by Susan Hayes
“When did you turn into such a pansy? This is paradise compared to some of the battlefields we survived.”
Dash pointed to the side of his head. The wound was gone, but they had shaved his hair around the injury, and it hadn’t had time to grow back, yet.
“Getting shot in the head has reminded me that despite my god-like good looks and charm, I’m not actually immortal. I’m too pretty to die young, so I’m going to be more cautious from now on.”
“My mistake, you’ve turned into a paranoid pansy. Lieksa walks through this sector every day, and she’s still in one piece. I’ll bet you the first round of drinks tonight that she doesn’t even own a weapon.”
“No bet. I can’t see her ever wanting to hurt anyone.”
Mack agreed, which was why he worried about her. Not just about where she lived, but her plans to help the doctor dig up information on what was done to Cynder and the others. It was too risky. They couldn’t even bring it up with her without revealing that he and Dash had eavesdropped. Not their finest moment, but in their line of work, the rules were different. They couldn’t make decisions without information, and obtaining intel was what he and Dash were designed to do.
They arrived at her door and activated the door chime, announcing their presence. Suddenly, he was nervous. His fist tightened around the flowers he held, and he had to remind himself not to crush the delicate blooms.
Dash’s voice sounded in his head. “Ready?”
“No. What if we fraxx this up?”
“We won’t. This is too important. We’ve been given a second chance. How often does that happen?”
The door made a low, grinding noise and slid open, and Mack’s heart thundered in his chest as he stared at the vision in the doorway. She looked incredible.
The too-big outfits were gone, replaced by a dark green dress that skimmed her luscious curves. The dress left most of her shoulders bare, revealing the same tantalizing pattern of freckles he remembered from their one evening together. Her mane of red hair was free of its usual ponytail and tumbled over her shoulders in silken waves, and every breath he took was perfumed with the sugar-and-spice scent that had haunted his memories for years.
“Hello, angel,” he managed to force a few words past his suddenly tight throat.
“Hi.” She was smiling in welcome, but her shoulders were tight with tension, and she looked as if she might bolt from the doorway at any second.
“I’m really happy you’re coming out with us tonight. And might I say, you look incredible. We’re going to be the envy of every guy we meet with you on our arm,” Dash said before switching to internal comms. “Flowers, goofball. Give her the flowers.”
“These are for you,” Mack held out the bouquet for her. Her smile brightened, and it felt like the whole damned room lit up when she did.
“Thank you.”
She took the flowers, and when her fingers brushed over his, it was as if sparks showered across his skin. Re’veth, first he couldn’t speak, and now he was hypersensitive. Either his implants were malfunctioning, or Lieksa’s effect on him was stronger than ever.
“I’ll just put these in water, if that’s alright? You can come in if you like, but I should warn you, you’ll probably fill most of the room.” She moved away from the door and Mack followed her in.
She hadn’t been kidding. Once Dash joined them, there wasn’t much space left. Most of Astek station had been upgraded or revamped at one time or another, but apparently this sector had been overlooked. The living area was cramped and utilitarian, with every inch of space doing double or triple duty. The single bed doubled as a couch, the eating nook was also a workspace, and what little storage space there was would have to house everything from clothing to foodstuffs.
Lieksa lived a very minimal existence, even for someone who had spent years living on a hospital ship in deep space. There was nothing personal about the place at all. No art or mementos. In fact, the only personal item he could see was a picture of a large group of people that hung on the wall above her bed.
She busied herself in the small corner of the room that functioned as her kitchen. “You guys really didn’t need to pick me up. I could’ve met you there.”
“It was our pleasure, sweetheart. Besides, we’ll have more time to talk this way. That’s what this night is about, the three of us getting to know each other better.”
She laughed at that. “I think you mean getting to know each other at all. Until I showed up at the med-center, you didn’t even know my name.”
Mack moved closer to her, which only required taking two steps to his left. “We might not have known your name, but we knew you. Your kindness. Your compassion, the way you bite your lower lip whenever you have to do something you’re not sure about, like some of the tests they ordered you to do on us.”
She spun around to face him, her eyes wide with surprise at finding him so close. “That’s not what Dash said. He said what you did was a mistake you both regret.”
“We already told you that wasn’t true. I have a lot of regrets in my life, Lieksa Kiv, but kissing you isn’t one of them. I do regret the way I’ve treated you since you came back into our lives. I regret that despite living on the same fraxxing space station, we didn’t find each other until now. I’m sorry I doubted you. I shouldn’t have, because I already know the most important thing about you. You’re a kind, caring woman, and you deserved our trust.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “That means a lot to me.”
He gave in to temptation and reached out to cup her cheek. Her skin was as soft as he remembered, and her scent filled his senses, sending a surge of blood straight to his cock. His heart might still have doubts, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. He’d felt this way from the first time he’d come to and found her standing at his bedside, humming softly to herself as she monitored his readouts on a half dozen machines.
For a moment, she tipped her head into his hand, accepting the contact, but all too soon she pulled away again.
From behind him, Dash spoke up. “Stealing those moments with you, showing you who we really were, that wasn’t a mistake, Lieksa. I’m an idiot for ever saying such a thing. Tonight is about starting over. Somehow, we all ended up together again. I’d like to think that’s fate’s way of giving us a second chance.”
She glanced past Mack to Dash and flashed him a brief smile before speaking. “Given how unlikely it was that we found each other again, I’ll accept that maybe, this is supposed to happen. But one thing I’ve learned in my life is that when fate gives with one hand, it usually takes something with the other. The last time we were together, we all paid a steep price for it. I’m not sure I can do it again.”
“How about we worry about prices and payments another day? I’m willing to risk that much, at least.”
“So am I.” Mack glanced at his watch. “And we should get going if we want to eat before the entertainment starts and it gets too loud to talk.”
“Entertainment?” Lieksa queried. “What kind of entertainment?”
“Didn’t he tell you where we’re going?” Dash asked with a chuckle.
“No, he did not, and for that matter, neither did you,” she said, arching a brow in challenge at them both.
“I thought it would be nice to surprise you, but since you’re curious, we’re going to a club called Amped. Heard of it?” he asked.
“Of course I have. I’ve never been there, though. It’s not easy to get through the door unless you know someone, and I don’t have many friends out here. How are we getting in? I thought there was a waitlist even to get a reservation.”
He arched a brow back at her, enjoying this new, sharper edge she was showing. “As it happens, we know the owners. They’ve got a table set aside for us.”
“Well, then, I guess we should go. I’ve heard the musicians are the best on the Drift. I miss live music. I used to go to concerts all the time when I lived on Earth. I’m not sure why I stopped.”
Mack grinned. “I’m a fan of music, too. Something I got into after we were freed from service to the corporations.”
Dash moved to the door and opened it before pausing to look back at them. “Coming?”
She glanced up at Mack with another shy smile. “I’d love to, but you’re going to have to let me out of this corner, first.”
He didn’t even think about it, he acted on impulse. Instead of moving out of her way, he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her into the air before turning around so he was facing the door.
“Mack! I asked you to move, not to move me,” she protested, but her hands were covering his, and she made no attempt to free herself.
He held her for a few more pleasurable seconds before setting her feet back on the ground. “My way was faster.”
“Faster isn’t always better.”
“I was designed and trained to always take the fastest, most direct route to a solution.”
She gave him an odd look. “Is that why you kissed me the first time? Because it was the most direct path to whatever problem you were trying to solve?”
“I kissed you because wanting you was the problem I intended to solve.” He released her then, and she took a step backward, putting more distance between them.
Dash moved in behind her and took her hand. “Some things may have changed since we were last together, but there’s one thing that’s still the same. You’re still our angel. Nothing we’ve been through has changed that for us, and I’m starting to believe nothing ever could.”
“But you’ve both been so angry with me.”
“What can I say? We’re complicated guys. Come with us, sweetheart. The rest of this conversation is going to require something you don’t have enough of here,” Dash said.
“What’s that, space?”
“Nope.” Mack pointed to the door. “Liquor.”
They left her tiny residence and started walking, keeping Lieksa safely tucked between them. They walked slower than usual, because despite her being tall for a woman, her strides were still shorter than both of theirs. As they made the short walk back to the central bank of mag-lifts for this sector, Mack noticed Lieksa’s hand was still in Dash’s. He reached down and took her free hand. She glanced up at him in surprise but didn’t pull away.
Score one for team cyborg.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was strange to walk past the lineup of hopeful patrons waiting to enter Amped. More than a few envious and resentful looks were shot their way as the security guard at the door greeted her dates by name and welcomed them inside, bypassing the line completely.
“Come here often, do you?” she asked as they went inside.
“As often as we can. Depending on what we feel like doing, we’re usually here or at the Nova Club,” Dash said, raising his voice to be heard over the music and noise that filled the air.
“Never been there either. Isn’t that kind of a rough crowd?”
“Depends on the night. Fight nights, sure. But the owners are friends and fellow veterans of the Resource Wars.” Mack glanced down at her. “You’ve been here more than a year, I would’ve thought you’d seen more of the station by now.”
What could she say to that without sounding utterly pathetic? She didn’t go out much because she had no friends on the station, and going out alone wasn’t something she enjoyed. “I always meant to explore more, but somehow I never got around to it.”
Mack smiled at her, and her brain melted a little around the edges. When he looked at her like that, it was hard to remember any of the reasons she was trying to keep some distance between them. She wanted to feel their hands on her skin again, to be caught between them in a heated tangle of kisses and caresses until the world went away and took all her doubts and worries with it.
Dash turned to look at her, his smile as warm and inviting as Mack’s. “We know every inch of this station, and a good portion of the rest of the Drift. If you want to go exploring sometime, sweetheart, we’d be happy to play tour guide.”
“I think I’d like that,” she said as her heart did a little skippity-hop. They weren’t even sitting down to dinner yet, and her body was already betraying her. Her heart still ached from their accusations, but she wanted to forgive them. Veth, she wanted it so much it scared her.
Everything about them scared her. Last time they’d been together it had been a brief encounter, a promise of things none of them believed would ever come because there were too many barriers. This time, they had a chance at something real, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
She wasn’t sure she deserved it.
After what she had done to the cyborgs assigned to her, the testing and experiments she’d done, did she even have the right to be happy?
“You’re chewing on your lip again. What’s bothering you?” Mack asked.
She blew out a breath and forced herself to let go of her worries for the moment. “Just nervous,” she said, which was true enough.
To her surprise, Mack chuckled, then lowered his voice to a conspirator’s whisper. “Me too, angel. Glad to know I’m not alone.”
His confession helped her relax and get out of her head. She smiled back and finally looked around and got her first real impressions of the bar. It was crowded, which she had expected, but despite the number of patrons, there was space between the tables, leaving the serving staff plenty of room to maneuver.
There was an old-fashioned feeling to the place, and it took her a while to figure out why. It wasn’t just one or two details that inspired the sense of nostalgia, it was a combination of dozens of thoughtful touches. The walls appeared to be made of dark wood paneling, which was unlikely given the incredible cost of shipping wood out to the far reaches of the galaxy. The chairs were designed for comfort, with high backs and deep cushions upholstered in rich shades of red and gold. The walls were covered in black and white photographs of musicians, some posing, others performing. It was a comfortable, welcoming place, and she regretted that she hadn’t put more effort into coming here before now. It was exactly the kind of place she used to enjoy when she lived on Earth.
Dash led the way through the crowd, working his way to a raised platform not far from the stage where the performers would be playing later tonight. He nodded to the bouncer guarding the stairs leading to the platform and walked right past him.
“Um, are we supposed to be up there?” she asked.
Mack slipped an arm around her waist and grinned. “We most certainly are. Welcome to the VIP section.”
He guided her to a curved booth with a perfect view of the stage. A light cube set on the table cast a small amount of illumination that slowly shifted colors from red to gold and back again. It provided enough light to see, while leaving enough shadow to give an illusion of privacy.
“How did you guys manage to get VIP seating? Is this a Corp-Sec perk?” she asked, gesturing around them to the empty section.
“Nope. This is because we’re awesome,” Dash replied with a wink.
“Like we mentioned, we know the owners. You’ll meet T’arv and his mate, Nadia later. They’re going to want to meet you.”
“Me? Why?”
Mack turned and gave her lopsided smile. “Because in all the years we’ve been coming here, we’ve never brought a date. They’re going to know you’re special simply because you’re here with us.”
She exhaled sharply. “In that case, I vote we start on the drinks right away.”
“Good thinking.” Dash raised a hand, and a server appeared out of the shadows.
“Good evening, Mr. Scudo and Mr. Darian. It’s nice to see you again. Will you be having your usual?”
“Hi, Jinella. How’s the family? Is your boy still determined to join the IAF and become a pilot some day?”
The woman laughed and shook her head. “He’s decided that Interstellar Armed Forces officers have to get up too early. Now he’s all about long-haul freight hauling. He figures that gives him mor
e time to sleep and goof off.”
“He might be onto something there. As for us, I think we’ll start with a bottle of champagne. Ask Nadia to pick out something nice for us.”
Jinella smiled. “Celebrating?”
Mack reached over and took Lieksa’s hand. “Yes, we are.”
Lieksa didn’t say a word until they were alone again. “Aren’t we supposed to be talking?”
“Can’t we do both? We’re all here. That fact alone is worth celebrating. We thought we’d lost each other, and you came back at the right moment to put Dash back together.”
She couldn’t argue with his reasons. Not that she wanted to.
Jinella soon returned with a bottle and several champagne flutes, pouring each of them a glass before setting the bottle down in the center of the table. “Nadia recommends this one, and asked if you’d like her to create a special meal to go with it.”
Dash grinned. “If our lovely hostess would like to create a meal for us, then I’m certainly not going to argue. Sweetheart, would that be okay with you?”
“That sounds lovely,” she said, surprised by the offer. “You must be quite good friends with the owners,” she observed.
Dash and Mack looked at each other for moment, and she somehow knew they were communicating via their internal channel. Within a few seconds, Mack tightened his fingers around hers, and Dash cleared his throat.
“We met them the first night this place opened. We dropped by after our shift ended to check the place out and wound up talking with Nadia and T’arv until long after closing time. We’ve been coming here ever since.”
“And being among their first customers garners you this kind of special treatment?” She gestured around them.
“Occasionally I make Mack sing for his supper. It’s a fair trade, I think.”
Lieksa had been distracted enough by the conversation to miss the slender male Pheran approaching until he appeared beside their booth. His large silver eyes gleamed with good-natured amusement. His variegated blue skin tone made him hard to see in the dim light of the bar, but she could tell he was tall and lithe, with vaguely feline features, including a pair of tufted ears.