Salvaged Destiny (22 page)

“You like to get these with friends. Do you get drunk first?”

Lazlo shifted as Del leaned back over him, rubbing his
shoulders, pressing her breasts against his back.

“I was only drunk for the first one.” She licked his neck
and slid back down his body, continuing her inspection of his legs, stopping
just above his ankle, rubbing her fingers on his last bodymark, a small ultra
embedded in his skin.

“What’s this? A scar?”

“One I’m having removed. It takes time. It was a spiral, but
most of it’s gone.” Lazlo shifted his leg from her, uncomfortable that Del had
noticed it. He should have known she would. She sifted through sand for little
bits of gems—she would certainly spot the nearly invisible mark he’d gotten to
impress Serra.

Not that Serra had been impressed. She’d laughed at him when
he had showed her a year and a half ago. That laugh had been one of the reasons
he’d realized he had to end things with her. That and the third infidelity she’d
thrown in his face while they were out to dinner and the snooping she’d tried
to do in his datpad and her unfocused threats to tell his captain “something”. And
her rages that had ended once too often in her striking him.

The spiral mark was supposed to represent their lives
twining together, but it more accurately showed how life with Serra had spun
further and further out of control. He didn’t turn his head to look at Del, but
he was very aware she was sitting close to him, quiet and waiting.

“Did you get it because of the girlfriend you told me about?”

“Yes, but she isn’t my girlfriend. She hasn’t been for a
year. Not since before I came to Sayre.”

“What was her name?”

“Serra. Serra Triton.”

“Did you love her?”

“Yes. But I don’t now. She killed that feeling.” Lazlo felt
Del shift again to press close to his side, burrowing in under his arm and
pressing her face to his chest as he rolled and gathered her up. Her touch made
him feel better, like a cool drink of water after a dusty walk. “She was an
addict. Completely untrustworthy, stole from me, hit me and in the end, she
threatened to lie about me so I would lose my job. I was transferred to Sayre
to get me away from her. Or maybe it was punishment. I didn’t ask for details
at that point.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. None of it. And I’m free of her, except for
the regrets.” Lazlo tried not to look wary as Del rose to look at his face. She
nodded and leaned down to give him a sweet kiss. He knew they were with each
other for simple pleasure and enjoyment of each other’s company, but somehow
her acceptance of what he’d shared soothed him. He’d been afraid of confessing
his past to the next person he became intimate with, afraid of pity or lessened
interest. But Del had listened, not said any sort of therapeutic phrases, and
he felt better. Of course her kisses eased the way tremendously.

“Are you regretting this?” Del was very still as she lay
against him. Her gray eyes peered at him as if to search for any sort of
indecision on his part. He’d told her the truth before and he wasn’t going to
stop now.

“No. Are you?”

Shaking her head, Del held his gaze. “I’m glad you’re taking
off the mark you did for her. She made you feel bad about it, didn’t she?”

Her perceptive question rattled through him and Lazlo bit
back his initial feeling of embarrassment and attempt to deny how he felt. Del
wasn’t ashamed of him. Why should he be? “She did. About that and so many other
things.”

“She was stupid,” Del judged with a simplicity that cut to
the heart of the matter. “Enough about her. I think you’re great.”

Lazlo couldn’t help but grin at her assessment. She grinned
back, her eyes sparkling and a loose lock of soft brown hair sliding down her
narrow shoulder. “I think you’re great too.”

Del narrowed her eyes at his compliment. “Not yet.”

“What do you mean not yet?”

“How can I be great if I haven’t finished my inspection?”

Lazlo tried to think of something witty to say as Del slid
down his body. She crouched between his thighs as her little hands began to
caress his abdomen and lower. Rational thought began to fizz out of his brain
as Del reached for him and gave a gentle squeeze.

“Stars, Del, you don’t—” One touch of her warm, wet mouth
rendered him speechless. He looked down to see Del glance up at him, a wicked
gleam in her eye as she took a deep breath.

“One last area to check, Lazlo. And I think it’s going to
require my close attention.”

“Let’s go swimming,” Lazlo suggested in a rumbly voice. Del
had been coasting along in a blissful half-doze as she reviewed how delicious
he’d tasted. Having the muscular Lazlo Casta at her mercy and begging her not
to stop sucking was a heady experience she hoped to repeat as soon as possible.
Before she left.

“What?” Del was confused, worry about her upcoming departure
distracting her from the substance of what he’d just said. His big arms circled
around her and he traced a few random shapes on her back with his fingertips.
That felt marvelous. There was no need to leave the bed. “I like it here.”

“Let’s swim. The pool here is great.” Lazlo’s voice reeked with
enthusiasm and he shifted so that he could look at her. His hair was sticking
out in tousled tufts and his eyes were bright. It seemed oral sex energized him
.
Something to keep in mind.

Del shook her head. She hadn’t told him because she was
embarrassed, but she couldn’t swim. Lazlo’s messages about the pool had
intimidated her rather than enticed her.

“I don’t, I can’t…” she stammered, uncomfortable as he
looked at her.

“You can’t swim?”

Del shook her head. “Where would I have learned on Sayre? In
an irrigation overflow tank? The Long Lake? It’s full of crustaceans with
terrible pincers and the water can make your skin peel if there’s been recent
geothermal activity.”

“There’s a pool at the center. I use it all the time.” Lazlo
sat up, frowning.

“The pool is for porties. When you live outside the gate, it
costs.” And there it was again, her family’s poverty demonstrating how little
Del had experienced of the luxuries he took for granted. Lazlo stopped talking
and looked at her appraisingly.

“Then I’ll teach you. Starting today. There’s a waterfall,
river, tidal shore and a hydraulic dive.” Lazlo’s eyes lit up at the thought as
he recited the attractions and Del fought back dread. She really did not want
to venture into the hotel pool. It sounded like a very hazardous place.

“Let’s stay here. It’s nice and clean and bright and the bed
is already messed up.” Del rubbed her hands along the sheets and tried to look
very enticing, which was difficult with a large man kneeling over her and
tugging her to the edge of the bed as he laughed.

“Swimming now,” Lazlo announced, launching himself out of
the bed. “I want to play in the water with you, Del.”

* * * * *

“Take it off and get in here.”

“No. I’m embarrassed.”

“Of what? You’re beautiful. Come in here, it’s great,” Lazlo
tried to coax her.

Del was stubbornly standing at the edge of a secluded cove
of the hotel pool—no one was near enough to see or hear anything. She was
wrapped up in a robe from the room, looking terribly awkward in her bare feet.
He’d never paid much attention to her feet, which was a shame, since they were
lovely little things. Round toes and little nails gleaming with black lacquer. Who
would have guessed practical Del shined her toenails?

Lazlo stood in the perfectly warm and tranquil waist-deep
water, the bottom slightly gritty under his bare feet. He’d swum a few warm-up
laps as he waited for Del to join him.

Del hadn’t brought a suit, which meant he’d taken her to the
hotel boutique before heading to the pool. She’d been miserable while shopping,
clearly uncomfortable with the tiny colorful bits of translucent material that
passed for female swimwear.

She’d drifted to the more concealing men’s section, but he’d
reeled her back, finally convincing her to try on a few of the most conservative
cuts he could gather up. He’d tried to follow her into the dressing room, but
she’d managed to evade him, closing the curtain behind her with a frown.

Del was gone for a few minutes, handing over the majority of
the suits after declaring them too small to wear. Lazlo threatened to strip her
naked and throw her in the water if she didn’t pick something. Del gave him a
heated look from the curtains of the dressing room and he collapsed with
laughter at her antagonistic expression. As if he’d ever be brave enough to try
such a procedure with her.

Del eventually purchased a plain red suit designed for
divers and she shook off his efforts to buy it for her. She scowled and looked
resigned to her fate.

“I’m not beautiful, especially with all of my limbs sticking
out. And I’ll drown. Two great reasons to stay here. You go on and have fun.” Del
scuttled back from the edge and headed toward a chaise parked under a golden-netted
shade.

Del retreating—Lazlo never would have thought he’d see such
a thing. With a hop he was out, water sloshing around him as he marched over
and caught her. Stiff and frowning, she tried to hold on to the edges of her
robe as he tugged at them.

“You’re getting me wet,” Del protested, wriggling in his
arms in a wonderful way. Swimming, then back to bed, Lazlo decided.

“Good. And I’m going to get you wetter,” he promised,
finally sliding her robe off and tossing it on the chaise. Scooping her up, he
carried her to the pool edge and stepped down into the water as she twisted and
whispered contrarily.

“Relax. It’s not going to hurt you.”

“Yes it is. Drowning. I’ve read about it and seen it in an
entertainment. It seems horrible with all of that coughing and choking,” Del
rambled, clinging to his arm as she hopped in the water. “This feels strange. It’s
unnatural to be immersed.”

Lazlo wanted to laugh at the anxious expression on her face,
but didn’t want her to think he was mocking her. He had to keep in mind this
was a threatening environment for her and reassure her as he would a recruit
having to hit a door under live fire for the first time. ”It’s natural and fun.
Calm down. I want to teach you to float.”

“I don’t like this.” Somehow she’d twisted herself around
his waist and as enjoyable as that sensation was, they were there to swim and
not indulge in aquatic foreplay.

“It’s going to be fine. Lean back, I’ll hold you up.” Del
shot him a suspicious glance and clutched at his arm as he tried to lower her
in the water. Light glinted on the surface as she thrashed, her red suit
getting wetter and clinging to her round breasts. Maybe aquatic foreplay wasn’t
such a bad idea.

“It’s easy. Just lean against my arm.” Lazlo tried not to
laugh again as she took a deep breath and then slowly bent back, stiff as a
stick. Reaching down, he caught her up under the knees and lifted her so that
she was horizontal next to him. “Take a breath. Relax. Let the water hold you
up.”

Del’s eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was tight as she
sucked in a breath as if it were her last. He began to move her along, walking
slowly in the waist-deep water as he looked over her tense body. Del had her
hands wrapped tightly around his arm, fingertips pressing in as if she expected
a tidal wave at any second. She needed to relax and stop thinking about it. “So
what entertainments did you see where people drowned?”

“When I was a kid, I saw one where the solarship crashed
into the water planet and they had to try to inflate the sails to keep from
sinking. Lots of drowning in that one. And there was another one, on Freton,
where there was a terrible storm that swept people away. I was ten when I saw
that. Very traumatizing.” But her body was loosening now, the tension floating
away as he walked her in a big circle in the water.

“I remember it. They vided it near where I lived.”

“Really?” Her eyes popped open at that and he smiled at her,
appreciating how good it felt to be with her in the warm water in this lovely
place.

“Yes, a friend of mine was even in it. He was one of the
kids who was waving in the opening.”

“Those were real kids out in that ocean? I thought they were
faked.”

“Real kids. We did that sort of thing all the time,” Lazlo
assured her, remembering how much time he’d spent on the water riding his
board. Feeling like a living part of Freton. He’d love to take her there
sometime.

“But aren’t there big serpents out there?”

“Yes.”

“Eating-people type serpents?”

“Sometimes they do. Not often. They mostly aren’t interested
in humans. I suppose we don’t taste very good.” Silly serpents. If they’d
gotten a whiff of Del, they would have crawled across a desert to find her.
Just thinking about how good she tasted was making him aroused.

This was her first swim lesson, so he should probably keep
it short so she didn’t feel overwhelmed. Get her back to the room to dry off
and put her feet up for an hour or so.

“Have you seen one?”

Lazlo nodded and shifted his hands under her. This was
pleasant—she had relaxed her grip on his arms and was letting her hands float
beside her body.
Progress
. “Were you scared?”

“Too impressed to be scared. I saw it surface about thirty
meters away. It was purplish-black and looked as big as a freighter. I stuck my
head underwater when it dove and watched until it disappeared. Then I swam
back. By the time I was on shore, I was so petrified I couldn’t walk, and just
lay on the sand until I caught my breath.”

“So you’re really good at this water stuff,” Del said as she
allowed her head to fall farther back in the water and watched him through eyes
squinting from the sunshine reflecting everywhere.

“That’s right, just like you know the Outlands.”

“So I should just listen to you in the pool, as you listened
to me when we were out there.”

“That’s right,” Lazlo assured her. Del quirked a smile at
him and then closed her eyes and started to float in his arms. He kept his arms
around her. There was no way he was going to let her drift away. They only had
nineteen hours left together.

“You’ll keep me safe.”

“I’ll keep you safe,” he replied quietly, exulting in her
presence and dreading her departure in equal amounts.

* * * * *

“I’m so glad you’re home!” Dee Dee crowed as she took a seat
opposite Del in a booth at the Bunker. She had arrived back on Sayre a few
hours previously and was still feeling woozy from everything. The jump, the
time change and, most of all, leaving Lazlo.

“Yes, I’m back. I can start hauling again tomorrow morning.”
Del frowned at the metal tabletop in front of her, not wanting Dee Dee to
notice the pain she was feeling.

“I’m not glad you’re back to work. I’m glad to
see
you.” Dee Dee reached out to grab one of Del’s hands. “Was it bad? Seeing him
again?”

Sniffing back tears, Del nodded, and Dee crowded over to her
side of the booth, pulling her in for a hug.

“We can go, if you aren’t up to this,” her sister whispered
as she stroked Del’s back. “I’m sorry I suggested it. Your place would be
quieter if you feel like crying.”

“I’ll be all right,” Del assured her, sitting up and taking
a deep breath. If she said it often enough she’d feel like it might come true. She
was here again, on Sayre where she belonged, in the Bunker and surrounded by
people like her. Right where she should be.

“I’ll get us some drinks and something to eat.” Dee Dee rose
to walk to the bar, where Emil waited for her with a smile. “Then you need to
tell me everything.”

Del didn’t want to tell Dee Dee anything. She didn’t want to
think about anything to do with her quick trip to Weave, or what she had done
there, or Lazlo Casta. She didn’t want to think about swimming with him or how
they ended up sharing a chaise, talking about nothing in particular for an hour
as they pressed their feet together. She didn’t want to think about their
solitary night together, any part of it, or any part of their frantic morning.

Del certainly did not want to recall how it had been when
she’d had to leave him just a few hours ago. She’d been grieving ever since she’d
walked away from him and headed toward the ship that would take her back to
Sayre and away from him. They’d kissed until the final call, Lazlo so gentle
that he’d broken her a little bit more with each soft touch of his lips to
hers.

Dee Dee returned and Del stopped her melancholy review to
accept a small glass of whiskey, a large glass of water and a plate of samosas.

“Oh sis, you look so sad.”

“I
am
so sad. I never should’ve gone there.”

“Clean break, that’s always been best in my experience.” Dee
Dee nodded, taking a bite of samosa and looking at Del with concern. “I’ve
never seen you this upset. But then again, you have never gone off-planet
before either, so maybe you’re just shaky from the jump. I’ve heard it can make
you sick in the head.”

“It’s not the jump.”

“You tell me what you want to tell me. Or tell me to just
talk and you can be quiet. But eat something.” Dee Dee pushed the plate of
samosas toward Del, who took one and began to break it into small pieces. She
tried not to think of the meals she and Lazlo had shared.

Despite his best efforts to take her out to restaurants with
views and fabulous menus, they’d ended up ordering room service the whole time
she’d been there. And she’d never see him again. Everything in her body hurt at
that realization.

“Did you make plans to see each other again?”

“No. Our whole agreement was we weren’t going to have
anything permanent. He’s gone and busy with classes. He’s still dealing with a
bad relationship ending. I’m here and I need to work and I can’t afford to
leave. So no, no plans were made.”

“That’s kind of a silly agreement.”

“No, it’s practical.”

Dee Dee snorted and ate a huge bite of samosa. “Del, you don’t
have to be practical all the time. And try as hard as you might, you aren’t
being practical about this. Just looking at how miserable you are, I can tell.”

“Tell what?”

“That you’re in love with him.”

Del sucked in a shocked breath and her stomach turned over. She
was glad she hadn’t tried to eat any of the samosa.
In love with Lazlo
Casta? What a horrible thought.