Page 10 of Found Treasure Bride

I had to hand it to her. She was playing her part well. Anyone overhearing us would fall for it hook, line, and sinker, as my dad would say. She suddenly turned in my arms and gave m a quick peck on the lips.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

I froze. She’d actually kissed me. Oh, fuck. Did it work both ways? I felt an uncharacteristic rise of panic within me that I right squashed down. I did not have the luxury of freaking out right now. It would give the game away and land us into a lot more trouble than accidentally mating her would. I’d rather be mated than dead because while one might be inconvenient, the other option was downright dire.

She didn’t seem to notice my reaction, luckily, and if she didn’t, I doubted anyone watching did, either. She snuggled in against my chest and peered up at me. “You take a lot of ladies to places like this?’

“When I was younger,” I admitted. “My mom was assigned to a Paethian station, and it had a similar sort of place.”

“Your mom was in the space fleet?” She sounded impressed.

I puffed my chest up in pride. “Yeah. She was a maintenance tech before she retired.” I didn’t mention that she was the whole reason I’d stupidly joined the Fleet myself. I simply was not cut out for it, being far too independent and stubborn to follow the regimented discipline, especially if I got an idiot who managed to piss me off. Which I had, and then there was the fight, and here I am now. I like my current nomadic lifestyle a hell of a lot better. Well, bar the straits I found myself in just now, with Rando. Not my first run-in with him and his ilk, but by far the most serious, and sadly, my love of the klennert tables was usually at the bottom of it.

“So, how did you end up running cargo? You decide the military life wasn’t for you?”

“Something like that,” I hedged.

I turned her around gently, dropping my chin down onto the top of her head. I didn’t want to risk any more kisses. She had a life she loved, as did I. She’d hate me if she accidentally mated herself to me, and I knew it could happen but didn’t prevent it. The itching on my arm grew more insistent. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I released her.

“Want to take this somewhere else?” I asked her, still playing my assigned role.

She turned shining eyes up at me. “Yes,” she whispered, cuddling herself back at my side. I hoped it was all an act. If it wasn’t, we were both in trouble.

9

Nancy

I really needed to get a better hold of myself. Sure, he was well built and good-looking, but a bit of a smart ass. I’d already figured out his ‘sweetcheeks’ and such were some kind of a defense mechanism. It was as if he wanted me to keep some distance between us. I wondered if someone had hurt him once, and maybe he was now relationship phobic. Or perhaps he was just afraid I’d expect some kind of a commitment if we actually did anything.

No way! Though I had to admit, leaning against his firmly muscled chest and having his strong arms hold me ever so gently, enveloping me in his masculine scent, had felt really good. It had felt like a real date, and my even thinking had me realizing just how touch-starved I must have become. It had been four months since my last date, a guy named Barry in the Economics department. There had been no sparks, and his good night kiss had been perfunctory. When he didn’t call me back, I’d felt relieved.

Is it because he’s an alien? I’ve met a few aliens before but never felt this drawn to one before.

Something was tickling at the back of my mind.

Probably just feeling agitated over the circumstances. We’ll take off, fly for a few days, and say goodbye. Then this whole sorry chapter will be over as the Enforcers will bust up the smugglers.No need to be jittery, none at all.

We arrived at his ship, and I was surprised to see just how old it was. It looked in pretty good condition, though, nothing obviously hanging off, and the landing gear was free of debris. The name was painted on it, but I couldn’t read it as it was in Paethian.

Jakrah caught me staring.

“She’s called the Raven Centurian,” he informed me, ushering me up the gangplank. He pulled it closed behind us. “Grorsch, we’re back! Are we ready?”

“Hrthunghhh,” Grorsch roared back from the cockpit.

“I knew we could count on you!” he shouted back. He pointed to a seat in the living area that made up the center of the ship. “Grab a seat and hold on. It’s about to get bumpy!” He looked and sounded absolutely gleeful about that as he hurried forward to the cockpit.

I looked around for a seat, only finding a sort of loveseat thing on one side of a table and a small armchair on the other. The only other surfaces appeared to be a mussed bed and a platform with a bunch of what looked like artificial leaves and some blankets on it. Another bed, I supposed, probably for the Frellian. I decided to take the loveseat and none too soon as they fired up the engine.

I took back my prior assessment at its probable spaceworthiness as it began to rumble and shake. I gripped the arm of the seat with both hands, pulling my legs up tight against me, trying to wedge myself into it. Why were there no straps? At least the furnishings were adequately bolted down.

I heard loud groaning noises, and the ship began to buck.

“Give it some more juice!” Jakrah shouted.

Through the viewscreen, I could see red lights had begun to flash, and station security was pouring out onto the dock.

A loud bang and the ship pitched a bit, then another, and we rolled a bit to the other side. Grorsch and Jakrah shouted something that sounded celebratory, the Frellians more of a triumphant howl to my ears than anything. I wished I had a better upgrade level to my translation chip so I could understand him. I was flung back against the seat, my head thunking against the plush so hard that I saw stars.