He rose slowly. “I’m sorry.”
When he took a step closer, she stepped backward. Her face was pale.
He held out a hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry. I just…dammit, I want to know everything about you. You tell me when you’re ready. If you’re ever ready. Your secrets are yours, Nera.”
“How…how do you know the name of that planet?” She spat the words out.
“Xander.”
She lifted her chin, her mouth firming. “Of course, that nosy cyborg. Fucking Centax Security can never keep their noses out of other people’s business. And since your cousin has him wrapped around her little finger, I assume she—and by blood you—have access to whatever information you like.”
“He mentioned it in passing. You’re on their radar. But he had no details. He mentioned Novalia as well.”
She waved a hand. “Novalia was information I dispersed to muddy the waters.” She looked at him. “I never wanted anyone to know my past.”
He swallowed. “I’m sorry. If that’s what you want, that’s the way it will be.”
She shook her head. “You are a good man, Niklas. I’ve run every search I could on you and your brothers.” A tweak of her lips. “I know the name of your first pet, and the name of the first girl you had sex with.”
His eyes widened. “Ah…well.”
Nera’s face turned serious. “You’re too good for me. I’ve always known that.”
He grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m a bitch, Niklas.” A harsh laugh. “Even your biocomputer doesn’t like me. I have no family, no friends…only enemies. I’ve made my life like that, carefully cultivated it. I care for no one, and no one cares for me.”
Her matter-of-fact tone made his chest hurt. “I care about you.”
She tugged on her hand. “You’re stupid to do that. You care, you get hurt. That’s how life works.”
He didn’t let her pull free. Instead, he tugged her an inch closer. “Some hurts are worth it. Some pay you back a hundred times over. I can’t tell you how many times my brothers have made me angry, pissed me off, slammed me with truths I didn’t want to hear, made me envious…but they’re worth it. Every second of it.”
“Some hurts break you.”
“I won’t break you, Nera.” He reeled her in closer, and slid his hand along her arm. So soft. Such a contrast to the hard shell she showed the galaxy. He stared at her face. So beautiful, yet she ignored it. She didn’t paint it, enhance it, flaunt it, or use it.
He cupped her cheek, his thumb running across her sharp cheekbone. “This is one hell of a face.”
She shrugged. “Genetics. Luck, or perhaps a sign I have a lot of e-creds.”
No, there was no way she’d paid for this face. She would have preferred a nondescript face that let her blend in over this beauty.
“There’s one hell of a woman under it, too.” He squeezed her toned shoulder with his other hand. “Strong muscles. Discipline and training. Brilliant mind. I’ve seen you leap into a fight with the coolest look on your face. All that attracts me. I’ve seen the hunts you’ve executed, and I love watching you figure something out before me. It really turns me on.”
“That hardly happens.” A quiet snort. “I let you use that brain of yours and work it out first, then I just steal it out from under you.”
A laugh escaped him. “That’s sexy, too.”
She cocked her head. “I know it’s made you angry in the past.”
“No, that’s Dathan. It just made me brood because I wanted to know more about you. I wanted to get closer to you, but I didn’t know how.” He stepped in until they were plastered against each other. “I didn’t know how to get past your protective walls.” He pressed a finger to the pulse at her neck. It was racing.
“You’re past them now,” she whispered. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
He touched his mouth to hers but ruthlessly controlled the desire pounding through him. He wanted to push her to the floor, tear her clothes off, and feast on every inch of her.
He pulled back and touched her cheek again. “I want to give you pleasure.”
