by Autumn Dawn
“She might want you here for the wedding.”
“Oh.” Xera blew out a breath and looked out over the garden. “How long do you think it will take?”
“You tell me. Think she’ll say yes?”
Xera narrowed her eyes, thinking. “Eventually, sure. You’ll wear her down. She won’t want to say yes right away, though, when she’s still unsettled. This is a lot to throw at her.”
“I know. I’d rather not wait if I can help it, though.”
Xera grinned. “Afraid she’ll find something better?”
“Something like that,” he admitted ruefully.
“Ah, the eager suitor,” she mocked, but it was good-natured. “I’ll help, but it’s going to cost you.”
“How much?” he asked. She could rake him over the coals with this and probably knew it, and he would likely pay any sum, but he doubted she’d ask for money. More likely, she’d extract blood.
She considered him. “I’ve noticed you working out—you’re good. Of course, I’d expect that from someone who was special ops. I’d like to learn whatever you have to teach. It’s bound to come in handy with the Galactic Explorers. In return, I’ll do whatever I can to speed my sister to the chapel.”
Ah, the girl was merciful after all! And now he knew she approved of him.
“Deal,” he said. “We can even start right now if you like. The far side of the garden makes a good place to work out.”
Xera grinned. “A man after my own heart. This is going to be fun!”
But an hour later, Xera wasn’t looking so perky. Sweaty and disheveled, she hunched over with her hands on her knees and desperately sucked in a breath.
Blue raised a brow. “You’re out of shape.”
She said something uncomplimentary. It was hard to make out the exact adjective over her gasping.
Blue tsked. “An hour or two a day of working out won’t put you in the same shape as men who train for this. On the job it was dawn ‘til dark of push, push, push. A month of training ought to see some improvement, though.”
She straightened up. “Fine. We can hit it again after lunch.”
“If it’s any consolation, you’ve got natural talent.” He waved his hand toward the path for her to precede him.
“I’m consoled, all right,” she joked. “But just don’t tell me how long it took you to learn all you know or I might be tempted to stay.”
“You’ll be on a ship cruising the galaxy before you know it,” he assured her. “It won’t hurt to take these extra routines with you.”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
Gem met them as they walked in the kitchen door. She eyed Xera’s stringy, sweaty hair and asked, “What have you been up to?”
Xera swung an arm around her shoulders. “Blue’s teaching me his martial arts, sis. You should join us.”
Gem grimaced and pushed Xera’s arm away. “Yuck. You’re covered in sweat.”
“It feels great. Nothing like a workout to get the endorphins flowing.”
Blue looked sideways at Gem and winked. He knew a few other ways, and all of them were flitting through his head.
Gem’s cheeks flushed, as she clearly saw what he was thinking. “Glad you’re having fun,” she said. Her eyes fell to Blue’s bandaged hand. “How is it?” she asked.
“Healing. The nanobots will have it good as new very soon. I’m just covering it to keep from grossing you out.”
She smiled. “I’m not grossed out, just worried. And…thank you for what you did for us.”
Xera discreetly left.
Seeing an opportunity, Blue took a step closer. “My pleasure. I’m just glad I was there and able to help.”
“I meant to ask you, what about your heart? Have your injuries been bothering you? What with all that exertion, I’m surprised you didn’t have any issues.”
Blue shrugged his good shoulder. “The patches must have grafted in there pretty good, because I haven’t dropped dead or anything. The medics looked me over and chewed me out, but they didn’t order bed rest.” They had warned him to take it easy, and his shoulder burned some, but the healing accelerators had done an amazing job of speeding his recovery. It didn’t hurt that the medical nanobots he’d had implanted in the navy were still hard at work, too. As the military had finally discovered, it was a lot cheaper to heal a wounded soldier than to train a new one.
“Just in case, maybe you should take it easy,” Gem was saying. “There’s no reason for you to push yourself now. I was thinking that it would be more comfortable for you to move into the spare room. Like we offered a long time ago. I don’t think my manager wants to share his office anyway,” she added with a wry smile. “Now that you’re back.”
“So, you’re letting me stay?” he asked casually, but his heart and happiness were riding on the answer.
“I’d say I owe you. You have free room and board until you’re fully healed. That is, if you want to stay, I mean.”
“I want to,” he was hasty to admit. “In fact, I’d like to talk to you in private, if you have a moment.” It was time to strike, while the iron was hot.
“Sure.” She let him place a hand on her lower back and guide her out into the garden, to where he and Xera had just been. He’d have to suggest she build a gazebo out here, maybe add some more flowers. It would be nice if couples had a place to be private—couples such as the two of them. In lieu of that, he sat with her on a crude plank bench under the shade of a fruit tree.
He gave her a serious look and took her hand in his. “Gem…I want to marry you.” The words were blurted out before he could think twice.
She blinked. Her mouth worked but no sound came out.
He held up a hand. “I know it’s soon, and there’s a lot going on right now. I’m just telling you my intentions up front. I plan to court you, to give you time to get used to the idea. I also want you to know that money has nothing to do with my feelings. That asteroid we were farming? Well, I own it. Don’t look so surprised! I told you I’d made some good investments in my life. I’ve prepared a spreadsheet of my assets to go over with you so that—”
She waved her hand, embarrassed. “You don’t have to do that!”
He captured her hand again, held it gently. “Yes, I do. I want you to be sure that what I want is you, not your money or your business. You deserve no less.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve seen a lot to admire in you—”
“I nearly got you killed!”
He gave her a stern look. “Don’t interrupt. I’ve seen a lot of good in you, right from the beginning. You took an interest in me when you thought I was nothing, took a chance and gave me a job. You put up with my behaving like a tramp, though I have to admit not all of it was acting. I do love irritating your cook and eating his food.” He grinned wickedly before slowly sobering. “We still have a lot to learn about each other, too, but I’m willing to give us time. I hope you’ll consider my request for what it is: an offer of partnership. I want a wife and a lover. I want you.”
Gem’s eyes were misty. She swallowed hard. “I…it’s so unsettled now.”
He grazed his fingers under her chin in a caress. “But you favor me?”
She smiled and looked away. “You know I do.”
“Then it’s settled. We’re courting,” he said softly, and sealed the deal.
It had been so long since their last kiss that Gem had almost forgotten how he made her feel. She moaned into his mouth, obsessed with his taste, his feel. Here was a man to drown in. All her pain faded in his arms, and her fear melted under the force of passion. It wasn’t passion only, though. What she felt for him had grown until she ached with it, wanted nothing more than to curl inside him and heal. His kiss promised rest and joy and peace. She’d longed for those things without knowing what she wanted. Now he was here and she needed nothing else.
He broke their kiss and grazed his lips across the plane of her cheek. His breathing was harsh in her ear. “Much more of this and I’m going to go up in fl
ames.”
She laughed, feeling dizzy. It felt good to rest in his arms. “Mmmmm.”
He held her a moment, then sat up. “We should go inside.”
“Should we?” she protested mildly when he stood and gave her a hand up. “I can’t remember anything pressing I have to do.”
He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. “We could announce our courtship.”
“I think it’ll be obvious,” she said dryly. It would be hard to miss their besotted looks and the arm he had about her waist. Of course, given the busy minds and puritan values around here, a formal announcement might be best.
Jamir actually scowled at Blue when they told him their news, but his face softened when he looked at his employer. “A thousand blessings on you,” he said, and kissed Gem on both cheeks.
Xera entered the kitchen and looked at them all with interest. “What did I miss?” she asked.
“We’re officially courting,” Blue said.
Xera’s brows rose. “Well, fast work! What was that, seconds? Let’s hope you aren’t as speedy in all your doings!”
Gem blushed. “Xera! That’s tavern talk!”
“Yeah, you hear a few things in the taproom,” Xera agreed cheekily. “But congratulations to you both. Won’t hurt my feelings if you speed things along, either. I want to get to the academy before I die of old age.” She stilled Gem’s imminent protest with a bone-crushing hug, which hastily lightened at her sister’s pained squeak. “Sorry! I forgot about your shoulder.”
Gem grunted and rubbed it, but she forgot her annoyance when Blue’s hand found her lower back. “It’s all right,” she said.
Xera clapped her hands. “Great, so let’s celebrate! I say we go out to eat. Love your cooking, Jamir, but I’m in the mood for chocolate.”
“Sorry, Xera, but I want your sister to myself for the day,” Blue spoke up. “I’d planned to go find Brandy and tell her, then take Gem out for a while. She needs a break from this place.”
Xera didn’t argue. Brandy proved elusive, however. After an exhaustive hunt, Gem and Blue found her in the back lot, talking to a tall Kiuyian man. The pair glanced up as Blue and Gem approached.
Brandy smiled. Gem was startled by the lightness in her sister’s expression as she said, “Gem, you remember our old neighbor M’acht?”
“Match,” the man corrected. He looked at Brandy with a rueful smile. “I’ve been with the miners too long. A man can’t introduce himself as ‘M’acht’ and expect anything but ribbing.” Pronounced Mah-ach-EE, his Kiuyian name had an unfortunate similarity to a popular girl’s name. Not that he looked in the least girlish. His pale green hair was longish but not feminine, and he was dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and canvas pants. The boots on his feet were scarred from heavy use.
Brandy looked surprised. “Bet your father loves that. He was always such a stickler for tradition.”
Match’s green eyes darkened. “My father has no say in it now.”
“Oh.”
The word was a cross between wonder and…admiration? From Brandy? Gem regarded her neighbor with more interest. “Match. It’s been a while,” she said. “You shipped out what, two years ago?”
“Three and a half,” Brandy supplied. “You remember, it was the night of that big electrical storm.”
“Oh, right,” Gem agreed, though she remembered no such thing. “So you decided freight hauling didn’t agree with you?”
“Something like that. I hear my younger brother’s been giving you grief. Setting fire, stealing…” The Kiuyian blushed.
“It’s been an exciting season,” Gem admitted. Unwilling to discuss it, she gestured to Blue. “This is Blue, my…” She stumbled, unused to introducing him in the new way.
“Boyfriend,” Blue supplied, shaking Match’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” He met Brandy’s surprised gaze and added, “We were coming to tell you we’ve begun courting.”
“Oh.” Brandy seemed at a loss for words. “Congratulations, really. You make a lovely couple.” There was an awkward pause.
Match looked kindly at Brandy. “You used to make a fabulous spiky melon soda, as I recall. Been brewing up anything interesting lately?”
Brandy stiffened. Her face turned pale. “I-I’ll see you later.” She turned her wheelchair around and left.
Match gave Gem a surprised look, then raced after Brandy. “What’d I say? Brandy? Bran? Stop that!” He stepped in front of her chair with an annoyed expression right at the doorway. “We’re not kids anymore. You’d think we could go five minutes without fight—Are you crying?” He looked more closely.
“No!” Brandy turned her face away and tried to go around him. “Leave me alone!”
“Maybe we should leave them to it,” Blue suggested. He put his hand under Gem’s elbow and tried to escort her away.
Torn, she shook her head. “Wait.”
Match knelt by Brandy’s side. “Hey, I’m sorry. Whatever I did, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“Haven’t you heard?” Brandy demanded, sniffling.
The Kiuyian shook his head. “I’ve only been home an hour. I had time to walk in the door and fight with my dad and that was it. Want to tell me about it?”
“Now we can go,” Gem said, allowing Blue to lead her off. She glanced over her shoulder as they walked away. “I hadn’t realized she still liked him.”
“Liked?” Blue glanced at her, and there was amusement in his eyes.
“Cared about him. They used to fight all the time, but I always knew she favored him. She got very quiet after he left.” Her eyebrows drew together. Match’s home life had never been very good. She’d been rather relieved when he left because it reduced the fighting next door. Now she wished she’d paid more attention to how Brandy felt.
“I think it’s time we got out of here,” Blue said, glancing at her face. “I’m determined to make you smile today.”
She smiled just to prove she could.
“Better,” he responded. “We’ll see if we can up the wattage a little.”
He took her to lunch at a colorful Outlander restaurant, and introduced her to a hot stew with the power to set her mouth aflame. Afterward he took her to the tree-lined shores of Lunar Lake and bought her a fruit ice. They walked along the sandy shores, enjoying the sun and each other.
“I can’t believe this place was once a barren asteroid. Makes me really appreciate all they’ve done with it.” Gem looked around at the birds fluttering in the trees, the water ducks and distant dolphins at play. “I should ask the gardeners here how they do it. Flowers struggle in my garden, but here they’ve got entire bushes and trees blooming their hearts out.”
Blue grinned. “Maybe you were meant to stick to inn-keeping, not farming.”
She grimaced. “Why do you think we hire that out? Seriously, this is a great place. I don’t know why I haven’t come here more often.”
“You work too hard,” he said simply. “We’ll have to make a habit of this.”
She looked at his smile and wondered what else they could make a habit of. Just being with him felt like a reward.
“That looks like fun,” he said, shading his eyes as he looked over the lake at a pair of personal watercraft. “Do they rent those around here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been,” she admitted, but he was already walking toward a pier not far down the beach.
As they got closer, she could see several of the watercraft tied against the dock. She was dubious when Blue talked to the owner about renting one, and said, “I don’t know how to drive that thing.”
“I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun,” he assured her. He handed her a life vest and boating shoes. “Let’s go.”
He motioned for her to sit down on the seat and gestured to the controls. “This is your power switch and this is the throttle. The rest you’ll figure out as we go along.”
“Sounds easy enough…if I had two arms!”
Blue laughed. “Don’t worry; I
’ll be your left arm. Power up.”
Now that she was actually on one, she was getting into the idea. She grinned as they idled away from the dock, then gave a whoop and slowly increased speed until she was going flat out. It was easy on the calm water.
Blue matched his steering to her actions, and they gradually arced back the way they’d come. This was great! But as Gem tried a few tight circles, ignoring the discomfort in her shoulder, she accidentally gunned the throttle. Her butt hit the water before she even knew she’d been thrown off.
Ack! Flustered, she bobbed up and spit water out of her mouth. For a moment all she could see was wet hair and water, but when she swiped at her eyes, there was Blue’s laughing face. He was floating in the lake next to her.
“I wish I had that on video,” he said. “You okay?”
He helped her swim back to her machine, which had automatically stopped when she fell off, and steadied her as she crawled back on. He looked at her closely and said, “I think we’d better head in. You look kinda green—and I don’t just mean your hair.”
Her smile was lopsided. She’d have to remember to strip the dye out when she got back. At least the dye on her lips had faded.
She shook her head. “The shoulder is acting up a little, but I’m enjoying this. I hate to stop.” She didn’t want to admit the pain was making her slightly queasy. She was glad he’d suggested the whole excursion.
“Don’t worry. We’ll do it again,” he reassured her, and turned them back toward the dock. “If you’re nice, I’ll even treat you to dinner. Maybe something greasy…”
She wrinkled her nose at him. The man was cruel.
As both of them were covered in sand and soaking wet, Blue had to give a transport cabbie a big tip before they could get a ride home. By the time they got back, Gem’s hair was drying in stiff spikes.
Xera grinned as they walked in the door. “What happened to you?”
Gem exchanged amused glances with Blue. “He introduced me to water sports.”
“Wow! You’re making me jealous!” her sister grumped good-naturedly. Then, “Hope it won’t throw a damper on things, but ol’ sour face is waiting out in the taproom. He wants to speak with you, Blue.”
