“Go ahead, human,” Rykal taunted. “I thought you humans were supposed to be intelligent life-forms, but apparently, some of you don’t learn.”
Arin rolled her eyes.Men. “Can I interrupt this testosterone-fest and remind you that this freighter’s been taken over by Xargek?” She glared at Rykal. “Rykal, stop teasing my squad.” She turned to her men. “Stop trying to pick fights you can’t win and get your asses to the loading dock,now!”
Rykal was grinning like a fool. The men in her squad had faces like thunder, but they reluctantly obeyed as their training kicked in.
Okello glanced over his shoulder. “You coming, Sarge?”
“In a moment.”
“You can’t be alone with…”
“That’s none of your business,” Arin barked, losing patience. “Get the hell out of here, Private!”
She turned to Rykal, moving closer until he was fully bathed in her blue light. He wore a stripped-down version of his armor that left most of his torso bare.
His skin gleamed in the blue light, and Arin could make out every delicious contour and ridge of his perfectly honed torso.
“I like it when you’re bossy like that,” Rykal murmured.He was so close. She was acutely aware of him. He watched her every move like a hawk, his smile widening as he took a deep breath. His scent surrounded her, crisp and masculine and like nothing she’d encountered on Earth.
Arin lowered the plasma gun as Rykal moved in on her. She wasn’t really sure what he was doing, but she found herself unable to stop him. In this huge, cold, dark cargo hold, it was just the two of them.
The sounds of footsteps and voices grew fainter as her squad departed the hold, leaving her well and truly alone with her cocky, infuriating, insistent, beautiful alien.
“You shouldn’t have come down here alone,” he chided. The harsh edge to his voice was gone, replaced with tenderness. “I was worried about you.”
His words made Arin feel strange. A warm, pleasant shiver coursed through her. It had been a long time since anybody had beenworriedabout her.
“I can take care of myself,” she grumbled half-heartedly, because that was what she was expected to say. But the truth was that Rykal’s presence at her side made her feel ridiculously invincible.
And he was supposed to be the enemy.
But deep down, Arin already knew her battle was lost.
Sometimes, surrender could be a good thing.
“Something strange happens when I worry about you,” he said, moving ever closer. “I can’t really explain it. I can’t think straight. Anger fills me. If I think of you being with another, or beingharmedby another, I risk losing all self-control.”
Persistent Rykal was becoming possessive Rykal.
“I’ve created a monster,” Arin whispered half-jokingly, but her eyes were drawn to him, drinking in his sincere expression. There was a strange innocence about him, even though he was as dangerous as the devil himself.
“No.” Rykal grasped her wrists, his bare hands large and warm, his gentle fingers caressing her skin, tracing down to therough surfaces of her palms and the pads of her fingers. Arin shuddered. “The monster was already there. He won’t ever go away. But perhaps you have leashed him.”
He pulled her close, and something appeared in his hands, as if he were a magician. “You forgot this.”
“My jacket,” Arin gasped. She loved this old leather flight jacket. It was rare and vintage, and very expensive. Such garments weren’t made anymore, not since the Federation had outlawed the production and sale of real leather. “You picked this up from the comm room?”
“I like how it looks on you. Put it on.” He held it out for her. “Turn around.”
Arin lay the plasma gun on the floor and held her arms out, allowing Rykal to slide the jacket up her arms. He ran his hands up her arms, and although they were separated by layers of fabric, his touch was electrifying. He treated her with reverence, even going to the point of adjusting her collar as he spun her around.
“Thank you.” She rubbed her upper arms, caressing the reassuringly familiar worn leather of her jacket.
Rykal beamed at her, looking both adorable and deadly in the surreal blue glow of her guide-light.
“We should get out of here,” Arin said half-heartedly. She didn’t know what had happened to the transport in the airlock, but she assumed the scary faceless Kordolian she’d encountered back there had killed the Xargek.
“We should,” Rykal agreed, his expression turning wistful as he pulled her back against him. “I just wish we had more time.”
