CALLEY (RIBUS 7 Book 3)

by Shae Mills

  Jim’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He had now experienced his friend’s brute strength, and the savagery in Jason’s eyes left him with the irrefutable knowledge that he would hold true to his word. “Like I said,” Jim mumbled through split lips. “She’s all yours.”

  Jason let him drop. “Get your coat.”

  *****

  Ten o’clock rolled around and Chelan was becoming concerned. Plus her bladder was going to burst. Slipping out of the blankets, she slid into her jeans and did them up under her long nightshirt. Then she tiptoed to the washroom. Upon exiting, she glanced at Jason’s room, surprised to see the door open and him nowhere to be seen. Then she jumped, startled by the sound of the front door opening.

  Jason smiled at her. “Good morning.”

  Chelan clutched the neck of her T-shirt, her heart pounding. “I thought you were still in bed. You scared the life out of me.”

  Jason chuckled as he shut the door. “I’m sorry. I just had some early morning errands to run. That’s all.”

  Chelan raised her brows. “What’s open this time of the morning on the holidays?”

  Jason hung up his coat. “Oh, quite a few things.” He presented her with a brown paper bag. “Here, I picked this up for breakfast.”

  Chelan looked in it and then closed her eyes. “Oh! Fresh cinnamon buns and coffee. How divine.” She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  Jason slid off his shoes and watched as she disappeared into the kitchen. Her shapely body and long slender legs tugged at him. She was beautiful. But only someone as warped as Jim would say she teased. She could not help her looks. She oozed sensuality. But it was inbred, not contrived. It flowed from her; it was not flaunted. Jason shook his head. Jim deserved no more than a dog.

  Chelan laid the food out on the small kitchen table and watched Jason as he entered. She looked over his handsome face and his tall, well-muscled body. He was impressive, and very well conditioned. She grinned at him. “Obviously, you don’t eat this every morning,” she said.

  He chuckled and sat down. “No, but the local health food store wasn’t open.”

  Chelan laughed and joined him. She ate in silence and then glanced at him. She became serious. “I know you don’t know this, but you’ve been my guardian angel twice, and I probably owe you my life.” She paused. “I’d like to pay you back for everything you have done for me any way that I can, and I will pay the medical bill when you get it, but in the meantime it is best that I leave.”

  Jason stopped chewing and stared out the window. Chelan felt her throat constrict, her emotions taking her by surprise. She tried to calm herself and she looked back at the still man. “It’s all for the best. I don’t want to be near Jim, and it’s imperative that I leave here, especially for your sake. I’ve done you enough harm already.”

  Jason finally swallowed his food and looked at her. “Where will you go?”

  Chelan shrugged her shoulders. “To Will’s in New York for a little bit first, whether he and Marion are back or not. I need to make some concrete plans from there. Then back to Oregon, I suppose. I want to be in a place for which I have nothing but fond memories.”

  Jason looked back at his plate and attempted to sound light. “So, what about our camping trip? Is that off?”

  Chelan stared at him, his question catching her off guard. “No. It doesn’t have to be. I mean, you’ve never mentioned it again since Canada—I just assumed you weren’t interested in it anymore. I assumed that you wanted to distance yourself from me just in case it jeopardized your career or your relationship with Jim.”

  Jason shook his head slowly. “No, actually, I was very much looking forward to it. Besides, I suspect my relationship with Jim is now over.”

  Chelan hesitated, the man's strange hold on her reaching out and surrounding her once again. The aura of attraction had been there the night they met, and it surfaced every time she was in his presence. “Okay, well, we can make some superficial plans and then I’ll keep in touch.” She flinched. “I’ll have to call back from wherever I am for test results anyway. Oh, and speaking of that, it’s actually best that I give you some money for my checkup now and we’ll square up when the bill comes in.”

  Chelan began to rise but Jason grabbed her arm. “Please sit.”

  Chelan heard the melancholy in his voice and she sat back slowly.

  “You owe me nothing, Chelan.”

  “But I want to pay you.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not Jim.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. She glanced around uneasily. “Look, can I impose on you to take me to the airport? I’m sure I can get out of here today. I just need to call Will and see if I can get into his place.”

  Jason was silent. “Sure,” he finally answered quietly.

  Chelan studied him. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.

  Jason held onto his coffee cup. “I had just hoped that you would stick around a while.”

  Chelan pinked a bit. “I… uh…” she stammered. “I just assumed that since you disappeared completely after our trip that…” And she shook her head.

  Jason peered at her. “That what?”

  Chelan twisted at a strand of her hair. “That maybe you were nervous about being in my company for some reason other than Jim.”

  Jason cleared the frog that had lodged in his throat. “Quite the contrary,” he uttered. “I would be honored to have your company.”

  She glanced down at her coffee. “I guess I could stay a little while, at least till I hear from the doctor.” She finally dared to look back at him and was relieved to see a renewed spark in his eyes.

  “That would be nice,” he whispered.

  Chelan smiled briefly and then spoke seriously. “But you have to understand that I’m scared to death of Jim. If he comes around or threatens me in any way, I will have to leave immediately.”

  Jason gave her a small smile. “He won’t come around.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I paid him a visit this morning.”

  Chelan blanched. “You did what? You’re crazy! He could have killed you.”

  Jason shook his head. “He won’t come around.” And then he smiled slyly. “He accompanied me to a facility where a specialist I know ran a specific blood test for me—well, a few blood tests, actually. He doesn’t have HIV, Chelan. And considering his long list of conquests, he appears surprisingly clean.”

  Chelan didn’t know whether to berate him or thank him. Questions flooded her mind surrounding the speed of the blood test results, but suddenly none of it mattered anymore. She sprang from her chair, hugged him tight about the neck, and kissed his bearded cheek. “Oh, thank you, Jason! You’re wonderful.”

  Jason closed his eyes and finally allowed himself to touch her. His hands slid around her smooth, hard waist and he moved her onto his lap, holding her close.

  Chelan pulled back slightly, her fingers tracing down the sides of his face and over his full beard. She looked at his inviting lips, but despite all her urges, she wasn’t going to chance any other man, no matter what the attraction.

  Jason’s voice was soft and low. “I guess I don’t have to worry about my allegiance to my former best friend anymore, do I?”

  Chelan smiled. “No,” she whispered. “I think your relationship with Jim is pretty much extinct.”

  Jason stared at her for a long time. “I’d like to kiss you if you would allow it, just once.”

  Chelan became still. With one softly spoken appeal, he had liquefied all her resolve. What was it about this man? Why did his simple presence captivate her so, scrambling all her senses? Even his masculine scent was heavenly. She pondered his request. “Maybe a small one,” she uttered before she could catch herself.

  Jason closed his eyes and tasted her lips, his tender caress of her mouth causing her to melt from within. But it was she who withdrew first, and she looked at him sheepishly. “I can’t remember all that happened the night Jim and I were
together. I would feel better if we waited for the rest of the tests to come in before we kissed again. I don’t want—”

  Jason pressed a finger to her lips. “You’re probably fine, Chelan.”

  Chelan shook her head. “You don’t know what acts I performed on him.”

  Jason smiled. “Fair enough.”

  Chelan pushed away from him a bit, smiling shyly. “After all, he kissed me. Maybe he even gave me cold germs.”

  Jason chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, you win.”

  Chelan slid off his lap and backstepped into the living room. With a little distance between them, she reassessed everything. “Actually,” she said, “if you don’t mind, I would prefer it if we remained platonic. I’m just a little shell-shocked at the moment.”

  He smiled warmly. “I completely understand.”

  Chelan was immensely relieved. She glanced at the couch. “You can still sit with me if you wish.”

  Jason stood, his crystal eyes alight. “I’d like that very much.”

  Chapter 25

  Jason started back to work the next day, often supplying her with QA to do from his various contracts when he arrived home. She enjoyed having the work, and even more importantly, she loved that she was helping him out. It was her way of repaying the gentle man for her room and board.

  Before the week was out, she phoned the clinic: her test results were negative. She was so elated, she took one of the muscle-contracting pills before her period was due, just to ensure all was as well as it appeared to be.

  Marion had to stay in Florida, as things were not looking well with her mom, but Will flew into Chicago to attend to some work and to spend as much time with Chelan as he could before returning to Florida.

  Things were looking up all around for Chelan, and any uncertainty as to her future accommodations had been erased by Jason. He had put forth a very convincing argument as to just why she should stay with him for the rest of the time before their Oregon trip, an argument that revolved around work, both professionally and on the home front.

  In addition to giving her as much contract material as she could handle, he assigned her the task of adding a little character to his rather bland abode. As a bonus, she was encouraged to practice her fledgling culinary skills on him as often as she wished, a passion which she attacked with a flurry of enthusiasm. And just as with her professional pursuits, her attention to detail in the kitchen was fastidious. Soon every windowsill in the apartment was covered with an assortment of fresh herbs, all meticulously cared for. Jason quickly found out just how good a homemade meal could taste.

  Chelan was up in the mornings with him, their days often beginning well before six, when he usually left. She attended to Jason’s work until noon and then either hit the stores or tackled the decorating, but the late afternoons were always dedicated to cooking. After the evening’s meal, Jason would clean up, and then both usually settled in for a couple more hours of work just before bed.

  Chelan was as content as she had ever been on Earth, but one thing kept nagging at her. Since she had first been reintroduced to her home planet, thoughts of Korba and Fremma had been constant companions of her psyche. But now thoughts of Jason were intruding with ever-increasing strength, to the point of alarming her.

  She was becoming ever more attached to the beautiful Earth man while living with him, and it was wreaking havoc with her emotions. He had not approached her physically even once since their one and only kiss, but her desire to be in his company was all-consuming. Every evening when he walked in through the door, her heart leapt and her soul calmed. He was an elixir of tranquility, the air of strength that surrounded him immersing her in a sea of peacefulness. But along with this deep-seated contentment came a sense of longing so powerful, she at times felt overwhelmed. However, as the days went on, she was becoming even more determined to keep their relationship utterly benign.

  She surmised that her intimate aloofness was hard on the loving man, who seemed as drawn to her as she was to him. But he never pushed. He appeared satisfied with holding her in his arms while watching TV, or hugging her every morning as he left, and every evening when he came home. Chelan intuitively knew why he chose to wait so patiently, and she did not bother to correct him. He had assumed that her interaction with Jim had traumatized her and that she needed time. This he seemed to grant happily out of his burgeoning love.

  But as the month of March descended upon her, despite all her precautions, she finally admitted to herself that she cared for the man deeply, more deeply than she had ever thought possible. This revelation caused even more turmoil to churn within her. After all, Jason was in the here and now, while as time passed, the Empire felt more and more like a distant fantasy conjured by her imagination.

  And if that were not enough, the whole emotional quagmire surrounding the inevitable loss of Jason and her reentry into the Empire was thickening. She was well aware that she should be utterly elated over being reborn into the arms of the Empire in a few short weeks, but not only was the uncertainty pertaining to the pickup plaguing her, how could she possibly tell Jason about her abrupt departure? And for that matter, how could she leave him?

  As April loomed, Chelan was becoming a powder keg of explosive emotions. On the one hand she wanted to be with Jason, to share all with him. And on the other hand, she wanted to run away, forgetting she had ever met him. As a consequence, she erected an emotional barrier that he could never hope to penetrate. She would not allow his physical love, the added bonding more than she could ever endure. It would make their inevitable departure from one another far too painful.

  Today Chelan paced back and forth in the small living room. April twenty-first would be the big day. If all went as planned, at midnight a single ebony fighter would descend at the predetermined location and Chelan would be swept up from the dust of her little blue planet, never to return. But with her deepening love for Jason, her agitation was increasing almost exponentially.

  All her dithering had not been lost on the sensitive man, though he did not pry as to the reasons behind her turbulence. But finally he came home with a suggestion. He scooped her up and twirled her around. “How about we start our trip tomorrow?”

  Chelan’s eyes bugged. “Your work! It’s only the third week of March.”

  Jason smiled. “It’s okay. There’s a hang-up with that supplier again, and there’s no rush anyway. I can take the extra time. How about we begin by flying into Seattle and driving down the Washington coast into Oregon? We can take our time. There are lots of bed and breakfasts along the way, especially along the Olympic Peninsula. And while we are in Seattle, we can pick up all the supplies we need. Once we’re completely outfitted and we’ve explored Washington a bit, we can go to that lake near your home where your Dad used to take you.”

  Chelan’s smile was huge. “Oh, Jason. That all sounds so wonderful!”

  *****

  Chelan called Will and told him her plans, assuring him that she would stay in touch while on the trip. Then the very next morning, she and Jason were on a plane for Seattle. There, Jason rented a SUV and they were off. Chelan was in her element. This adventure on her little blue planet was what she had wanted to go on with her family, enjoying the countryside and the sunshine to the fullest. And fortunately for both of them, the west-coast weather had chosen to cooperate.

  While in Seattle, they shopped. Chelan bought a small tent, plenty of warm base layers of clothing, and some rainwear. A good sleeping bag was a must, along with a sturdier pack. Jason purchased most of the other equipment, indicating that a large portion his gear back home needed upgrading, hence the reason he had left it behind. The only time-consuming part of the shopping spree was her search for a good knife. Jason followed her around with amusement but was suitably impressed with the formidable weapon she chose. As a consequence, he promised not to sneak up on her at night.

  Their first prolonged stop was Mount Rainier for the hiking, and although there was still plenty of snow
at higher elevations, they managed to cover a lot of territory and enjoyed the spectacular wilderness. The first big lesson Chelan inadvertently learned was that Jason had an inexhaustible supply of energy. Needless to say, she slept well nights, bears the furthest thing from her mind this time.

  On days that it rained, they found bed and breakfasts or the odd hotel, just so they could dry out. Finally they descended into Oregon and made their way along the coast. Turning inland slightly, they headed for her cozy small town and her precious little lake. They parked the SUV at one end of the lake and then hiked to the other.

  Chelan chose a place in a grassy clearing near the water, careful to pick a site well away from the rendezvous location. As soon as she and Jason had finished putting up the tents, she excused herself for a short walk.

  Chelan approached the spot slowly, thousands of feelings and images flooding her mind. She walked up to the tree where she and Fremma had shared their last night, and she sank to her knees.

  She touched the ground reverently and closed her eyes. She could feel the Warlord’s arms fold around her, and she warmed. Then, as quickly as the warmth had come, it faded on the breeze as Jason’s face arose before her.

  She sighed. She was still at a loss as to how to deal with him. But now she was confronted with the fact that time was desperately short. When the moment came to part ways, there had to be some form of explanation. She owed him that much at least.

  She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked over to where, months ago, the fighter had nestled. It all seemed so unreal now. It was as though she had awakened from some outlandish dream. She smiled briefly as she thought of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. It was just the same.