Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,24
decided to give her a little space. But all day, he’d had to fight the urge to hunt her down—not for sex, or food—but just to spend time with her, to get to know her. A loner by nature, he couldn’t understand what drew him to Skylar.
She was a mystery. A tough, highly trained soldier whom occasionally revealed flashes of vulnerability. A beautiful woman almost unaware of her own sexuality.
He’d managed to resist until tonight, when he’d been lying alone in his cabin, restless, unable to settle, and suddenly he’d craved company. One person’s company in particular, but he’d put up with the rest of the crew, if that were what was needed to put Skylar at ease.
He caught her gaze, and her lips curved into a sweet smile. He’d bet it was the first genuine smile he’d seen on her face, and it twisted something deep inside his chest. He had a sudden desire to see her laugh, to break down the natural reserve that hung about her like a protective shield.
“Gather around, children,” he said. “I’m going to teach you everything I know—which is a lot—so pay attention.” He shuffled the cards. “And if you’re really good, tomorrow night, I might teach you a variation.”
Daisy giggled. “What’s that?”
“Strip poker—I’ll leave the details to your imaginations. But for tonight we’re going to bet with these.” He took a worn leather pouch out of his pocket and emptied it onto the table. A stream of sparkling gemstones glittered against the matte black metal.
He picked up a stone from the glittering pile and held it up to Skylar. “Did you know, back on Earth, men would give one of these to the woman they wanted to marry, and she’d wear it on her finger for all to see.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Another old Earth custom?”
“Yes.” Reaching across the table, he picked up her left hand. “This is your ring finger. Folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein leading directly to the heart. The ring was supposed to symbolize eternal love.” He held her gaze, as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across her palm. A shudder ran through her. She pulled her hand free and placed it on her lap, out of reach.
“Eternal love? How sweet.” Tannis spoke from beside him, and he turned reluctantly to face her. “Did you give your wife a ring?” she asked.
“I did—an emerald—green like her eyes.”
Daisy perked up. “Like mine?”
He bit back a smile. He doubted anyone had eyes or anything else quite as green as Daisy. “Just like yours.”
He wondered whether Skylar would ask about his wife, wondered whether he would answer if she did. But except for a slight widening of her eyes, she made no response.
He toyed with the stone he’d picked up, rubbing it between his finger and thumb. It wasn’t an emerald, but a deep purple amethyst, glowing with violet fire. He tossed it toward Skylar, and she caught it in her hand and closed her fist around it.
“Pretty,” Janey murmured, picking up a diamond and holding it up to the light.
“And unfortunately, totally worthless. But these were once quite valuable—a souvenir from my days as a real pirate.”
“A real pirate? On a ship sailing across oceans?”
“I was, and an excellent one. Unlike cows, it’s quite easy to chase ships in the dark.” He split the stones into piles, pushed one toward Skylar, his fingers lightly grazing hers as she took them. She jumped as though a shock had run through her, and a little glow of satisfaction warmed him—definitely not immune. “Let’s play.”
He dealt two cards down, one up. “Now, you can look at your cards, but don’t let anyone else see them.” He glanced across at Skylar. “And no peeking. Any cheating will be severely punished.”
She smiled again, and the glow burst into flames. No, he didn’t understand what attracted him to Skylar and he still had some serious reservations about her story, but they just added to the intrigue, made her that little bit more fascinating. He looked forward to unraveling the mystery, discovering what was beneath the lies and evasions.
But not tonight. Pushing the thoughts aside, he settled down to the considerable challenge of making Skylar Rossaria laugh.
Chapter Eight
Rico settled back in his seat, raised his arms above his head, and stretched. They’d been poring over intel on Trakis One for the last few hours. So far they’d found nothing of any use.
He looked up to find Skylar’s