by Karen Kelley
Okay, enough fishing. Time to head back. He quickly reeled in his line and packed up his stuff. When he realized he was practically panting, he stopped and slowed his breathing to a more normal rate. He wasn’t that horny.
And then again…
He grabbed the handle of his tackle box and headed back toward the cabin. So what if he was anxious to see what Lara was doing, to see if she was still working on her research? She’d been absorbed in her work when he’d left. He didn’t even think she’d heard him tell her he was leaving. She could be looking for him.
As he stepped from the woods, he glanced up. There was a haze of lights swirling above the cabin. Lights like the other night. What the hell was happening? Something electrical in the air?
Was Lara okay? He picked up his pace, dropping his stuff on the back porch as he hurried inside. As worried as he was, his body still tingled with pleasure. It was probably linked to the lights in some way. Lord, he hoped more aliens hadn’t landed. He could barely handle the one already here.
“Lara?”
Was that a whimper from the living room? Why the hell had he left her by herself? Stupid! Maybe it hadn’t been the deer the other day but an escaped felon or something.
His blood ran cold as he cautiously made his way to the other room, sliding his gun out of his ankle holster. It was just a .22, but it was enough to make someone think twice about what they were doing. He crept to the doorway of the living room, then peeked around the corner.
Huh?
Lara was curled up on the sofa, covered in candy wrappers. He must’ve made a noise because she turned to look at him, her mouth smeared with chocolate.
“Temptation,” she mumbled. “I was only going to take a small taste. I’m a healer, so it was my right,” she said, jutting her chin out and frowning at him.
“It’s fine with me if you want to eat chocolate,” he said.
“But it was so good that I ate a little more, and then more, until there was none left. I’m as weak as my sister and cousin.”
He chuckled but quickly covered it with a cough when she cast a glare in his direction.
“It’s your fault. You left the chocolate on the table so I would be tempted.” Her defiance drained, and her bottom lip trembled.
He holstered his gun, then went to the sofa and sat down, gathering her in his arms, liking the way she snuggled against him.
“It’s okay,” he told her.
“No, it isn’t, but I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Because I’m inferior. Yeah, I know.” He noticed she didn’t push out of his arms, though. “Hey, I thought I saw lights swirling above the cabin. Do you know anything about that?”
She shook her head. “Only the lights inside.”
The living room light was on. He started to explain but changed his mind. Maybe it was the light hitting the antennae. He’d been walking from the shadow of the trees into the sun’s glare. God, he hoped it wasn’t a smoothie flashback. How would he explain that to the captain?
Sorry, sir, but I have to go into rehab for smoothie hallucinations?
She sniffed. “I thought I would be stronger, but I wanted to see what it would taste like, and then I couldn’t stop, and even now I want more…”
“Shh, it’s okay. Chocolate is hard to resist. I won’t leave any more temptations lying out.”
“Yes, it’s your fault I succumbed.”
He laughed.
“It’s not funny. I can’t take chocolate back to Nerak. It might topple our whole structure and cause irreparable damage.” She sniffed. “But then, I can’t have any more, either. That’s not fair.”
“No, it isn’t.” He sobered.
“And now that I’ve given in to this temptation, how easy will it be for me to taste other foods? To try other things that Earth has to offer?” She drew in a deep breath and looked at him. “Is there something out there better than chocolate?” Her face had grown a shade paler.
“I don’t think so.” He wouldn’t mention ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce or coconut cream pie or jelly-filled doughnuts.
Man, he hated seeing her this dejected. It was his fault, but he hadn’t really thought she would eat any of the candy bars. She’d acted so damned superior when she said she didn’t eat anything nor did she care to eat anything Earth had to offer.
Now he had to make everything better.
“What if you tried different things and showed these wonders to the Elders,” he began, saying the first thing that came to mind. “Maybe they’d want to incorporate some of these…uh…wonders into your world. What if they no longer had to be temptations?”
She was quiet as if she was actually taking his words seriously. In a way, he’d meant what he said. He thought it sounded good—sort of.
“You’re right,” she finally said.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, you’d be like your grandmother, charting new territories, except you’d be introducing new things to Nerak. Start an export and import business or something.”
She sat up, moving out of his arms. “If I brought some of Earth’s treasures to Nerak, then no one would want to leave, and that would make the Elders happy.”
“Yes!” Great, now she wouldn’t feel so bad. And she could take a bag of chocolate back with her to Nerak. A win–win situation. Sometimes, he amazed himself.
“You will show me more temptations.”
His grin was slow.
“No, not that,” she told him as she stood. “I want to know everything that Earth has to offer.”
His hopes deflated, and that wasn’t all.
“I’ll try other foods.” She jumped to her feet. “And there are more animals to see. I could take back deer. We can have everything!”
My God, he’d created a monster.
“You’ll tell me more.”
Like what? Man, this was supposed to be his vacation. All he’d wanted to do was fish a little, drink a little beer, and do a lot of relaxing. Why’d he have to be the good guy?
Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Lara looked at him as if he’d have all the answers.
His gaze fell on the TV. That should keep her entertained. He grabbed the remote control and clicked it on.
“This is television. If you put a satellite in outer space, you might get some of Earth’s channels.”
He could only get a few. He had an old antenna perched on top of the cabin. It wasn’t the most high-tech equipment, but at least when he stayed here, he could catch the news.
“Television.” She moved closer, sitting on the floor in front of it.
Dr. Phil was on.
“I need more chocolate,” she said without looking at him.
He cocked an eyebrow and didn’t move. She glanced over her shoulder.
“Thank you?”
He softened. “Please is the word you’re looking for.”
“You’ll get me more chocolate…please.”
It still sounded like a demand.
“There’s none left. You ate it all.”
She faced him, her eyes as big as saucers. “None?”
He shook his head.
�
�If we had chocolate on Nerak, we’d make sure there was plenty, and that we didn’t run out. But then, we’re superior, so I can understand why you had not stocked sufficient supplies. Do you have something else worthy to eat?”
“Yeah, meat and veggies. I bet you’ll just love steamed broccoli.” There were ways to get revenge.
“Good. You can bring me some.”
“I’d love to.”
He turned on his heel and went to the kitchen, careful not to disturb her experiments. He only hoped they weren’t radioactive. If he started glowing in the dark, he’d definitely kill Nick.
He grabbed the steamer from a cabinet and a couple of steaks out of the refrigerator. After he had everything cooking, he took a quick shower. Lara was still enthralled with TV and didn’t notice him as he went back to the kitchen.
After they ate, he might even show her how much fun it was to play in bubbles while washing dishes. Maybe she wouldn’t be quite so superior if he put her to work again.
Somehow, the thought of her surrounded in bubbles didn’t make him feel better. No, now he felt worse.
He put the food on the table before going back to the living room. “You ready to eat?”
She dragged her glassy-eyed gaze away from the screen. “Food?”
She caught on real quick. He nodded. She glanced one more time at the TV, but apparently, eating was a bigger enticement. She came to her feet and followed him back into the kitchen.
Her nose wrinkled. “It doesn’t smell as good as chocolate.”
“No, but it’s healthier.”
When a puzzled expression appeared on her face, he decided this was part of the package deal he’d told her about earlier. The good with the bad.
“If you’re going to eat Earth food, then you need to know what’s good for you and what you should avoid.”
“And chocolate is a food I should avoid?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It has no health benefits.”
“It makes me feel good.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t count. You have to eat your meat and veggies.”
“Then I can have chocolate?”
She looked hopeful. How could he say no? “Yeah, we’ll make a chocolate run after we eat.”
She relaxed and pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. Sam didn’t think she looked at all enthused by what he’d cooked.
“Just try it,” he said.
“It looks like a little tree.” She moved the broccoli around on her plate before taking a bite. Her expression quickly changed to a grimace. She chewed as if she was in horrible pain, then visibly swallowed.
“You don’t like broccoli?”
She shook her head. “This does not tempt me.”
“Try the steak.”
“What is it?”
“Meat. You’ll like it better.”
She took a small bite.
“Better?” he asked. He cooked a mean steak. It was all in the seasoning.
“It’s hard to chew. I think chocolate is much better.”
First, his cabin, then his food. “You can’t live on chocolate.”
She arched one eyebrow and glared at him. Here it comes again. The I’m-superior-and-will-do-what-I-want look. He really hated that look.
It didn’t stop him from getting up and making her a PB&J sandwich, though. Maybe her palate wasn’t ready for steak. He cut the sandwich in half and put it on a plate, setting it in front of her.
“You’ll like this better.”
She gingerly lifted one corner and looked under it, then sniffed. “It has a nice aroma.” She took a cautious bite and chewed. When she looked at him again, she was smiling. “This is better. Not as good as chocolate, but I like it more than the small trees and meat.”
“I thought you might.”
“What’s a casino?” she asked out of the blue.
He cut into his steak, watching the juice run out. How could anyone pass up one of his steaks?
“Where’d you hear about casinos?”
“From your box. It said The Golden Eagle was a place for fun and games. Try your luck, and you can get rich.”
“A commercial. They were talking about the casino in Bossier City. They have several. You can gamble.”
“And you’ve done this?”
“A few times,” he said, concentrating more on his steak, which was cooked to perfection, no matter what Lara thought. He cut a bite and forked it, bringing it to his mouth, then savoring the taste. He loved nothing more than a good cut of meat.
“Will you take me to the casino?”
He swallowed and choked, then gulped down enough water to move the bite of steak down his throat.
“No,” he said, the word raspy.
“Why?”
“It’s a temptation you don’t want to fall prey to. Trust me on this one.”
She laid her sandwich on the plate and squared her shoulders. She might have pulled off her haughty demeanor, except she had peanut butter on the side of her mouth.
“You will take me. How can I bring these things to Nerak if I don’t experience them first?”
Kia was going to kill him. In one swoop, he was polluting Nerak by offering up every kind of vice. From simple chocolate, to TV, to sex—okay, he didn’t consider sex to be a vice, actually. But gambling—he wasn’t even going there.
“Please.”
Yeah, right. The way she said please, it came out more like an order. He shook his head.
She arched an eyebrow. “I want to go.”
“No.”
She came to her feet. “Then I’ll take myself. It shouldn’t be hard to get someone to give me a ride.”
He leaned back in his chair, grinning. If she thought she could tell him what to do, then she’d better think again. The front door slammed. His grin turned down.
His cell rang. He brought it out of his pocket and flipped it open. “Yeah.”
“I’m using the telephone again.” Kia’s voice came over the line.
Why couldn’t Lara be more like her sister? His forehead wrinkled. Of course, Kia had also started a barroom brawl.
“You’re still there?”
He brought himself back to the present. “Yeah. Did you need something?”
“I wanted to ask Lara how she was doing and if she’d found a cure for the Elder.”
How the hell would he explain Lara had just walked out the door, especially with the sun starting to set?
“Uh, she’s in the shower.” Damn, he’d never been good at lying.
Kia laughed. “Water is good. Nick and I had sex in the shower. We enjoyed it very much. Have you and Lara had sex yet?”
“Uh…”
“I think I’d better talk to Sam,” Nick said in the background. “Nothing like being direct, huh?” Nick said after he got on the phone, but there was laughter in his voice.
“You’re dead meat,” Sam told him.
“You’re having that much fun?”
“No.”
“The
n everything is going okay? Good.”
“No.” Sam was starting to wonder if Nick had lost his hearing. Then it dawned on him what Nick was doing. “You’re doing this for Kia’s benefit, aren’t you?”
“You’ve got that right.”
“That’s even low for you. So just keep talking, but I’m hanging up. I have to find Lara, who just walked out the front door because I won’t take her gambling.”
Nick snorted.
“Laugh all you want. This shit isn’t funny.” He clicked his phone shut, hoping it had been loud enough to bust Nick’s eardrums.
Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Go after her? Yeah, right. That’s exactly what she wanted him to do. She was probably sitting on the front porch, just waiting for him to come outside so she could give him an I-knew-you’d-come-after-me look. That wasn’t going to happen.
He slipped into the living room and sneaked a look out the door. She wasn’t on the porch. He opened the screen door, and stepped out, his gaze scanning the area.
Nothing.
Not a creature was stirring…Yeah, he was definitely going to kill Nick.
No, what he was going to do was throw Lara over his shoulder and bring her back to the cabin. He was damned if he’d let her get the best of him!
Chapter 14
“H ow much farther to the casino?” Lara asked.
Did he just growl at her? Lara frowned. What had she done? Was it so bad that she’d asked how much longer before they arrived? He was the one who’d suggested she research some of the things Earth had to offer so she might take them back to her planet.
“We’re five minutes closer than we were the last time you asked,” he said.
“I have to use the…” What had he called it? Oh, she remembered. “The bathroom.” Her memory was actually quite good, but then, she was of superior intelligence so remembering what things were called on Earth would not be so very difficult. It was quite easy, actually.
“We’re almost there.”
