Her mother paused for a second, took a deep breath, and continued heavily, “But it was Casey’s fault she ended up in Zoria, and if she’d never gone to Zoria she would be here today.” Jenna frowned thoughtfully. Zoria was the least settled continent on the planet Zenith. It was a very hostile place, with large swaths of jungle filled with poisonous plants and even more dangerous creatures. It also hid smugglers and outlaws and anyone else trying to stay as far away from civilization as possible. Andie had started her career as a pilot on the Dos Cientos base, but after only a little more than a year, she had transferred to Zoria. Only a few months later she had disappeared into thin air while patrolling over the jungle. Four more skiff pilots had died in Zoria since then—it was considered the most dangerous place to be assigned on the whole planet. Her mother was right about one thing. Transferring to Zoria had probably sealed Andie’s fate. However, Jenna couldn’t see how that was Casey’s fault. He hadn’t asked her to transfer.
Her mother started pacing again, though she moved more slowly this time. Her breath hitched a bit, and then she continued. “She had some kind of major argument with Casey. Andie wouldn’t ever admit it, but Elisabeth dragged it out of her son somehow. She and I were worried about both of them.” Jenna bit her lip. She knew about the argument. She even knew what it had been about. Andie had been staying with her in Omphalos the night it happened. Her sister had come to the city planning to tell Casey that she was in love with him. Instead, she had discovered that he was dating Jo. Jenna didn’t know the exact details, but she did know that her sister had spent almost the entire night in tears. Her mother was still remembering aloud, her tone bitter. “They hadn’t spoken to each other in months. That’s why she accepted the transfer to Zoria. She was miserable and heartbroken without Casey.” Jenna watched her mother make a few more lengths back and forth across the room, and then her mother finally stopped pacing again.
“Something he did broke her heart, and now she’s lost somewhere and still suffering, yet Casey’s happy and well. It’s not his fault, and I know it, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less,” her mother said softly, her passion finally spent. Jenna stood and hugged her mother, holding her tight. They would get through this. One more night and one more day to go.
*
For the evening, Jo had picked a night of dancing at a nightclub not too far away from the resort. Apparently, she wanted one last chance to party wildly before settling down. Jenna stared at her wardrobe unenthusiastically. She hadn’t chosen to bring any clothes for this scenario. A beach nightclub during the biggest holiday of the year?
Her mother had calmed down again and was watching from her bed. “I’m going to spend my evening lying by the pool with a book. Nightclubs are for the young,” she observed.
“Apparently I’m not young either,” Jenna grumbled. “This doesn’t appeal to me at all.” Was she going to spend the entire evening fending off the drunken advances of vacationing men looking to score? With Colonization Day parties in full swing, there were guaranteed to be plenty of them around.
“Well, somebody has to represent the family, and that leaves you,” her mother said ruefully. “If Andie were here, she would do it.”
“Mom, Andie hated to dance,” Jenna protested.
“Actually, I don’t think she does. She spent quite a bit a time in the base nightclub when she was stationed at Dos Cientos.”
“Really?” Jenna said curiously. She tried to picture Andie spending her nights off dancing and flirting with the guys on base, and she just couldn’t do it. How much had her sister changed over the years after Jenna had moved to Omphalos? Enough that she would have jumped at this chance to spend the night dancing with Jo and her friends? Her mother’s eyes were soft. For once thinking of her missing daughter was more pleasant than painful.
Suddenly, Jenna smiled mischievously. “Is Casey’s grandmother planning to represent the female end of the groom’s side tonight?”
Her mother actually laughed. How long had it been since she’d heard her mother laugh?
“I really cannot see Margharita Morten spending the evening somewhere so common as a nightclub.”
“But I bet she does,” Jenna said. “She’ll be hoping to catch Jo in some misdeed or other, since she’s trying to stop the wedding. In fact, that’s probably the whole reason Jo’s planning this night in the first place. To force her stuffy future grandmother-in-law to step inside a nightclub!” Jenna giggled, and her mom shook her head. She was still smiling, though.
In the end, Jenna took her mother’s advice and wore the filmy periwinkle sundress that she had brought on a whim. She almost never had a chance to wear it in Omphalos, but it had turned out to be a perfect option for a beach resort. It was not nightclub wear, but Jenna hoped that a beach nightclub would be far more casual than the ones she had visited in the city.
“Don’t wait up for me,” she suggested. “I’ll have to wait to leave until Jo does, and I have a suspicion Jo’s going to make this last as long as possible.” Her mother waved her off, and Jenna headed down to the lobby, where Jo’s group was gathering. Jo had chartered a transport to take everyone who was going.
Jenna had joined the small group of Jo’s friends who were already waiting when Jimmy suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“Hey!” she exclaimed, startled, as he put his arms familiarly around her waist. He pulled her closer, his breath warm on her neck. “Got to make this rumor convincing,” he whispered.
“What are you talking about?” Jenna asked, giggling a bit and pushing him away.
“How are we going to make your mom believe that there’s something serious going on between us if I never touch you?” he said in mock seriousness.
“My mother isn’t here,” Jenna pointed out. Jimmy looked around ostentatiously. “Oh, she isn’t, is she?”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here, Jimmy? I thought you were supposed to be off with the men, doing manly stuff somewhere away from the rest of us?”
“We got back a little while ago. Some blokes like to fill the time before their wedding chasing girls and drinking themselves enough courage to go through the ceremony, but I like this Casey. We spent the day snorkeling in the bay.”
“What?” exclaimed Jenna enviously. “That’s not fair!
“I got to go parasailing and cliff diving too. I hope Quintan’s planning for stuff like that at Marah. It was fantastic! I never got to do anything like it on Terra. I would have had to fill out endless forms and gotten a sheaf of permits.”
“And I had to sit around listening to women give the silliest marital advice ever,” Jenna muttered. “At least I got to have a massage!”
“A massage does sound nice,” Jimmy agreed. “Do you want another one? I’ve been told I’m not a bad masseuse,” he suggested playfully.
“Who said that?” Jenna asked curiously. At least she told herself it was only curiosity. She was most definitely not bothered by the idea of Jimmy giving random women massages. Or not so random women.
“My mother,” Jimmy answered cheerfully.
“Your mother?” Jenna exclaimed, surprised.
“Toward the end of my mom’s life, the pain got so bad that she often couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to live on painkillers, so I would massage her to help her relax enough to sleep. She said I got pretty good at it after some practice,” he explained, his tone matter-of-fact. Jenna stared at him. More proof that Jimmy was not the self-absorbed prat that he pretended to be.
“What are you up to now?” he asked, changing the subject.
Jenna grimaced. “We’re supposed to go dancing.”
“You look less than enthusiastic,” Jimmy observed. “I thought you liked to dance.”
“I do like to dance. I don’t like to flirt with strangers and spend my evening being groped by sweaty men.”
“Ah, the nightclub scene. Well, I
have the solution to your problem then. It’s time to collect on my wager,” Jimmy announced.
“What are you talking about?” Jenna was taken aback.
“I won the bet last night. You have to come walk with me now.”
“But Jo’s expecting me!” Jenna protested.
“She won’t even notice. Anyway, you promised,” he reminded. Then without another word, he took her hand and led her right through the back of the lobby. Jenna glanced back once, just in time to see Margharita Morten descend on the group of giggling young women. She grinned and walked a little faster. Jo really wouldn’t notice with that distraction at hand.
In just a few minutes, they passed through the manicured resort gardens onto the beach. As soon as they walked onto the fine white sand, Jenna stopped and pulled off her strappy sandals. The sand was warm and soft, and she dug her toes into it, sighing with pleasure.
“This is wonderful,” she said happily. Jimmy took her shoes with his free hand, and they started to walk along the water’s edge. Every so often a wave reached their feet, and the warm water bubbled over her toes.
“I’ve only been to the beach once before, when I was at the university,” Jenna explained. “I joined a group of friends traveling to the shore, but the beach nearest to Omphalos is Tristan Point, and there are more rocks than sand. The water was much, much colder, too.”
“I’ve been to a few beaches on Terra, but none of them were like this either,” Jimmy agreed. They walked down the beach until the resort was almost out of sight. They talked a little, but mostly Jenna just listened to the waves crashing on the shore and stared out over the water, enjoying Jimmy’s warm hand in hers and feeling perfectly content. Finally, she sighed in regret. The sun had almost reached the horizon, reflecting off the ocean with a blinding glare.
“We should probably turn around now,” she said reluctantly. “Otherwise my legs might give out before we make it back to the resort.”
Jimmy stopped, turning to look back at the distant hotel rising up. “It’s not that far,” he pointed out.
“I don’t want to be out here wandering after dark, Jimmy,” Jenna objected.
He leaned closer to her and dropped his voice. “What are you afraid of, Jenna?” he murmured. Her heart pounded. He was so close. She wanted in the worst way to lean forward and kiss him.
“Afraid of having to carry you back to the resort when your legs give out,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Jimmy chuckled. “You’re the one who spends hours sitting at a desk!”
She smirked. “I think I’m still in better shape than the party boy who spends his time hanging out in the QE and eating mountains of food.”
“Prove it. First one back to the resort gets a mountain of food!” he yelled and suddenly dashed off back down the beach. Jenna hesitated for only a moment and then took off after him. She stayed closer to the water, where the wet sand supported her bare feet better, and soon she had pulled even with him. Jimmy cried, “Oh no, you don’t!” and swerved between her and the water. The next wave crashed in farther than expected and drenched Jimmy, the water splashing up to his knees. Jenna burst into laughter, but she didn’t quit running. Jimmy yelped and then was pounding after her again.
He stopped suddenly and grabbed Jenna’s hand, swinging her around. She shrieked, afraid she was going to go flying into the sand. Jimmy caught her before she lost her balance and pulled her close. She was still laughing, her cheeks warm from their chase down the beach. Jimmy met her eyes though, and the intensity of his gaze surprised her into silence.
“Marry me, Jenna,” he whispered, his voice caressing her with longing. She caught her breath, searching his eyes for some sign of jest, but there was nothing but sincerity in his deep brown eyes.
“Jimmy,” Jenna began, barely able to form any words. Her heart fluttered frantically. Jimmy wanted to marry her! “I thought we’d agreed to just stay friends.”
“I know you don’t want to lose your job, but we’ll work it out. Zane’s a good guy. He’ll understand—he’ll want you to be happy,” Jimmy reassured confidently.
Jenna finally found her voice. “You do make me happy, Jimmy. I’m happier with you than I am with anybody else or doing anything else.” Her voice dropped. “But I’m scared,” she admitted in a whisper, lowering her eyes.
“Scared of what?” he prodded, gently lifting her chin so that her eyes met his again.
“That I’ll lose you,” she confessed, pain coloring her tone. “I don’t know if the universe is conspiring against me or what, but something out there—fate, or whatever it is, keeps taking everyone who is close to me. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”
Jimmy tugged her down until they were sitting in the sand and put an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him. She could feel the warmth of his arms through her thin dress. The electric chills raced down her torso again.
“Jenna,” he said, turning so he faced her instead of the breaking waves. “I can’t promise that nothing will ever happen to me. You wouldn’t believe me if I did. But I can promise that our life together will be filled with joy. That if you choose to let go of your fears, what we gain will last forever, no matter what happens.
“I love you,” he continued, his voice soft but firm. “I’ve loved you since that first night when you saved my life in the Red Zone. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She was flying. She had never in a million light years imagined that she could feel such happiness. If there was one person she could spend her life with, she would wholeheartedly choose Jimmy. No one knew her so well. No one made her feel so invincible, like she could conquer anything. Even the universe—or fate.
She pressed her lips gently to Jimmy’s.
“Is that a yes?” he breathed, his voice barely audible over the breaking waves.
In response she turned fully toward him and slid her arms around his neck. She kissed him again, fervently this time, letting the electric current move from his lips into hers, her whole body tingling with desire. Jimmy returned her kisses eagerly, until she had to break away to breathe.
“That’s a yes,” she confirmed shyly. “There’s nobody I’d rather spend my life with.” Jimmy responded to her answer with more kisses, tender ones this time that made her heart feel like it was overflowing with happiness.
Jimmy laid back into the sand and pulled her on top of him. She shivered with the unexpected full body contact. Suddenly the spark of desire within her bloomed into a fully roaring conflagration. She savored a few more passionate kisses from Jimmy, and then her sense regained control of her mind again. She slid to the side, lying next to him in the sand, her heart pounding and her breath coming in gasps.
Jimmy rolled to the side so he was staring right into her eyes.
“Let’s get married tonight,” he suggested. He was still breathing heavily also.
“What?” Jenna exclaimed, sitting upright. “Tonight? But what . . . how . . . why?”
“Because we can get married right away. Symphoria doesn’t have any waiting requirements. We don’t even need a license here,” Jimmy explained, as his hand slid up her arm, heat trailing behind his touch. He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t need time, Jenna. I just want to be with you always, starting tonight.” She thought about it for a moment. Symphoria didn’t require any licenses—and marriages performed in Symphoria were kept confidential. That’s why it was such a popular wedding destination for famous couples wishing to avoid any attention. She could marry Jimmy without even having to tell her boss until the Quintan West project was finished, no matter what Zane’s reaction was. They could keep their wedding a secret. She wouldn’t have to wait and wonder if it would all work out. Maybe something would get in the way, like Andie’s accident had prevented her from ever being able to work things out with Casey. Life could end in an instant, as Jenna ha
d ample proof.
She could hear another voice in her head. One she hadn’t heard in a long time. It sounded like her sister, the gutsy pilot who had always grabbed life and ridden for what she wanted fearlessly in everything but love.
Don’t think, Jenna, Andie seemed to say to her. Just do it.
“OK.” She drew in a deep breath and exhaled, “let’s go for it!” Jimmy kissed her one last time and scrambled up off the sand, pulling her with him.
“I know just the guy to ask,” he said.
*
One hour later, Jenna stood on the beach, still wearing her gauzy sundress, holding the chip that would bind her to Jimmy. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon, and the sky had deepened to a dusky purple. She faced the water, her feet bare and nestled in the cooling sand. Jimmy stood next to her as they faced Pilgrim Hai. Jimmy had had no trouble making the arrangements; apparently the resort was as equipped for simple short-notice ceremonies as it was for long-planned, elaborate, three-day productions. At Pilgrim Hai’s direction, she spoke the timeless vows that countless couples had made, promises to love and be a faithful and loyal companion to her new husband for the rest of her days. Jimmy made the identical promises and then held out the middle finger of his left hand and the chip in his right. Pilgrim Hai brought out his binding gun, first pressing it to Jimmy’s palm and collecting the chip programmed with Jimmy’s vital information, and then pricking Jimmy’s finger and collecting the drop of blood that would be read into the chip. Then the officiant turned to Jenna. “Where would you like the chip implanted?” he asked in a deep, solemn voice. She swallowed and gathered her courage. “On the back of my shoulder, please,” she answered, sweeping her hair out the way and sliding the loose fabric off her shoulder. Pilgrim Hai pressed the binding gun shaft to her skin and clicked, and she felt a sting as the chip slid under her skin. Now she was marked, bound to Jimmy by metal and blood.
Pilgrim Hai repeated the process for her, pricking her finger and adding the blood to her chip. Jimmy chose to have it implanted in his shoulder as well. “Now we match,” he said softly, without even flinching as Pilgrim Hai finished the binding. His eyes held hers the whole time. All she could see in them was wonder and commitment.
The Quintan Edge (Roran Curse Book 2) Page 15
