Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) (13 page)

Her. He’d get her home. Not the two of them.

She rubbed at her chest with the palm of her hand. “Okay.” It
was settled. Her worry put to rest. He’d take her back if and when the time
came. So why did it feel as if her chest were being torn in two?

“Okay?” One eyebrow rose, some of the tension leaving his
shoulders. “That’s it?”

“I trust you,
Caine
. If you say
you’ll get me home, I know you will.”

He nodded, his jaw still clenched tight.

Done fighting her instinct, she walked over and wrapped her
arms around him—or, at least, around as much of him as she could, his hard
chest as comforting and warm as ever. “Thank you for everything.”

For an instant, he’d just stood there awkwardly, a little
stiff, a lot unsure. Then his arms came around her and he gripped her tightly.
“You’re welcome.” His voice was gruff.

She’d have given anything in that moment to know what he was
thinking.

Was he secretly cursing the deal he’d made and the burdens of
extra responsibility and risk it had heaped upon him? Or, like her, was he
floored to discover that, if not for her worry over her siblings and the
approaching rescue shuttle, she could stay in his arms forever and be happy?

Chapter Fifteen

The ripple of warm water against her shoulders soothed
Bella’s nerves.

While the rest of
Caine’s
home
might be sparse, this side chamber was indulgence itself: a patchwork of vivid
emerald moss and red smooth rocks surrounding a small clear spring. It might
not have the dramatic plants or pink lake of the Oasis, or the purple fruit and
fan-shaped palms of the first cave
Caine
had taken
her to, but it was equally lovely in its own quiet way. Even the melodic
plinking of condensation slipping back into the water was calming.

Exactly what she needed right now.

She’d retreated here after a strained dinner. Sure,
Caine
had wolfed down the meal she’d made, praising her
efforts while his jaw worked overtime pretending she hadn’t overcooked the
meat. And if she hadn’t thought him a good guy before, that act of kindness
alone would have told her everything.

But tension still vibrated between them. Questions about the
future, worries about what would happen tomorrow, returning with a vengeance
the moment she’d stepped out of his arms. She had to return home. That she
knew. Even if the thought of leaving
Caine
here alone
made her stomach twist and her throat close tight.

Sighing, she scooped up handfuls of water. The droplets
slipping through her fingers no matter how hard she tried to hold them close.
Just like
Caine
himself.

Her hands blurred. She blinked fast.

What she needed was some distance. Some perspective. Even if
she could somehow convince
Caine
to come with her,
what did she think would happen? That somehow things would work out between
them? She would still be a junior scientist bound by Council rule to do
whatever it took to keep her siblings fed and housed. Plus, she had no idea who
was waiting for
Caine
back on Earth. Or anything
about his past for that matter. What he’d done to end up on Dragath25. Who the
hell Gwen was.

Maybe Ava was right. Maybe her dreams of a possible future
between them were foolish. Maybe they were nothing more than desperate
pipedreams based on the intensity of the moment.

Her fist hit the water surface, sending spray flying into her
face.

“Am I interrupting?”

She swiveled around at the rough rumble of
Caine’s
voice, her vision clearing as the water rolled down
her face.

Her breath caught in her throat.

He stood on the bank above, one arm stretched above his head,
his fingers tucked into a rocky ledge, his other hand behind his back.

It was a stance with forced casual written all over it.
Still, it didn’t matter. With his chest bare, his legs planted far apart, his
pants dipping low on his hips, the position put every slab of mouthwatering
sculpted muscle on display.

Her nipples grew hard, her blood heating. And from the slow,
smoldering half-smirk that eased across his face, he knew exactly what looking
at him did to her.

Maybe amazing sex was all they’d ever really have, but at
least it was something.

“You’re not interrupting at all.” Purposely wading to the
more shallow section, she brought the soap across her chest in a slow,
deliberate caress. “I was just getting cleaned up.”

His grip on the ledge tightened, his gaze tracking her every
move. “You missed a spot.” It was more a growl than a sentence.

She kept her smile to herself. The spring might soothe some
of her worries, but only being in
Caine’s
arms could
make them all disappear for a while. “Hmmm. Care to help me get it?”

“Hell yes.” He prowled forward. Only to stop short. “Uh, no.”

She frowned.
Caine
wasn’t one to
hesitate. “If this is about what I said before about leaving—”

“No.” He cut her off. “I know why you said it. And I may not
like your plan, but I do admire the way you look out for your colleagues and
your siblings.” He took a deep breath. “This–this is something else.” His hand
came from behind his back. “I meant to give you these before.”

Her chest went tight.

Clutched in his big hand was an explosion of color, a tangle
of stems and petals in blue and purple and yellow and pink, some standing up
straight while others drooped over his hand.

“Flowers.” She blinked fast. “You brought me flowers?”

“Yea.” He shuffled his feet. “They got a little crumpled in
the pack.” He shook his head. “I meant to give them to you right away, but I
got distracted.”

“They’re beautiful.” She waded forward, her arms
outstretched, a corresponding riot of color exploding in her chest. “The best
gift I’ve ever gotten.” Actually, the only gift she’d ever gotten. “Where’d you
find them?”

“Oasis. The purple ones grow near the banks while the pink
and yellow are in the trees.”

The picture of him scurrying around collecting flowers almost
brought her to her knees. He’d done so much for her already. Kept her safe.
Killed to protect her. And now this.

Forget distance. Forget perspective. Forget pretending to
herself her heart wasn’t involved. She was going to seize every moment she
could, and somehow, some way, she was going to figure out a way to take
Caine
with her when she left Dragath25. Even if they
weren’t meant to be in the long run. Even if he dumped her the second they were
back on Earth. Maybe she didn’t know everything about his past or how this
woman Gwen factored into his life, but she knew enough about him to know he
didn’t deserve to die alone on Dragath25. She was getting him off this hellhole
and back to the kind of life a good man like him deserved. With or without his
help.

She held out her hand. Slowly, he crouched at the edge of the
ledge and handed them over. Cradling them like a child, careful not to let even
one slip through her grasp, she lifted them to her nose and inhaled.

The fragrance was amazing. Floral. Sweet. Precious life,
beauty, and hope all tangled together. Just like what she felt in
Caine’s
arms.

“I want you here, Bella.”

Her gaze flew to his.

“I know I’ve been a moody pain in the ass. I know I can
sometimes get a little too intense about safety. I know I’m not the chattiest
of guys. But none of that is any kind of reflection on my thinking about you.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re here.” His gaze trailed from her eyes
to her lips and back again. “I understand you have to go—eventually. But until
that time comes, I want you here with me. Not just because I’m the best one to
keep you safe. Or even because of the deal.” He sucked down a deep breath.
“Just…just because.”

It was another incredible gift. And one she knew was all the
more precious because it hadn’t been easy for him to offer up.

“I want to be here.” She looked up at him standing so
beautiful and so alone on the rock above and her heart twisted.
Please, oh please, let me figure out a way
to save him as well.
“Not just because you can keep me safe or because of
our deal, but…but just…just because as well.”

Maybe she should have said more. Maybe she should have
admitted exactly how she felt. Or confessed her plans. But she couldn’t. Not
when the future was so uncertain between them.

“So we’re okay?” His gaze had that hungry look again.

With a final deep inhale of their fragrance, she dipped the
stems in the water and placed them gently a safe distance from the edge. “We’re
more than okay.” She held out her arms again—this time for him. “Join me?”

In the next heartbeat, water splashed onto the bank, his
chest warm and slick against her skin, his soaked pants slapping against her
legs as he lifted her flush against him.

Laughing, she wrapped her legs around his waist and trusted
him to keep her afloat. “Eager much?”

The droplets of water clinging to his long, spiky lashes only
made his expression more intense. “I’m going to seize every second I’ve got.”

That wiped the smile from her face. “So am I.” Locking her
gaze with his, she cradled his square jaw in her hands and brought their
foreheads to touch. “Just because.”

Chapter Sixteen

“I may never move again.” Bella rolled off
Caine’s
slick body, flopping onto her back to stare
overhead at the lush canopy of the Oasis, her breathing still frantic from
their latest bout of sex, her skin flushed from the mix of midday heat and
arousal. The warm lake water lapped at her toes.

“
Mmmm
.” He slipped his hand around
her ass and slid her close enough to press fully against his side, hip to hip.

After five blissful days together,
Caine
still wasn’t much of a talker, but he communicated his wants just fine.

“Thanks for bringing me here again today.” She studied an
unusual purple flowering vine high up in one of the trees, making a note to
take a closer look when she regained the use of her legs. The flowers
Caine
had first given her were still her favorite, but
she’d discovered quite a few other varieties since then, adding to her
spectacular collection and her growing scientific understanding of the fragile
environment.

“You’re welcome.” His fingers interlaced with hers, their
palms pressing close. It had become a habit. One she cherished. “I like it here,
too.” His voice was roughened by sex and sleepiness. “Don’t know why I never
really hung out here before.”

She hid a smile. She knew why. Until a few days ago, the man
hadn’t known the meaning of taking a break. He’d spent all waking minutes
hunting, training, or working on the jammer. Was it no wonder he was wound so
tight? Was it no wonder he’d forgotten there was more to life than simply
surviving?

Sure, he’d been the first one to show her pleasure, to insist
she could strive for more than pain and grim hard work, but his definition of
where and how to seize such pleasure had been limited to sex. She’d had to show
him right back that he was allowed the same opportunity—and that sex wasn’t the
only way to achieve it. Frankly, she was still working on that. He was proving
far more stubborn than she.

It had taken all her coaxing to get him to relax even a
little the first time they’d come to the Oasis. He’d watched the surrounding
terrain like a hawk, spear in hand, while she ran around, too excited to stay
in one place long, examining actual thriving, healthy plants, taking fertile
soil samples, and living the dream that no Earth botanist in over a hundred of
years had ever thought would be possible again. Of course, she’d gained his
attention when she stripped off her clothes and waded into the lake. It had
been a lovely way to end an extraordinary day.

Since then, they’d returned to the Oasis five more times.
Each exploration as wonderful as the last. She never wanted this time to end.

But it had to—and soon.

Her skin grew cold, her smile disappearing. Despite her best
efforts, she still hadn’t had any brilliant insights into how to convince
Command Council to allow a condemned criminal on that rescue shuttle. Detailing
Caine’s
heroism and the way he’d saved Winthrop’s
life might earn him a few less years or some better rations, but she knew
Caine
was right. It might not even get him that. And it
definitely wouldn’t gain him a pardon. She needed more.

“If you want to have time to explore the outer rim of the
Oasis, we should get going.” His tone, once again alert, cut into her thoughts.
Like her, he’d been ignoring the fact that their time together was reaching its
end. At least when it came to making plans for her to return to her crew’s
camp. On the other hand, he’d been fucking her like he intended to make up for
a lifetime of missed opportunities.

She wasn’t complaining. She felt equally as desperate for his
touch.

She only wished he’d kissed her on the mouth just one of
those times. But apparently, that was a line he was unwilling to cross. And,
truly, she understood. Already, she could barely comprehend how she was going
to leave him behind if she couldn’t come up with a solution, even knowing what
it would cost her family and everyone back on Earth.

“We need to be back at the cave before dusk,” he reminded,
though he made no move to get up.

“Agreed.” Thanks to its two
suns
, a
Dragath25 day was five hours longer than an Earth day, but the night was far
shorter, lasting only three hours. Unfortunately, nocturnal predators on the
planet made up for the short hunting time with their ferocity, amassing six or
seven kills a night before slinking back to their underground lairs. She’d
heard enough horrific shrieks and clawing sounds from the safety of
Caine’s
cave to know she wanted to be inside by the time
dusk arrived. “Just give me two more minutes to recover and we’ll get started.”

“We can always come back tomorrow.” He squeezed her hand. She
squeezed back.

She knew what he was doing. Ignoring the inevitable.
Still…another day with
Caine
alone?

Joy rippled through her. Followed by a wave of guilt. She had
no right to take such a risk when she needed to be near Winthrop when the
rescue shuttle arrived. No right either to be so content while her brother and
sister were in such a precarious position, while the survival of the
approaching rescue crew was still in question, while Ava and Winthrop continued
to struggle with Pogue at the scientist campsite.

But she couldn’t help it. Couldn’t help wanting just one more
day together. Just the two of them.

And it wasn’t as if they were shirking their main
responsibilities.

They spent the majority of their day working on the jammer.
It wasn’t functional yet, but what
Caine
had managed
to do already was nothing short of miraculous. Only when a break was needed did
they train or visit the Oasis or, her personal favorite, make love. They separated
only long enough for him to check on Ava.

Was it so wrong then to take one more day while she still
could? Truly, she’d never felt so comfortable or content with another living
soul in her life. The freedom and joy she’d found living with him was something
she could never have imagined.

Sure, there were still issues she would have pushed if things
had been less uncertain. Still times
Caine’s
gaze
grew shadowed, his mood distant. When the wonder and the need vanished from his
stare and he felt a million
metrals
away. Plus, he
hadn’t mentioned the name Gwen again. Nor revealed anything about the actions
that had branded him a criminal and landed him on Dragath25.

But he had told her other things. Like the fact that he’d
graduated from the Academy and served as a pilot and a soldier—which had not
surprised her at all. Or the fact that his parents had died when he was a baby
and he’d lived on one of the last remaining farms with his uncle and aunt until
blight destroyed that, too.

Like her, he’d lost a lot in his life.

Which was only one of a thousand reasons she wasn’t leaving
him behind when they got that jammer working. No matter what he’d done before.
No matter what he said about being unable to go back to Earth. He deserved the
same second chance he’d given her.

She just didn’t know yet how she was going to do it—or how to
convince him to trust she would.

“Okay, sleepy head. That’s way more than two minutes.”
Caine’s
hand clamped around her wrist, and suddenly, she
was upright, swaying on two legs.

More surprised than outraged, she jerked her wrist from his
grasp. “Stop manhandling me.”

“Funny, you weren’t complaining a few minutes ago.”

How could she be mad when he was making actual jokes? More
and more each day. Plus, his assertion was true. “You’re right.” She stepped
close, running her palms up each sculpted muscle. “I love the way you take
charge when we’re fucking.”

His nostrils flared. She ducked before he could grab her
close. Funny, but he really liked hearing that word on her lips. And she wasn’t
above using it to her advantage when the mood struck. “Oh, no, you don’t,” she
teased. “I’m under strict orders to get to work.”

He shook his head, but his eyes held no anger, only heat. “I
didn’t realize you were so obedient.”

“I’m not.”

He stalked toward her. “We’ll see about that.”

Two hours and three amazing orgasms later, she was feeling
downright docile as she finally got to work. Another hour later, she’d measured
at least six more of the unfamiliar species of trees and flora and collected a
couple of promising seed and soil samples to add to the assortment now
sprouting in makeshift pots outside
Caine’s
cave. In
the meantime, never more than a few steps behind, his spear in hand,
Caine
had managed to catch two Elkins, tiny creatures that
bore a small resemblance to the rabbits that had once been equally abundant on
Earth.

She wished the day never had to end.

Then something shiny off to the side caught her eye. Curious,
she scurried over, dropping to her knees to sift through the soil. “Look at
this.”

He peered over her shoulder. “I’ve seen plenty of them in the
dirt, but never as big or intact as that one. What is it?”

“Some kind of mineral.” She ran her finger along the jagged
edge. Shaped like large arrowhead, the piece was long and thin, but most
interesting of all was the way it glimmered in the sun like a mirror. “I’m not
sure, but it may be help explain why this soil, which seems like it would be so
inhospitable to plant life, is able to sustain it. Unlike the rest of the soil,
it’s cool to the touch, indicating it’s reflecting rather than absorbing the
sun’s rays.” She slipped the precious piece into her pocket. “I’ll see if I can
find more.”

“You’ve got three minutes. Then we need to head back.”

“Yes, sir.” She turned to find his mouth inches from her own.
So close that, if she leaned back only a little, they’d be kissing.

He stood abruptly.

She tried not to care.

“I think I see another over there.” He pointed to something
shiny in the dirt a few paces away, his tone deliberately offhand.

“Great.” She squeezed out a limp smile and told herself what
they had was enough. That it was better if some lines weren’t crossed.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes.

She was almost grateful when the distant roar of a
tigos
echoed off the cliffs.

“Doesn’t sound too close.” She scratched at the dirt,
extracting another interesting seed in her palms. She’d always been able to
lose herself in work.

“Still, it’s nothing to ignore. Let’s go.”

“One more moment.” She scurried forward to collect another
sample.

Only to be thwarted by
Caine’s
large boot in her path. “No. Now.”

She would have protested, but one look at his serious
expression had her nodding instead. “Now is good.”

He didn’t smile.

“Stay on the path.” It was the first time he’d barked orders
at her in days.

Marching single-file, she hurried to comply, only noticing
now that the two suns were much lower in the sky than they’d been last time
they started home from the Oasis.

Still, they made it out of the Oasis and onto to the narrow
path that led to
Caine’s
home without incident.

She was already dreaming of a good meal and coaxing a few
more smiles from
Caine
when a sudden hiss halted her
in place.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered.

Caine’s
spear was already out and
poised to hurl. “Get behind me.”

Knowing it was futile to argue, she pressed against the rock
and squeezed by him. His arm closed around her back, pulling her close. “Move
when I move. And get ready to run if I tell you to.”

She nodded, her chin butting into his back.

It was times like these she wondered why they ever left the
house. But without food, they’d starve. And she couldn’t stay huddled inside
for the rest of her life. If Dragath25 was her future, she had to face it head
on.

Slow and steady, they moved as one up the twisted path.

“Shit.”
Caine’s
muttered curse had
her peeking around his shoulder.

“What is that?” Fear made her voice shriller than intended. A
giant rust-colored, snake-like creature as thick as three wide tree trunks
blocked the path to their home. Sharp, spiky teeth protruded from its long
snout as it prodded at something beneath one of the rocks, its tail twitching
back and forth.

“It’s a
pythile
.”

Seemed like there might be more he needed to say. “Is it
dangerous?”

“Yes. They move fast. Faster than we can run. And those teeth
are not for show, though their usual method is to wrap round their food and
squeeze it to death before tearing it apart.”

Maybe he’d been right to try and only offer its name. “Let’s
head back down the path.” She kept her voice low. “It hasn’t noticed us yet.”

“Thanks to the wind. It’s kicking up and, thankfully, sending
our scent downwind.” He started backwards, his gaze locked on the creature.
“We’ll wait in a nearby cave on the ridge. We can ride out the night there if
we have to. Won’t be luxurious, but we’ll live.”

She was all for that.

They’d backtracked several
metrals
when a low snarl at her back raised goose bumps on her arms. Behind her, less
than a shuttle’s length away, was a
tigos
. Worse,
unlike the snake-like creature, this predator’s gaze was locked on her.