by Cora Blu
“He was a good father to you and your sister,” Aroc stated in a matter-of-fact reply.
Sadie nodded in response, the lump in her throat forming fast. Aroc’s strong fingers that she loved on her body were now making methodical circles around strategic areas on Norese’s back. Truth be told, she’d wanted those hands on her working her body limp the way he had in the shower.
“The best father a girl could have growing up. My father worked construction in the south and those were long, hot, grueling days. But he always made time for us.” She paused. “You’d see him, a tired shadow lumbering down the street with his metal lunch pail dangling from his fingers. His clothes, dusty and sweaty, but the minute he kissed my mother, he’d come outside and sprawl out on the lawn with us to count the stars,” Sadie recounted with love. “Be that father for Norese. Lie down and count the stars, Aroc.”
There was something cozy and important happening in that moment while Sadie sat perched on the desk and Aroc’s eyes taking in her every blink.
Setting the little girl on her feet to scurry off down the hall, she watched the slash of his eyebrows dip.
“Sleepy?”
“Quite.”
She moistened her bottom lip with a quick swipe of her tongue and that seemed to catch his attention. It took her chaste image of curling up in bed for the entire weekend and relaxing to sweaty sex on that big bed.
Shifting her hips on the desk, she studied him closer. What was different between them today? “Something else is bothering you…what?”
His raised brow and deep yawn caused him to grip her calves too tightly, and her wince startled him. “Sorry,” he apologized, smoothing the skin with his palms. “The treaty,” he answered. “Karuntee…Humans. We’re no closer to trusting one another than we were at the start.”
“The treaty allows you to break ties if we abuse the privilege and, well these greedy bankers have. Why uphold your end? We both know compromising isn’t something you’re known for.”
He rolled his shoulders. “You’re too observant and accepting to be human, Detective. One day, I’ll have to check the color of your blood. You think like a karuntian,” he mused with a lingering sigh. “I haven’t gone soft, Sadie.”
“Why keep the treaty if it’s not working?”
“We need the fuel.” He trailed off as he eased her legs further apart to open the drawer. Retrieving a slip of paper, he handed it to her. “I’m forming a special team to work on a private mission and want you on the board with my commanders…give us a human perspective… Interested?”
A million thoughts swam through her brain at the prospect of being the only human on a board with karuntians. Interested didn’t qualify her inner excitement. She got to the end raising her eyes to his. “You know I love working with you, but I can’t sign this waiver without more information. You could be plotting to overthrow Earth, and then I’d have to kill you,” she said on a suspicious grin.
One burgundy brow rose high enough to crease the skin on his bald scalp. His grip tightened. “I doubt that. You’d stay to fight me because you love a good challenge.”
“Probably,” she admitted, watching his focused concentration never break on his task of removing her boots. “I love my planet and the people. With all our faults, our actions come with good intentions.”
He made a sound in his throat. “Good intentions fall short when trust is broken.”
“Since there’s no trust broken between us, and if there’s no conflict of interest—I’m not violating my contract with the government—I’d love to be involved with this mission.”
He let out a small sigh, which she took as relief she hadn’t flat out turned him down. “If you sign on, I’ll consider it a great favor to me.”
A tingle of delight coursed up her legs at the first slip of the shoe strings release. Sadie clasped her fingers tight over the edge of the desk in anticipation of the delicious sensation about to overtake her body as he untied her ankle boots. The stretch and flex of those long veined fingers went to work drawing the ties leisurely apart, releasing the tension across the top of her feet under the tight leather. She swallowed the moan in her throat that he’d worked up under his caress. This feels amazing.
“You like that, Sadie?”
“I didn’t say stop.”
He chuckled. Their relationship and his personality were so unique till every minute together was a new experience for her. “This program I mentioned has been under way for years,” he told her, pulling the leather from her feet then removing her thick socks before he flexed his knuckles under her toes.
Sadie tried focusing on his words, but the powerful pressure of his fingertips separating the tendons under the soles of her feet nearly blinded her. Amazing. He always did this when she returned from Earth, before closing his hands along her calves and squeezing her tight muscles, coaxing them to relax. She liked the way he stole looks up under his lashes at her when he thought she didn’t notice.
“After this case is over, I’ll share more information. This, Sadie...” And he said that with the tone of an alien protecting his race. “Is singularly, karuntee business,” he stressed the word, singularly.
He wanted her in on top-secret work for the karuntee, possibly with another alien race? Had they accepted her into their circles that much? She sounded like Oliver questioning her appeal to the aliens. Don’t do that.
“I’ll think about it. For right now, I’m yours for the weekend. If you need to crash early, I’ll make dinner now and we can turn in after I bathe Norese.” A quick scan of the bookshelf in his office revealed the books she’d sent last month for him to read to Norese. “Are you reading to her like I suggested?”
He gave her a nod. “And, I’m hungry. Sadie… Next time, send a better selection of books. You humans have strange children’s stories. Mary should have eaten the lamb for following her to school.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a children’s story, Aroc. Loosen the chain on your ability to have fun. Read it with a light little girl’s voice.” Seeing his odd stare, she flicked her fingers in the air over his pelt covering his shoulder. “Never mind… I’m not the only one who can do this for you up here. There’s plenty of female karuntee that would give up their spikes to be with you, Aroc,” she reminded him. “Everyone thinks I’m your whore seeing me come here every week.”
She flinched as his grip tightened before he realized he’d hurt her and relaxed his fingers. Aroc rolled the leg of her pants up to her knee, and then laved the spot on her calf where he’d squeezed her leg. He did the sexiest things and had no idea they felt different to a human than they did a karuntian female. “Who called you that? One of my males or one of your puny humans? Tell me. You’re no one’s whore,” he forced, ready to go defend her honor as always.
“It doesn’t matter when they don’t know you the way I do and even if they did, it’s not their concern,” she said.
He nodded. “You’re my concern and I want you to use my shower tonight. The stream of water will ease your tension.”
Laying a hand to his shoulder in appreciation, Sadie smiled. She adored a karuntian shower, with its six waterspouts in the wall in a six-foot vertical line. The jets massaged the spines, relaxing the muscles encircling their spikes. On her, it warmed her tender skin, a decadent indulgence.
A delicious indulgence.
His mouth curved up on the end before he cupped her face and lowered his wide forehead to brush her ear. Sadie felt him draw in air and held still knowing he searched out the scent she carried. He drew back. Their eyes met. His nostrils flared, making the tip of his nose redden. One of his thick fingers tapped her leg just below her knee.
“You smell of Cantrell.” He gave her a wicked grimace she’d never seen before. “You’ve mated with him?”
She scrunched up her nose. They hadn’t even kissed, her and Oliver. He’d made her so mad she could barely tolerate him and yet she found herself intrigued by him. “You have an opinion if we
have?” Her voice spiked behind the question. The thought of being with the commander crossed her mind more than once in the last month. Today in his home and shuttle bay soured all of that. She fixed her stare on Aroc and there was the fire she felt whenever they were alone.
“I like you, Sadie. So I’ll keep my opinion and enjoy my weekend with you.”
“I can handle the truth, Captain, and I respect your opinion or I wouldn’t ask.” Most of the time that was.
Aroc pressed the button closing the shade on the viewing window darkening the room.
“You smell his cologne, nothing else, Farkus,” she warned, trying to sound unaffected by his accusation when she knew Oliver had been close enough to kiss her lips. Although he hadn’t, she couldn’t deny she would’ve enjoyed it no matter how much he irritated the skin off her knuckles. Both men intrigued her. If she were honest, Aroc caused more than a passing intrigue in her heart—he was a full-blown desire. A serious urging her body ached to taste. She drew in a breath to clear her head. “We argued over me having karuntee friends. And take your mind out of the gutter; he flirts, that’s all.”
He groaned. “Tell me the truth. Are you in a relationship with the commander, Sadie?” he demanded, his version of please. Startled she just stared at him. Pushing away from his desk he got to his feet, casting a shadow to fall over her face.
Sadie lurched forward, his anger drawing her off the desk onto her bare feet. “No. I know this isn’t a romantic relationship between us, but as long as I’m under our agreement, I couldn’t date someone and share your bed, Aroc. No matter how chaste we are together.”
Something painful filled his face—a memory—when he looked at her from across the room. “Then he’s finally found a way to get back at me,” he said pacing a tight circle. “He’s using you as he vowed to years ago for revenge.”
She hurried after him leaving the room.
“Revenge. What are you talking about?”
“Revenge,” he swore, poking his head into Norese’s room and waving her into his arms. She ran to him, dragging her blanket. Sadie followed them down the back hall. They walked the long way to the dining space. In all her time up here, she’d learned his habits. Walking past the windows overlooking the red lake, as some referred to the landing band surrounding the station, relaxed him. She watched his lips move as he counted the number of shuttles coming and going. It became their evening stroll. She found it endearing.
“He’s looking for retribution—”
“For?” She asked matching his hurried steps.
“If you ask him, I killed his partner…” he admitted and his eyes settled on Norese in his arms, nibbling her fingers covering his mouth. In that moment, Sadie realized he held her whenever things frustrated him.
“Daddy sad, Sadie,” Norese cried. “Hug Daddy.”
Chapter 12
“Hold on, Farkus, where do you think you’re going, dropping a bomb like that?” Grilling him, she came around to face him, placing her hands flat to his chest giving him a harsh stare. “You killed his partner—a government-appointed commander—and no one investigated? Not even Ryner—no one? Why?” That should be impossible.
His face darkened, lips compressed, “His partner wasn’t killed.” His breathing labored, ribs expanding with every deep inhale. If she hadn’t known him, she’d have backed out of the room to run screaming, barely giving the scanner time to slide the doors open. It took a few seconds to push her fear away and form words. She rubbed her eyes, giving herself a moment to compose her shaky voice.
“Please talk to me…I hate it when you clam up and shut me out.” She smoothed her hand up his bare arm in a consoling manner. “I promise not to judge or roll my eyes…”
In his eyes, the reflection of the shuttles out the window appeared as he stared past her for an interminable minute. Soon she’d rub a hole in his arm if he didn’t hurry and say something.
“His partner, Katherine, was my human wife—”
Fireworks of information exploded in her mind. Why hadn’t she put the two together when Oliver said his partner’s name was Katherine? Because she was arguing with Oliver, that’s why. Aroc was in pain. Not pain, something was off about him today.
“Aroc, if you’ve found a mate and want me to stop coming up here…”
His arm tensed under her fingers. “Do you want to leave?” He started walking while holding her hand on his arm.
“Do you want me to leave?” She asked instead, uncertain if she could answer his question without a lump forming in her throat.
“No…”
That surprised her. She’d always known she was a physical stand in, a presence in his life he missed, and that was fine when she was terrified he’d come to Earth and find her if she didn’t return to help with Norese. So why did it bother her now? Because, she adored the big handsome ogre towering over her.
“I enjoy having you up here, Sadie.” He stopped walking long enough to change the music on the wall controls to a soft cello. “I’ve told you that many times throughout the year.”
There was so much more in that comment she was missing, when the true picture opened before her mind’s eye. “Aroc Farkus, look at me,” she said, angling him to her.
He ducked his face down to hers bringing them inches apart. “Yes, Sadie.”
Her pulse ramped up with his closeness. She played with Norese’s leg to compose herself. “Oliver doesn’t know Norese survived, does he?”
“Why would he?”
And there was the missing link to this dysfunctional situation. “Aroc, did he ever hurt Katherine, physically or emotionally?”
“He attempted to poison her view of me every chance he got,” he shot back.
“Obviously it didn’t work and it’s not working on me. And Norese loves you too much for it to work on her. Let him meet Norese and see what you and Katherine made together.”
“No—and you will never tell him...Sadie Ochi Alexander—never!”
Feeling hot, she dragged down the zipper on her uniform to let the lapels fall back. Aroc had delivered a solid warning she’d obey…for now.
The vein in his neck pulsed under her fingers now stroking over the prominent cord. Even with that brash statement, something far deeper than friendship formed between them.
“Is it too warm in here for you tonight, Sadie? Norese has picked up your desire to melt my clothes to my body, cranking the warmers to 70, complaining she’s cold.”
Was that a gesture of peace? Yes.
“Actually, the temperature’s perfect.” She followed him down another long hallway. It was a maze in there flanked by a tall eight-foot window every ten feet. Wrapped along one-eighth of the station, it held the sensation of walking through an art gallery, the view into outer space framed by the windows. “One more question. I’m not versed on karuntian marriage protocol. Can a captain mate a human? I didn’t know that was allowed.”
“I was captain before I met Katherine, and her being human has no official bearing on my selection of a mate as long as she understands and abides our ways,” he told her. “Katherine stood up for one of my males in a trial once…”
“And you two hit it off and began dating.”
The slight nod of his head answered her question. “After that another male challenged my choice…”
“And you killed him…” came out in a rush slipping beyond her control. She stopped, ashamed her tone came out callous when Aroc was sincere in everything he did.
Resting a shoulder to the upholstered wall, she closed a hand over his forearm, waiting for his eyes to meet hers. When they did, she saw the hurt. “I didn’t mean it the way it came out. It’s—”
He caressed her cheek. “Nothing crosses these lips unless you want them to, Detective. You just didn’t like the sound of your words once they made it back to your ears.” Then his mouth brushed across hers in a slow delicate dance of compassion and newness. His firm lips were warm, his mesmerizing eyes were open, full of hunger and
desire she’d never witnessed before. Feral, his touch was covetous, selfish in the way he took his time to enjoy the quivers he worked to the surface. When they were barely touching, a slow swipe of his tongue across her bottom lip broke the connection, leaving her breathless.
Aroc kissed her.
“I killed defending my right to choose my mate, Sadie. Living by that same creed, I protect my relationship with you, making certain nothing or no one jeopardizes what we’ve worked so long to accomplish.”
Sadie smoothed a finger over the moisture on her mouth. “Why did you do that?”
“Because it’s long overdue between us.”
Tasting his kiss on her lips, Sadie pushed away from the wall. She lifted Norese from his arms, setting her on the floor to stare out of one of the windows longingly. Was that how Norese waited for her to return every week? That nearly broke Sadie’s heart. Aroc’s hand warmed her back. She shared stolen glances from one another to Norese tapping on the window.
“At night, before bed, she stands on her tip-toe, her arms braced on the sill in the window to wave down to you on Earth. She loves you, Sadie.”
Twining a lock of Norese’s hair around her finger, Sadie watched the thick tresses recoil into soft ringlets as she let go. “I love her, too. It’s impossible not to love such a sweet child, with an incredible personality.”
He added his hand to hers stroking through the thick curls.
“She’s sweet, Sadie,” he said in a lingering tone she fought not to read more into more than he’d meant, “Because she has you in her life.”
That was too heavy. Changing the subject, she said, “On my way up here today, I ran into a colleague, inquiring as to future positions for humans on this station.”
He drew in a breath deep enough to press his sculpted pectoral muscles out from under his vest. She tore her gaze away to look past him until her pulse slowed. “That’s impossible. There’s not enough trust between us and them to work side by side.”
