by Lisa Lace
When I thought about Emmy’s dark eyes gazing at me, and the feeling of her lips against me, I realized it might be too late to stay arm’s length apart. The only thing my arms wanted to do was go back and wrap her in them again. I formed fists with my hands, trying to remove the desire to hold her.
Now what was I going to do?
Chapter Twelve
EMMY
I needed to talk to Ven. I had made a mistake.
My body and mind immediately revolted against the idea that the most incredible moment of my life had been a mistake. I tried to ignore them.
We had made a mistake…that I wanted to make with him again and again.
I tried to gain control over my unruly libido. Things didn’t have to be awkward. We were both adults and could still be friends in spite of the memory of a scorching hot, passionate kiss burning between us.
I didn’t want to think about the kiss, but the memory kept sneaking up on me when I least expected it. I remembered the heat of his mouth and energy shooting through my body. I remembered how hard his chest was and the way he possessed me. I was out of control like never before, and it felt good and right.
Maybe it was just bad timing.
We certainly had different life plans. It didn’t make sense to get involved with anyone right now. I had always lived my life in a methodical, logical way. Ven didn’t fit into the structure.
Right now, I had to talk to him and arrange to get off this damn planet. Preferably without Abel’s men knowing about it. I tiptoed to where he lurked around a corner of the L-shaped room.
“Ven, we need to talk.”
“Shhh.” He put his finger to his lips. “Someone’s coming.”
I looked out of the window and gasped. Abel’s men were outside, and they were approaching the ship.
“I thought you scrambled the tracer signal?” I asked. He shrugged.
“Either their devices are incredibly sensitive, or the scrambler failed. I’m not an electronics genius.”
I heard the sound of voices moving to the outside door. A door opened, and someone entered the ship.
“Do we have any options?” I asked, not particularly eager to hear the answer.
“We can hide. If they find us, we shoot them. If they don’t find us and they leave, then we can get out of here.”
“And get me a ticket off this planet,” I added.
He sighed but didn’t say anything as he walked over to a large closet.
“We can discuss it once we’re out of this situation.” He opened the door to the closet, which looked small and uninviting when I imagined stuffing my body inside. “Get in.”
VEN
I should have thought of a better place to conceal ourselves. Instead of being able to sneak off the shuttlecraft and take Emmy home to discuss her future, we were stuck hiding together in a closet.
Whenever I inhaled, my lungs filled with her scent. The fragrance seemed delicious and unrecognizable. It was probably an aroma from Earth. Underneath the initial odor, I detected the smell of her arousal. I didn’t need another distraction. I stopped breathing as much as possible and tried to focus on something else, but Emmy was the only thing around.
We had squeezed into the closet and faced each other with only six inches of air separating us. It was way too close, especially considering that we had recently decided to stop touching each other.
It didn’t matter what I said. Imagining her body next to me and her intoxicating scent was making my cock ache. The only thing I wanted to do was strip her and fuck her, right here.
I needed to keep my mind thinking about anything except what I wanted to do to her. For a few more minutes, at least. Once I had some distance, I would feel differently. Being stuck in close quarters with her was maddening.
Emmy took a deep breath. I watched her cleavage rise and fall in the dim light. I stared at her breasts, entranced by the sight. I wondered what she would look like when I made her come. And whether she would make a noise in her throat again if I kissed her.
We could talk, I supposed. That would take my mind off Emmy and what I wanted to do with her.
I hoped.
“Em, let me make sure I’ve got this straight.” She looked up at me, her eyes a little unfocused as if she were returning from somewhere far away. I hadn’t meant to use the diminutive form of her name. It slipped out but somehow it felt right. “You are bound and determined to get a ladle for your friend and colleague, Morley.”
“Zelia's ladle. I promised him before he died.”
“After you get this artifact, you’re not going to make soup with it. You’re going to give it to the authorities so they can use it for everyone’s benefit, but Abel’s men will be chasing you every step of the way.”
Her eyes shifted away from mine.
“Not every step. I’ve been able to take care of myself until now. If I can get a head start, I’ll be fine.”
“Won’t they guess you’re going to retrieve the ladle?”
“As long as I can get there before them, everything will work out.”
I stared at her. “It will all work out? You’re being extremely optimistic.”
She shrugged one shoulder, making her breasts jiggle in her tiny sports bra, drawing my attention back to a place I was trying to stop thinking about.
“It’s worked for me so far.” She looked sullen.
“Let me come with you.” The words came out of my mouth before I could think. She opened her mouth to protest, and I felt like complaining myself. I had taken bodyguard assignments in the military before, and I was excellent at it. But this task would be different. For one thing, there would be no backup.
I started to justify myself instead of backing down. “We will be together. If anyone investigates the validity of our marriage, they’ll see we have been hanging out the whole time.” It was true. We didn’t have to stay with each other on my planet. She stared at me, shaking her head. On impulse, I added, “We’ll tell people we’re on our honeymoon.”
Even though it might not be the smartest decision, I didn’t want to let Emmy go. I knew I might never see her again. An uncertain future stretched in front of her. She didn’t realize how quickly people could have their lives ended. But I did. I had seen plenty of death.
I didn’t want Emmy to die. I wanted her to live so I could get to know more about her. She was a puzzle I needed to solve. I wasn’t going to have a chance if she were light-years away from me.
Besides, I didn’t feel like going home just to sit in my big empty house again. The prospect of adventure called to me just as much as Emmy did. Hadn’t I been saying I was bored with my life? I didn’t want to lose all the money I inherited and the lifestyle that went with it, of course. But I also wanted something more than merely spending it.
“I can’t let you do that,” she said.
I was surprised at how disappointed I felt.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to come.”
“Well, what is it, then?” I folded my arms across my chest.
“I don’t want you to risk your life on something dangerous. It’s my life’s work, but it’s not yours. Go back to your house and your money. That’s your specialty and what you want, remember? You wanted it so much you were willing to marry a stranger who’s not your type.”
When she put it like that, I seem like an asshole. I started getting annoyed that she was pointing out what I already knew about myself but didn’t want to acknowledge. She was already challenging me and my self-image. It was bothersome that she remembered a stupid comment I made about her not being my type.
I had wanted some things before, but now things were different.
“I don’t know who you think I am, but you don’t have to worry about me. I can handle whatever is coming our way on your impossible mission.”
EMMY
“Excuse me?” I asked. “These guys aren’t archeologists. They’re treasure hunters. More like upscale criminals. They don’t play by th
e same rules I do. They mean business and I don’t think you knows what that means.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Emmy.”
“Could you explain yourself?” I said, feeling frustrated. How could this man make me feel so many emotions in the space of a few minutes?
The sounds of people bumping around were getting louder, but nobody had come into the cargo hold yet.
“I’m ex-military.”
“Oh.” That explained the shot on the car to destroy their batteries. I wondered if he was the sexy kind of ex-military, or an accountant or a chef. I didn’t want to ask.
“I could help you. I could make sure those guys don’t interfere with getting Zelia’s ladle.”
I felt myself wavering. The task would be less daunting if I had a partner.
But was that selfish? Just because something was hard to do alone didn’t mean I should automatically accept Ven’s help, no matter how trained he was.
I shook my head, my chest beginning to choke with regret.
“I’m sorry, Ven. It’s not your problem. I couldn’t possibly accept your help.”
“Maybe your problem is that you try to do everything yourself.” His eyes looked like black pools in the semi-darkness.
I froze. He had no right to call me out on something like that. He wasn’t my friend, and he was barely my husband. Although…
He was probably correct.
Even so, he couldn’t come with me. “It’s not going to happen, Ven. I promise I’ll return after I get the ladle. I’ll be your wife for a year so you can keep your money.”
“What if you don’t come back because you can’t?” He had a thoughtful look on his face. I felt a stab of fear. Could I die out there?
“Then you won’t have to fake my death because I’ll actually be dead. I’ll send proof that I’m on an assignment for work. You won’t have any trouble with people thinking I left you.”
He was shaking his head and about to say something else when the spaceship started moving.
Ven went to the small port window and looked out. “It sounds like we’re taking off.”
“Into space? We’re going to die together, I guess.” I tasted fear for what seemed like the hundredth time today.
“Strap in.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a seat. “We’re leaving.”
“Don’t we need to know where we’re going first?”
“I have no idea. If you don’t want to be a pancake when we get there, fasten your restraints.”
At least I was getting away from Stalwart.
Chapter Thirteen
VEN
I felt the shuttle touch down on an unknown planet. An announcement sounded and seemed to be giving instructions for getting off the spacecraft. I didn’t know for sure because they weren’t speaking Standard. Emmy nodded like she understood every word.
Of course she could speak the language. What other secrets lay hidden inside her head? I felt a tightening in my gut, and an old feeling of inadequacy threaten to overtake me. Was I smart enough or good enough to be here? My mind knew it wasn’t true, but I couldn’t control my body’s reactions.
“I’m surprised you can understand that.” I tried to distract myself from my feelings.
She had the decency to blush. “I guess it’s strange that I know a few extra languages. Morley made me learn it because he thought it might be useful. He also encouraged me to learn English.”
“English?” Merely saying the word made my mouth feel peculiar.
“It’s one of the ancient languages from Earth. It’s an irrelevant but interesting factoid about me.”
“I supposed it is.” I did not want to know any more interesting factoids about Emmy.
Suddenly she looked uncomfortable. “We need to go now.”
“Of course,” I said, tilting my head and listening. “We’re going. We have to be on guard in case someone’s waiting for us.”
“I meant we have to go right now. I need to use the restroom.”
I shook my head. Women.
“Don’t give me that look. Just because you have a one-gallon bladder, doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
“The flight was only a few hours. The ship must have hyperdrive capabilities. There’s no way we could have reached another planet this quickly without it. You’re lucky it wasn’t a three-day flight. I wonder what time it is here.”
“Three hours are as endless as three days when nature calls.” She started squirming around in her seat.
“Is another interesting factoid that you’re a bad poet? We’ll get off, but we can’t rush around.”
We heard the sounds of several people leaving. “We’re on Heralla.” I had checked my computer twice to confirm. “Isn’t that where you wanted to go? Where the ladle is?”
“Zelia's ladle. And yes, it is.”
“That can’t be a coincidence.”
“Something doesn’t seem right,” she agreed, looking troubled.
“It’s close to sundown. We should wait until it’s dark to leave the ship, but I suppose it won’t hurt to take a peek.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
I held up my gun. “Then they will get an unpleasant surprise.”
In about a minute, the ship was quiet. It was time to move. “Okay, let’s go.” I opened the door. “Stay close to me.”
Emmy followed as we crept through the dark cargo hold to the door. I opened it quietly and surveyed the hallway, trying to see if there was anyone around.
It was empty.
I stepped out into the corridor. There was no sign of people. The ship was silent. We could hear voices outside, but we would worry about them later.
“Finally. A bathroom.” Emmy spotted the sign on one of the doors. “I have to go.” She ducked into the room before I could stop her.
She wouldn’t be able to run if her bladder was about to burst. Come to think of it, neither would I.
I took my turn and with both of us feeling relieved, we made our way to the exit of the spaceship. I stopped at one of the windows and gazed outside, studying the people milling around.
Our shuttle wasn’t far from the main building, which was good. The sooner we could mix in with everyone else, the better. As I watched the people, I heard Emmy come up behind me. She cursed when she looked out the window.
“We didn’t end up on Heralla accidentally. Abel’s men knew we were on the ship. They brought us here on purpose.”
I turned to look at her. “How could you know that?”
She drew in a deep breath. I could see she was scared. “The guy out there with the white hair is Abel. He makes coincidences happen.”
I looked out the window. There was a person outside with long white hair which fluttered in the wind. He seemed stick-thin and frail, like an elderly man. As I watched, he indicated where his people should put the supplies, slightly tottering as he ordered them around.
“What are the chances that we stowed away on the ship of the people who were trying to kidnap us?” I asked, mildly amazed.
“Slim to none,” she said. “But Abel’s powerful and wealthy. Things like this always happen when he’s involved.”
“They brought us here somehow?”
“I think so.” She thought for a moment. “Does it matter how they did it? We shouldn’t waste energy trying to figure it out. We’re stuck here now, no matter what.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed. “We’re where we need to be. It seems like they plan on keeping us here until we can help them find the ladle.”
“Zelia's ladle,” she corrected me. “You’re right. They won’t kill me until they get it. They can kill you at any time, although with Abel here they might show some restraint. He doesn’t like violence. He just wants to get stuff.”
“We need a plan.” I looked out the window, watching people come and go. They were unloading climbing equipment and other supplies.
“That looks like some gear to go mountain climbing.” She nodded, keeping her
eyes on the people outside.
“Yep. The Mestolo’s at the top of a mountain.”
“How do they know?”
“They got that far before. They stopped when Morley discovered them and turned back. He wasn’t going to lead them directly to the artifact. His last transmission came from the top of that mountain,” she said, nodding her head to the left. “Before the cave-in.”
I shifted my neck and spotted the biggest mountain I had ever seen. It wasn’t a place for climbing. It was a place where people died, leaving their corpses frozen for eternity.
“We have to climb that?” I whispered, turning to give Emmy a disgruntled look. She didn’t say anything and just looked at me with her big brown eyes. “With Abel’s men after us?”
“It will give us the motivation to move quickly.”
I smiled for the first time in a long while. Emmy smiled back, and her eyes lit up. She looked fantastic.
I struggled to keep up my end of the conversation, with half of my mind thinking about how beautiful she looked when she smiled. The other half wondered if Emmy had what it took to get up the mountain.
“Definitely motivating. Er…are you sure you’ll be able to manage it?” I said, knowing the question would get me in trouble before it was out of my mouth.
“I’ll manage just fine. It’s you I’m worried about,” she said with sincerity.
The nerve of the little wench. “I hope you can keep up with me.”
EMMY
We waited until sundown to get off the spaceship. As the second sun dropped below the horizon, Ven touched my arm, making me jump.
“It looks like there’s no one around anymore. Darkness will give us the cover we need to get away. If there’s still someone out there guarding the shuttle, we’ll have to deal with them. We’re not going to get a better chance.”
“One more thing,” I added. “We can’t let them get a head start. If we get onto the mountain ahead of them, we’ll be able to move faster because there are only two of us.”