tell me you have a way off this forsaken rock as well.”
Outrage stymied her need to remain still. Saedra rolled on to her side, facing him to snap, “Yes. As a matter of fact, I do have shuttle passage for two booked on a touring cruise vessel due to arrive in three days’ time.”
His eyes widened and his mouth did that intriguing twitch again, just a slight lifting of his lips at the corner. Saedra held her breath but no smile was forthcoming from him.
Instead, she got. “So, we need to stay off of Maurin’s radar for three days then.”
This was the tricky part of her plan where Saedra was hoping luck and fortune favored her. She scooted closer to him and pressed the flat of her hand on his chest. “Exactly. We can use the hover-cycle to get to the traveling port.”
Garik’s gaze dropped to her hand and she pulled it back on a dismayed groan. At some point she needed to learn to keep her touch contained. She knew she was tactile by nature. A result of her mother’s generous and affectionate personality, she figured. Saedra hadn’t had anyone since to release her need to touch and be touched in turn. “Sorry.”
Despite her apology, he continued to stare at her as if she’d committed some great atrocity. Rolling her eyes, she settled down, giving him her back again. “I’m going to sleep. It’s been a trying day, to say the least.”
Silence was his response. Saedra bit her bottom lip and worked to get her heart rate to slow. She’d never been in bed with a man and it didn’t matter that they weren’t even close or in contact. The sound of his light breathing reached her easily, his muffled groan as he must have decided her interrogation was over and lay behind her.
Minutes ticked by while she studied the inky darkness around her. Loneliness rose like a yawning pit in her core and tears stung her eyes. Saedra attempted to swipe them away. These weren’t sad tears, they were tears of relief after the pressure of getting to this point.
Her mother would be pleased. Saedra smiled, her eyes growing heavy. Thinking of her mother’s happiness at Saedra’s escape was enough to eliminate the rest of her tension. The heating unit in the room must have been a decent model because the room was already taking on a toasty feel.
That plus her sheer exhaustion contributed to her body shutting down. A rare feeling of safety and well-being filled her. Saedra shuffled backward and snuggled deeper into the covers. A pleasant haze filled her mind and she soon drifted off to sleep.
Unlike the man in bed beside her, holding in a groan at finding a plump ass nestled against his groin. It took him a lot longer to find sleep.
Chapter 8
Garik woke the next morning, surprised he’d slept at all. It hadn’t been the light sleep he typically used to maintain an awareness of his surroundings either. This was a deep rest. One his body had very much needed.
While his body ached and his ribs still stung, there were definite signs he’d recovered, namely his ability to breathe unhindered. Despite all of that, something plucked at his mind, urging him to wake and move. Not danger necessarily but he kept his eyes closed and tried to pin down the odd feeling as he took stock of his surroundings without moving.
Silence echoed back. Yet he wasn’t alone.
Had Maurin discovered him?
Garik shifted his head about, once more using his physical senses to figure out what disturbed him. A pleasing scent teased his nostrils, light and airy. Not the thick, cloying scent of a sex share worker but not the familiar spicy notes from women he had an understanding with in the past either.
Desire rose as if shaking off the beating he’d taken from Maurin’s guards. This enchanting aroma was all around him, leaving Garik unable to pinpoint the direction of the source. His heart picked up its pace in anticipation, arousal tensing the muscles in his abdomen.
For some reason, his arms were pinned down. A weight was thrown across his chest, keeping him flat on his back in a...bed? He stiffened, tipped his chin down and opened his eyes slowly.
Waves of brown blocked his view, strands tickling along his jaw line. Long hair. Feminine hair, if the silky texture and the source of the amazing smell was any indication.
Beyond that, his gaze followed the natural arch of a narrow back and a