“You know, your hair reminds me of Yithir,” he murmured, his hot breath caressing her cheek.
She pulled her head back to look at him. “Your sun? How so?”
He twirled a strand in his fingers. “The color. It’s like Yithir when it sets on Dhelta on a clear day. I’ll always have those memories.” He looked into her eyes and his own had darkened; the light blue irises narrowed. “Your hair is beautiful. I love you Aelanna, you are my fated mate.”
Her hair color was a quirk of nature, she knew, but he’d told her he loved her. All the need she’d ever felt for connection, comfort, family and even —dare she go there?— a lover and soul mate, was satisfied by him.
But it wasn’t to be. He wasn’t hers to keep and she wasn’t his. She was destined for others. She had to be strong.
“What about you?” she asked. He had taken her to heaven, and it was only fair that she should return the favor.
“That you should give yourself to me is a blessing from the gods. I won’t risk compromising you to satisfy myself, although I want to more than anything in the universe.” He heaved a regretful sigh.
They locked eyes. He looked at her so tenderly and with such love and sadness, tears stung the backs of her eyes.
“I love you, too, Darren.”
Then his mood changed and he gave her a sly grin. “You could give me a hand job.”
She could see he was hard, and, she had to admit to herself, she was curious. He was large all over. Was his cock in proportion to the rest of him? Would it even fit? She turned on her side and reached for his leather pants when there was a knock at the door. She flopped on her back with a frustrated sigh.
Chapter 20
Repairs
“Raging inferno, what is it?” Darren muttered, then yelled, “Don’t come in.”
“It’s Lero,” a voice called from the other side of the door, but it didn’t open. Lero’s voice continued from outside in the corridor. “Are you wearing your comm? Pilot Joel has called us to the diner. There’s to be an announcement and he ordered everyone to hear it.”
He wasn’t wearing his wrist device. He’d taken it off the arm that was injured. He’d left it in the bathroom, and they didn’t hear it buzzing. He cursed his carelessness; that’s not how a trained warrior and trusted bodyguard should behave, but he was distracted by Aelanna’s pull at him. Permanently. She was his fated mate.Who could blame him?
“Alright, I’ll be out. Wait for me,” he called back to Lero, kissed Aelanna’s cheek and got off the bed. “Get dressed and I’ll send a warrior to escort you to the diner. Me and Lero must go. Don’t be long.” He shoved his feet into his boots but didn’t fasten them.
When Darren emerged from Aelanna’s room into the corridor, his middle brother frowned his disapproval.
“What have you been doing? You can’t go in that state,” he growled.
“Dressing my wound,” Darren said defensively, and lifted his bandaged arm as much as he could. Suddenly aware of his state of undress, he added, “I’ve got a spare jerkin in my room.”
“There isn’t time to go down. I’ve got another in Kora’s room.”
They stalked toward it, but Lero wouldn’t let Darren in. He guessed Kora and his brother had been doing the same as he and Aelanna had been.
Lero returned. “Here.” He slapped a jerkin against Darren’s chest. “I’ll fix your hair.” He went round to Darren’s back.
“Hold on, let me put this on first,” Darren said. He and Lero were roughly the same size, so the jerkin fitted him. If at all, it was slightly too big, which was convenient for the bandages. Lero scraped Darren’s hair into a ponytail and bent to do up Darren’s boots.
“You’ll pass muster,” Lero conceded, though it was grudging.
“And you look dapper, as always,” Darren shot back. He was loath to admit it, but Lero always looked unruffled as if life didn’t affect him, but Darren knew that was only partly true. Lero ignored the remark.
“You’re playing a dangerous game. You know this business with Aelanna could get you a court martial?” Lero grumbled as they stalked to the elevator.
“You mean,weare playing a dangerous game,” Darren corrected.
Lero nodded. “I won't say anything.” It was as much of a confession as Darren was going to get that Lero had bonded with Kora.
“I suspect Pilot Joel has his eye on one,” Darren observed.
