by Lakes, Lynde
“Dr. Grenlane,” Jerry interrupted from his front row seat, “Speaking of space travel, what are the chances of beings from other planets visiting here?”
Leroy, the class joker, called from the back of the room. “Hear the newscast about the foreign object that plummeted into our waters? Maybe they’re here now.” He sang a few bars of a spooky theme song.
The image of the silver streak charging toward her flashed in Darli’s mind. She fought a shiver. “We talked about this the morning following the newscast, Leroy. The day you were absent, I believe,” she said, allowing a bit of sarcasm into her tone to cover her uneasiness. “None of the other students saw anything and the Navy is claiming it’s a meteor. But if you learn differently, I’ll give you extra credit for a report on your findings.” Struggling for control, she asked, “Class, has anyone you know ever met a visitor from another planet?”
“Not sober,” Leroy piped up again.
Several students laughed and Darli smiled in spite of her knotting stomach.
“Dr. Grenlane,” Jerry said, “What about UFO sightings? Couldn’t they be crafts from another planet?”
“If so,” she said, “none of us will ever know—our government will keep it from us.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ll end this discussion on that distressing note and pick it up again tomorrow. Don’t forget your reports are due on Friday.”
By the end of the day, fatigue had wiped away all thoughts of UFOs, and she went into automatic, checking off the things on her list of after-work chores as she did them. She gassed up the car, returned a library book and picked up a few groceries.
Cortz had asked her to drop by the apartment after work and let him ride along, but she had decided against it. Maneuvering crutches from the second floor down the steep steps was just too hazardous. They had chanced it yesterday, and he’d almost fallen. She didn’t want a repeat. Next time, he might break his neck.
She’d never taken care of anyone before. It was a pleasant change to go home to Cortz rather than to a solitary apartment. Having him there wasn’t easy though. The problem times were the evenings after dinner. Living in close quarters with a man who exuded such strong sexual magnetism was frustrating, and keeping a virile guy like him at a distance took some doing. Even her dreams worked against her, dreams of them together, their bodies hot, glistening, them panting for release. But when she awoke, reality was always waiting along with unresolved worries and suspicions.
Chapter Twelve
Cortz sat in front of the television, his body tense, his mind alert, trying to absorb the evening news. It was important to learn all he could about Earthlings. He had to blend in and not attract attention to himself. Though Darli wasn’t aware of it, she had already helped improve his speech. He’d realized after several days that his speaking style was too stilted. But he’d been confused. All Earthlings didn’t speak the same. Some left out words, some ran words together, and some spoke different languages altogether. The simple solution was to emulate one person’s speech. Once he’d decided that person would be Darli, it was a matter of listening carefully.
He’d never dreamed that living with Darli would be so much fun or so sexually arousing—and, because he held back, extremely frustrating and guilt-inducing. Since guilt didn’t exist on his planet, he’d never expected to feel the disconcerting emotion. But after lying to Darli, guilt ate at his mind like acid. Darli had been completely taken in by his carefully calculated sprain. He deeply regretted the deception, but he needed the opportunity to get close to her, to gain her trust. He couldn’t accomplish his mission without her help. To assure success, he had to stretch out his stay a little longer. So far everything was on schedule. The only thing that he hadn’t counted on was the fiery chemistry that flowed between him and the enticing Earth woman. He glanced at his watch—she should be coming up the steps any minute now.
He left his crutches on the couch and slipped to the window, eager to catch a glimpse of her. She approached the steps at a fast pace, her hair, usually flowing free, confined in what she called a chignon style. Even with the severe hair and wearing that conservative yellow suit, she looked like a Goddess. What was he doing, standing here, mooning over her? He couldn’t be caught standing without the aid of crutches. He ran back to the couch and pulled them close.
****
Two days later, Darli hurried up the steps to her apartment, and, in spite of her nagging suspicions, she was eager to see Cortz. He had become part of her life. Thoughts of him had flitted in and out of her mind all day. Smiling, she thrust the door open. Shock froze her smile. “Cortz!”
He sat at the breakfast bar with piles of glistening diamonds in front of him.
“Darli! I didn’t expect you so early.” He scooped up the gems, hurriedly putting them back into a large pouch.
“Are those real?” Darli shrugged out of her jacket, dropped her purse on the couch, and marched right up to him. Her voice rose. “Are they?”
She cornered his gaze and held it.
The brown in his eyes deepened, the ruby flecks glowing like fireflies. “Yes…but don’t be upset. They’re not stolen.”
“Aren’t they?”
“Of course not. I don’t look like a criminal, do I?”
In hip-hugging shorts and a T-shirt molded to his wide chest, he looked out-of-this-world gorgeous, certainly not like the average Joe roaming the avenues of Waikiki. Her face grew hot. “Then explain.”
First, there was the wad of bills…and now diamonds. It wasn’t her nature to be suspicious, but large sums of money and jewels weren’t things ordinary guys had. Thoughts of stolen property, smuggling, and drug pay-offs tumbled in her mind.
“I can’t explain…yet. But there’s nothing illegal going on. Trust me.”
“No.” She shook her head resolutely. “I’m not buying that trust me stuff. I want the truth…now.”
“Please, I need more time.”
“Tell me where you got them this minute or…or…you’re out of here!” She moved closer, her face only inches from his, looking at him with unflinching eyes. “I mean it, Cortz!”
“Where will I go?” He leaned forward and pointed to his bandaged foot. “And how will I get down those steep steps without breaking my neck?”
“I want no part of whatever you’re mixed up in.” Suddenly Darli’s head was splitting. Why had she let a man who might be a crook into her home? And worse yet, why had she let herself fall for him?
“I swear I’m not mixed up in anything. Later you’ll understand.” He reached to touch her hair. She stepped away. “My foot is throbbing,” he said. “Could you help me back to the couch?”
Darli grabbed the crutches and shoved them at him. “Use these, that’s what they’re for.”
Cortz stared at her for a moment. Then he shrugged, tucked the crutches under his arms and hoisted himself forward. The strong propulsion swept his feet from under him. She reached out to stop his fall, but his thrusting weight was too much for her. They both ended up on the floor, he half on top of her, their noses almost touching.
“Are you hurt?” Cortz asked. He brushed a tendril of hair back from her face.
“No. Are you?” Darli felt the tenderness in his touch and the warmth and weight of his body pressed against hers. The unearthly, enticing male-scent that she’d come to know as uniquely Cortz’s own wafted over her. His lips were so close to hers that she felt his warm breath on them. God, she didn’t want him to be mixed up in anything illegal.
Chapter Thirteen
Cortz paced the floor. It had been over a week since he had tumbled down the stairs. He could no longer pretend. He had to tell Darli the whole truth about his uninjured ankle and who he was, or leave her apartment…and her life. After he told her, she might kick him out anyway, or worse, turn him over to Fox, his new Navy foe. While she hadn’t mentioned the diamonds again, Cortz took her ultimatum seriously. She was not the kind of Earthling to make empty threats. She would make him leave, even if it
tore the heart out of both of them—then, their days of laughter and growing closer would end. He shouldn’t be muddling his mind with fantasies and impossible dreams. He should concentrate on the data collection. The extraction process was proceeding more slowly than he had anticipated, and he may have to stick around longer than planned. If he could keep Darli as an ally and make her home his personal docking station, so to speak, he would have his safety net in this potentially hostile speck of the universe. A net he not only suspected he would need, but one he also desperately wanted. He gripped the windowsill and stared out, seeing nothing, feeling helpless. He had to do something to assure winning her over. But what?
In spite of their different worlds, they communicated like soul mates. Her love of the universe was equal to his, and he found it stimulating, and amazingly arousing, to talk to this intelligent, extremely beautiful Earthling who had studied the cosmos and shared the same passion and driving quest to know more. He paced again. Falling in love was something he hadn’t counted on. Yet, if she felt the same way…. She seemed to care, but were her feelings deep enough to accept that he wasn’t an Earthling? He needed more time alone with her to strengthen their bond. However, right now, he had to check the readings the retriever was sucking from the sea, sands and atmosphere and dispatch the daily report to Control.
****
Darli awoke Saturday morning to find Cortz gone. She spied his gear sitting in the corner and exhaled in relief. He wouldn’t leave without it. She knelt and ran her finger over the zipper slats. Something inside the bag might explain the diamonds. With Cortz living under her roof, she had a right to know exactly what he’d gotten himself mixed up in. She toyed with the pull-tab and for an insane second was tempted to inspect his personal belongings. Personal belongings! She bit the corner of her lip—what had she come to? Snooping was unthinkable.
She glanced at the crutches propped in the corner. He’s able to walk now, so either he explains everything or he’s out of here! Following through on her ultimatum would rip her heart out. Nevertheless, she would do it.
After dressing and fastening her hair back from her face with a koa-wood clip, she went to the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of coffee. She heard someone coming up the outside steps. Someone fiddled with the handle, then the door opened.
“There you are,” she said, as Cortz juggled two bags of groceries.
He paused in the doorway. His gaze traveled from her head, down the torso of the body-clinging ankle length muumuu, to her bare feet and pink-painted toenails. She blushed under his clearly admiring once over. “You look like a royal princess in that powder blue creation,” he said. “I especially like the way the designer splashed that white flower design diagonally. It emphasizes your tiny waist.”
“You’ve been watching the modeling channel again, haven’t you?”
He laughed, showing even white teeth. “Guilty as charged.” He sniffed the air. “Something smells good!”
“Chocolate macadamia nut coffee.”
“Umm, I like that.” He paused. “Hungry? I brought breakfast.”
“I wondered where you were.” She took one of the bags from him. “I thought maybe you were out looking for a place to stay.”
He touched his chest. “Your words cut like a knife in my heart—and I thought we were getting along so well.” He reached toward her face as if to brush back stray wisps of hair.
To stop him in his tracks, she narrowed her eyes, certain she would be lost if he touched her. “About that explanation you promised—”
“I want to talk to you about that,” he said, his tone light, teasing. “But, please, let’s discuss it after breakfast.”
Darli shot him her narrow-eyed, your-story-better-be-good look. “No more stalling—spill it now. And realize, Cortz, that after living with you for over a week, I’m wise to your turn-on-the-charm ploy.”
He wrinkled his brow. “Stalling? Spill it? Ploy?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. Now, tell me what in heaven’s name is going on.”
“How do I put this?” he said, dragging out the words as he slowly unpacked the second grocery bag.
“It doesn’t matter. Just say it.” When she began to help to hurry things along, their hands brushed. Static electricity crackled between them and her gaze flew to his.
He grinned, looking wickedly adorable. “According to the television programs, even a condemned man gets a good meal first.”
Again, she expelled a gush of air, exasperated enough to scream. “You are impossible.”
“I know.” He grinned again, revealing that damnable dimple.
She couldn’t contain her smile. “Okay. You win…for now.”
“Then, we both win,” he said.
“That remains to be seen.” Darli stared at the food spread all over the counter: doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, cookies, orange juice and an assortment of fruits. “You have a sweet tooth, don’t you?” she said, feeling more and more like she was dealing with an overgrown, spoiled child.
“Sweet tooth? Did I buy the wrong things?”
“Suffice it to say that I don’t normally buy that much sugared food in a year. But, what the heck, a pastry smorgasbord will be fun.”
“Smorgasbord?” he said as if he had trouble computing the word. “Do you like smorgasbords?”
She nodded, then opened the cupboard, took down an oversized glass cake dish, and began arranging the bakery goods. “You seem to be getting around well. How’s the ankle?”
His eyes darkened. “It’s a little…that is….it is fine.”
Darli put the pastries on the table and began paring the fruit. “Good, but perhaps you shouldn’t be walking on it so much, yet. Why didn’t you wake me? I would have driven you where you needed to go.”
“It was invigorating to get out into the fresh air, and, after lying around all week, the exercise was good for me. Besides, you have already done enough for me, and you were sleeping so peacefully, I did not want to wake you. You looked so lovely sleeping with your hair flowing across your pillow like—”
“I’m not used to being watched while I sleep.” Her face flamed hot.
“You should be used to it. I opened my eyes and squinted at you even on the days you went to work early. However, even though I had the urge to slide into bed next to you and hold you close, I remained the perfect gentleman.”
“Good thing for you,” she muttered.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” He looked contrite for all of a second at the most, and then said, “Could we do something together today? Like go to the beach?”
She couldn’t hold back another exasperated exhale. “After you tell me about the diamonds.”
“What if we strike a bargain? Give me just one more day in exchange for the truth…tomorrow. I promise you great detail told in an interesting, captivating way that will touch your heart and enrich your soul.”
Cortz was looking at her expectantly, with that little boy look that always seemed to melt her heart. There was absolutely no reason to give him more time. None! Nevertheless she felt her resolve weakening. And she hated herself for that.
The only justifications she could come up with for being such a complete softy were that they’d gotten along so very well and she liked him—a lot. She would miss their talks about the universe, and, if he left, she would miss him more than any man she’d ever met before.
“Okay. This is your last reprieve, Cortz. Tomorrow for sure!” she said, while hoping she wouldn’t come to regret it.
Chapter Fourteen
Thirty minutes later, as Darli laid out her beachwear, she tried to convince herself she’d done the right thing. He didn’t seem like a crook. Crooks weren’t helpful like him. He’d fixed her toaster, her telephone answering machine, done her dishes, and even helped her hang a painting she had wanted to put up for months. Surely, someone with an unearthly sense of humor like his couldn’t be bad. Still, con men were clever. Was that it? Was
he conning her? Her heart told her to trust him, while her mind warned her that she was opening herself up to big trouble. Battling her linear, straight-to-the-point nature, she added up the pluses about him and assured herself that there could be no harm in giving him one more day.
An hour later, they arrived at the non-tourist beach next to a wooded area. She found a spot where the shade extended out onto the sand and then insisted that Cortz help her put up an umbrella. She didn’t want either of them to get too much sun, especially Cortz. It was lucky that his blistery sunburn had healed so quickly. His skin hadn’t even peeled. The vinegar bath and the healing lotion she’d used must have been the right restorative combination.
Even though they were on the least crowded beach on Oahu, it was already dotted with weekend sun-worshippers. Accepting that tomorrow she would have the truth, Darli let the tension roll from her body. Hawaiian music came from a nearby radio. In a frisky mood, she swayed to the rhythm while removing the sarong that matched her two-piece swimsuit. Cortz was watching every move. She grinned and playfully tossed her sarong at him.
“Don’t stop!” he said. “I like it.”
Cortz’s lids lowered slightly, as if heavy with passion, and she noticed that the sunlight had lightened the deep brown color to amber, the ruby flecks to fire-red. “That’s quite enough,” she said, feeling flushed all over. She dropped to the blanket as gracefully as she could, took a big swig of water from her bottle, then crawled around on her knees trying to flatten the thick, bright-red Mickey Mouse towel on top of the blanket. The breeze kept flipping the ends and twisting the towel around. Cortz watched her, grinning.
