“Where are you?”
He almost said, “In bed,” but managed to say, “Home. Why?”
“Home? Still? Did you even look around at all?” His brother’s accusatory tone distracted him from Ria and her magical touch.
“Look around? For what?” He cleared his throat and paused a few seconds, trying to catch up. It didn’t work. His mind lingered on Ria. She scratched her nails down his back lightly, and he felt the thrill of it to his bones. “What’s up?” he finally asked.
Cam was barely awake. His strength had been sapped by the beautiful, enthusiastic karaoke singer he’d brought home. She was amazing. He was spent and exhausted like he’d never been before. Honestly, the long weekend he planned to spend with her might not be enough. He didn’t want to even think of a future without her in it.
Dangerous territory for him, given his past, but it was what it was.
“You know exactly what’s up.” The sound of Axel’s incredulity seemed oddly out of character.
He cleared his throat and said, “I forgot. Tell me again.”
Cam heard a long sigh from the other end of the line. In a perturbed tone, Axel said, “No need to tell you again. I called to tell you to never mind. Also, thanks for nothing.”
“What is your problem?” Cam mumbled, not really caring if he got an answer, trying to stay conscious to finish the conversation.
“We found the missing person, no thanks to you. So you can go back to your day off.”
“Great. Glad it worked out.” Cam managed the few placating words that rolled off his tongue without effort, not really meaning them or even knowing what he said. He was tired. Drained of energy for the best possible reason. Besides, itwashis day off. He worked hard. He deserved time away from work every now and again. He was never going to apologize for living his life the way he wanted to. But he also didn’t share much about how he lived his life with anyone.
“Whatever, Bro.” Axel hung up abruptly.
Cam was bewildered for a few seconds. Why was he in such a snotty mood?Whatever. Back at you, Bro.He put his communication device on the nightstand and tried to clear his foggy mind. His brain was blank as he worked to recall why Axel would be bent out of shape. Ria’s fingertips danced along his shoulders, sides and back, scratching, stroking and tenderly sliding across his skin, pulling him away from the mystery of the call and back to the primal feelings he had for the delicious female in his bed.
Cam needed more sleep to function at a hundred percent. At best, he was in the thirties.
He dimly remembered Axel’s earlier call and heading out to meet him at the arrival lounge. Wait. One other shocking recollection struck harder, deeper and with more emotional force, waking him up better than any other incentive could.
Ria’s picture—the one her mother had given him of her dressed richly in that cranberry suit—slammed into his mind. With instant, unwelcome clarity, Cam remembered his earlier foray out into the morning.
Axel’s frantic call.
The cruise liner’s missing passenger.
The visit with Director Patmore and Ria’s mother.
The luscious picture of Ria dressed in the cranberry-colored suit.
He even remembered his immediate thought upon seeing it:Good news. She’s not an earthling.
And then:Bad news. She won’t be spending the weekend after all.
He’d hurried home to convince her to get back on the cruise liner so her mother and Director Patmore would be happy and the ship could make its moved-up departure time. He didn’t want her to go, but knew he had to send her back. He hadn’t sent her anywhere. He hadn’t even mentioned it. Instead, he’d crawled back into bed to “snuggle” with her one last time.
He turned his head, opened his eyes and stared at Ria. She was also on her belly, wearing nothing but his shirt, eyes closed. The side of her head rested on one bent arm. Her other arm was stretched out, brushing the soft pads of her fingertips down his back.
The karaoke singer with the blue-streaked hair that he’d spent an extraordinary night—and morning—with was the missing passenger. An Alpha. In fact, she was a very wealthy, prestigious Alpha who was completely out of his league. He pushed out a long sigh as he realized she’d have to go back.
How had she ended up at the earthling karaoke bar? For whatever reason, he was grateful. For about two seconds. She’d broken one of the fundamental rules of the colony by leaving the way station and mingling with earthlings. She’d have to answer for it.
Space travelers aboard all ships from Alpha-Prime were strictly educated before arrival that the surrounding areas outside of Alienn were off limits without special permission obtained in advance. That special permission was always flagged on the manifests Cam received for arrivals. He well knew no passes had been authorized for the next several months. That meant Ria was a rogue passenger, loose on Earth. Based on the rules of the way station, he could shackle her and put her in the basement brig. All he had to do was slap the innocuous little strip he’d developed on her wrist and she would have no choice but to comply.
Cam stared at her beautiful, restful face. He tried to recapture the urgency he’d felt when he discovered the missing passenger was also the woman in his bed.
Her breathing deepened and she stopped stroking his back.
