interfering in your sister’s life as it is.
It’s not worth endangering yourself to collect gossip when you can
talk to Xera in person soon.”

“It’s important to me,” she said, an edge to
her voice. She took a breath to calm her temper. “I want to know
the truth.”

He stared down at her, looking every bit as
intimidating and cold as the first time she’d seen him. It clued
her in on just how much he hated this idea. She couldn’t hold his
gaze for longer than a few seconds at a time. He was that
intimidating.

At long last, he said, “This will be your one
deviation from the schedule. Are we agreed?”

She knew he would hold her to it. “Yes.”

By the chill in his face, he was still very
displeased. He began to pace. “There are other things. You won’t be
able to go as your normal self. We need to blend in. If you look
different than the natives, you’ll just be begging for a kidnapping
by slavers.”

She shifted uneasily. Azor wasn’t the kind to
exaggerate. If he thought they were going into that kind of
trouble, then he was granting her a major concession. She paid
close attention to what he was saying.

“You’ll go as my woman. That will help keep
the poachers off you. You’ll have to let me do the talking.” He
looked down at her severely. “Can you do that?”

She raised a brow and waved him on. She’d
give him what he asked, of course, but she didn’t appreciate his
tone. She wasn’t under his command.

His expression softened slightly at her
unspoken chiding. “I’m not interested in seeing you hurt. I’m used
to planning tactical, but not with you. If I act like myself,
you’ll have to excuse me.”

She had to smile at that. This was a side of
him she hadn’t seen in a while, but it didn’t mean it had ceased to
exist. She could live with it. “I do appreciate this. I am
listening.” She knew how to be magnanimous when a business deal was
going her way. This was no different.

Her easy acceptance seemed to make him
unhappy. “I don’t like doing this with you.” His gesture took in
the situation, the conversation, possibly even his attitude.

“You’re being protective. I get that. I also
believe you think we can get in and out with out too much trouble,
despite the risks. I have a feeling you’d find a way around this if
you didn’t.” She smiled slightly. “I can believe you’d be all kinds
of ruthless to protect your assets.” She used the technical term
Blue sometimes used when he talked about his old job. Assets were
things or people of importance to him.

Azor’s face showed no emotion when he looked
at her, which meant he felt very strongly, indeed. “Yes.”

She rose from her chair and took his hand. It
was unresponsive. “I promise to be careful.”

Azor walked away without comment. She
couldn’t keep a promise like that.

He knew better than to allow a civilian into
a situation like this.

Instinct made him want to grab the woman and
lock her in his room, out of danger—from everything but him, of
course. His race wasn’t so different from the Scorpio she decried,
though they’d adapted to her culture to survive. He was only one
generation removed from taking captive women to wife, himself.
Ryven’s actions seemed reasonable to him in light of Xera’s
situation and the vast distance between their families. Brandy
conveniently overlooked the fact that Ryven had saved her sister
from a bad situation. He’d given her status, a home, children, and
most importantly, he made Xera happy.

He did not believe the thin excuse that
Brandy clung to—Xera would have found a way to fight back, to tell
her family if she was unhappy. She’d had a chance to escape with
the GE, in fact, and had fought her way back to Ryven instead. That
took devotion.

Brandy wanted to have her family back the way
it was. She failed to see that even if Xera returned, things would
never return to the way they were. Gem had her family, Xera had
hers. He thought a family was what Brandy was really looking for.
She just didn’t think she could have it, so she tried to repair
what she thought was broken.

She was going to be disappointed when she
found she had no glue to mend the pieces she wanted to gather
together.

He didn’t know why she thought she couldn’t
have a family of her own, unless it was her failure with M’acht.
Regardless, if Azor wanted to make one with her, he’d have to keep
her happy for just a little longer. When he finally had a lawful
claim to her, then he could put his foot down.

He worked his jaw to loosen the tight muscles
there. He was starting to think it might be a good thing to remain
in Scorpio space after he wed her. They seemed to have more
leniency in controlling their females.

Making love to her would help, but she wasn’t
ready for it yet. He planned to work diligently to get her ready,
and screw the restrictions he’d placed on himself. Restraint just
got him into situations like this, where he was unable to distract
her with an exhaustive round of bed play. He was tired of being
nice.

Ignoring the Guok, who was absorbed in his
ever-present game, he sat down in his chair on the bridge and
pulled up information on the space station she wanted to visit,
both civilian and classified. It paid to know whom to avoid.

They were scheduled to begin cold sleep in a
few hours. He could delay it, but doubted it would be a good idea.
She’d find a way to meddle when she was awake, and he wasn’t
certain his temper would hold. His desire for her was making him
short-tempered over this new situation she’d gotten into. It would
almost guarantee an argument, and if he couldn’t burn off the
energy of that the way he wanted to, then it would lead to more
tension.

He could hide it well, but like most
Kiuyians, he tended to de-evolve when pressure hit. People thought
he was cold, but that was just an illusion. For Brandy’s sake, he
thought it was best to—literally—put his feelings on ice.

Brandy stared sightlessly over the mug of tea
she held in her hands, lost in thought. Azor’s rather easy
acceptance of her change in plans was reassuring. Though he
obviously didn’t like it, he could have fought a lot harder. It
made her want to give him something in return.

She drew a slow breath and asked herself if
she trusted him, and how much. By accepting his escort, both on the
journey and for this excursion, she’d shown that she trusted him
with her life. He’d taken great pains to show that she could trust
him with her feelings, too.

Brandy wanted him. She wasn’t certain what
was holding her back; she wasn’t a great one for examining her
emotions. Maybe if she had someone to talk to, things would be
clearer. Unfortunately, that was hard to do via email. She
preferred to talk with her sisters face to face.

Besides, Gem had her own concerns right now
and was too eager to see Brandy settled to be objective. Xera might
be a better choice, but they had yet to reestablish that kind of
connection. She also worried about privacy. Over the vast distance
of space, how could she be sure their conversation would be
confidential?

The physical connection, though, was a choice
only she could make. Unfortunately, the men she’d met before Azor
who had desired her hadn’t wanted anything lasting. As a result,
she’d gotten in the habit of spurning men. It was difficult to drop
her guard now with Azor.

She drew another careful breath, aware that
something had to change. Unless she told him to back off and meant
it, he’d continue seducing her. One day, probably soon, she’d just
give in. She could say later that the feelings had carried her
away, but really, her decision began now. What was she willing to
do?

She couldn’t envision them being married. He
was a cop, and after everything she’d done wrong in her life, she
couldn’t see a happy ending for herself. She didn’t deserve
him.

Okay, so she couldn’t have him forever, but
she could lighten the present darkness a little. She didn’t have to
be lonely now. It was going to hurt later, but she was used to
pain.

She was already ruined. There was nothing he
could do to make it worse.

Brandy eyed the lid of the cold sleep pod as
she lay back on the liquid filled pad inside. Azor stood above her,
one hand on the lid. Some people reacted oddly when they first got
in the chamber, and he was standing by, just in case.

“This feels really weird. I feel like the
sacrificial virgin, except that you’re no priest and I’m no….” she
trailed off, embarrassed with her babbling. What was she doing? Was
that a misguided attempt at flirtation? Well, she’d never been good
at it. She attempted a smile. “Maybe I should have taken something
to relax me a little.”

He smiled wolfishly. “I could help with
that.”

She felt hot blood rise in her cheeks. “Maybe
you should,” she said boldly, and wasn’t surprised to see his eyes
light. He’d been in a dangerous mood since he’d agreed to escort
her on her mission

She’d made her decision. It was time she
stopped playing the virtuous maid. If she’d been that, she’d still
be on Polaris. In all likelihood, she’d never have caught his eye,
either. Azor was a man who liked his girls bad.

She sat up to meet him. There was nothing icy
about his kiss, unless she counted the chills that ran over her
skin. He tasted good, smelled better, and she loved the
possessiveness his recent temper threw into the mix.

He growled at her response, and the hand on
the back of her head firmed. His kiss deepened, grew more
aggressive, and he started to lift her out of the pod.

She jerked back, panting. For a moment she
forgot her resolutions. Reflex made her snap, “Down, man! I’m not
your rag doll.”

He tensed, seemed disinclined to let that
pass unchallenged. “You invited me.”

“To kiss.” She stared at him rather
desperately, torn between what she knew was proper behavior and
what she’d resolved to become. Fear and desire were confusing her.
Kissing him was like drinking lightning. Her insides felt
seared.

He must have read the confusion on her face.
His expression grew cunning. “You’re bored with kisses.” His hand
slid around to gently flatten her breast. He rotated. “How about
something more interesting?” he whispered.

Brandy gasped and grabbed his wrist, but
didn’t have the will to lift it. All her blood seemed to have
rushed from her head. She wanted to lie down. She would, if she
wasn’t sure he would follow her. Much as she wanted this, doing
these things with him was scary. It felt new. At least with M’acht,
she’d known what to expect.

He didn’t give her time to voice the
objection her lips formed. He kissed her again, artful, knowing. He
dominated her.

Azor seemed to know his way around a panic
attack. His chosen method was very, very good at distracting her.
One by one, her tight muscles relaxed. A wash of drugging pleasure
made her whimper. As the desire built, it bathed her in heat that
made her forget her reservations.

Yeah, she wanted this.

Dizzy, she let him guide her back. It was
easy, and the pod was wide enough for two. His hand slid from her
breasts to the waistband of her pants. She gasped as his hand slid
inside. It was too big, he didn’t have enough room, but he was able
to barely touch the part that craved him most. She arched, her
throat closed around a strangled cry. They started tugging at her
pants….

And the lid of the pod slid closed. There was
a quick hiss of gas, and then it was lights out.

The assassin smirked, his round face tense
with the unfamiliar expression. Guoka weren’t much given to
smirking.

It amused him to interrupt their mating
games. He was stuck on this stupid ship for the next few months
with precious little to do and only bland Guok food to eat. They’d
be lucky if he didn’t eat them just to alleviate the boredom.

He turned sourly away and stumped off to the
kitchen. What he wouldn’t give for some meat!

Brandy woke up awkwardly. Though the pad had
adjusted to support them, it was still uncomfortable. It seemed as
if she had just closed her eyes. She was chilled, and a little
foggy on why Azor was curled around her.

The pod’s lid slid open, and Azor sluggishly
rose up on one arm. He stared at her blearily for a moment, then
frowned. “We were making love.”

She averted her eyes, embarrassed. “We didn’t
really. We just…played.”