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As she gently smoothed the cooling salve over my wound, I had to admit her touch wasn’t entirely unpleasant. I studied her profile in the lantern light - high cheekbones, delicate nose, soft lips pursed in concentration. Strange to think how natural she looked in Surlon garb now.
“There,” Kate said finally, tying a clean bandage around my arm with deft fingers. “All patched up. It should heal fine if you keep it clean and don’t overwork it.”
“Much obliged, ma’am.” I tested my arm gingerly. The medicine had numbed the pain. “You sure know your way around doctoring. Where’d you pick that up?”
Kate busied herself tidying up the medical supplies. “Oh, you know. Growing up mostly on my own, I had to learn a lot of useful skills to get by.”
I sensed old hurts lurking beneath her light tone. My free hand found hers, thumb tracing over her knuckles. “You’ve never said much about your past.”
“Not much worth telling.” Kate kept her eyes downcast as she placed the remaining salve and bandages back in her pack.
“I’d listen, if you wanted to share it.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Might help to talk through old sorrows. I know it still pains me to speak of my father’s murder. But the sharing eases it some.”
Kate looked thoughtful. Slowly, she sank down on the woven sleeping mat beside me.
“All right,” she said finally, voice soft. “I’ll tell you about Earth. My family didn’t have much money, so we moved around a lot. Never put down roots. I got used to fending for myself early on, since my parents were always working. And then one day, they were just gone.”
She went on to describe her hardscrabble youth and early years alone, before she’d saved enough credits to buy her first junky starship and take to the interstellar lanes. Her words painted lonely pictures - a bright, scrappy girl trying desperately to outrun her past. My heart ached in places I’d thought long healed over.
I slid my arm around her shoulders and she leaned into me, head nestled in the crook of my neck. We sat like that awhile, listening to the low crackle of the fire and each other’s breathing.
“This is your home now, for as long as you’ll have it,” I finally said into her hair. “You’ll always be one of us, Kate, if you want to stay.”
Her only answer was to turn her face up to mine. I kissed her then, long and deep, with all the things we didn’t yet have words for. Kate melted into my arms as our lips met, her soft warmth igniting a fire within me. I lifted her off her feet, carrying her toward the crackling campfire. Its golden glow bathed our tangled bodies as I laid her on the blanket.
Her fingers fumbled with the clasps of my shirt. “I need to feel your skin on mine.”
I stripped off my clothes and stretched out beside her, pulling her close. Our hearts pounded as one.
She gazed up at me, eyes shining in the firelight. “Make love to me, Kian.”
I cradled her face in my hands. “You’re sure?” Though we’d been intimate before, she was still learning the ways of my people. I would never push her into anything she wasn’t ready for.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” She guided my hand between her legs, her soft moan igniting a primal hunger in me.
I positioned myself over her, slowly entering her welcoming body. We moved together, a dance as old as time itself, each caress deepening the bond between us.
The coil of pleasure tightened within me, and by the quickening of Kate’s breath, I knew she was close as well. I increased the rhythm, stars exploding behind my eyes as I spilled into her warmth.
Kate cried out softly, trembling in my arms. I held her close, our hearts slowing together.
She nuzzled my chest, sighing contently. “Being with you like this, it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever known.”
A rustle. My head snapped up, instincts firing. My men.
I grabbed the blanket and threw it over Kate, shielding her naked body from view.
“Go. Now.” I whispered harshly, urging her toward her tent.
She opened her mouth but I cut her off with a look. Not now.
I watched her slip into the shadows, disappointment etched on her face, and cursed myself. We’d gotten careless.
Another rustle and a loud yawn. Time was running out.
I slid into my pants and boots just as Jak stumbled from his tent, bleary-eyed and scratching.
Chapter 9
