by Imogene Nix
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Excellent. Then I had better update you on the status.”
Tomi scowled at her and Carmichael watched, wondering what she thought she knew. “You knew all along? Then why didn’t you…”
Kumi smiled, her eyes lighting up at the obvious outrage on her brother’s face and in his mind, the truth dawned. She thinks we’re here because of the financial crisis.
He sat back to watch the lightning fast discussion between the siblings. “Tomi, honestly. It’s a position I’ve been training for my whole life.”
“You have no idea—”
“Of course I do. The only surprise is that it’s taken this long.”
“That’s not why we are here.” Carmichael’s voice echoed in the room.
Both gazes landed on him.
“What do you mean? That’s not why you are here? What other possible reason could there be?” Kumi frowned, the bridge of her nose wrinkling, and her eyes shadowed. He was sure she was reevaluating their exchanges.
“We aren’t here to discuss finances or lack thereof.”
Kumi sighed and he watched the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the silk. Heavens help him, his groin tightened even more than before at the sight. Those breasts... He’d dreamed of her since their first meeting at Renjiro and Selina’s union. Since then, he’d seen her several more times. Each encounter reinforced the fascination.
Her face darkened as if her mind was finally whirring into gear. “Captain Snow, that doesn’t explain your presence then, does it?” She pierced him with a look.
“No, it doesn’t. My men intercepted a communiqué. You are making enemies, as your brother stated. But they don’t just want you removed.” He sucked in an unsteady breath, pausing as her eyes widened. “They want you dead.”
* * * *
Shock ricocheted through Kumi’s body. Dead? They wanted to kill her? “But...” Her lips felt stiff as did the rest of her body. Unresponsive. The question hung in the room, like a palpable entity. How can this be?
“Kumi, I...” She watched in horror as Tomi rose and Captain Snow—Carmichael, her brain interjected—pushed him back into his seat with one hand.
She couldn’t understand why he was there. What he was saying couldn’t be right, could it? She hadn’t heard him rise, hadn’t noticed his steps, but now he was there, squatting in front of her. His face was soft and dark. “I won’t let them get to you, Kumi. We’re going to transfer you to the Emancipation.” The dark words warmed the cold ache that had taken position somewhere in the pit of her stomach. “They won’t get you.”
The last words, spoken quietly, snapped her out of the fugue state. “No. I can’t run away. That’s not the answer.”
His blue eyes darkened and his face clenched with a tight, closed hardening of the planes. She blinked away the burning sensation in her eyes. She wasn’t some useless piece of fluff, she told herself firmly as she wrestled for control of her emotions.
In the midst of the turmoil, another deep and rich emotion rose. The need to soothe him, to brush away that hard look and the glittering stare, clawed its way to the surface. Confusion fought with concern. She had to stay there and do her job, but a modicum of self-preservation screamed that he’d keep her safe.
“Kumi, you must see sense.” His words rasped like sandpaper.
Why? She shook her head. The why’s don’t matter. Not now. The action shattered the crystalline wall of denial that had sprung between them, keeping her separate from him and her brother. See sense? A hot rush of frustration and anger coursed through her veins. He doesn’t know what’s at stake, her brain protested. He couldn’t possibly know that there was no way she could leave. “I can’t. I can’t abandon my responsibilities here. The future of so many depends on me being able to do my work. To sort out the issues.”
He frowned, and she was sure, he hadn’t expected that particular answer from her.
“Why?”
Her mouth opened and she shut it with an audible clack. She’d nearly broken her own cardinal rule, the one that said ‘keep your own counsel’. It wasn’t like her. None of this weakness was. This sense of being disconnected. She wanted to scream and demand he stop whatever magic he was using on her. But it wasn’t that. No. The truth was, for the first time ever, she wanted to lean on someone. Let them help her. Not to hide the truth, but to join with her. To fight at her side. To support her.
She shook herself. “I can’t explain all the reasons.”
“The planet is financially close to bankruptcy.” Tomi’s words crashed down on her. They left her cringing over the bald truth.
“Is that right?” Carmichael’s words were silky, but held the sting of a knife.
“It’s true we are in a bad way...” she hedged. Knowing about the lack of financial stability was one thing, but publicly acknowledging it was entirely different. That could lead to a political uprising. Something no one wanted to even consider.
He stilled, no doubt weighing his words carefully. “Your life is in danger. The best place for you to be is away from here.”
She shook her head, denying him an easy out. It wasn’t that she wanted to make his job harder, it was just she had the livelihood of everyone on the planet to consider. The truth was, at any time, the people could learn every credit that had been amassed had been squandered. The far-reaching ramifications froze her belly. Insurrection was days away. Anarchy... War.
She turned away from the churning thoughts in her mind. There had to be a better way. “No, Captain. I must stay here. It’s my duty.”
His lips firmed into hard white lines. For a moment she trembled, wanting to run her fingers along the soft lips she’d remembered in her dreams. She broke away, pulling her gaze from him. What am I doing?
She looked sightlessly out the large window. “Find another way. One that doesn’t require my absence.” In the reflection, she caught sight of her brother’s face, screwed up as if he didn’t understand what was going on. Hell, I can barely work it out! “Tomi, it’s fine. I won’t do anything dangerous, but you have things to attend to and so, it seems, do I. You head on over to your office. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Kumi, I shouldn’t—”
“Oh, Tomi. What do you think is going to happen? Do you honestly imagine they will get to me while the captain is standing here beside me?”
She knew her voice was waspish, but she needed him to leave. She couldn’t cope with him being hurt because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or that she might say the wrong thing and wound him. Sometimes their close bond was as bad as distance.
When she turned back, it was to see him white-faced and worried. “If you go out looking like that, someone will figure it out.” She moved quickly, wrapping her arms around him. “You have a job to do just like me. Now put on your senatorial face and go out there. The captain and I... Well, we’ll sort this out. I’ll be fine with him.”
He smiled and one of the millions of tiny little knots inside her snapped away. “If you need me—”
“I’ll call.” She watched as her brother left the room. Then she was alone with the captain.
* * * *
“You can’t stay here.” Carmichael spoke softly, hoping gentle words would make it easier.
He watched as she turned away, her lips compressed and her arms wound tightly around her body. For an instant, he wondered what it would take to make her lose control. To let her emotions fly. He knew they were there, bubbling away just below the surface. It was one of the things about her that drew him again and again. Her control.
“Nonsense. I have a position here which is integral to my people. I have responsibilities.” She’d turned away from him, facing out the window again. He watched the material of her suit float around her body before settling. Since Tomi had left, she’d been quiet, even introspective. He’d waited. She needed time to come to terms with her change in circumstances.
“You also have the right to be safe.”
Three quick strides brought him up against her back. He reached out, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. “I know you want to be here, but right now it’s not safe for you. Let me keep you safe.”
She laughed, turning her head in his direction. There was no humor in the sound, just anger and frustration. “But it won’t be you, will it? It will be some staffer.” Her whirling turn sent the soft garment in motion and she gripped the sleeves of his uniform like some damned anchor. He saw the turmoil in her eyes. The fire and anger. “I don’t need a bodyguard!”
In that instant, the he knew there could be no other way. “No. It will be me. I will keep you safe.”
She tensed below his careful touch. “Why?”
“Because of this.” He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he’d wanted to. He burned with hunger. It was the starvation of a man for a woman. Of mate for mate. For the one he knew could possibly be the other half of his soul.
Her lips were so close, looked so soft. Where they touched, they yielded beneath his caress. His mind registered them as pillow-like and velvety, succulent and ripe. The thought was ripped away and his arms dropped to her waist, pulling her against him. Her softness strained against the tense muscles of his needy body.
She groaned into his mouth while he devoured and feasted. He felt the convulsive clutch of her hands pulling on his jacket.
His body hardened, going from granite to steel under the onslaught. His senses gloried in her proximity. Then his kiss gentled, and he nipped and tasted while she opened her mouth to him.
When he pulled away, he was as unsteady as she. Her cheeks were rose with a deep blush and her eyes glittered with sexual excitement, while they both breathed heavily. But she remained silent and watchful.
“Well now...” He let his gaze slide away. He cleared his throat, feeling like a teen in the midst of his first encounter, and he cursed himself roundly under his breath.
“So what happens next?”
“What do you mean, what happens next?” He gritted his teeth as he spun on his heel, thanking the plush carpeting for swallowing the sound of his movements. There was a tiny, almost impish smile on her face and he knew right then, he’d seen the first chink in her emotional armor. That woman was both beautiful and exciting.
“I meant, what will you, as my bodyguard, do next?” Just as quickly as it bloomed, the smile died away and once more he was faced with the efficient and controlled woman. He wanted another glimpse beneath the facade, but she was locked away again.
“I’d rather you moved away from the window.”
“This is my desk, the place where I work. There really isn’t anywhere else for me to sit.” She gestured to the room and he realized there were piles of files everywhere. He growled with frustration, but for now he accepted what she said. I can open this discussion later.
He harrumphed, cleared his throat, and indicated she should be seated. “Fine, then let’s go through your routine so I know what you usually do.”
She took her seat gracefully as if the embrace hadn’t happened. His pulse fluttered with disgust at how easily she could throw off the effects while his own body still ached with arousal.
“Okay, let me just bring up my regular timetable.” Kumi set to tapping away as he listened to her.
Chapter 2
Kumi and Carmichael entered her tiny apartment through the kitchen. He’d been careful enough to check that no one was waiting inside. It had felt odd and discomforting, the way he’d cautiously pushed the door open, scanned the room, then dragged her inside. He was willing to give his life to save hers. The pressure inside her head built at that realization.
The building was fortified and well guarded, he’d informed her, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be breached. That information made her shiver, and not in a happy way. The sight of the small laser pistol in his hand, the feral expression on his face... She’d had to turn away, otherwise she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t tug on him, tell him it wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it!
He’d moved fluidly across the room toward the living area after hissing a “stay here” at her. She’d stayed where he’d instructed, but felt helpless. It was one of those emotions useless feminine creatures gloried in. But that wasn’t Kumi. Instead, she reached out, looking for something—anything— that she could use as a weapon. A large, wood-handled spoon hung from a hook by the heater and she gripped it in shaking hands.
“You’d better come back in one piece, Captain Snow!” She couldn’t contain her mutter.
By the time he returned, she’d been a nervous bundle of energy.
“You’re crazy, Snow. I mean who in their right mind—”
“I’m doing my job, princess. In case you forgot, someone wants to waste you faster than a slushy in the heat.”
His words made her suck hard on her own pithy comments. After all, there he was risking life and limb to save her. She shouldn’t be taking her temper out on him. “I’m sorry. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get you a drink. I’ve got some Venutian Juice or wine. I think I’ve even got the odd ale in the cooler box.”
“No. I need to make contact with my people and set the plans in motion to catch this person.” He left the room abruptly while she allowed her gaze to follow him out the door and into the living space beyond.
“Fine then.” Gods, how she wanted to brush it off as just a male attribute, but that was lazy and cowardly. Neither a trait she possessed a lot of. She stepped out of her shoes; they’d looked like just the thing to go with her suit, but they’d really been instruments of torture. She lifted them with two crooked fingers and deposited them in the disposal unit with a sigh. “Strike another shoe designer off the list.”
As she entered the living area, she noted the way he’d installed himself in one of the overstuffed chairs inherited from her grandparents. She loved those darned seats, the way they made her feel like she was enveloped in their arms. She almost laughed out loud at the flight of fancy, but Captain Snow was hunched in his seat, engaged in a rapid-fire conversation.
“Yes, send me at least a desk unit, some clothing. Yeah, civvies would be best.”
His words reinforced her thoughts that he could be there a while. That reminded her to find bedding and set up the spare room for him.
For a second, she allowed herself to dream of coming home to him, his smile, and a loving embrace. She’d had that fantasy before though. She knew it was ridiculous. After all, he was in charge of the Emancipation, and she was here, on Reunion. Their work wasn’t conducive to any kind of long-term relationship. Instead of wishing for things that will never come to pass, I’d better tend to his needs.
She strode into the guest room. It was spartan—little more than a chest of drawers, wardrobe, and bed—but it would at least give him some privacy. She tugged on the bottom drawer, finding sheets and making up the bed. She’d just laid out fresh towels when he entered the room. Now it felt small. Close and intimate.
“Hey. I’ve got your bed made up, and there are towels right here. Your bathroom is through there.” She indicated the small ablution room over her shoulder as she avoided his eyes. His pale, icy orbs seemed to look through to the heart of her. To the emotions she hid. The fantasies she’d entertained about him. Heat pooled in her belly, the same she battled most nights. But here, in a bedroom, it magnified her hunger. The intensity of it nearly blowing her mind.
He didn’t say a word, just watched, an inscrutable expression settled on his face.
Her body quaked. She refused to let it show though. Her nipples budded, rubbing against her bra. He kept watching her silently. It felt like the oxygen was being sucked from her lungs and she battled her body’s response to his proximity. Her mouth dried.
He took one s
tep. Then another.
“We have... We have to meet with Tomi, Selina, and Renjiro soon. Maybe I should go—uh—change.” Babbling! Gods damn it. He was reducing her to the mental capacity of a two-year-old. Kumi closed her eyes in self- disgust. She felt a touch, feather light on her cheek.
“Are you okay?”
When she opened her eyes, there he was, staring at her with an intentness that made her want to squirm.
“I know this is difficult, having someone around. Believe me, I understand. But...”
Maybe if she just took the initiative? Showed him what she wanted. If he brushed it off...well, then she knew exactly where she stood, didn’t she? If he responded, then she could work him out of her system.
He was still talking, and she watched, fascinated at the way he used his hands to make a point. Heat crept along her cheeks. You can do this. After all, it’s just sex, right? Sexual hunger that I can work off then forget. It doesn’t mean anything. She ignored the part of her brain that told her it was so much more. That she was an idiot. That if he pushed her away, he’d leave and send another to do the job.
She closed her eyes, gathering her confidence around her, and sucked in an unsteady breath. With a groan she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “It’s not having just someone. It’s you.”
She fixed her lips on his, felt the stillness of his form before it melted away and his arms encircled her. He pulled her closer and she felt the heat emanating from him.
Their lips clung to each other’s. Her hands roamed over his chest, learning the dips and hollows, tracing the hard pectoral muscles and continuing their mad foray. Fingertips played with the clips of his uniform jacket and, without thought, she plucked at them, hearing the pop of buttons as they hit the carpeted floor.
His mouth moved, skating along her jawline, and nibbled its way to her ear. Her chest moved rapidly, sucking in any oxygen she could get, while he worked the most amazing magic on her system.
Carmichael’s hands found the loose jacketed top and slid underneath, burrowing to slide over the skin of her belly. It quivered in reaction and she arched back, needing more of his touch. “Oh. Please. Carmichael.” Her broken words filled the air. She hunted blindly and tugged on the buttons of her jacket before she thrust it from her shoulders, knowing she’d die if he didn’t fill her soon.