Embrace the Romance

by S. E. Smith

  Hoarse and weak, the question held none of her usual fiery tones. Narelle blinked and creased lines formed on her brow. She lifted a shaky hand to her temple, glancing over her short horns. With a wince, she dropped her arm to her side.

  Hunter scooted closer. “Narelle, baby, I need you to sit up. I’m going to lift you in my arms.”

  As soon as he touched her, Narelle whimpered, shattering Hunter’s calm. He cursed and slid his hands under her hip and back, flinching when she moaned.

  “Hunter.”

  Relief crashed into him even as his lips flattened. “It’s alright, baby. I have you.”

  Hunter stood cradling her close, arcs of fire lancing down his knee from the added weight. Didn’t matter. He’d withstand any hurt or pain for her. Hunter scanned the area. In the dark he couldn’t see much. Bogan whined. Hunter switched his optics to night vision but still saw no signs of Lukain returning.

  This time, Bogan brushed against his leg.

  “Gott, biet rel.”

  With Bogan at his side, Hunter hustled back to The Zone, never stopping his scan of the area.

  Nine

  Not as bad as she expected. Narelle stared into the mirror mounted on the wall in Hunter’s bathroom. Sure her lip was busted. She poked at her puffy eyelid. A black eye in her future too. Overall not more than she could handle.

  Sighing, Narelle stepped back with only a breath-stealing twinge in her side. It could have been worse. Obviously, Lukain hadn’t wanted to do permanent damage. Only enough to get Hunter’s attention. She flipped the light off and with a deep breath returned to where Hunter waited with the war mongrel pacing in front of him.

  In the lower living area, Hunter leaned against the wall and studied her calmly. Beneath his gaze, Narelle felt like a bug under his attention. So far, he’d followed her every step only stopping once she entered the bathroom to clean her scrapes.

  “Na-relle.”

  She loved and hated the way he said her name. The tender look accompanied by a slight drawl as he curled the l’s on the end softened her ire. Dropping onto the lounger, her aching muscles sighed in relief. Hunter growled in annoyance but Narelle added a raised palm to her warning. “Don’t, Hunter.”

  Since returning, he’d at least taken the opportunity to put on a shirt doing Narelle the favor of covering his upper body from her lustful glances. She might have been slightly battered but apparently her libido was up and working fine.

  His brow quirked, and his lips drew into a thin line. “Don’t what, Narelle? Throw you over my lap for being stupid?”

  Hunter straightened from his slouch and his gaze darkened. He shoved his hands into his front pockets, pulling the pants taut against his thick thighs. The relaxed pose did nothing to ease the sense of danger emanating from his vibrant potency. “Or don’t care that you were almost killed shortly after leaving my bed.”

  He said the last in a low even tone, making it all the more deadly for the whispered volume.

  “I wasn’t almost killed.” Beneath his stare, Narelle fought hard not to squirm. “You’re being ridiculous. This is a rogue satellite station. The criminal element will always come and go. I’m fully aware of this and take the necessary precautions whenever I’m here.”

  Her rational explanation had little effect on him. If anything, Hunter seemed to grow angrier and Narelle’s heart rate increased with a tiny frisson of fear. This wasn’t the bar owner who intimidated patrons enough they never caused trouble in his place. This was the former soldier who refused to waiver.

  Both were completely unlike the man who’d touched her with reverence and passion earlier tonight. Another shiver. She’d need to tread carefully.

  “And did those precautions do you any good tonight?” he snarled.

  She’d had enough of his derision and upped her glare to match his. “They would have except this guy had a hard-on for you.”

  “Exactly!”

  Narelle mentally banged her head on an invisible wall. She hadn’t meant to acknowledge the threat. No need to make this bigger than it needed to be since she planned to leave sooner rather than later. Hunter could deal with his own drama.

  He dropped his hands from his pockets and prowled closer. “Do you know what it did to me to see you hurt like that?”

  Why did he have to utter the question in such a soft voice? The look in Hunter’s gaze spoke volumes and as Narelle was quickly learning, he had no problem exposing his emotions for her.

  Having nothing to counter with, Narelle held her silence. Hunter turned away, freeing her from the volatile moment. “I’m making a few calls to see if I can figure this out. In the meantime, you stay here.”

  He didn’t even give her the courtesy of facing her when he made the decree. Instead, he jammed a finger in Bogan’s direction. The war mongrel sat in a corner, ears pricked at attention. “Bewachen.”

  Not sure what instructions he’d given the war mongrel, Narelle jumped to her feet intending to give Hunter a definitive piece of her mind. Much to her surprise, Bogan hip checked her and she stumbled back. When she tried to go around him to follow Hunter as he dashed upstairs, Bogan yipped and blocked her path.

  “You’ve got to be kidding!”

  Hunter’s laughter trailed behind him as he left her alone with the war mongrel, who suddenly looked like it would take a bite out of her if she so much as blinked wrong. Gone was the injured animal she’d found in the alley. In its place was a creature bred to follow a soldier’s command.

  He did it well too, brown gaze staring at Narelle waiting for her next move. She dropped back down on the lounger. Great. Now she had two stubborn males to deal with.

  Bracing his palms on the desk, Hunter waited for the screen in front of him to load and connect. There was only one person he trusted to speak with about Narelle’s attack and Lukain’s sudden reappearance from the dead. It was a long shot using this long-forgotten link. One he’d had during the war but no longer needed. Until today. Until Narelle.

  “Code 76Z-8”

  Hunter waited. Minutes he couldn’t spare if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Please let someone else also still be monitoring the old frequency.

  “Acknowledged. Go.”

  Familiar. Not a strange soldier on the other end he’d have to rely on. “Ezra?”

  “Here, Hunter.”

  He and Ezra had been on the same last mission but on different teams. Ezra’s team had walked away, Hunter’s hadn’t.

  “I need your special help.”

  A pause. Hunter held his breath.

  “Whatever you need man. How soon?”

  “Emergency. As soon as possible.” His friend wouldn’t question the urgency.

  “Acknowledged. Send the data.”

  Relief left him shuddering. Now there was another who’d be able to help get to the bottom of what was going on. Hunter needed to understand why there was a war mongrel unaccounted for and how Lukain managed to stay off the radar.

  Hunter gathered what little he had and sent the file he’d compiled to the other soldier via the secured connection.

  Ezra made no attempt to hide his amazement. “You completed another trijl with a war mongrel?”

  Ezra alone knew Hunter’s reasoning for wanting to avoid that state. Unwilling to explain until they could get together in person, Hunter settled for a simple one word answer. “Yes.”

  Another stretch of silence and then Ezra answered, “Expect me in two or three days at the most.”

  Hunter exhaled. The feeling of having help to address the situation overwhelmed. “Thank you, man.”

  A derisive grunt gave Ezra’s thoughts on the matter. “I owe you, Gils. We all do.”

  Skin crawling and wanting to avoid any conversation shift about the war, Hunter ended the transmission. He headed back to the lower level and braced himself for Narelle’s ire. Using Bogan to keep her from leaving or disappearing to find more trouble was wrong but Hunter didn’t regret it. Whatever it took to protect Narelle
.

  Even from herself.

  When he returned down stairs, Narelle sat stiffly shooting glares in his direction. Holding back a chuckle, Hunter bit his inner cheek. She might have thought she looked tough but the dark expression on her face only served to show how attractive she was with a pout.

  Bogan turned to watch Hunter approach and he signaled the war mongrel to stay with a hand gesture. Instantly, the animal dropped down beside Narelle’s feet, the tip of his nose planted on the toes of her boots.

  Narelle slid from the sofa to the floor to sit beside Bogan. “Don’t turn him on me again.”

  Hunter accepted her grumble but didn’t respond. He’d do whatever necessary to keep Narelle safe. Taking the seat across from her and Bogan, Hunter stretched his legs out. “Tell me everything from the beginning. Start with the moment you left here.”

  Silky red hair slipped over her shoulder as she faced him. Wearing one of his long sleeve buttoned down white shirts since her synth suit was ruined, she appeared innocent and sweet. Hunter knew better. She had a sharp tongue and a sharper bite.

  Her green skin was a lighter tone than its usual deep emerald. His gaze traveled over the short blunt horns at her temple. Next time he had her under him, Hunter planned to test their sensitivity by licking them. The bruise under her eye brought back his own rage but he quelled it under the need for more information. At least her lip looked better.

  After a moment of staring at her, which he didn’t back down from she huffed. “Fine.”

  Hunter listened to every detail as Narelle spoke. His knee throbbed from the strain of earlier and he absently rubbed at the ache. His leg would never be the same again. Hunter accepted the reality like he accepted the ruined adjustments which enhanced the limb were beyond repair as well. He was lucky though. He was alive. Not many could say the same and none in his unit.

  Although he now had Lukain to consider and his admitted vendetta. Hunter shook away the turmoil of the past and gazed at a now silent Narelle as she knelt beside Bogan. Her hands rested on the war mongrel’s nape, fingers lightly scratching. It continued to amaze him how easy the animal accepted her.

  Bogan waffled and stretched flat out, legs sprawled as Narelle bent over him and shifted the scratching to a vigorous full body rub along his side.

  “He likes you.” The deep belly groan from the animal had Hunter smiling.

  Narelle’s head dipped but she didn’t glance Hunter’s way. “I like him too.”

  Which meant when the time came to contact the government and return Bogan she would more than likely flip. Hunter sighed and straightened from his relaxed pose. He wasn’t looking forward to that moment.

  Narelle rose at the same time as he but Hunter managed to speak first. “I have a friend who will help figure this out.”

  “And Bogan?” her stubborn chin tipped up.

  “And Bogan,” Hunter agreed, closing the distance between them.

  “Well, that takes care of that. I can go now and leave you to it.”

  To her credit, Narelle didn’t flinch from his glare. She remained in her spot until his chest bumped her front.

  He was close. Lips, breath. Things she shouldn’t find erotic but the soft nature of the light brushes of contact were. Raised around rough men, Narelle was hard to intimidate but Hunter had a way about him. He made her knees weak and it had nothing to do with lingering pain from the attack.

  She pressed her hands up to his chest to create space between them. Solid heat emanated from beneath her palms and muscles contracted under the shirt he wore.

  “Stay, Narelle. Let me protect you until we can stop my old teammate.”

  If only she could. Staying meant fighting the temptation of being in his presence. It meant resisting the urge to lick the small scars marring his face. Scars which spoke of a battle well won. “I don’t want you hurt in place of me, Hunter.”

  Incredulity crossed his face. His gaze darkened, a frown twisting his lips as his hands gripped her hips and pulled her snug against him. “But it’s okay if someone with a grievance against me hurts you.”

  The low growl vibrating under her fingers warned Narelle to consider her answer carefully. “I just think it would be better if I left.”

  Hunter snorted. “You’ve been identified as a way to hurt me. A way to make me lose my mind if something were to happen. Trust me when I say Lukain will follow where you go in his attempts to strike at me. Give me the time I need to stop him before it gets too far.”

  Narelle’s mind stuck on the first statements. Knowing she meant that much to this sexy soldier was still hard to believe but there was no denying it. She risked a glance at his ‘I don’t give a fuck face’ and her heart rate sped up.

  She hoped he didn’t see her ears heating and decided to tease. “You’re that confident in your skills?”

  Hunter’s lids lowered over his eyes, the look one of sensuous promise. He skimmed his lips over her cheek. Warm breath feathered her face. “Baby, I’m confident of my skills in everything.”

  And he should be. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what else he meant and Narelle now had firsthand experience with his boast. Their position allowed her to feel the hard bulge of his erection at her mid-section, but she decided to ignore the obvious. They’d have to face this…thing between them later.

  “Alright. I’ll stay til you find out what’s going on. That’s all, so don’t think this is permission to roll over me.”

  Ten

  Three days later found Hunter’s eyes narrowed on Narelle as she descended from his upstairs apartment. She was proving more difficult to seduce into staying than he’d initially expected. If he came out and announced his desire to pursue something permanent with her, she’d flee.

  As it was, Narelle purposely avoided the counter where he worked, strolling around the crowded tables making her way to the well-lit area and the small space some customers used as the dance floor at The Zone. Avid gazes turned in her direction.

  Male gazes.

  As usual, heavy pounding beats blasted from the micro speakers. Narelle put one hand beneath the fall of red hair shoving it back from her face as her curvy hips began to sway from side to side. Hunter fisted the wet rag in his hand. It was an erotic sight and he wasn’t immune. Since the night of the attack, she stayed with him, sleeping in his bed while he tossed on the sofa much to his frustration.

  She spun around, matching the beat of the pulsing music as it increased. Hunter slammed his hands down on the counter and turned away to wait on a customer. He refused to stare and lust after her as if they hadn’t shared mind numbing passion.

  Tonight, tonight he’d get her back where she belonged.

  “Is that her?”

  Hunter jerked, then a wide smile split his face at the man standing across the bar from him. Dressed head to toe in leather and body armor, the dark-haired former soldier kept his gaze on the dance floor.

  “Ezra, you made good time.”

  “I left as soon as you contacted me.” At last Ezra turned from Narelle to face Hunter. His grim expression eased a little, and the corner of his lips quirked upward beneath the shadow of his beard. “Never thought you’d reach out about a woman.”

  Hunter grunted and tipped his head to his side. “Not just her.”

  Ezra leaned forward to see beyond the counter where Hunter stood, his ankle length coat parting to reveal several weapons at his hip and across his shoulder.

  “Fuck, you weren’t lying!” Losing his legendary composure, Ezra ran a hand through his hair and shook his head as he settled back. “I’m almost tempted not to ask.”

  “Don’t have an answer either way.”

  At the sight of a stranger peering at him, Bogan sat up from his prone position and tilted his head to the side. Curiosity gleamed from the brown orbs fastened to Ezra but the war mongrel remained quiet waiting for his cue from Hunter.

  Folding his arms over his chest, Ezra shot Hunter a wry look. “Nothing easy with you, Hunter
.”

  Since he agreed, Hunter didn’t take offense to the statement. He waved at one of his employees to take over the bar then pointed at one of the corner tables. “Lets talk over there. Less ears to hear what I want to discuss.”

  Ezra nodded abruptly and strode away. Hunter assured himself of Narelle’s position before moving. Lost to the music, she danced in the same spot, leaving him free to step away and speak with his old friend. Bogan trotted at his heels, attuned to any command from him.

  It amazed and unnerved Hunter to have another war mongrel looking to him as a handler. He didn’t want the responsibility or the feelings which came with being synced with an animal. Sadness and pain lay that way. Especially since Hunter knew no matter how this ended, Bogan belonged to the government and wasn’t his to keep.

  The moment the military received notification of Bogan’s survival, they’d be all over The Zone demanding the return of their property and Hunter would be in no position to refuse. Once again he’d suffer the pain of separation but of a different sort.

  Against his will, his gaze sought Narelle. Her green skin appeared dull beneath the flashing lights, but Hunter knew better. He’d kissed the emerald flesh, stroked all over her soft, giving body. There was nothing dull about the pearlescent beauty. Her red hair swished along her back almost as if following the beat of the music. A group of male customers gathered their courage and danced closer.

  She winked and flirted but at least kept a decent bit of distance from them. Unclenching his balled fists, Hunter strode toward a smirking Ezra.

  “Is she the one?”

  The one. During missions, soldiers often talked about the one, a woman in their current lives or hoped to have in their life. Someone who would care if they came back safely. It was a way to keep despair at bay. As if actually planning for a future meant they had a future. Was Narelle his one? Hunter hated to admit she probably was. Now he’d have to convince her of the same.

  To Ezra, he said, “Maybe.”

  The amused grunt made it plain Ezra saw through him. His friend propped his elbows on the table, all humor falling away. “Tell me what you have going on.”