When Sparks Fly (26 page)

“That looks like fun,” he said, shading his
eyes as he looked over the lake at a pair of personal watercraft.
“Do they rent those around here?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been,” she
admitted, but he was already walking toward a pier not far down the
beach.

As they got closer, she could see several of
the watercraft tied against the dock. She was dubious when Blue
talked to the owner about renting one, and said, “I don’t know how
to drive that thing.”

“I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun,” he assured
her. He handed her a life vest and boating shoes. “Let’s go.”

He motioned for her to sit down on the seat
and gestured to the controls. “This is your power switch and this
is the throttle. The rest you’ll figure out as we go along.”

“Sounds easy enough…if I had two arms!”

Blue laughed. “Don’t worry; I’ll be your
left arm. Power up.”

Now that she was actually on one, she was
getting into the idea. She grinned as they idled away from the
dock, then gave a whoop and slowly increased speed until she was
going flat out. It was easy on the calm water.

Blue matched his steering to her actions,
and they gradually arced back the way they’d come. This was great!
But as Gem tried a few tight circles, ignoring the discomfort in
her shoulder, she accidentally gunned the throttle. Her butt hit
the water before she even knew she’d been thrown off.

Ack! Flustered, she bobbed up and spit water
out of her mouth. For a moment all she could see was wet hair and
water, but when she swiped at her eyes, there was Blue’s laughing
face. He was floating in the lake next to her.

“I wish I had that on video,” he said. “You
okay?”

He helped her swim back to her machine,
which had automatically stopped when she fell off, and steadied her
as she crawled back on. He looked at her closely and said, “I think
we’d better head in. You look kinda green, and I don’t just mean
your hair.”

Her smile was lopsided. She’d have to
remember to strip the dye out when she got back. At least the dye
on her lips had faded.

She shook her head. “The shoulder is acting
up a little, but I’m enjoying this. I hate to stop.” She didn’t
want to admit the pain was making her slightly queasy. She was glad
he’d suggested the whole excursion.

“Don’t worry. We’ll do it again,” he
reassured her, and turned them back toward the dock. “If you’re
nice, I’ll even treat you to dinner. Maybe something greasy…”

She wrinkled her nose at him. The man was
cruel.

As both of them were covered in sand and
soaking wet, Blue had to give a transport cabbie a big tip before
they could get a ride home. By the time they got back, Gem’s hair
was drying in stiff spikes.

Xera grinned as they walked in the door.
“What happened to you?”

Gem exchanged amused glances with Blue. “He
introduced me to water sports.”

“Wow! You’re making me jealous!” her sister
grumped good-naturedly. Then, “Hope it won’t throw a damper on
things, but ol’ sour face is waiting out in the taproom. He wants
to speak with you, Blue.”

“Who?”

“Azor,” Xera clarified. “I hope it won’t
take you long to change into new clothes, either. He’s making the
customers nervous.”

Chapter 19

Azor glanced up from his ice water as Blue
slid onto the chair next to him. “For a man who spent yesterday the
way you did, you look happy,” the Kiuyian policeman remarked.

“I made an effort to enjoy the day,” Blue
replied, taking a sip of a beer. “I hope you’re not bearing bad
news, because I’d planned to enjoy the night, too.”

“No bad news.” Azor looked at him
thoughtfully. “There’s a rumor going around that you plan to resign
your post.”

“It’s more than a rumor. I’ve given enough
years to the job. It’s time for something different.”

Azor seemed skeptical. “You plan to become a
farmer?” He glanced around the bar. “Or an innkeeper?”

“Careful.” Blue wasn’t going to take any
guff.

Shrugging, Azor inclined his head. “It’d be
a nice family, if they could just stay out of trouble.”

Blue laughed. “I like trouble. It keeps me
young.” He leaned back in his seat and added, “What’s eating you,
man? You look beat.”

Azor leaned back himself. A little of his
weariness showed through. “It’s been a long month. If ever I were
tempted to resign, myself, it would be now.”

Blue shook his head. “That’s not you. Not
from anything I’ve ever seen, at any rate. Maybe…How long has it
been since you took a vacation? Even a man who loves his job can
get burnt out.”

Azor was silent a moment. “I can’t
remember.”

“Put in for one, then. Find a likely lady
and spend some play time with her.”

The remark won Blue a slight smile. Then
Azor admitted, “As if I know any I haven’t arrested at one time or
another. And I can’t date another cop; those relationships always
end badly.”

“It’s true you’re not going to find a girl
hanging out in dark alleys or at your desk. You need to socialize
more. Even this bar has the occasional possibility.”

Azor glanced around. His eyes fell on
Brandy, however, who’d wheeled through the door and was speaking to
Jaq, the barkeep. The old man seemed to have weathered the recent
troubles with his usual calm. A thoughtful light appeared in his
eyes.

Blue glanced over but didn’t say anything.
It was impossible to judge what his companion was thinking. A word
of caution seemed in order, though. “She seems to have an interest
in her Kiuyian neighbor, Match. Remember the kid who set fire to
the place? His big brother is back in town.”

Azor glanced at him.

Blue shrugged his good shoulder. “Doesn’t
hurt to know the lay of the land,” he explained.

“She’s in the middle of a sticky situation,”
Azor reminded him. “And I’m a professional.”

Reminded of his relationship with his own
woman, Blue’s lip curled. “Aren’t we all?”

Gem’s entrance was well timed. Blue snaked
an arm around her waist as she neared their table, and he sat her
on his lap, careful not to disturb her bad arm. He kissed her
hello. “You look hot, baby doll.”

“Blue!” She blushed and wriggled off his lap
onto the chair beside him. Her sling made it awkward. “Behave.”

Blue waggled his eyebrows to make her laugh.
“Not too long, though,” he promised.

Gem glanced at his companion. “Detective
Azor.”

“Ma’am.”

“And you wonder why you have no dates,” Blue
chided. “I’m trying to convince him that he needs some
downtime.”

Gem eyed the dour detective. “You have a
point.”

Azor returned her comment with a droll
stare.

“Anyway, I thought we could go out to eat,
maybe take in a show,” Blue suggested to his new girl. “They have a
display of prototype spacecraft set up at the spaceport…”

Gem laughed. “That’s your idea of a
show?”

“You don’t like ships?” he asked.

She shook her head. “They’re fine. You just
surprised me.” She looked thoughtful. “Come to think of it, I’ve
never gone to that sort of exhibit.”

“Just one of the many firsts to come,” Blue
promised lazily, his smile telling her exactly what areas he
planned to explore first.

Azor shook his head. “I think I’ve had
enough entertainment for the night. I’ll see you around,” he
said.

“Don’t go,” Blue teased. “We haven’t even
begun to be entertaining.”

“Lovers,” Azor muttered. He stood, then
wound his way through bodies toward the door.

“Has he always been that cheerful?” Gem
asked.

Blue shrugged. “Since the police academy, at
least. He was the first Kiuyian I ever met. I thought they were all
like him until I’d seen a few more. Speaking of that, there’s your
neighbor.”

Gem glanced over and saw Match at the bar,
talking to Brandy. It didn’t take long for the two to head off
toward the kitchen hallway, but instead of going right, they both
turned left toward the brewery…or the family apartments.

“I’m not sure about this,” Gem remarked
uneasily.

Blue considered. “You don’t like him?”

Gem chewed her lip. “It’s been a while since
I’ve seen him. I don’t know if he’s the same. It’d be a rough
family to marry into.”

“You think it’ll go that far?” Blue
asked.

“I don’t know. Depends, I guess. Brandy’s
clearly still hooked on him.” She rose from her seat. “I think I’ll
see what they’re up to.”

Blue rose with her. “Are you sure they want
a chaperone? I know
I’m
not fond of them.” He sent her a
playful, flirtatious glance.

“It’s different with us.”

“Uh-huh.”

Blue placed a hand at the small of her back.
She was wearing a black satin wrap shirt with long sleeves, and the
thin material felt delicious pressed against her warm skin. He’d
have to buy her a satin nightie sometime. Maybe they’d get one
tonight. Visions of her modeling garments for him came to mind. It
was a provocative and not immediately gratifying experience.

Brandy and Match were just about to slip
down into the brewery when Gem caught up to them. “Hey, sis.
Whatcha doing?” she asked casually. “Showing off the new
additions?”

“Trying to,” Brandy said with a trace of
irritation. “I thought you were going out.”

“Pretty soon,” Gem agreed. “You’ve reminded
me that I never gave Blue a proper tour, either.”

Match opened the door for all of them.

If Brandy was hesitant to enter, no one
blamed her. The last time she’d passed through those doors, she’d
been carried out. Finally, she smiled grimly and wheeled herself
in.

The overhead lights came on automatically as
the foursome entered. Huge copper vats lined the walkway, gleaming
as if recently polished. Stone tiles lined the floor underfoot, but
shadows hid in the space between kettles.

The place had been cleaned up, but Blue
noticed Brandy looked away as they passed the pipes where she’d
been tied. His own gut tightened as he remembered how she’d looked.
He’d seldom seen anyone so brutally hurt. The last time had likely
been in that prisoner of war camp. He shook his head to dislodge
the memory. Why had Gem thought this was a good idea?

Brandy took a deep breath as they neared a
workbench. “This is the heart of it. I’ve spent many hours in here
tinkering with brews.”

“But no soda? Tell me you haven’t given up
on my favorites,” Match teased. “I can’t tell you how much I was
looking forward to a fruit cream.”

Brandy smiled slightly. “I haven’t made one
of those in years.”

“Is it hard? You could teach me to make my
own,” Match persisted.

Brandy laughed. “Now? Don’t you have
anything better to do?”

“Can’t think of a better way to spend my
evening,” he replied with a smile.

Brandy shrugged. “Why not?”

Blue sent Gem a questioning look. She must
have interpreted it correctly, for she said, “Sounds like you two
are going to have fun. Blue and I had better be going or we’ll be
late.”

“’Bye,” Match said absently. Brandy just
nodded as she went in search of her recipe book.

Blue snorted as soon as they were out of
earshot. “Going to be a wild and crazy night for those two,” he
predicted sarcastically. “I don’t know, maybe they can get creative
with her in a wheelchair, but I have my doubts.”

She glowered at him. “Hey, it’s a big
sister’s job to be protective.”

He slung an arm around Gem’s waist and
bumped their hips. “Aren’t I glad you don’t have a big sister.”

Gem sighed in contentment and leaned back
against Blue’s chest, which filled him with pleasure of his own.
They’d dined at an elegant restaurant, then rented a private
pavilion overlooking the lake. Stars twinkled overhead and
reflected back in the cool waters. They’d doused the torches and
reclined on velvet pillows, the better to see the fireflies. He
knew she’d seldom felt so peaceful.

Blue toyed with her hair. “What are your
dreams? If you could do anything at all, what would it be?”

She stretched lazily as she thought. “Hm.
Right after make love with you, you mean?”

He choked. “I thought we were trying to
behave!” It was unusual for her to bring up something like that,
which could only mean she was thinking of him in terms of her
future husband. His heart warmed just thinking of it.

“And you’re doing admirably, but don’t think
I haven’t noticed that thing poking my back.”

A man could only take so much provocation.
He growled and started to drag her down.

She laughed and held up a hand. “No, no!
I’ll be good. Let’s see, if I could do anything…”

He waited, torn between kissing her into
silence and hearing her answer. If she stalled much longer he’d
settle for silence.

“I think I’d like to spend more time with
you. Just like this, just…playing.”

“That’s it? You’ve never had a yen to
skydive or explore the galaxy?”

She snorted. “I have action and adventure
every day of my life. Believe me, there’s never a dull moment
around The Spark. What I’d like is more time to myself, just
resting. I’m not complaining, but I never got a chance to just be a
kid, you know? After my father died, I tried to fill his shoes. The
business needed a leader and my sisters needed someone to watch
over them. I couldn’t be Mom or Dad, but I could be dependable, a
confidant…
there
. It’s what my father would have wanted, and
I was glad to do it. It just came at a cost.”

He nuzzled her hair. “You lost your chance
to run wild yourself.”

“I don’t know if I would have been wild, but
I did grow up fast. I just want some fun now.”

He tickled her ribs. “And you want it with
me.” Satisfaction filled him, bone deep. He’d never been someone’s
idea of rest before. He found he liked it, liked the way she
defined their relationship. He’d had his share of adventure, too.
He wouldn’t mind a chance to hang around with her, just being
himself.