Under her thumb, under her body…
“If the people I’m stuck with can’t do their job with a degree of intelligence, of course I’ll step in.” She turned and glared at him. He felt every ounce of the bitter chill in that blue gaze. “Look, I want to win the Trike. That’s it, all right? I don’t care what you want. I don’t care about anything you’ve got going on. It doesn’t matter. Got it?”
Something inside Stratton snapped. “What the hell is your problem, Willa? Your attitude sucks, and it goes beyond being the only girl in your family. It wouldn’t kill you to be friendly once in a while.” He waited, but she didn’t respond. “Contrary to what you think, all men aren’t out to get you. All men don’t hold you in low esteem.”
“You do.” The words were so soft he almost missed them. She kept her gaze focused on the windscreen.
“No, you just think that.” He rapidly went through his interactions with her and couldn’t come up with anything that would have given her that impression. “Is it the pet name? You hate it, right?”
Silence met the question. Any minute now, the inside of the cabin would ice over.
Stratton sighed. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but you need to understand that sooner or later, you have to let it go. Start doing stuff for yourself, because you’re going to run out of people to blame for your unhappiness.”
She moved her hands restlessly over a few buttons, but never pressed any of them. As he looked at her profile, his insides tightened when her chin wobbled and a tear coursed down her cheek. Damn. He’d made her cry. Her body tensed, every muscle taut until she fairly vibrated, screamed out for release. If she thrust her chin out any farther, it would hit the windscreen.
The woman was stressed, that much was evident, but unless she looked at herself with some measure of worth, she’d never be free. Usually, he excelled when the female was vulnerable. A few sympathetic words, a tender brush of the fingers, and they were willing to do anything he asked. With Willa, he couldn’t move in for the kill. She brought out his protective instincts, made him see beyond himself to interact with her, help her meet her goals while working toward his.
You’ve gone soft, Sin.
Then the self-loathing kicked him in the chest. No matter what he said or did, in the end, he’d leave her, and if the chance came to nab Chaf before the last checkpoint, he’d do it. Hands down. Money was money. Females were trouble, and they certainly weren’t permanent; yet Willa…
No exceptions to the rule.
He glanced at the datapad, watched the countdown to interception with their target. “Eight minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“This hotel, the Hive, I have to warn you, it’ll be very cramped quarters. Prime opportunity to get to know me better.” He sank back into the familiar womanizer routine. It was safe, and if she ended up hating him, great. He’d hardly notice their parting.
“You can sleep on the floor, same as last time.” Her voice, still bogged down with emotion, cut through his crumbling defenses. “I know everything I need to know about you, which you confirmed back there on the other asteroid.”
“I said that stuff in the heat of the moment.” He threw the datapad on the console. “I’d been tied and beaten up. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Willa merely shrugged.
This was the exact reason he couldn’t wait to turn the bitch loose, but…maybe she’d never been treated like a lady by any man in her life. If it was true and every male she’d been in contact with had used her or had considered her unworthy in some way, no wonder she didn’t trust him or wouldn’t let him past her barriers. Of course charm wouldn’t work.
“Once we land and enter our info at the marker, there’s something I want to show you.” He retrieved the datapad, thrilled to see they’d arrive in less than five minutes.
“Spare me, Stratton. That line may work on brainless women, but I don’t want to see what’s in your pants.”
Heat streaked along his skin and lodged in his cock. “The good news is you’re thinking about it. However, that’s not what I meant.” He grinned as optimism lifted his mood. “The Hive is situated in the dark part of Megaris-8. At this time of year, certain space insects congregate in the Belt for mating purposes.”
“And I’d be interested in this information why?”
“Trust me, all right? For once.” It would be just the thing to thaw the ice around her heart. Women went all goo-goo for shit like this.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” But in the darkened cabin, her eyes sparkled.
He buckled on the gravity belt once more. For the first time since the race had begun, Stratton couldn’t wait to linger at a checkpoint.
Willa tamped down on her frustration as they learned their ranking a few minutes later. They’d arrived at the Hive, a many-storied, round tower made of tan stone and vaguely resembling a beehive. The walls of the building glowed with lamplight, yet there were no windows except in the penthouses on the top level. Shadows of the guests were shown in silhouette, and their activities did put one in mind of bees. She shivered to think of how close the quarters would be once they finally got to the room. It towered over the other structures on the asteroid’s surface, including a dilapidated hangar. Everyone docked their ships at random intervals, contingent upon arrival. There’d be no other choice about where to stay.
She yanked the datapad from Stratton’s hand, convinced he’d made a mistake in the readings. When she jabbed at the display screen, her heart plummeted into her boots. It was true. They’d clocked in second to last. Not only that, but they were almost two hours behind the leader’s time.
The one saving grace was that Chaf and his partner had come in second. They hadn’t won the prize purse. In silence, both she and Stratton exited the craft and headed across the dusty surface to where the hotel gleamed. She slid a glance to Stratton. His jaw worked. Bruises colored one cheek. He said nothing, but the livid gleam in his dark eyes gave away his feelings. Guilt crept over her. She hated the feeling and rolled her shoulders to banish it.
She sucked in a deep breath, then choked, remembering the thin atmosphere on the asteroid. “I’m sorry. If I had listened to you, we—”
He held up a hand. “Don’t.” Turning abruptly around, he stalked toward the Stellar Drift, moving with a slight limp from the wounds he must have suffered. “We’re not last, and we’re not kicked out. That’s got to count for something.”
“Where are you going?” When it became apparent he wouldn’t stop, she blew out an annoyed breath and trailed after him.
“Oh, now you’re interested in what I’m doing?” His broad shoulders remained rigid as he walked. “I have news for you, kita. You missed your chance.”
“What chance?” She clenched her hands into fists. “To apologize?” When he didn’t answer, she rolled her eyes and focused instead on the muscles playing along his back beneath the tight-fitting flight suit. A narrow waist gave way to lean hips and an ass she’d love to bite, under the right circumstances.
The thought brought her up short. A rush of heat slammed into her body, tingling in places that had been shocked to life upon meeting the arrogant man. She flung the musings from her mind. Getting involved with a man like Stratton meant intense excitement, and while that could be useful, it would be followed by heartbreak. She had no time for a messy situation. Didn’t their poor showing in this leg of the race confirm that?
Besides, he’d treated her by turns as a member of his circle of women or a newbie pilot. She wanted a man to give her respect and recognize she was worth more than a convenient place to stick a penis. Her pussy throbbed just imagining him near that portion of her anatomy. Uttering a squawk of outrage at how deeply he’d managed to infiltrate her brain, she marched after him, catching up with him in time to see him vanish into the cockpit of the ship.
“What are you doing? I thought you were tired.” The petulant tone in her voice annoyed her. Why did she care what he did? “Damn it, St
ratton, I’m leaving.” Before she’d executed a half turn, he vaulted down and landed heavily on his feet.
“Had to grab the datapad. I’m going to try an abbreviated version of phishing on Chaf’s ship.” He winked. “I need the details on how he managed the second slot, among other things.”
“First off, that’s illegal and can get us kicked out of the race.” Hot, angry words burned on her lips at his audacity. With a tight grasp on self-control, she bit them back. “Second, why is it so hard to believe Chaf’s that good? When I flew with him, he impressed me at times with his skill as a pilot.” Of course, even though she admired the hell out of him at times, his attitude bordered on jerkdom. No matter how good his looks, he was still a first-class dick. Stratton didn’t need to know any of it. Let him think what he wanted.
“Oh, sure, wonderful Chaf.” Her defense of his rival apparently brought out the ire in Stratton. His eyes narrowed with a deep and deadly glint, while his fingers tightened on the datapad. “Trust me, he’s not. If he can cheat, he will.”
“So will you. Isn’t that what the phishing scheme is all about?”
“Nope, it’s doing research on my enemy.”
She caught hold of his arm, halting him when he would have swept past. A grimace was the only indication he still suffered from the fight. “If you do anything that jeopardizes our placement in this race, I swear I’ll track you down and kill you.” She held his gaze, openly challenging him to defy her. “Do you understand?”
A smug grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I doubt you have enough courage to kill anyone. I’ll even go so far to say you’ve never killed anything in your life, right? You’re one of those people who looks real good with a HEPP, keeps one around for personal security, but has never had cause to use it.”
She hated how well he knew her, despised the way she let herself be read. Instead of confirming or denying his statement, she lifted a brow. “When or why I use my HEPP is not your concern.” She released him, mostly because any sort of contact with the man heated her internally. “Let’s go find dinner. This day has worn me out.”
“Not yet. I intend to get my readings first.”
Willa frowned. “I forbid it.” To her horror, she stomped a foot as she’d done when she was a small child. He noticed as well, and his smirk deepened.
“You forbid it. How…cute.” He chucked her under the chin. “Go stand over there like you’re the good girl your daddy thinks you are. I’ll be back before you can work yourself into a rage.”
Her jaw dropped while he loped between the ships. In the darkness, she watched him duck under Chaf’s Scout. He manipulated the datapad screen. The faint light from its display did little to illuminate his face. She bit her lip, having no idea what he was thinking. Stupid man. If someone from the racing board came out of the hotel, they’d both be tossed from the rally and their entry fees forfeited.
I refuse to go down because of Stratton.
Before she could do much more than pace a tight circle a few times, he’d returned. So quickly she didn’t see him move, he grabbed her right hand and laced their fingers together.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The intimate gesture threw her off balance. Warning bells sounded in her head.
“Remember? I promised to show you something.”
“Oh, not this again.” She attempted to pull away, but he held fast. “If I say I’ll take a quick peek at your package, will you let me go?” What was it with men wanting to show off their goods?
“Now, kita, if I gave you a look, then I’d have to let everyone take one, and where would the fun be in that? All the mystery would be gone, and my value to females would be diminished.” With long-legged strides, he walked her around the back of the Hive. “Besides, if you want in these pants, it won’t be that easy. You’ll have to beg me for it.”
Willa snorted at the outrageous statement. “Guess you’ll have to be uncomfortable, then.” In no scenario could she envision herself begging him to take off his pants. Her cheeks flamed at the thought. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere you don’t need to be in control. Somewhere your icy cold exterior will melt from the wonder of something bigger than yourself.” His grip never wavered as he pulled her along behind him, deeper into the night.
“Why can’t I see stars from here?” The brilliant points of light were missing in this section of the galaxy. She’d never visited the Belt, and the strangeness of it all started to play with her mind.
“The debris caused by the constantly shifting asteroid belt provides too much of a shield and leaves a haze in the atmosphere.”
Gnarled, scraggly shrubs crowded the ground. Their branches brushed against Willa’s legs as they passed. Barren, long-dead trees lifted wind-ravaged arms to the sky in a weird, somber gesture of reverence. She wondered what the landscape had looked like when this area had been vibrant; maybe the rocks of Megaris-8 had once been a planet or moon that had sustained life instead of hosting one pathetic hotel and a third-rate, understaffed spaceport.
A shiver shot down her spine. “It’s so lonely here, so sad.” When Stratton released her fingers in favor of sliding an arm around her shoulders, she didn’t protest but leaned into his warmth. “Are we almost there? I don’t like this place.”
“You’re not supposed to. Why else do you think they’ve named this place the Chrysalis Plain?”
“That would assume this hideous place will turn into something else. I don’t see how that’s possible. There’s no life here. No living thing can possibly make a home in this dead area.” She glanced at the silent trees they passed between, and another shiver raced over her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “I hate it here.”
“Shut the yap. It’s about to get better.” He pulled her forward until the trees completely surrounded them. “For once in your life, stop talking, stop trying to maintain control. Watch and listen. Everyone will change into something else while they’re alive.”
Her heart beat a stuttering rhythm. It pounded in her temples, fluttered in her neck until she felt it all the way down to her toes. The silence grew deafening, thundering over her, surrounding her, seducing her to join it in the forlorn forest.
Willa’s muscles tensed. She wanted to run away from this terrible place and would have done just that if not for Stratton’s strong arm around her shoulders. Some of the terror she felt subsided, held at bay by the solid mass beside her.
At her next inhalation of breath, the barren wood shifted before her eyes. The first movement was hardly noticeable. The gnarled bark of the trees seemed alive somehow. The brownish-gray scales shimmered, undulating and flickering as if preparing to take flight.
With a languid, smooth movement, Stratton knelt, grabbed a rock from the asteroid floor and stood. He stared into her face, his gaze inscrutable, and then he took a few steps from her and hurled the rock into the trees.
The sky erupted in a flurry of movement. Thousands of wings fluttered around her in an eerie green-silver glow. The beat of their wings, multiplied by the thousands, had the power of a strong breeze. Everywhere she looked, moths the size of her palm took flight, floating in the air in an intricate dance only they could perform.
Laughing, Willa spread her arms wide and stood still, holding her breath as a few of the insects landed on her for the space of a heartbeat before taking off once more. One brushed her cheek with a feathery-soft wing. She tilted her head upward and watched the miracle taking place all around her.
From behind her, Stratton cleared his throat. “They’re called Lunal Inka moths. Throughout the year, they live all over the galaxy except for two precious weeks. Then they come to the Sybaris Belt to mate. Once that mission is accomplished, they fling themselves throughout the galaxy again, only to die a pitiful few weeks later after their eggs are laid.”
“How sad.”
“Perhaps, unless you’re a Lunal Inka moth, and you live for this moment, to be one with another of your kind, assuring the spe
cies will continue. To know, for one perfect space of time, you’ve found your exact equal and match. Then it’s not quite as sad as you think.”
Nearby, several pairs of moths looped and swirled, locked in their intimate dance. Willa waved a hand, and they skittered higher into the darkened sky. “Why did you bring me here?” She turned around and met his gaze. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I figured you needed the lesson.” When she couldn’t figure out his cryptic comment, he sighed and tucked the datapad into his slick gear next to his skin. “Most of the time, the Lunals are boring and brown in color. They’re all the same and competing for limited space and even more limited attention. They’re no different from any of their fellows, yet they fight to be seen and heard by any of their kind who will notice them.”
“And?” The pain around her heart began to ease as he talked.
“And in the end, it doesn’t matter. They do what needs to be done. Each one of them has a job, and they do it. Once their change occurs and their colors are achieved, the competition has disappeared, because they know, as they’ve known all along, they were always meant for this moment. The anxiety to be seen was wasted effort.”
Wasted effort. No matter how hard she tried, her father would never recognize her for who she was, and, yes, she was wasting effort when she could actually enjoy being that woman. She swallowed hard and hoped the emotions just under the surface would settle. “Thank you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Come on. I have zero time for female weakness. I’m tired, and my muscles ache. I’m in need of dinner. You can rub my stomach when I’m done.” Without a backward glance, he strode from the woods. “After that, you can eat.”
“And you can spit polish my boots—with your face.” Willa easily matched his stride. “Why bring me here at all? I find it hard to believe you made a correlation between a moth’s life and mine.”
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