by Susan Hayes
Her dad always said that no good deed went unpunished. This time, he had been right.
There wasn’t any point in regrets, though. What was done, was done, and the lives of the people she had been able to help save were far more important than the annoyance of having Vin back in her life. She would deal with him and get back to the life she was forging for herself out here.
She had a supply run to prep for soon. It was a short haul that wouldn’t take more than a few days each way, on a route she could fly with her eyes closed. It was easy work, which was her favorite kind, but she still needed time to prepare and go over the ship. Reality was waiting for her, and she had to get back to it if she wanted to have scrip to pay for the little things in life, like food and docking fees for the Sun Sprite.
She glanced around the bar as she pondered everything waiting for her outside the Nova’s walls. The evening rush hadn’t started yet, which meant the bar was as close to quiet as it got during business hours. Quiet was a relative thing, though. Even now, there was music thrumming from more than a dozen speakers, the sound blending with the murmur of voices from the few patrons enjoying an early start to the night’s revelry.
The games tables were doing a steady business already, parting miners and crewman from their hard earned scrip.
She had claimed her favorite table again, and the view out her window was one she could enjoy for hours. The Sun Sprite was docked out there, hanging in space against a backdrop of stars. It reminded her of being in the cockpit of her ship, staring out into the cosmos as she flew from place to place.
She considered ordering something to snack on, but she didn’t want to ruin her appetite for dinner. Luke had sent her a message reiterating his invitation for her to dine with the two of them tonight. When she had agreed, he had let her know they were in a meeting and would come find her once they were done.
While she waited, it occurred to her that she was going on her first real date with them, and she didn’t have anything decent to wear. She knew it wasn’t logical. They had known each other for months, but tonight was special, and she wanted to mark the occasion by dressing for it. Unfortunately, most of her clothes were hanging in her closet on her ship, and they had made her promise that she wouldn’t leave the club unescorted. After what had happened last night, she understood their concern, so she grudgingly agreed.
She caught sight of one of the club’s security guards walking between the tables and in a flash of inspiration, flagged him down.
“Hey, Zura. I heard a rumor you were staying with us again. Welcome back,” Owen greeted her.
“Hi, Owen. The rumors are true. It’s only temporary, though. Do you have a minute? I’ve got a favor to ask.” She gestured to one of the empty chairs, silently inviting him to join her.
“I heard you were attacked last night,” he said as he claimed the closest chair.
“Attacked is a pretty strong word for what happened. Someone I used to know is trying to convince me to meet with him, and I’m not interested. When I declined, he sent two of his goons to try and change my mind. Luke sent them packing.”
The guard grinned. “Luke was with you? Does this mean the other rumor I heard today is true, too?”
She groaned. “Tell me you haven’t already heard gossip about us. We only really got started last night!”
Owen chuckled. “I’m afraid so. I heard that Kit and Luke were seen cooking for a certain cargo pilot in the main kitchen today. This is a tight-knit little community, Zura. Happy news travels fast.”
“I’d sort of hoped no one would notice for a while, but I guess that wasn’t very realistic of me, was it? We’re having our first real date tonight. Since they made me swear I wouldn’t leave the club without an escort, I was wondering if maybe you might be free to walk over to the Sun Sprite so I can pick up something nice to wear. I didn’t pack more than a quick overnight bag before coming here and dressing for dinner wasn’t really on my mind at the time.”
“I’m more than happy to do anything that will put a smile on Kit’s face. C’mon, if we go now, we should be back before they even know you’ve been gone.”
The moment she nodded, Owen rose and led the way to the front doors and past the security guard standing at the entrance. “I’m taking Zura to her ship for a few minutes. If Kit or Luke happen to come looking for her, tell them she’s with me.”
“Why do I feel like I’m breaking out of prison instead of merely going to get a change of clothes?” she muttered as she followed Owen out into the station.
“We take security seriously. You’re not used to noticing it, is all. Now that you’re with Luke and Kit, things will be different.”
“We haven’t even gone on a proper date yet. I’m not sure what our official status is at the moment,” she said.
Owen slowed his pace and fell in beside her. “I wouldn’t worry about qualifications or labels. We all know they like you, and clearly you feel the same way, or we wouldn’t be on our way to pick up something for you to wear tonight. I meant what I said about Kit, too. I actually saw him smile today, and I’m betting that’s because of you.”
“Getting your heart stomped on is enough to make anyone grumpy for a while. From what little I’ve heard, though, she was a bitch. I may not be the one for them, but I won’t treat them the way she did; they deserve better.”
“Remind him of that, will you? Maybe he’ll listen to you, because he’s too damned stubborn to listen to the rest of us.”
“He hasn’t been listening to me so far. Neither of them are. They were the ones that insisted I stay at the club last night, and there was no talking them out of it.”
Owen snorted. “That sounds like them.”
”I guess it’s sort of sweet that the guys are so protective, though. Annoying, but sweet,” she admitted.
“I’ve never heard those two described as sweet before. They must really be trying to impress you.”
“Or maybe I have a weakness for big, stubborn males,” she said as they arrived at the door that accessed her ship.
“I would say that’s a fair assessment. Otherwise, you’d probably be having dinner with someone else tonight. I’ll stand guard out here while you grab what you need,” Owen said.
“You really don’t need to do that.”
“Oh, yeah, I do. Being alone with you on a locked ship is not a good idea. Your sweet men might tear my head off when they find out.”
Zura huffed. “If they give you any grief for playing bodyguard, tell them to take it up with me.” She left Owen standing guard and headed into her ship. She knew what outfit she wanted to wear tonight; she just needed to remember where the hell she had put it. In her line of work, it wasn’t often she needed to wear a dress or all the accessories that went with it. Fortunately, Luke and Kit weren’t fancy clothes and proper manners kind of guys, which suited her just fine.
* * * *
“This has to be the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever worn,” Luke grumbled as he tugged at the knot of his tie. He had only had the damned thing on for half an hour, and already, he wanted to tear it off and go back to his regular clothes.
“I have a new respect for anyone who has to wear these things every day. I have no idea how they stand it. Why are these things still in fashion?” Kit asked, nodding in agreement.
They had spent the afternoon making plans and picking up everything they needed for their date with Zura. After breakfast, he and Kit talked, and both of them agreed that they wanted tonight to be special. They would slow things down and show Zura they were interested in more than a fling or a brief affair. They wanted to get to know her and see if the three of them had a future together. Their preparations had taken a few hours and the calling in of a few favors, but everything was finally ready.
Luke took one last look around the private party room they had transformed for the night and couldn’t see anything left to do. “I guess it’s time to pick up our date.”
“Don’t forget the fl
owers,” Kit said.
“Got ’em.” Luke lifted the vase of red and white roses off the table and cradled them in his arm. Why women were partial to flowers covered in sharp spines was a mystery to him, but the only florist on the entire station had insisted that roses were the way to go.
They arrived at Zura’s room, and both of them took a moment to straighten their unfamiliar clothing before Luke activated the door chime to let Zura know they were there. The door slid back almost immediately, and all his carefully rehearsed words went out the airlock.
“You look incredible,” he said, though incredible didn’t do justice to the beauty standing in the doorway. Her hair fell around her shoulders like a silken cape. The little black dress she was wearing…holy fraxx. It barely fell to mid-thigh, and the V-neck plunged low enough to give him a tantalizing view of her cleavage. The only jewelry she wore was a simple gold ring strung on a gold chain.
“Stunning,” Kit said.
“And you two look—wow. Are those roses?” Zura couldn’t stop staring at her dates. They looked amazing. They were both wearing black slacks, crisp, white dress shirts buttoned up to the neck, and both of them had on elegantly patterned ties of different shades of blue. It was a far cry from their usual look, but damn if they didn’t look amazing.
“For you.” Luke offered her the red and white blooms.
“You brought me flowers? You didn’t have to do that,” she said, burying her face in the soft petals to inhale their fragrance. She had seen roses of course, but no one had ever bought them for her before. They had even placed them in a vase for her already.
“Chocolates, too,” Kit announced. He produced a box from behind his back and presented it to her with a smile.
“Flowers and candy? You’re going to spoil me. Thank you.” She laughed and took the chocolates from him. “I hope you two are planning on helping me eat all these. If I eat the whole box, I’ll have to diet for a week afterward.”
Kit’s eyes gleamed with desire as he drank in the sight of her. “We would be pleased to share them with you, little one, but there will be no more talk of diets,” Kit said.
“Then I’ll put the roses on my dresser and take the chocolates with us for dessert. Wait here one second, and I’ll be right back,” she said. She rushed to the bed, set down the roses and gave herself another quick look in the mirror. It was a good thing she had decided to grab something else to wear tonight, or she would’ve felt underdressed beside the two of them.
“I wasn’t sure where we were going for dinner, and I didn’t want to ask and spoil the surprise. Judging by your outfits, I take it we’re going somewhere swanky?” she asked as she reappeared at the door.
“Somewhere private, actually,” Luke said.
“With a door that locks so no one can walk in on us this time,” Kit added.
“That sounds perfect.” The idea of the three of them behind a locked door sent sparks of desire dancing down her spine.
They each offered her an arm and escorted her down to the main floor. Instead of heading to the club, though, they passed through an unfamiliar hallway and stopped at an unmarked door. Kit opened it with a wave of his hand, and Luke led her inside. Unsure what to expect, Zura looked around and let out a gasp of surprise.
“This must have taken you hours to set up.” She looked around at what they had done. Soft music played in the background, a delicate tune that was light-years away from the pounding, bass-heavy tunes that normally played in the bar. There was an arrangement of red and white roses placed in the middle of a round table that was set for three. Lit candles were the only source of light, and there were more than a dozen of them in different sizes and shapes scattered throughout the room.
“Do you like it?” Kit asked.
“This is…you didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me.” Her throat tightened, and her cheeks heated as she turned back to look at her dates. “It’s all gorgeous.”
“No, Zura. You’re the gorgeous one,” Luke said before walking up and brushing a tender kiss to her lips. He took the box of chocolates from her and walked away to set them on a small table on the far side of the room.
Kit cleared his throat. “We wanted to do this. For you.”
“Thank you I…wow. You two pulled out all the stops.”
Kit took her hand and led her to the table. When she started to sit down, he stopped her with a touch, and then pulled out the chair for her.
“Would you like something to drink?” Luke asked her.
“I think I’m going to need a drink, yes, thank you.” Zura couldn’t believe all the trouble they had gone to. The roses, the decorated room, the clothes they were wearing. It made her feel special in a way she had never experienced before.
Luke went over to the bar and fixed them all drinks, though she couldn’t see exactly what kind. When he turned around again, he was carrying three glasses of clear, bubbling liquid that looked familiar.
“Is that the same stuff we were drinking last night?” she asked.
“I promised you I would make a cocktail out of it and name it for you. I’m not finished tweaking the recipe, but I thought you’d like to be the first to try it.” Luke set a glass down in front of her before claiming the seat to her left as Kit sat to her right.
“Before I try it, what’s it called?” She eyed the cocktail with curiosity. It shifted colors every few seconds, from red to purple to blue and back again; the fog rising from the liquid overflowed the sides of the glass, making a pretty display.
“I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I think it’s going to be called ‘Sun Sprite’s Delight.’ Rolls off the tongue, don’t you think?”
She lifted the glass to get a better look. “You’re naming it after my ship? That’s awesome. Unless it tastes awful, in which case, I’m going to be insulted on her behalf.”
“I would never do that to you or your ship. If I were going to make a lousy drink, I would’ve named it after Kit.”
Kit glowered at his brother, then lifted his glass in toast. “To us. May tonight be the first of many we spend together.”
“To us,” Zura murmured, then took a sip of the cocktail. It was delicious, which didn’t surprise her at all. “I’m not insulted. This is good.”
“This isn’t bad,” Kit said.
“Of course it’s good. I’m a brilliant bartender. Not to mention the fact I would never serve our love—lovely guest anything but the best.”
Kit took another drink to hide his smile at his brother’s slip. It should worry him how quickly they were thinking of Zura as their lover, but the truth was he was happy to know that his brother was as far gone as he was. He knew the moment he had fallen, too. It wasn’t in the kitchen this morning or seeing her looking so beautiful when she opened her door tonight. It was when she looked at them with flushed cheeks and shining eyes and told them they shouldn’t have gone to any trouble for her. He knew then that he would happily spend the rest of his life making her eyes light up that way.
A moment later, the door chimed, and he rose to his feet. He had left instructions for their meal to be left outside the door because he didn’t want anyone else so much as stepping foot into this room tonight.
“You ordered delivery?” Zura joked.
“We decided to be selfish. We’re not sharing you with anyone tonight,” Kit said.
He waited until the corridor was silent once more before opening the door and retrieving the cart. After wheeling it in, Luke stood, and both of them made quick work of laying out the dishes they had decided on. It had taken some investigation of old orders she had placed and what the serving staff could remember, but they were confident they had managed to track down at least some of her favorite foods. Marinated olives and bite-sized peppers stuffed with melted cheese to start, followed by roasted chicken with stuffing and gravy.
Zura popped one of the olives into her mouth and moaned. “Where did you find these? They sure aren’t the ones you serve in your martinis.�
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“You would be amazed what wonders I have tucked away in this place. When I come across something hard to find, I usually buy it and figure out what to do with it later,” Luke said as he carved the chicken and served it to everyone, starting with Zura.
“Remind me to go snooping through the pantry later. I can’t wait to see what else you’ve got stashed.”
Luke gave her a sly grin. “If you want to go foraging for food, you’re going to have to stick around. Only staff and family get free access to the back areas, you know that.”
“What, no exceptions for your girlfriend?” she asked.
Kit blinked at her. “Did you just call yourself our girlfriend?”
“She did. I heard it,” Luke said with no small amount of satisfaction.
Well, fraxx. She hadn’t meant to say that. She started to blush, which made her feel even more awkward. “I didn’t. I mean, I did, but I can take it back if you’re not okay with it.”
“I am very okay with you thinking of yourself that way, little one. As the head of security, I’m officially giving you permission to keep that key card once you go back to the Sun Sprite. Not that I want you to rush off. In fact, I’d like it if you postponed your next run. I don’t like the idea of you going out there alone. What if Vin tries something again?”
“Then he’ll find out that I made some extensive upgrades to my ship since last he was aboard. She’s faster and far better armed.”
Still feeling foolish over her slip, Zura lowered her gaze to her meal and took a mouthful of her dinner, trying to distract herself. When no one said anything, she looked up to find both of them looking at her with stormy expressions.
Finally, Kit sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “If you want to go, we can’t stop you. But dammit, Zura, you can’t stop us from worrying about you, either.”
“I guess I’m not used to having anyone to worry about me that way. Not since Dad died, anyway. I’ve been on my own for nearly a year, and risks are part of the job. If it helps, I have every intention of living to a ripe old age.”