Star Catcher

by Kimber Vale

  “Faster. Catch them.” Goliath’s thundering hooves picked up speed, and they closed the distance on their targets. Noth mentally shouted for Maggie to stop. He reassured her she was safe and blew out a breath of relief when he saw her pace slacken.

  “The threat is gone. Stop running. We will take you home.”

  Noth was alongside them now, matching his speed to theirs as he continued to talk the animal down. Stella’s efforts to gain control were succeeding. She pulled back hard on the reins once more, and the mare finally trotted to a stop.

  Stella was breathing hard, visibly shaking as she turned frightened green eyes on Noth.

  “Good horse.”

  Goliath snorted at the compliment, while Noth slid to the ground. He grasped Maggie’s halter, and Stella dismounted and fell into his arms.

  “Shhh. You are safe.” He stroked her untamed hair from her face and realized her hat was gone. So was his. The wild ride must have blown them off.

  “It was a rattlesnake that spooked her.” Stella still panted as she looked up at him. “This is turning out to be quite a date.”

  “Are you injured?”

  “No. And I don’t think it bit the horse. Only scared her.” Noth did not read pain from the animal, and he nodded in agreement.

  “Thanks for catching me.”

  He had no response. His heart still thumped wildly with an alarm he did not know how to put into words. He captured her lips with his and felt his pulse calm almost immediately as her soft lips moved against his, warm and alive. She was safe and sheltered in his arms where she belonged. His tongue reached for hers while his fingers wove through her unbound hair.

  Scrion, he wanted to crush her against him and never let go.

  They nibbled and tasted, let the sweetness of their kiss wash away the anxiety until his head pounded with lust instead of fear.

  “Mmmm,” Stella said as she broke contact. “I could stand here and kiss you forever.”

  “I would like that.”

  Stella smoothed a finger over his lower lip and grinned up at him. “Come on. Let’s hand in these horses and go home. I need to get you back to your place and thank you properly for rescuing me twice today.”

  Her count was incorrect, but Noth was not going to argue. He would take all the thanking she wanted to give. They climbed on their horses and headed back toward the trail. They even found their hats along the way.

  Chapter 8

  Stella combed her hair to the side with her fingers, and then snapped a rhinestone clip above one ear. She grabbed her packed overnight bag with a grin and headed out the door.

  The anticipation of getting her boyfriend back to his place at the end of the evening always made their time together even more exciting. If their dates were cake, then the nights spent wrapped in his arms were the cream filling. Noth’s tiny studio apartment just off campus wasn’t impressive in size or appearance, but it was private, and with no television or friends to distract them and little more furniture than a bed, the place had become a sex palace.

  Tonight, she picked him up to go dancing. Noth had said he didn’t know how, but Stella didn’t believe him. He was born to dance. How could anyone that muscular not know how to move his body and look great doing it? She’d already been privy to his horizontal gyrations and wasn’t about to fall for his excuses.

  “I will just watch you,” he said to her as the bouncer nodded them in.

  “I don’t think so, Mister,” Stella answered. She led him, their fingers locked, to an empty space on the dance floor. Stella began to move, and with her hands and hips encouraging him, Noth quickly came around. “I knew you could!” she yelled over the loud Finger Eleven tune. His sense of rhythm was dead on, and he had the grace of a tiger, all that rippling muscle taunting her from beneath his clinging T-shirt.

  Can’t dance, my butt! If they were being judged, he would probably have her beat.

  The club, The Griffin’s Claws, was a forty-five-minute drive from the college. Students didn’t often make the trek out; most of her classmates preferred country music. There was no shortage of line-dancing places and honky-tonk bars near the school, but they weren’t Stella’s preferred scene. Guys in cowboy hats calling her “little lady” never failed to make her cringe, and they seemed to be in abundance.

  No, after graduation, Stella didn’t plan to come back to her birthplace for anything other than class reunions.

  When the synth cover of a Led Zeppelin song ended, they held sweaty hands to weave their way to the bar.

  “What do you call this music?” Noth gave Stella a quizzical look as she handed him a beer. He took a sip and grimaced. “What is this?”

  “The music is, well, rock, I guess. Or metal? Alternative?” she shouted over the loud guitar riffs of a classic Def Leppard tune. “They play all that stuff, old and new.”

  “And this?” He peered at the blue label of the Sierra Blanca Alien Amber Ale and took another tentative sip. He still crinkled his nose, but the look of distaste was less pronounced.

  “Beer. I know you guys favor vodka over there, but this is much lighter. You’ll get used to it.”

  “This could make me…” He seemed to search for the English word. “…intoxicated.”

  “It could, but only if you have too many. One or two is fine.” Stella took another pull off her bottle and led him back to the packed dance floor. A slower Stone Sour song was starting, and she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to snuggle up against his massive chest as they swayed to the beat.

  They rocked against one another, and Stella closed her eyes, melting into him as she breathed in his scent. He smelled perfect, felt perfect—a sweet, solid wall of protection from the ugliness of the world. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy with a guy. Stella hugged tighter around Noth’s back and sighed.

  The dreamlike trance was shattered by the sound of a familiar voice. Her eyes popped open in search of the owner while outrage and dread tangled in her gut.

  She saw Jared three couples over, dancing with a redhead she’d never seen before. Of course. Stella had introduced the jerk to The Griffin—her place—and he had predictably complained the two times she brought him here. Why was he here? He hadn’t concealed his dislike of the music. It was too mainstream for his pretentious indy tastes. The drive was too long, especially if he wanted to get tanked—which he always did. And Stella had always ended up being the designated driver of an obnoxiously bombed date.

  The urge to dive into the bodies and make a clean escape assailed her. No. This is my favorite club. I won’t let that ass ruin it for me. Bad enough he had come close to destroying her faith in decent men altogether. Thank God for Noth. Stella gazed up at him, and he met her look with a tender smile. His mouth came down on hers, warm, firm, and so reassuring.

  “Thanks,” Stella murmured after they parted.

  “For what?”

  “Being just what I needed,” she said with a laugh. Stella raised her beer to her lips to cover her sudden discomfort at the admission. Her eyes inadvertently wandered in Jared’s direction, and she was dismayed to see him staring at her with an ugly sneer marring his boyish good looks. Boy was right. And that was the difference between Jared and Noth—one of many, but the one that held the most weight. Noth was serious where Jared was a joke. He probably always would be.

  “Crap,” she mumbled as the joke in question made his way toward her.

  “This why you weren’t answering my calls?” His voice dripped drunken contempt as he looked up at Noth and pointed a thumb at him.

  Yeah, look up, all right. Don’t even try it. Beer muscles could get you hurt, idiot. The redhead stood behind him. She’d obviously heard the accusation, and she shifted back and forth as if she were about to walk.

  “Run,” Stella tossed at the girl. “If you have any self-respect at all, run far from this idiot.”

  “Fuck you, you dumb bitch! Who the hell do—” Jared’s stream of verbal filth was cut off by one of No
th’s hands. In a flash, his palm struck the shorter guy’s chest and knocked him off his feet. Jared jerked backward. He crashed into a stocky man who wore more ink than a tattoo artist, and then landed on his ass.

  “Hey!” the beefy guy shouted. With a meaty fist, he hauled Jared off the floor.

  “Time to go.” Stella tugged Noth through the rapidly swelling crowd of rubberneckers.

  “I do not like the way he spoke to you.”

  “Me neither. Thanks for sticking up for me.”

  “Why did he say that? Dumb bitch? You are not dumb.”

  “Thanks, hon.” Stella squeezed his hand tighter, before she disengaged to drop their bottles on the bar.

  “What is a bitch?” Noth spoke loudly as he followed her toward the glowing exit sign. The bouncer gave him a skeptical look as they slipped by, and Stella couldn’t help but giggle despite her fried nerves.

  “Technically, it’s a female dog.” She spoke in a lowered voice even though the heavy wooden door had closed behind them, and they were alone in the September-cool night. “But he meant it a different way.”

  Stella had a hoodie tied around her waist, but didn’t feel the need to put it on yet. The club had been almost uncomfortably warm with all the active bodies boosting the temperature. The brisk air was a balm she hadn’t realized she needed.

  “You have not answered my question. Why did he say that to you?”

  Stella unlocked her car from across the parking lot as she spoke.

  “The short story is, we dated and broke up. He’s always been a dick, and even more so when he’s drinking.”

  “But dick is a good word, is it not?”

  “Don’t you have any words in your native language that have two meanings? Like, words you use when you’re angry, but they also mean something else?”

  Noth seemed to think for a minute. “Yes. You are correct. Scrion is a word we use when we are both upset, and when we are … happily surprised by something.”

  “See? That’s how some words are in English. The more private body parts are sometimes used like a swear word. Or they can just be another name for something.”

  “You dated him. Do you mean you let him have sex with you?”

  Stella stopped with her car door open. Ugh! She hated conversations like this. Did all guys expect women to miraculously be virgins when they met and still put out for them and be wild in bed?

  “Yes. I did. You weren’t my first, Noth, and I really hope that isn’t an issue. I’m sure you’ve slept with your fair share of women before me.”

  Grrr. Stella slid into her seat with her face burning up. She shouldn’t be embarrassed for having had sexual relationships. She could still count them on one hand! Couldn’t guys get a clue and adopt a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? She sure didn’t want to know about the women he’d banged before her. Noth squeezed himself into the passenger seat and closed his door.

  “None of the other females I … slept with … have any meaning for me now. I only hope you feel the same about that man.”

  “Did I seem at all interested in that man?” Stella shook her head with a ghost of a grin pulling at her cheeks. Jealously she could deal with. Warmth pooled in her breast to think that Noth was possessive of her.

  She turned out of the parking lot and headed back toward campus as he took his time answering.

  “I am not sure, but I think maybe … no? I am judging by your tone.”

  “No, and no, and no. If I never see that butthead again, I’ll be a happy girl.”

  “Butthead.” She heard Noth whisper to himself as if dissecting the word. Suddenly he broke out in loud guffaws. “Butthead! I like that one!”

  Stella giggled along with him. Once they started, it was hard to stop. When their mirth finally died down, Stella’s eyes were glossy with tears.

  “I do not ever want to be that butthead, Stella.”

  “So far, so good.” She flashed a smile at him before returning her eyes to the lonely back road.

  “I mean, I know I am not your first … what is the word?”

  “Lover?”

  He beamed. “I like that one too. Yes, lover.”

  “Yes, lover?” Stella prompted him with a teasing echo.

  “I want to be your last.”

  Stella nearly drove off the road as she jerked the wheel along with her head, to see if there was a hint of sarcasm on his face. None. Totally sincere. Totally Noth. Butthead was humorous, but this he meant absolutely.

  “I would happily take you up on that offer,” she said with a lilt, trying to introduce some levity to the conversation. But the crack in Stella’s voice belied the effect he had on her, and her heart thumped beneath her breast. The idea that she might be staring at the last man, the only man, who would touch her for the rest of her life was earthshaking. God, how badly did she want to believe in fairy tales? She was worse than a kid.

  “Hey, feel like a playground?” Stella made a sharp right before he could answer.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s an awesome park up this way. In the summer, I’ve even sneaked into the pool. Too cold for skinny-dipping, but the play equipment is still fun—you know, just for shits and giggles.”

  Noth’s eyes bulged at that expression. He blinked a few times and then spoke with a slow grin.

  “I will play at the park with you.”

  “Yay!” Stella cheered and made the next left.

  The park was newly built in the past year, and boasted three different playscapes: one for the preschool crowd, one for the elementary kids, and a third for middle schoolers. There was an adjacent baseball field and plenty of street lamps to cast a white glow over most of the grounds. Stella figured the lighting dissuaded vandals, as did frequent drive-bys by local police. She parked behind a Dumpster so her car wouldn’t be noticeable from the road.

  There was a mammoth tube slide. They climbed a rock wall, and then a spiral staircase to get up two stories to slide down. Stella sat with Noth behind her, and they shot down the dark tunnel, zigging and zagging into nothingness. Whenever Stella stopped here with friends, she went down alone and was always mildly terrified. Noth’s presence made it nothing but exhilarating—the two of them flying off together into the great unknown, his legs wrapped around hers and his arms pulling her close.

  They went down three more times before trying out the metal zip line, and then the poles with footrests that spun around and around until you were tequila-sick. As predicted, Stella stepped off with her head still spinning and her stomach queasy.

  “Why do I always try that dumb thing?” She plopped on the rubber ground cover and lay back. Noth crawled toward her, looking like he was about to topple over. He made it to her side, and together they sprawled on their backs, hands linked, as they gazed up at the stars.

  “Oh! Did you see it? A shooting star!” Stella punched Noth’s thigh with their joined hands. “Another! Quick, make a wish!”

  Noth brought her hand up to his lips and spoke against her knuckles.

  “I wish I did not have to leave.”

  Stella turned to look at this shadowy profile. Noth continued to stare at the night sky.

  “What do you mean? Where are you going?” She tried to swallow down the lump in her throat, but it didn’t budge.

  “I must return to my … my country. I have made an agreement with my government to oversee a medical experiment. The procedures are set to begin shortly. A week, two at most, if I request more time, and then I will be gone for a number of … saros … months, very likely.”

  “Oh.” Stella closed her eyes and took a deep breath while her heart silently screamed.

  “Are you, like, a military doctor or something?” Soldiers looked great in uniform, but the constant moving … the danger. That would suck.

  “Similar to that. I am employed by the government and work alongside the military. I have signed a contract to perform a duty.”

  Maybe that wasn’t so bad.

&n
bsp; “But you plan to return, don’t you?” Stella hoped she didn’t sound pathetic, but her panic level was at an all-time high.

  “I do. I only wish I did not ever agree to do this work.” He gazed at her, with dark hollows carved beneath his eyes in the sparse light.

  “What kind of work is it?” Apprehension clicked her teeth together as she spoke, and she sat up to untie the sweatshirt from her waist and shrug it on.

  “It deals with female infertility. When I was studying medicine, my sister lost a number of pregnancies. She was devastated and desperate to bear a child. Her … husband left her for another, and she attempted to take her own life.”

  “Oh my God, that’s horrible! What a slimeball!” Stella lounged on her side, head held up with one hand to gaze at him as she wove the fingers of her other hand between his.

  “Yes. He is a … slimeball. I found her, nearly deceased, and was able to get her medical attention in time.”

  “Thank goodness!”

  “But I decided to shift my focus to further study reproduction, in an attempt to help her achieve her goal of motherhood.”

  “Noth, that is so … sweet. You are, like, the greatest brother in the world! Of course, you have to go home and do your job! For one thing, you’re not the type of person to go back on your word—I just know that about you. And for another, think what it could mean to your sister—your family—not to mention other women dealing with the same problem.”

  “That is what I used to tell myself before I met you.” Noth’s eyes, darker than ever, lowered sadly.

  “Don’t you dare stop doing your job because of me! Especially not something so noble. I would feel horrible about it.”

  “But … you do not understand.”

  “I do. I do.” Her lips lowered to cover his briefly. “I don’t want a day to go by that I don’t see you.” She kissed him again. “But some things are more important than this.” She pecked his smooth cheek and then pulled up to look at him.

  “When you’re done, I’ll be right here waiting,” she promised with a grin. “And besides, we can still talk on the phone—maybe Skype. I’ve heard good things about cybersex.” Stella wiggled her eyebrows. “The time will fly, you’ll see.”