waiting for. With a muffled cry of exultation, he swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed they shared.
They undressed each other, exchanging kisses that grew more and more ardent as each piece of clothing fell away. Lainey's heart swelled with love as they fell back on the pillows, locked in each other's arms.
"You were going to celebrate," Micah murmured as his hands caressed her.
"I am," Lainey replied, a soft smile curving her lips. "This is just what I had in mind."
"Are you sure?" His tongue laved her neck, swirled inside her ear.
She could hardly speak for the tremors of excitement that rippled through her. "Quite sure."
"Lainey..."
"Hmmm?" Her hands measured the width of his shoulders, then feathered across his chest.
He lifted himself on his elbows so he could see her face. Her eyes were dark with passion, her lips slightly parted.
"Lainey, I think I love you."
"Micah!"
"Is it all right?"
"Oh, Micah." She wrapped her arms around him, tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too."
"You do?" He looked so surprised, she had to laugh.
"I do," she said. "Come, let me show you how much..."
Later, he held her in his arms while she slept, unable to believe that such a delightful creature could love him, amazed at how possessive he felt toward her now that he had declared his love and received hers in return.
Lying there, he knew he would never go home again. It seemed a small price to pay for the privilege of loving Lainey St. John. She had whispered her love for him before she fell asleep, had begged him to stay with her. It was what he wanted more than anything, to stay there with Lainey, to be a part of her life. It would not be easy. He would never be able to be himself anywhere except in the privacy of Lainey's house. He would never again see his home or travel the vast reaches of space, and yet he couldn't be sorry.
Tomorrow, he would destroy the transmitter and what was left of his spacecraft, thereby making it virtually impossible for anyone from Xanthia to trace his whereabouts should they still be searching for him.
With a sigh, he drew her closer, feeling as though he were holding the wealth of the universe within the circle of his arms.
Lainey shook her head emphatically. "No way, Jose."
Micah frowned. No way, Jose? It was an odd phrase, but there was no time to inquire as to its relevancy now.
"I'm going," he said firmly. "Alone."
Lainey shook her head again. "I'm not letting you go up there without me, and that's all there is to it."
Micah sighed. At times, she could be a most stubborn, exasperating creature. "Very well, Lainey, you can go with me. But you must promise to wait for me in your car."
"All right."
Ten minutes later they were on their way. Lainey glanced up at the sky as she drove toward the Grayson place. It was the dark of the moon and the night was as black as ten feet down.
"Are you sure you'll be able to find it?" she asked dubiously.
Micah nodded. "I'll find it."
Lainey parked the car about a quarter of a mile away from the mansion. Switching off the ignition and the lights, she turned toward Micah.
"How long will you be gone?"
"No more than an hour."
"You'll be careful?"
Micah nodded. He gazed at her a moment, then leaned across the seat and kissed her quickly. "Remember your promise," he admonished.
"I remember. Hurry."
Heart pounding, she watched Micah get out of the car. He took a few steps, then paused to glance over his shoulder, his gaze meeting hers.
Lainey had the sudden, disconcerting feeling that he was imprinting her image on his mind in case he never saw her again.
With a start, she leaned across the seat to roll down the window, intending to call him back, but by the time she got the window down, he had disappeared into the brush along the side of the road.
Micah moved stealthily through the darkness, pausing occasionally to check his bearings against the stars. His ship had crashed in a shallow hollow between two hills behind the mansion. The night seemed unnaturally silent, as if all the nocturnal creatures were holding their breath.
It took twenty minutes to reach the place where he had buried what was left of his spacecraft, and another ten minutes to uncover it.
Assuming his own form, he concentrated on the ship's remains, focusing his thoughts and his energy on obliterating the twisted wreckage that