Ravyn's Flight (38 page)

Ravyn’s lips twitched, but her expression remained sober. She knew her brother well enough to understand that meant the two of them had been together nearly every waking minute. Alex was intense at the best of times. She could imagine how over the top he’d seemed to Stacey while he was training her. Ravyn finished peeling the fruit. She carefully sectioned it and offered half to Stacey. She waited until they were done eating before she asked, “What happened with you and Alex?”

Stacey sputtered for a moment before collecting herself. “I told you. He trained me.”

“I’m not talking about that,” Ravyn said. “Something personal is going on between the two of you.”

“Have you ever considered it’s none of your business?”

Ravyn smiled both at the tartness of her friend’s words and at her defensiveness. “Nope. We’re best friends. You know you want to tell me all about it.”

Stacey looked down at her lap, her fingers tightening into fists. “He’s your brother.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be objective. Besides, who knows Alex better than I do?”

There was a lull. Ravyn could almost feel the words building up behind a dam. Stacey would have had no one to talk to for the length of the voyage. Who was she going to seek advice from? The Spec Ops team? Doctor Gwen, who had known Alex since he was a teenager? Ravyn didn’t think so.

Sure enough, the dam broke and the story came tumbling out. Ravyn listened, only making a sympathetic murmur or two. When her friend started blinking back tears, Ravyn sat on the arm of her chair and gave her a quick hug. Her lips thinned as she heard how her brother had walked away from Stacey. She understood why he’d behaved like a boor, but that didn’t make it right.

As she finished, Stacey wiped away the few tears that had escaped. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said.

“Of course you should have told me,” Ravyn said firmly. “Do you want me to beat up Alex for you?”

Stacey’s laugh sounded shaky. “Now that I’d like to see.”

“I can take him. The man won’t lift a finger to hurt me. With that kind of advantage, I can inflict plenty of damage.”

“I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble between the two of you. I know how close you are.”

“Stacey,” Ravyn said, dropping to her knees in front of her and taking hold of both her hands. “Do you love Alex?”

“How can you ask a question like that? Only a masochist could love him. No offense,” she added quickly.

“If you want him, Alex is yours.”

“What?” Stacey’s head came up in shock.

“No matter how attracted he was to you, do you think if he all he wanted was sex, he would have given in to it?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. Everyone has lapses.”

“Not Alex. Not on a mission. And certainly not on a mission to rescue me.” As her friend shook her head, Ravyn added, “Colonel Control didn’t even make it to the bed. Doesn’t that tell you something?” Stacey stilled and Ravyn noticed a small glint of hope appear in her eyes. “Alex wouldn’t have pulled back so hard and cruelly if you hadn’t gotten too close.”

“He didn’t shut the ice goddess out,” Stacey argued.

“Oh, yes, he did. They fought about it often. Alex likes to blame Lara completely for two-timing him, but he wouldn’t let her in, even though she begged him. Between that and his frequent absences, it’s a wonder they lasted as long as they did.”

Stacey broke her hold and walked across the room. Ravyn kept quiet, knowing her friend needed time to absorb what she’d heard so far. She sat back on the sofa and waited.

“Why?” Stacey asked, keeping her back to her.

“You don’t know about Alex’s mother. He never talks much about her. From the time he was small, she used him as a weapon against Gil. I know she never spent much time with him, but when she and Gil divorced, she fought for custody. And when she met a wealthy man who wanted to marry her if she got rid of her son, she couldn’t ship Alex back to his father fast enough.”

Stacey shifted and asked, “That’s why he hates the rich?”

“Yes. Lara marrying Damon’s brother sealed those feelings. Do you know how many times Alex saw his mother after she remarried? Once. For about an hour. When she died, she was a stranger to him.”

Stacey remained quiet.

“He was devastated by our parents’ deaths. Alex stayed strong for me, but he had no one he could let go with. He didn’t trust anyone else enough.” Ravyn saw Stacey’s brow furrow.

Maybe nothing she said would make a difference. Maybe Stacey wouldn’t risk herself again. Maybe, even if she did, Alex would still blow it. She wanted them to have a chance. She knew they’d be good together. If Alex could let Stacey in. “If you want Alex,” Ravyn said, “you’ll have to do most of the work. He won’t meet you halfway. Probably not even a quarter of the way.”

“He doesn’t love me.”

With a shrug, Ravyn said, “I don’t know. I do know he feels more for you than he has for anyone else in a long time. It’s your decision if that’s enough for you to gamble on.”

Stacey didn’t respond and Ravyn scrunched down on the sofa, making herself more comfortable. She’d stuck her nose in as far as she intended to. The rest was up to Stacey and Alex.

*** *** ***

Stacey kept replaying what Ravyn had said as she waited for Alex. She hadn’t gotten to ask any questions because her friend had changed the subject and then Damon had arrived. Recalling how Ravyn lit up when she saw him made her envious. Just a bit. The man was great looking even with the scar on his forehead, but it was the way the two of them couldn’t stop touching each other as they’d talked that made Stacey smile.

The sound of a door opening pulled her back to the present. Dr. Mitchell walked across the room with more poise and confidence than Stacey figured she’d ever have. “Night, Doc.”

“Good night, Stacey.”

Stacey’s nerves pulled taut as the doctor disappeared down the hallway. Alex could walk into the room any minute now. She twisted a lock of hair around her finger and bit her lower lip. If Ravyn had it wrong, she’d feel so stupid. The sound of thunder was little more than a distant whisper in the well-built house. Before the noise faded, Alex appeared.

He stopped, looking around the empty room. “Where is everyone?” he asked with seeming indifference.

Stacey stood, not fooled by his tone. There were only two people he wanted to locate. “They went to bed,” she told him. Let him guess whether she meant everyone or just Ravyn and Damon.

His brows drew down. Stacey felt his intensity level shoot skyward and sighed. She hoped Ravyn appreciated what a good friend she was. Trying to appear casual, she placed herself between Alex and the hallway to the bedchambers.

“Which room is Ravyn in?”

“The big suite at the end of the hall,” Stacey said.

“And where’s Brody?” There was no more pretense. Alex’s soft voice sounded lethal.

“Same place.”

Stacey raised her hands, palms up, and caught Alex as he surged forward. He tried to move around her, but she fisted her hands in his shirt and did her best to hold him there. “You can’t just burst in on them,” she said, trying to penetrate his anger.

“The hell I can’t.”

He tried to free himself again and Stacey tightened her grip. She raised her chin defiantly. “Ravyn is an adult and she loves him. It’s none of your business.”

“It’s not love. What they have won’t last long once they’re back on Earth.”

“Alex, you better accept their relationship. They are in love with each other and Damon is going to be part of Ravyn’s life for a long time. You’ll only hurt her if you insist on hanging on to your animosity.”

“She knows how I feel about him.”

“No kidding. You haven’t exactly tried to hide it.” Stacey took a deep breath unsure how to make the idiot see how selfish he sounded. “I thought you and Damon reached an understanding. That’s what he told Ravyn.”

“I told him he was as good as dead if he hurt her. I didn’t say he could sleep with her.”

Stacey would have laughed at how irate he sounded if the situation weren’t so volatile. When he put his hands on her waist and started to lift her, she knew time had run out. “Did you know Ravyn never liked Lara?” she said, the words rushing out.

“You’re wrong,” he told her.

“Every time Ravyn came back to school, she’d vent her feelings about Lara. As sorry as she was you got hurt, she was just as relieved the two of you weren’t together any longer.” She felt Alex’s fingers spasm against her waist in reaction.

“If Ravyn didn’t like Lara, why didn’t she say something?”

Stacey released his shirt, and gripping his arms, she said, “Because she loves you and she knew how you felt about her. Can’t you do the same thing for Ravyn that she did for you?”

With a scowl, Alex broke her hold. Instead of moving toward the hall, he turned the other way and drove both hands through his hair. “I don’t want my sister hurt,” he said, facing her.

“Damon would never deliberately hurt her.”

“You don’t know him,” Alex ground out.

“And you do? Have you ever talked to him as a man and not a lower-ranking officer? Have you ever watched the way he looks at Ravyn? Touches her? Talks to her?” Stacey threw up a hand to keep him from answering. “I mean without thoughts of murder.”

Alex grunted and looked away. “She’s still my sister.”

“And you want to protect her. That’s admirable. But he’s her lover,” Stacey ignored the growl, “and he’s taken over that job. It’s time for you to step aside.”

Alex didn’t argue with her, but he still appeared mutinous.

“You knew this would happen someday,” she told him gently. She knew this rite of passage wasn’t easy for him. Maybe it was harder because he wasn’t Ravyn’s father.

“He’s not good enough for her,” Alex said gruffly.

Stacey laughed. “You’d never think anyone was good enough for your sister. It doesn’t matter, though. It’s not your choice to make. It’s Ravyn’s, and she’s made it.”

“Hell,” he said. But it was grumbled, not snapped and Stacey knew she didn’t have to worry about him charging down the hall anymore. One explosive subject defused. Time to ignite another. If she had the courage.

Stacey felt a tingly sensation and looked up to see Alex studying her. At first she thought he appeared indifferent, but upon closer inspection, she detected speculation and a banked heat. It gave her the boldness she needed to dive in. “You’re afraid of me, Sullivan.”

He got an infuriating smirk on his face. “Anything you say,” he agreed, humoring her.

She ignored him and continued. “I scare you because you want more than sex with me.”

“If I say yes, do I get to get back in your bed?”

“As I recall, you were so hot for me, we never made it to a bed,” Stacey tossed out sarcastically as her heart sank at his lazy impudence. It
was
only sex. Why had she believed, even for a moment, it had meant more to him? She almost turned to leave when she heard Ravyn’s voice in her head.
Alex wouldn’t have pulled back so hard and cruelly if you hadn’t gotten too close.

“It’s not going to work. You can’t drive me away. I mean more to you than a quickie against the cabin wall and nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise.” That sounded good, she decided. Truthfully she didn’t believe what she said and he wouldn’t have to work too hard to make her surrender the battlefield in full retreat. Stacey waited for his attack.

It didn’t come.

Instead Sullivan looked like
he
wanted to retreat. Stacey blinked hard to clear her vision, but it didn’t change what she saw. Unless her eyes played tricks on her, he’d gone pale.

“I don’t love you,” he said.

“I never said you did.” She remained calm and unhurt because she sensed she had him on edge. “But you wouldn’t have touched me if it was only lust. I come with complications. For one thing, I’m your sister’s best friend.” She stared him down, half expecting him to have a crushing rejoinder. Instead, he glanced away as if he couldn’t meet her gaze any longer.

“I’m a distraction you don’t want or need on a rescue mission.” Stacey stepped closer, and this time, when he took a step back, she knew it wasn’t part of some trap he wanted to set. “I shatter your control,” she said, taking another step as she kept trying to close the distance. “You hate losing control.”

“What do you want from me?” he asked, voice low and tight.

“I want you to admit it, Alex. Admit I mean something to you. Admit you want more than a quick encounter.”

Stacey moved another pace forward, and as Alex stepped back again, he ran into a table. She watched his eyes widen in surprise at the obstacle, and for the first time, she honestly believed she did mean more to him than he felt comfortable with. The man always had a handle on his surroundings, yet she had him so unnerved, he hadn’t realized there was a table behind him.

“What’s gotten into you?” He couldn’t quite pull off the derision he tried to fill his voice with.

In that instant Stacey knew his secret. The man tried to appear unfeeling, but the truth was he felt things too deeply. That was why Alex lashed out. She
had
gotten too close and he didn’t want to care for her that much. Only it was too late. He did care. She could see it now that she knew what to look for.

“Nothing. I can see beyond the smoke screen you keep throwing up now, that’s all. You can’t say anything to make things easier for you. I’m not going to avoid you or do anything to help you keep your distance. It’s all on your shoulders.”

Alex swallowed hard and sidled to his right. She moved with him, in awe of her power. Leaning forward, she rested her hands on the table to either side of his hips. She wasn’t quite touching him. If he inhaled deeply, though, they’d be in contact. She smiled, watching the shallow breaths he took.

“You’re running. I knew you were a coward at personal relationships, but even I thought you were braver than this.”

“Stop pushing me,” he gritted out.

“If I don’t, you’ll keep right on running.” She leaned forward, her lips a hair’s breadth from his, and stopped. He warred within himself, she could see it in his eyes. The part of him that wanted to remain safe against the part of him that wanted more than one night with her. “Life’s all about risk, Alex. There are no guarantees. Either of us could die tomorrow. The secret is to make each day you’re alive mean something.”