Rayven's Keep

by Wolfe, Kylie

  She flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling, wondering what she should do. Would he say anything about their night together? Or would he continue to treat her with distant courtesy? She guessed he would treat her as if nothing significant had happened. She was a client and no matter how she might wish otherwise, he was very clear on the subject. When it came to Nick Rayven, he would lay down his life for her if needed, but he wasn’t going to let her get too close emotionally.

  She found it difficult to admit her awareness of him. The attraction keeping her off balance was one-sided. She was probably misreading the occasional touches and the emotions she saw move in his eyes. He was being kind–doing his job.

  Demoralized by her musings, she got out of bed and headed for the cleanser. All of a sudden, she was desperate to remove his scent clinging to her skin. She knew she was in deep, and he already owned more of her heart than she could afford to give. She would get it broken before this was all over if she weren’t careful.

  * * * *

  Nick slumped in his chair and sipped a cup of hot tayberry. He welcomed the bite of it this morning because his mind still felt sluggish from a bad night.

  Idly looking over the ship schematics and working with Siren to shore up the damaged shields helped keep him somewhat occupied. His thoughts tended to wander back to Tru with a frequency preventing him from fully engaging in the task at hand. Concentration shot, he found it a little unnerving to realize he was staring at the computer tablet he held with no real idea what he was looking at yet again. He grimaced and put it down.

  His resolve had been tested when he crawled out of bed and left the enchanting form who had slept so perfectly in his arms. Lying beside her without running his hands over the curves nestled so firmly against him had been almost unbearable, and he cursed the impulse that had driven him into her bunk. He’d been an idiot to give in to temptation, but he couldn’t totally regret his actions, not if he were being honest with himself. It was becoming impossible to spend time with her and keep his hands to himself.

  Annoyed, he tightened his grip on his mug as he wrenched his thoughts away from her and the question of what he intended to do about his tangled emotions.

  A high-pitched wail from the back of the ship startled him into almost spilling hot liquid into his lap. He half rose from his seat before he realized what he was doing. He sank into his chair with a faint, rueful smile. Tru had just discovered the water in the cleanser was ice-cold. He lifted his cup to his mouth and took another sip of tayberry resigned to the inevitable explosion.

  She stormed to the bridge, her hair dripping into her snapping blue eyes. Goose bumps pebbled her arms and her clothing clung in interesting places to her damp skin. She hadn’t taken the time to dry off properly and it was impossible to ignore what was before his fascinated gaze.

  “Why didn’t you tell me there was no hot water?”

  “You were sleeping the last time I saw you. I didn’t think it was important enough to wake you.” He tried without much success to keep his eyes off the sweet curve of her breasts and the puckered nipples brought on by the cold. He straightened in his chair enough to cross an ankle over his opposite knee and regarded her with wary interest over his mug. “How was I to know you would head for the cleanser first thing?”

  “I do it every morning. How could you possibly not know? The water was freezing.”

  She glared at him before vigorously rubbing her hands through her wet hair, scattering droplets of icy moisture over him.

  “Hey, what’d you do that for?” He lurched, sloshing his drink over his hand and onto his shirt. Scowling, he brushed at the mess with one hand while placing his mug in a holder with the other.

  “Thanks for not warning me, jerk. You deserved it.” Sinking into her own chair, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, matching his scowl with one of her own.

  He studied the angry set of her jaw and felt a little guilty he hadn’t thought to warn her. “You’re right, I was thoughtless.” Shifting sideways in his seat he reached for the jacket slung over the chair back. He leaned forward and carefully draped it over her hunched shoulders. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  The jacket was heavy and swallowed her whole, but it would warm her up soon enough. She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled the edges of the coat closer. Then, she ducked her head into the fabric gathered under nose and took a breath. A tiny grin flashed and everything in him tightened.

  “How long until we get to Zeegret Station?” It was an olive branch and he knew it.

  “We’re within a half standard day. I’ve been routing as much power as we can spare to the fuel cells to give us more speed. Dominion is fast, faster than any ship I’ve flown, and even with our current limitations she’s making remarkable time.”

  “Will we be on the station long, do you think?” Idly, she traced a pattern on her raised knee with a fingertip.

  “Depends.” He watched her through hooded eyes. “It shouldn’t take too long to remove the damaged cells and replace them with new, but you never know.”

  Her palm flat on her thigh, she languidly ran it over the smooth material of her pants up to her knee and back down again toward her hip. He figured she wasn’t being deliberately provocative, but it didn’t stop him from following the movement of her hand and thinking about what lay under it.

  “I’ve never been on a space station before. Have you?”

  He looked at her blankly. “What?”

  “I asked if you have ever been on a space station before. Are you all right?”

  “Fine. I’m fine. And, yes, I’ve been on a station before.” He reached for his mug, and took a deep gulp of the now cold drink and forced himself to swallow. Sitting up, he dropped his booted foot back on the floor and swiveled his chair to face the console. Pretending an interest he was far from feeling, he checked the screens for status.

  “What was it like?”

  Her voice was soft, her tone curious and reached out to him like a silken web. His jaw clenched until his teeth hurt as he fought the irresistible lure she cast.

  “Nick?”

  “What? I’m busy here, Tru,” he snapped, and then wished he could call the words back. Turning his head he glanced at his companion, his expression contrite. “Damn it, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Irritated with her and with himself, he scrubbed a hand over his face.

  She rose from her chair, removed his jacket from around her shoulders, and handed it to him with exaggerated care.

  “Obviously, I’m in the way here.” Careful not to touch him in any way, she stepped away and headed for the crew quarters.

  All he could do was remain in his seat and not follow her. Unable to trust himself not to throttle her out of frustration, he stared out the viewscreen. He hardly recognized himself when he was around her. What the hell had happened to him? Where was his well-known control, his methodical approach to any situation? She only had to smile at him and he lost his train of thought. He handled explosive situations with aplomb, but found himself snapping and snarling at her with the least provocation. How damned humiliating to know one small female could tie him up in such knots.

  “Captain, Zeegret Station is requesting an ETA.” Siren’s voice was clipped and held a note of censure that surprised Nick.

  She’d been listening in again and heard his exchange with Tru. Conversational nuances still confused her, but she’d picked up the anger in his tone easy enough. Obviously, she disapproved.

  “Thank you, Siren,” he replied, pushing aside his thoughts of Tru. He was pleased with Siren’s progress and noted on more than one occasion she tended to model her voice patterns after Tru’s. He wasn’t sure how he would deal with it once Tru returned to her family; the reminder of her would be hard to contend with. “Respond immediately to inquiry. Request docking instructions for arrival.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “Call up electrical schematics for Dominion. I want to look at them again
.”

  He forced himself to concentrate on the intricacies of his ship, what repairs were critical or could wait until they were back on Alludra. He refused to dwell on his attraction to his irritating passenger or to give in to the impulse to follow her and smooth over their most recent spat. He felt it best for her to keep her distance. At least, he kept telling himself it was.

  Relief filled him when Siren announced Zeegret Station was on their approach. He watched the space station come into view and expertly guided Siren through the docking processes sent to them. She responded like a dream and he smoothly attached the ship to the designated docking arm with barely a bump.

  “Siren, all commands to come through me for duration of our stay,” Nick ordered, reverting to his native language. It was a security measure to prevent anyone from accessing the ship beyond necessary repairs. The odds of anyone speaking Tonlithian were astronomical.

  “Acknowledged,” Siren replied in the same language.

  He exited the bridge and headed to the back of the ship. His steps checked for one heart-stopping moment when he saw Tru standing by the door. He felt the expected visceral punch, had even tried to prepare for it, but he couldn’t anticipate the possessiveness hitting him from out of nowhere.

  Mine.

  Once the word entered his consciousness, it wouldn’t leave. His heart beat heavily in his chest and he felt as if he were in freefall through space, unable to take his next breath. Astounded to realize his hands shook and confused by this unforeseen turn of events, he wondered what had happened in the brief time they had been apart to trigger the certainty revving his primal instincts to claim her as his own. He tried to shut it down, to ignore his body’s response and the elemental recognition of a mate flooding his blood stream and leaving him burning. He didn’t want this. Shouldn’t want this.

  He looked hard at her, seeking clues to the body blow he’d just taken, dazed by the internal shift unexpectedly throwing his world off kilter.

  She’d changed out of her earlier outfit, which wasn’t unusual. He’d been amused on more than one occasion by the mercurial mood shifts driving her to change her clothing to match her current mood. He didn’t understand it, but a part of him enjoyed trying to guess what she would do next.

  What she wore now was elegant in its cut and draped her body like a second skin. The short blue jacket nipped in at her tiny waist, emphasizing the gentle roundness of her hips and the length of her legs encased in slim trousers. The pants were tucked into tall, indigo-colored boots. She looked sleek, feminine, and the tentative smile on her generous mouth was guaranteed to drive him insane.

  She’d made an effort to tame her curls with a headband, and he itched to release those soft curls from their confines, to see them frame the delicate lines of her face. Mine, he thought again, the word a persistent drumbeat in his head battering the wavering defenses he tried to shore. His mouth tightened into a thin line as he mentally kicked himself for letting this happen. He looked away and stared blindly at the ship’s door while he fought for command of the powerful urges tearing at him.

  Forcing a calmness he was far from feeling, Nick deactivated the environmental pressure seals between the ship’s door and the docking tunnel. Once they were green-lighted, he opened the door and stepped through. He paused, turned back to Tru and offered her his arm. He waited for her to accept his unexpected gallantry. He wanted her touch, needed the connection even as he fought it.

  He could see the uncertainty on her face. Knew her well enough by now to understand she’d been prepared to fight for the opportunity to visit the space station and had been caught off guard by his easy surrender. Hell, so was he, for that matter.

  Seconds felt like an eternity as he waited for her to accept his wordless invitation. Her small hand came up to rest on his arm with only slight hesitation and his muscles tensed beneath her fingertips before they relaxed with a slight tremor. He hoped she hadn’t noticed.

  A warm smile bloomed on her lips and his mouth curved in answer. Entranced by the sparkle in her eyes and the excited flush on her cheeks he took a step closer, unable to help himself. Her delicate fragrance enveloped him and he breathed deeply feeling dizzy with the want and need clouding his mind. Her warmth against his side was both a pleasure and a torment, but he found he didn’t care. He thought he heard her sigh, the barest expression of pleasure and fought the desire thrumming through his veins. This was not the time or place for his libido to go haywire. He would find a way to put a safe distance between them again, but not right now. Later. Much later.

  “Ready?” he asked, his voice coming out as a deep rumble.

  “Ready,” she responded.

  Chapter 14

  Maddox Creighton was in his element. He thrived on the challenges in the business world and relished nothing more than overcoming resistance. It made him feel alive, on top of his game. Right now he focused on Lodestone Mining and Malvin Sonne. A slow, smile curved his mouth. He straightened his jacket to rest properly across his shoulders and then pulled his cuffs down before he turned and went in search of his quarry.

  This was the final day of his annual meeting, and before he was through, Maddox intended to break Malvin Sonne. Then he was going to make sure Anto Geir understood going after one Creighton was the same as going after them all. By the time he was through, not much would be left of Lodestone Mining. No one messed with his family.

  The day before, Callen Bluestone had arrived on Bretonne. The two of them had been closeted for the better portion of the day, going over the information Tru had unearthed. The more Maddox had seen, the angrier he’d become. He was a huge investor in Lodestone Mining and seeing proof he was systematically being robbed infuriated him.

  Callen had proved to be a genius at following data trails and making connections that might not otherwise be obvious. The somber young man had impressed Maddox, which wasn’t easy to do. He was both pleased and annoyed when Callen remained committed to Rayven Security and his boss even though he’d been offered work with Creighton Mutual and the prestige associated with it. Loyalty like his was hard to come by.

  Everything was in place to take down at least one of the perpetrators of the Lodestone scam, and in so doing, Maddox intended to step in and take over what was left of the company. It was a challenge he looked forward to and sparked an interest he hadn’t felt for a long time. His steps were brisk and energetic as he made his way to the day’s planned events.

  He met his son, Reid, at the doors leading into the gathering room. The resemblance between the two of them was uncanny but Reid lacked the drive that fed Maddox. Reid was an excellent administrator and handled the many arms of Creighton Mutual with ease, but he was content with the business as it was and felt no need to expand. It was a point of contention between them and Maddox knew it was the main cause of their emotional distance from one another. Tru was the other.

  “Father,” Reid said, with a curt nod.

  “I assume you were briefed by Bluestone?” Maddox replied. He didn’t bother to slow his steps expecting Reid to keep up and fall into step beside him.

  “Naturally. Did you have any idea what Tru was up to?”

  Maddox could hear the underlying suspicion in the question and the resentment his son tried hard to hide. Tru was closer to him than she was to her father, often approaching him to ask for advice and he knew Reid felt shut out. Although he had a great deal of sympathy for his son and encouraged Tru to seek out her father more, the strong bond they shared secretly pleased him.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I was just as shocked as you were when I found out what that minx had been up to.” He frowned, but couldn’t suppress the note of pride in his voice. “I have to give her credit though. My granddaughter did a damn fine job of ferreting out what was going on. No one else caught it.”

  * * * *

  Reid’s gut churned with worry for his daughter and guilt for not paying enough attention to her concerns when she’d broached them with him. The thought of
what could have happened to her would be enough to give him chills and sleepless nights for a long time.

  Callen had filled him in on the details and put his mind at rest with assurances Tru would be well taken care of by Nick Rayven. Callen’s calm, rational voice had been the anchor he’d listened to. Not his father, Maddox, but a complete stranger.

  Reid put a fisted hand in his pocket, ruining the line of his tailored clothing, which would irritate his father. He admitted he was being petty, but he enjoyed a perverse sense of pleasure in the small childish rebellion. How was it possible to love someone and yet, resent them at the same time? A question he asked himself often.

  “Ah, here comes Callen,” Maddox announced, rubbing his hands together.

  Callen’s presence calmed the churning energy Reid felt whenever he was near his father, at least temporarily. He walked with unhurried grace toward them and stopped on Maddox’s right side as his watchful gray eyes took everything in with a glance. There was something indefinable about Callen, a presence beyond his military posture and quiet air of competence. Reid respected the younger man’s reticence even as he sometimes probed for answers. His questions were skillfully deflected without causing offense and Reid admired his skill. Chagrined, Reid found himself standing a little taller now that Callen had joined them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father do the same.

  “Gentlemen.” Callen nodded to each in turn.

  In unspoken agreement, the three men entered the gathering room where the guests waited within.

  Conversation paused as they crossed the threshold. Maddox smiled jovially and greeted many of his guests by name. Surrounded by powerful men and women in their own right, he still managed to set himself apart. He was treated with deference and only those paying attention would notice the occasional undercurrent of fear and resentment behind some of the social banter.

  Reid noted with interest the various reactions from their guests as Callen was introduced by Maddox as a representative of Rayven Security. They were like sharks scenting new blood in the way they circled, in how they weighed and cataloged everything about him. Reid knew Rayven Security had just been given cachet within the business circles he and his father operated in. If Creighton Mutual considered a company worth a second look, then doors tended to open.