by Susan Hayes
“I didn’t stop your men from working. I merely requested they stay out of one small area.” Dane looked to his left, getting a quick impression of a blond, stocky, thick-necked officer with a scowl on his face. “This won’t take long, then we’ll be on our way.”
“Good. We’re nearly done with this job. If there aren’t any more unscheduled work stops, today’s the last day we’ll be out here. Tomorrow, this place will be leveled.” The officer jerked his head toward Ciara. “The men say she ran the clinic here, but I saw a tattoo on her face. She Alliance? I didn’t know we had people living out here now.”
Dane asked, glancing down to note the single bar on the man’s uniform. “Does it matter…Lieutenant?”
The smaller man shrugged his shoulders. “Lieutenant William Aster. And no, sir. I suppose it doesn’t. She looked familiar, that’s all. I was curious if she could be someone I used to know.”
Dane’s protective instincts kicked in. He had no intention of giving the lieutenant any information on Ciara. “I doubt it. I mean, what are the odds you’d run into someone you knew way the hell out here?”
“It is the ass end of nowhere, isn’t it? Hard to believe anyone would rather live out here than a nice, comfy place inside Alliance territory.”
“It is,” Dane agreed, but he knew most of the people out here either stayed out of fear of what they didn’t understand, or because they were running from something. Ciara didn’t seem to fit into either category. It gave him hope that they could convince her to stay in Fort Saken.
“I got it!” Ciara popped up from the rubble with a box in one dirty hand and her face smeared with streaks of dirt. She looked amazing to Dane, but apparently his companion didn’t feel the same way because he muttered something under his breath and stomped back to his men.
Ciara slipped the small box under her jacket and scrambled over the wreckage of what was once her home. Her precious ledger was inside. As well as what few credits she’d saved over the years. She still didn’t have much, but at least she wasn’t broke any longer. She’d never have found it if she hadn’t asked Dane to help her, and if he hadn’t been kind enough to agree.
There was an officer talking to Dane when she first started making her way back, but by the time she reached his side, the officer was gone. Somewhere in the distance she could hear a man barking orders, but she was too excited and happy with her reclaimed property to pay much attention.
“You look much happier now,” Dane observed.
“I am. It’s still a sad day, but you gave me back something precious I thought I’d lost forever. Thank you.” She surprised herself by stepping in and rising up on her toes to press a kiss to Dane’s cheek. He seemed as surprised as she was, and before he could recover, she moved away again. She’d tried to convince herself that taking his hand earlier had been nothing more than a gesture of support. Now, though, it was hard to keep pretending. She’d kissed him because she wanted to. Because he was sexy, sweet, and caring, and stars help her, she wanted to kiss him again.
“You’re welcome, angel.” Dane’s voice came out in a roughened rumble. “Anything else we need to do here?”
She nodded and pointed to the small graveyard. “I need a minute to say goodbye to the ones I couldn’t save. I won’t be long.”
“Take as long as you need. I’ll let the others know we’re done here.”
The walk felt far longer than it was, and with each step she took, Ciara’s heart grew heavier. There were too many new graves. Too many had died because she hadn’t been able to get to them. She knew it wasn’t logical to blame herself. She’d done all she could, but part of her would always wonder if she could have somehow done more. As she walked through the small gateway, guilt and grief tore at her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her words whisked away by the bitter wind. She walked from plot to plot, marking the names of the ones buried at each one. She’d add their names to the back of her ledger tonight. Her personal memorial to the lives she couldn’t save. The rain started before she had finished making her rounds, and by the time she was done, it was coming down hard, the thick drops soaking her hair and sending rivulets of cold water snaking down the back of her neck.
Dane met her at the gate, his black hair plastered to his head, and his jacket already nearly soaked through. He held out his hand to her, and she took it, only to find herself drawn into the circle of his arms. His fingers brushed her cheeks, wiping away the rain and her tears. “Don’t cry, angel. Unless you can summon earthquakes at will, this wasn’t your fault. You saved the boys. It’s more than anyone else could have done.”
“Who said I was crying? This is rainwater. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s gotten a bit soggy out here.”
“I noticed. I also know the difference between rain and tears.” He dipped his head to press several gentle kisses to her upturned face. “It doesn’t rain salt water, angel. You’re busted.”
“Cocky man,” she muttered.
“But I was right,” he countered, staring down at her. His eyes were bright with desire as he stroked his fingers over her face again, tracing her lips with featherlight touches.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her entire being ached with the need for him to keep touching her. Her hands rose to his chest, her fingers hooking into the front of his jacket as she moved deeper into the warmth of his embrace.
“So much for the plan,” Dane murmured. His arms tightened around her as he closed the short distance between his mouth and hers.
She’d expected a tender kiss, but there was nothing tender or tentative about the way his lips claimed hers. Hard, sensual, eager, he kissed her with an intensity that broke through every doubt and argument she’d hid behind. She wanted this. Wanted him. After seeing how close she’d come to death, she needed to feel alive again.
Dane knew he’d thrown their plans to slowly court Ciara right out an airlock, but he didn’t care. Fuck, how could he when he finally had her in his arms? He tangled his fingers in her fiery red hair, drawing her head back so he could taste her more deeply. She moaned, her lips parting beneath his, and his cock hardened so quickly it was almost painful. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, savoring the sweet heat of her kiss. Chilled fingers slid up his neck to bury themselves in his hair. Her nails scratched lightly over his scalp, and Dane’s world exploded like a supernova.
Need flared white-hot, stoking the fires of their passion. He stroked his tongue along hers, teasing her to play with him, and she moaned again, the sweet vibration coursing through him. She tasted sweet, like cinnamon candy, her rain-slick lips sliding against his as the two of them came together in a moment of passion so powerful he knew he’d remember it for the rest of his life.
He couldn’t say how long they stayed that way, wrapped around each other as the rain drenched them both. It wasn’t until his wrist unit chimed that Dane finally came back to his senses. He kept Ciara tucked in tight against him as he checked the display and cursed under his breath as he saw the incoming call was from Vance. “He always did have the worst fucking timing. Hold tight for a moment. Vance wants an update.”
Ciara laughed softly, a small, joyful sound that filled his heart with light. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He opened the vid comm link and tried to act nonchalant. “What’s up?”
“Why the fuck are you soaking wet?” Vance demanded.
“Because it’s raining.”
“Please tell me Ciara had more sense than you and is currently warm, dry, and wondering why I let her be driven into the badlands by an idiot.”
Ciara piped up before Dane could stop her. “It’s water, Vance. No one ever died from getting rained on.”
“Says the woman who has only recently recovered from her last near-death experience. I swear to the stars you need a keeper. And why are you eavesdropping on us?”
Feeling mischievous, Ciara reached for Dane’s wrist and tugged it down until she coul
d see Vance’s face, allowing him to see her at the same time. “Because I didn’t have a choice. Your partner didn’t let go of me before he answered his wrist unit.”
Vance’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
“That was mean,” Dane scolded her, but his voice was rich with barely contained laughter.
“What happened to the plan, Dane?” Vance finally asked.
Ciara craned her head around to find Dane grinning from ear to ear. “I changed the plan. It seems to be working out. We’ll talk to you when we get back.”
“Bastard. You owe me now. See you when you get here, and for fuck’s sake, get out of the rain already!”
The vid screen went blank. Dane dropped a kiss to the top of her sodden hair, laughing all the while. “I think he’s pissed. Any idea why?”
“Probably because he had a chance to kiss me in the kitchen this morning and backed off instead. You two really made a plan about me?” The thought made her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies.
“Yep, we did. ‘Operation Seduction.’ We had code names and everything,” he teased as he took her hand and led her back to the transpo.
“You did not.”
“Well, maybe we didn’t have code names, but we did talk about you, and we agreed we weren’t going to rush you into anything.”
Dane opened her door for her, a small gesture that made the butterflies in her stomach take flight again. He helped her inside and stole a quick kiss before disappearing around back for a few minutes. When he returned, he was carrying a couple of blankets in his arms, both of which he offered to her. “To help you warm up and dry off a little faster.”
Before she could say anything, he was gone again, closing her into the snug cabin of the transpo. She barely gave him time to open his door before she hit him with her next question. “What was this plan? And I think you should take one of these blankets, you’re just as cold and wet as I am.”
Dane shook off the excess water before climbing inside. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Aster standing forty or so feet away. He was looking their way intently, and Dane couldn’t understand why. Despite the lieutenant’s complaints, they hadn’t done anything to delay him or his men.
Still perplexed by the other man’s behavior, Dane turned over the engine and made sure the heater was on high. By the time he was done, Ciara had shed her jacket and was busy drying her hair with one corner of the blanket. Her cheeks were pink from the wind and weather, and there was a small smile playing across her lips as she scrubbed at her hair, leaving it in damp, tangled curls.
Even windblown and wet, she was breathtaking.
“Are you going to stare at me all day, or are you going to tell me what this plan was you and Vance have both mentioned?” she asked, handing him the other blanket without looking up.
He took the blanket and used it to towel off before stripping off his jacket and tossing it in the back with Ciara’s. “It wasn’t a big deal. We talked and agreed we were both interested in getting to know you better, and letting you get to know us. When you agreed to stay with us, we decided it would be best if we let you have your space and not...uh…”
“Jump me in the kitchen? Kiss me in the rain?” she interjected, laughter lightening her words.
“Something like that, yeah.” He tossed the blanket back at her and settled in behind the wheel. “I was never good at resisting temptation. Willpower is Vance’s thing, not mine.”
“I’ve never been called a temptation before. I think I like it.” She snuggled into the blankets as he started the long drive back to town.
“You’re the most tempting woman I’ve ever met. Any time you want me to confirm that for you, all you have to do is ask.”
There was silence in the transpo for a few long seconds, then she looked over at him with a sultry half-smile that had his cock straining against the confines of his uniform.
“And what do I have to do to let you know when I don’t need space anymore?”
He gripped the wheel hard as a cascade of enticing images poured through his mind, all starring the beauty beside him. “Angel, that rocket left orbit already. I have no intention of going back to the way things were, not after that kiss.”
“No?” she asked in a husky tone, the sexy little smile still on her lips.
“Fuck, no. And I don’t believe you want to go back, either.”
“You’re right. I don’t. So, what happens now?”
“Now, you trust us to take care of you. In every way a man can.”
Dane swore he saw her tremble slightly as she nodded in assent. “I want to take care of both of you, too. And this isn’t misplaced gratitude. I like you both, very much.”
He punched the accelerator. Suddenly, he had a damned fine incentive to get home quickly.
***
CHAPTER EIGHT
Vance was trying not to pace and failing spectacularly at it. Having a food console meant meal preparation was quick and easy, but it also meant he had nothing to do but wander around the kitchen as the automated appliances did all the work. He actually enjoyed cooking. It usually relaxed him, but time had gotten away from him today. It didn’t happen often, and he knew the reason why.
Ciara.
She’d been in his thoughts all day, a beautiful distraction that had him completely off his game. He’d replayed the moment in the kitchen a hundred times, remembering the softness of her cheek and the scent of her freshly washed hair. The memory made his cock twitch and swell, another problem that had plagued him for most of the day.
He looked at his wrist unit again, willing the time to pass quicker. Ciara had let him know when they arrived back at the base, a courtesy Dane would never have considered. Right now, Vance was ready to strangle his best friend. What the fuck was he thinking? They’d agreed to the plan together, and the moment the jackass was left unsupervised, he’d gone off script. He loved the man like a brother, but there were times he could cheerfully throw his ass out an airlock.
“Din time, Daddy?” Annie interrupted his thoughts and made him shake off his dark mood.
“It will be dinner time soon. You hungry again, already? Where do you put it all?” He scooped Annie into his arms and dangled her upside down, pretending to shake her. “Where’s all the food going? Are you hiding it in your pockets?”
Annie shrieked with joy and laughter, and by the time he set her back on the ground, his mood was much improved.
“Ciara and Daddy Dane home soon?” she asked, still giggling softly.
“Any minute now. In fact, I bet by the time you wash your hands for dinner, they’ll be here.”
“’Kay. You help?”
“I’ll always help you, baby girl. You know that.”
True to his prediction, Dane and Ciara arrived as he was helping Annie wash her hands in the kitchen sink. He couldn’t set Annie down until he got the soap off her hands, so he had to settle for calling out a greeting when the door opened. “Welcome back, you two. We’re in the kitchen.”
* * * *
Ciara walked into the house feeling grateful to be home at last. The thought didn’t even strike her as out of place until she was hanging her still damp jacket up to finish drying. She had to remind herself she didn’t have a home, only a place to stay for a little while. This was all temporary, unless she decided to stay.
Dane gave her a wink and a brief kiss on the cheek before going upstairs. “Going to clean up. See you in a minute.”
She watched him go, too surprised by his casual display of affection to say anything in response. Her past relationships had been uncomplicated and brief. Her lovers had been passionate, certainly, but never affectionate. Unsure what to make of it, she double-checked that her precious box of possessions was still in her jacket, then kicked off her muddy shoes and dropped them in a nearby cleaning cubby. That was another thing she’d miss when she left this place—all the technology that made life easier.
Vance was at the sink when she entered the kitchen. He had Annie seated on the counter beside him and the two of them were blowing soap bubbles and making a happy mess of it.
“Ciara!” Annie spotted her and started waving in greeting, sending gobs of soap suds in all directions.
“Hi, sweetheart. You having fun?” she asked, and Annie nodded.
“Blow bub-bubs!”
“Bubbles,” Vance corrected Annie, then turned to smile at Ciara. “Welcome back.”
Annie flailed her arms. “Down now, Daddy. Wanna hug Ciara.”
“I can’t hug you yet, sweetie, I’m all dirty and you’re nice and clean.”
Annie thought about it for a second, then beamed and looked at Vance. “You help Ciara wash?”
Ciara was about to tell the little girl no, but Vance spoke first. “I think that’s a good idea, sweet pea. Why don’t you go help Daddy Dane wash up for dinner, and I’ll help Ciara?”
“’Kay.” Annie pointed to the floor. “Down now.”
Annie dashed off the second her feet hit the floor, calling for Dane as she raced out of the kitchen.
“How can she have so much energy after playing all afternoon?” Ciara muttered softly.
“I have no idea. Some days she tires me out just watching her.” Vance lifted his hand and crooked a finger in her direction. “Come on then. Time to get washed up for dinner.”
He had to be kidding.
“I mastered washing my own hands and face a long time ago. I’ll head upstairs and—”
“Come here, Ciara. Now.” He pointed to a spot in front of the sink and arched a brow, daring her to argue.
The note of command in his voice should have pissed her off. Instead, her pulse raced, and her pussy was suddenly slick and aching.
“What is it with you two and the need to be in charge all the time?” she muttered, not moving from her location.