Touch of Danger (Three Worlds)

by Strickland, Carol A.

  “I don't consider him an expert on the subject.” Again those exquisite eyebrows arched.

  “And you are.”

  “I've been married before. I know what doesn't work.”

  “This will. I know down to deeper depths than I even knew I had. Aiko, we've shared minds. I know her; she knows me.”

  “Bright sun. You're a telepath now. How does all this happen at once?”

  “It just did. Things started happening, and then more things rolled into place, and it avalanched from there.”

  “So you're under an avalanche of new emotions, new sensations.”

  “One of which is love. It's real and it's going to last.”

  Long moments passed before she spoke again. “I saw it,” Aiko said slowly. “I was watching the lab monitors and I saw the way you looked at her. Shards. Andri saw it too, I know.”

  “You were watching us?”

  “Andri was curious about what the mind-controlling witchdoctor was doing up there and Wiley was feeding us impossible figures about travel times from Earth to Sarastor.”

  The left side of Aiko's mouth twitched into the smallest of smiles. “I was watching because you were running around half-naked. You know, Londo, most of our female members were tuning in just to see you in that condition. You really must become more aware of the monitors. Civilized people simply don't dress like that, even if they have just been blasted halfway to the next galaxy and survived.”

  “I'll keep that in mind next time, chérie. Sorry.”

  Aiko nodded, pondering. “It has to be a fairly equal partnership. Marriage between a para and a norm… Oh. She's not a norm, is she? Oh Londo, a witchdoctor? Even so, who is she to stand up to Valiant?”

  “I'm not going to walk all over her!”

  “See that you don't. Remember what happened to me when I was married. I got too full of myself and things fell apart.” The longing stood starkly in her eyes. “And now look at me: alone again.”

  “I know you'll find someone. It's been all I could do to keep men from launching themselves at you while I was around.”

  She gave him a little smile at that, a tight nod as she forced herself to maintain. “You've told her about certain…problems?”

  “That, and she's got some of her own. We're going to work through them together.”

  “And she's Terran.”

  “Very.”

  She looked away and then back. “I won't be there for you. Not in that way, not if you get married. But I'll be there to listen if you need me. You'll have to give me time to adjust.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “A lot of time.”

  “Thank you, Aiko. You're the best. You tell me what you need—for anything—and I'll make sure you have it.”

  “You've told Jae about the proposal, of course.”

  “He knows.”

  “I won't say that this hasn't come as a tremendous shock, Londo Rand. But I'll get over it and who knows, maybe I'll even come to like her.”

  “Give her a chance. She's very nice, very loving. Very smart, too.”

  “Not so smart if she turned you down.”

  “She's going to say yes, I tell you.” His eyes grew moist as he gazed at her. “Papa Mike will kill me when he finds out. He adores you. Mama Ruth and Hal both love you, too. And I love you. I'll always have a place in my heart for you, chérie.”

  She tried to smile at that. “Give me some time, Londo. I'll be okay. I'm…I'm glad you finally found someone.”

  After the screen went blank Lon could hear Aiko's sobs even through two stories of impervion.

  Time not to screw things up with another woman. Londo waited outside the bathroom door, a towel draped around his neck to make things seem more like home, and deliberately thought bland thoughts. Eventually the door opened and Lina emerged in the black robe, her wet hair unbraided and her face pale as death under the bruising and burns.

  “Enfin. At last,” he said, trying to make it light. “My turn now.” He breezed past her to close the door behind him. Give her some more time to herself. Besides, he might really need another shower today. He'd almost died—no, he had died—yesterday, and dying and healing were hard work. He wanted to look his absolute best for Lina.

  He watched her through the walls while he was in the shower. She walked like she was asleep, wandering through his bedroom. She tried the bed. That could be a good sign. Then she drifted through his trophy room, looking a long time at all the awards. She kept running her hands through her hair, pulling on it as she thought. Finally she walked into the living room and stood there gazing at the view of Saturn that was so real.

  She sat on the couch, where she combed her hair absently. Lon smiled as he watched her soft auburn hair coil around the comb. Real curls, real boobs, real love… Everything about Lina was the truth except for the lies she told herself. He'd show her, but gently.

  Mustn't scare her. Charm and subtlety…and maybe a little truth. He wasn't used to telling the truth, but for her he would. She'd think less of him if he didn't. Of all the people he knew, he didn't want Lina to think badly of him.

  Should he bring up—? No, let that wait. One step at a time. Being honest didn't mean telling everything at once.

  The soundtrack had cut off long ago, so she reprogrammed the music. Some color had come back into her cheeks. It was time for Londo to come out of the shower.

  He entered the living room with dry hair and wearing a cham wrap that left his chest, arms, and lower legs bare. She liked his body. He set refilled glasses of rava on the coffeetable and sat down on the couch, but gave her some space.

  “We need to talk,” she said as John Legend played softly in the background. She leaned forward over her knees, her hands clasped together: a semi-fetal position closed off from him.

  “About what, we will talk?” he asked.

  With a very small laugh she rolled her eyes at him.

  “D'accord.” He leaned back to drape his arm casually upon the back of the couch. “But let's let the proposal itself go for a while. What else do you want to talk about?”

  “I don't know you. I know a lot about you but I don't know so much more.”

  “So what do you want to know? I'll tell you.”

  “I don't know. Plans, dreams for the future. Were you serious about the six kids? How you manage to juggle the Network and this Mega-Legion and everything else. Whatever. You talk, I'll listen.”

  He took one of those fascinating curls and fondled it for a moment before he spoke. “Well, eh, I wouldn't mind six kids. I want to have a real family. I missed out on that.”

  “Don't you think it's irresponsible to have more than two in an overpopulated world? Especially if you're a famous hero, setting an example for everyone.”

  “I can't be responsible for people copying me. I just do the best I can and what anybody thinks is their business. But as for six…I guess I could be happy with two. And there's always adoption for the rest.”

  “Do they let megaheroes adopt kids?”

  He tilted his head and raised a meaningful eyebrow at her. “They let Maximus.”

  “Oh of course. Duh. Sorry.”

  Lon propped his elbow on the back of the couch as he lounged. “Lately I've been thinking about moving away from Montreal, too.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “I thought the southeastern United States might be interesting.”

  Lina shook her head ruefully. “If you're talking somewhere around me, I'd have to advise against it.”

  “So I should cancel the tent I ordered, eh? I was going to set up camp in your back yard and howl at the moon every night.”

  That brought a wan smile to her lips. “You'd scare the cats. I hate to quote Terry the Bitch, but 'podunk' is a good description of Eno Valley. It would be much too boring for you. I've been thinking about moving to the Appalachians anyway. I like mountains.”

  He raised up hopefully. “Do they have to be the Appalachians? How about the Rockies?”

  She
barely had time to register a question on her face before he commanded, “Computer, show summer view from Starhaven.”

  The view of Saturn abruptly changed, and a glorious panorama wrapped through the windows of the room of towering Terran mountains stretching into blue infinity behind a long and wide mountain valley. Nearby deer grazed in a meadow of waving wildflowers and grasses. Hardwood forests blanketed the slopes. A lake that even distance couldn't make small lay sparkling below in the sun.

  “Ta dah.” Lon spread his arms to encompass the vista.

  “Ohmigosh. It's so beautiful.” Lina stood up so she could have a good view of all the “windows,” and looked back toward Lon. “Is it yours?”

  He sat back on the couch so as not to interrupt her view. “I bought the property a few years ago. I've got a little place up there that I'm building. It's really nowhere near finished. That's my vacation home. I call it Starhaven.” He raised a glass of rava and toasted the mountain vista.

  “And this here was just a 'room.'“ Lina laughed. “How big's the little place?”

  Londo smiled in spite of himself. “Big enough. There's plenty of room for expansion.”

  “Where is it? Alberta?”

  “No, it's in the States. Wyoming.”

  “Londo, how old are you?”

  “Twenty-nine, thirty, somewhere in there. It's hard to tell precisely. How old are you?”

  She sat down next to him as he took a drink. “Twenty-six,” she said. “Londo, what do we do if I'm pregnant?”

  Chapter 22

  Londo sprayed yellow rava across the back of the couch.

  “P-pregnant?” he sputtered. “You're… You're not…”

  Coolly Lina dabbed at the mess with the sleeve of her robe. “Why haven't you mentioned anything about birth control now that we're back in civilization?”

  He scrutinized her innocent look. “You're playing with me. You're not pregnant.”

  “You never asked. All that time in quarantine, all those medical monitors.”

  Lon got up to retrieve better toweling from the kitchenette. “I never had to worry about it before,” he said as he returned and sopped the mess from both the couch and Lina's sleeve. “It never occurred to me. Now tell me. You're not—”

  “No. And I had Wiley give me one of the very wonderful shots that they have here. It's good for about a year. One hundred percent safe, one hundred percent sure, and only one side effect.”

  “Which is?”

  “Zero periods. I know two or three billion women back on Earth who would kill for birth control like that.” She searched for another question. “What do you call Maximus to his face? 'Dad?'“

  “No, I call him Hal. You can, too.”

  “Oh god.”

  “No, he doesn't like to be called 'God.' Marry me, Lina.”

  She bit her lip. “You haven't thought this through.”

  “How so?”

  “We've both been turned upside down in the last five days. Hell, Londo, you died. What happens when the real world snaps back?”

  He settled back on the couch, drawing her to him. “We'll still be together. Always and forever. Do you really see that changing?”

  “Forever's a long time.” She tried to laugh and didn't make it. “Up to now we've been on our best behavior with each other. You've never seen me when I get on a stubborn streak or when I'm really hateful. You've never heard me let loose and cuss. You don't know the real me.”

  “I know the real you,” he said softly. He could be so gentle when he wanted. “We've shared minds. You know me. It's the details, the edges, that we don't have any idea about. We've got a lifetime to learn about those. It'll be fun.” His eyes narrowed slyly. “And there's no one who can out-curse me. Not in this sector of the galaxy.”

  She covered her trembling lips with her hand, determined not to cry. “Back home… Back home, I hear them talking all the time. That before they get married couples should sit down and discuss all the domestic things that can ruin them. How much money they make; who's going to handle it. Who makes supper; who washes the dishes. Who cleans the bathroom, for god's sake.” She regarded him helplessly. “What do you want in a wife? What do you expect?”

  “You're putting labels on things that shouldn't have labels. All I want is Lina O'Kelly. We'll figure everything else as we go.”

  “Are you sure you're not Sagittarian?” She planted her hand on his bare left pectoral and frowned at it. Touch. A few days ago she hadn't been able to touch anyone and now she was drunk with human contact and he with sex. Or was that vice versa? “Oh Londo, what have we gotten ourselves into?”

  She started to turn away from him, but Lon caught her shoulder. “We're not them. We're not like them. Why should we do things their way?”

  He cocked his head at her, giving her the Command Frown he'd practiced so hard to achieve when he first became a team lieutenant. “Around here I'm considered an outstanding combat leader. I'm the best at sizing up situations and making decisions. I see us now. Marriage is the correct move for us.”

  “But that's just it.” She rubbed her hands on her knees as if she could rub out the problem. “You're the biggest hero around, even out here halfway across the galaxy or wherever the hell we are.” She looked lost. “I'm nobody, just Lina O'Kelly from some podunk town in North Carolina. What would people think if they ever found out? How long would it be before you were bored to tears with me?”

  She didn't let him respond while she eased away from him. “You're Valiant—the big kahuna himself. You should have, I don't know, a royal consort. Someone who can keep up with you on the social and parahero circuit. Not some hick— Good god, Lon, I'm a pornographer. What would people say?”

  He started to speak, but she interrupted him. “I've had so many friends get married, and I've seen almost every one of those marriages end in divorce. Most of them messy, people's lives torn up. They start hating each other. I don't want you to hate me. Why can't we just leave things the way they are? When you get tired of me, there won't be any muss or fuss. I won't cause you any embarrassment.”

  Londo wanted to take her in his arms but he stayed where he was, resting his head on his hand. “I don't know the statistics on marriage,” he said. “It's what, 50 percent divorce? Higher, lower?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Let's call it fifty percent. What about the other fifty? And how many of them are telepaths? How many people have shared minds like we have? You're a part of me now. Don't you feel the same?”

  A tear rolled down her cheek as Lina sat silently. She finally nodded, pressing her quivering lips together.

  “God, Lina. I want a family so bad. I want a beautiful, loving woman to come home to. I want kids and I want you to be their mother. I want to know you even deeper than I do now. I want you on my arm at every event I attend. I want to make love to you every day of my life. I want to wake up with your arms around me.

  “I want so many things, and now at the middle of them all is you. I can't imagine living without you.”

  He scooted closer to take her by the hand. He didn't mean to scare her, but it came out fierce. “I don't want you to find anyone else. Oh, I know you say that you're never going to, but you're a passionate woman, Lina O'Kelly. If I let you go you'll find someone else. I couldn't bear the thought of you lying with another man.”

  He pulled her to him tightly, locking her in his commanding gaze. “You're mine. You believe in fate. It's like the universe brought us together. Say it, Lina. Say it. Tell me. 'I'll marry you, Lon.'“

  She shook her head with a small smile. “Londo Rand, you can be a bully, a wonderful, sweet bully bear. I do love you so much. But this—” She looked down at his hand clutching hers. “Possession,” she said softly. “You want to make things in your life permanent by owning them. It's not control, it's fear of abandonment. I will not marry for fear. Either yours or mine.”

  Immediately he dropped his hand and turned away so she couldn't see his shame.
>
  “It won't work,” she whispered. “At the very least, let's let a little time go by. Let's not rush into a huge mistake.”

  Lon sighed. “You will live with me, won't you? So we can see how it goes?”

  “Live with—” She caught her breath.

  With renewed hope he swung back to her. “Choose your place, Starhaven or Montreal. Move in, cats and all.”

  “You can't be serious.”

  “I'm not. What I want is for you to marry me. Live with me at the very least, chérie. That way you can get used to the idea. If you want we can be engaged with no set date. Will that make it easier for you? I'll buy you a ring as soon as we get out of quarantine, as big a diamond as you could wish for.”

  “Honey, I don't care about diamonds. I just don't want you to make any commitment that you'll be sorry for later.”

  “There you go again, trying to tell me what to think. Let me make my own commitments. Make one of your own.”

  Londo edged closer, then over the front of the couch until he was down on one knee in front of her. “I'll give you anything. I don't think I can live without you.” Even as he said it, he could hear the horrible echo within her. “Don't!” he warned, but it was too late.

  She'd overheard her father telling her mother the same thing too many times. Her parents were stuck in a sick marriage. Londo shook Lina softly but insistently. “I'm not him, chérie. We're us and this is our life. This isn't some sickness on our part. It's a healing, us together.”

  Desperately he squeezed her hand between the two of his as she sat, her head down and hair hiding her face from him. He let her have her time.

  She shook her head. “I'm an idiot.”

  “Never.”

  But still she shook her head. “I can't. Dearest Lon,” she finally whispered, “Please. It's too soon. Let some time go by. I want you to realize… I want you to be really sure.”

  He knelt silently. She was miserable, desolated because of his question, when he'd thought that it would make her so happy. This had not been his plan.

  “I'm losing you, aren't I?” he breathed. “You think I'll leave you someday, so you've imagined it happening already. You're slipping away from me without me ever going. Is that right?”