Star Cruise: Marooned: (A Sectors SF Romance)

by Veronica Scott

  “Someone’s private stash.” Meg strolled over to the other console, barely glanced at the readouts, and returned, as if she had excess energy she needed to work off. “Why are you so adamant about us getting rescued now?”

  He swallowed another bite of the excellent sandwich. She might have concocted it from reconstituted dust, but right now it tasted better than the best Azrigone beef. Swirling the coffee in the blue glazed mug with the PolyStarMed logo, to savor the aroma, he said, “Remember the first time we talked about galactic war? When we were on the run from the Shemdylann?”

  She nodded.

  “We don’t know our side is going to win this skirmish. We don’t know they’re even going to try. Strategy is calculated on a level so far beyond what you and I understand—Command and the Sectors’ government play the entire game board, trying to beat the Mawreg once and for all someday. What if the decision is to abandon this system? The whole Sector?” He leaned closer to her. “What if the decision is to burn off this world? No one’s going to care that we’re here before turning on the torch. None of the four of us has the gravity to pull an external rescue on our own. The only reason I might have a chance is my contacts in Special Forces. And right now is the best time, while things are in flux out there, beyond this planet’s atmosphere.”

  “I had no idea the situation was so dire.” Meg sank onto the nearest chair, laying her head on the padded top, as if her knees had given way under the onslaught of his logic.

  Guessing from her reaction, he’d painted the picture a bit too accurately; he tried to inject a hopeful note. “Max said he’d get back to me, so there might be a chance. He’s a man of his word.”

  Raising her head and pushing her hair off her face, Meg asked, “An old comrade in arms, I take it?”

  Red couldn’t stop the grin, recalling old times. “Yeah, he was like my sixth brother. We survived Basic training together and then a lot of…really bad things. Too much action to talk about, outside the fence in a number of places, including Mawreg territory.”

  “But he’s still on active duty?”

  “Max was wired differently than me. He played politics, moved into the officer corps, and got promoted. I stayed on the Teams, doing missions. Until I couldn’t anymore.” As he drained the last drop from his mug, Red frowned. “Where exactly did you find this private stash of coffee?”

  “On Level Two. We finished dinner and you were hard at work in here, so we forged ahead. There’s a lot of personal stuff left, although a few of the rooms are stripped to the bare walls.”

  Anger mixed with concern for her safety burned through him. “I told you to wait for any more explorations until I was available.”

  Meg was unfazed, rising from her chair and shaking a finger at him. “And I’m in command, which you forget regularly.” Giving him a small smile, she went on. “Callina was tired, falling asleep at the table. Her husband isn’t in much better shape. I’m hoping he didn’t break his ankle when he tripped getting in here today. It was bruising pretty spectacularly. Tomorrow we may have to see about activating the equipment in the sickbay.” Eyes narrowed, she assessed him from head to toe. “You don’t look too lively yourself.”

  “Plenty of fight left.” Reaching out, he locked his hand around her wrist and drew her closer. He took it slow, in case she wasn’t on board with what he had in mind.

  Meg came willingly for a step or two, leaning her hip on the console and smiling at him. “Yeah, well, I decided the best course of action was to assign rooms for the night, and then check on you.”

  “Bringing me coffee and dinner. Which I appreciated.”

  “A good officer has to make sure her crew is well cared for.” Her tone was low, teasing. She gestured at the now inactive panel. “Your friend’s not calling again for twelve hours, right?”

  “Affirmative.” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “And I’ve set the monitors and alarms so no one can get near this place without us knowing.”

  “Even from above?”

  Nodding, he agreed. “Definitely scanning for intruders from above.”

  “Well then, I think you need to have some rest.”

  A sense of duty drove him to admit, “I haven’t checked out Level Four yet. I was about to run the scan when the first call came in from Max.”

  “I’m sure it’s as abandoned as the rest of the place.” She glanced at the bank of monitors. “And locked tight, so if something did happen on Four, it’s been localized.”

  “I need to be sure.”

  She clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “Such devotion to duty. How long will the additional surveillance require?”

  “Five minutes, maybe less.”

  “All right then. I’ll be waiting for you on Level Two. I assigned us the largest room, first door to the left after exiting the gravlift.”

  “Us?” As he considered the ramifications of the room assignment, the blood pooled in his groin.

  Meg blushed a little, but met his eyes. “Seemed to me we had a conversation to finish, some things to settle, maybe? I thought it would be nice to have privacy for wherever the discussion takes us. But if you don’t like the idea, there are plenty of rooms; you can pick your own—”

  Rising, he caught her to him, intending to savor a long kiss, his hands at her hips. She put her arms around his neck just as they bumped noses. Retreating a step, half smiling, she rubbed hers with the palm of her hand.

  Frustrated beyond belief, he choked on his worry he was going to mess up yet again on impressing the one woman he really wanted to think the best of him. Feeling like the gawky boy he’d been on his first date, which further fueled his annoyance at himself, he tugged her close again, rubbing her nose with his in a caress as gentle as he could make it. “I’m sorry. I lose every ounce of self-possession when I’m near you. All the expensive military training the Sectors gave me, not to mention the discipline so painfully instilled, gone to waste.”

  “You don’t have to try so hard,” she whispered, tugging at his earlobe with her teeth. In between featherlight kisses along his jaw, she said, “I was never all that annoyed.”

  “You weren’t?” He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying her soft curves pressed against his body. She was warm, smelling faintly of flowers and womanly mystery. His arousal grew even more urgent. “I believed you hated the deck I stumbled over.”

  She shook her head, the soft black curls tickling his throat. “Annoyance at your rookie screw-ups was fuel to keep myself from being too attracted.” Raising her hazel eyes to look him full in the face, she said, “I guess I knew from the first day you came aboard the Far Horizon how special you were, could be, if I didn’t keep my defenses solid. I didn’t want to risk getting hurt again.”

  “I’d die before I hurt you.”

  “Sometimes it’s not that easy to trust,” she said, a flicker of strong emotion in her eyes.

  He exhaled, instant anger at whoever had hurt her in the past rising to the top of his emotions. Realizing he couldn’t defend her in the past, he compartmentalized the protective feelings. Trying for a lighter tone, he said, “Am I past the defenses now?”

  For answer, she went on her tiptoes and kissed him. After the first moment when her soft lips rested against his, he tilted his head to get the right angle and let his tongue trace the contours, silently asking permission for entry. With a contented sigh, her body curving into his, she parted her lips slightly, her tongue touching his in undeniable invitation. Arms tightening to hold her closer, body suffused with pleasure, he deepened the caress, exploring the sensual pleasures of her mouth and tongue, tangling with her as he’d longed to do for weeks.

  “Can’t Level Four wait till tomorrow?” she asked when they parted, both panting a bit. “After all, it’s been a couple of years since this place went on the inactive list.”

  He was tempted, but the blinking red indicators refused to be ignored. “Wait here with me then. I’ll work faster with the visible incentive.”


  “Flatterer.” She sank into the other chair, waving a languid hand for him to proceed.

  But now Red encountered his first real roadblock since activating the control board. Level Four had extra layers of security applied. He tried the techniques which had gained him access to the other monitors and information, but nothing worked. “PolyStarMed made it a real challenge to see what’s going on in Level Four, past or present.” Frustrated, he banged his fist on the offending tab. “Sealed up tight, physically and visually.”

  “But there’s no one down there, right?” Meg came to look over his shoulder.

  He spun the chair to check the life support vitals. “Our party are the only living creatures registering in the entire facility.” Pointing one hand at a line of sensors, he said, “Level Four does report here, to that extent.”

  “Well then, if you can’t reconnoiter tonight, there’s no use sitting here getting worked up over it. Maybe you can ask Bettis to help you tomorrow. He was pretty exhausted and in a lot of pain, but if you’re worried, you could drag him up here now. Not sure how functional he’d be, though.”

  “Yeah, good idea to have Bettis take a look tomorrow, see if he can drill down further than I was able to.” He stood, stretching. “I don’t like not having complete intel on the situation around us—that kind of omission can bite you in the ass—but it seems we don’t have any choice. No alarms sounding, no life forms down there on Four, guess I can wait a few more hours to check. We’re not planning to live here long term anyway.”

  “So, you’re ready to explore Level Two now?” Her voice was teasing, the sexual innuendo clear from her heavy lidded gaze.

  “Only as far as the first door on the left, I think you said?”

  Holding hands, Meg and Red strolled to the gravlift and made the short trip to the second level, stepping off into a reception area. Scanning his surroundings automatically, Red registered a built-in couch and several small tables, and hallways radiating off the main room.

  Meg glanced at the closed doors on the first corridor. “Do you mind if I take a second to check on the Bettises?”

  He craved her undivided attention for the rest of the night, but he could spare the brief time required to ease her concern about their passengers. “Of course not. Good idea, I’ll come with you.”

  Meg walked softly across the floor and into the hall, Red on her heels. She knocked gently on the door, but got no answer. “I’m sure they’re fine, probably asleep,” Meg said, biting her lip. “I don’t want to wake them.” Her lips curved in a grin. “Or interrupt them, as the case may be. This is their honeymoon, after all.”

  “Callina’s been a trooper. When we were on the beach, Finchon had a chance to ransom her along with his own sorry ass, and he refused.” Red grew angry when he remembered the man’s callousness.

  “You’re not serious?” Eyes wide, Meg stopped in her tracks.

  “Apparently, there’s no love lost between the two of them. We both know he could have ransomed all of us and not felt the effects on his credit account. I didn’t expect him to pay for me, I don’t mean comet dust to him, but I sure as hell expected him to save his stepdaughter and her husband at the very least. If I’d figured out a way to escape the cage before you arrived, I was going to take her with me. She was the weakest; she was my priority.”

  She cupped his cheek with one hand for a moment. “I know you’d never let them have Callina, not while you had breath left in your body.”

  He captured her hand and kissed her palm. “I’ll try not to ever disappoint you, Meg, I swear. Soldier’s oath.”

  “I don’t think you could,” she whispered. “Our room is this way.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Red allowed her to lead him to the room she’d picked for them. The Bettises had exchanged knowing glances when she staked a claim to it, but made no protest, only proceeded further along the hall and found another room with a large bed for themselves.

  As soon as Meg crossed the threshold, Red on her heels, and the door closed behind him, he took her in his arms for another soul wrenching kiss, long and deep. He was an excellent kisser. His arousal made its presence known, hot and hard against her stomach where his body pressed close to hers. Suddenly impatient to see all of him, Meg wanted his clothes off now. Eyes closed, her tongue still busy tangling with his, she fumbled with the fastenings of his shirt. He tried to help and their hands bumped into each other. Breaking off the kiss with a laugh, he stood unmoving as she finished undoing the tabs, spreading the shirt open to reveal his muscular upper body and taut abs. She yanked the garment free of his pants and he shrugged it off.

  She took a moment to admire the intricate dragon tattoo starting on his left shoulder, twining onto his back, where the unfurled wings followed the line of his shoulder blades. The tail extended the length of his spine and ended above his butt. The colors were intense—red and black, with hints of gold and turquoise. “This is amazing art.” She traced the silhouette with a fingertip, feeling him shiver under her touch. The slight movement brought on an answering twinge deep in her. Her own arousal intensified. Free arm circling his waist, she pressed a kiss to the center of his back, rubbing her cheek against him. “I was watching from the trees when the Shemdylann examined this, when you were on the beach. I was terrified for you.”

  “Crxtahl asked me what it was and I told him some bullshit. Luckily, he believed me.”

  “Luckily? It’s more than just a dragon?”

  “It’s the emblem of Team Twelve.” She felt him squaring his shoulders as he spoke, unconsciously assuming a military stance. “If the enemy figured out I was Special Forces, I’d have had to obey Order One.”

  “I don’t understand?” The mood had turned dark somehow. Puzzled, keeping her hand on him caressing his side and then the taut muscle of his abdomen, she moved to face him.

  His face was set in grave lines, the usual cheerful expression gone. “We’re not allowed to fall into enemy hands, Meg. We know too much, starting with the all access code. The code’s the merest tip of the classified info in my head. Even if I am on inactive status, retired.”

  “But prisoners must get captured occasionally. How do you—”

  “It’s a Mellurean mind implant.” He tapped his left temple. “Instant suicide.”

  Shocked, she leaned her head against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. The thought that she might have lost him was horrifying. “No.”

  “Has to be that way.” She felt him shrug. The vibration of his deep voice rumbled against her ear as he continued. His strong arms held her tight. “You accept it or you aren’t on the Teams. Simple decision, yes or no. Any good warrior makes peace with the idea of his death before he goes in harm’s way.”

  “I had no idea.” This stern military incarnation of the usually easygoing, cheerful Red was very different than anything she’d ever seen from him, almost like a stranger stood before her. But she’d grown up on the frontier; she was no sheltered Inner Sectors girl. This side of Red was reassuring to someone used to men of integrity and unyielding belief in doing what was right. She hadn’t met many of those crewing luxury charter ships. If anything, his revelation strengthened her attraction to him. “My dad would have been happy if I’d brought you home. I’d be proud to introduce you.”

  Red hugged her. “I’m honored—I hope I get to meet him someday and tell him how special you are. But, hey, enough of this grim military talk. We get wide discretion on when to enact Order One. Obviously, since I’m still alive and kicking.” He tilted her chin gently upward with one finger. “I give you my word of honor, I’ll never abandon you.” He kissed her lips and then asked, “My turn?” He gestured at her shirt.

  With a little start, absorbed in thinking over what he’d revealed to her, she said, “Absolutely.” She ran her hands over his chest, flicking the flat buttons of his nipples lightly, then sliding her palms down his body, skating her left under his waistband and inside his swim trunks. She grasped h
is heavy penis, delighted to find she couldn’t quite circle his girth. Red took a deep breath as she stroked him, but continued to undo her shirt.

  “A little help with this,” he said, pulling on her sleeve.

  Removing her hold, but not before a final caress across the top of his penis with her thumb, she shimmied and her uniform top fell to the floor on top of his. Meg thoroughly enjoyed his masculine murmur of approval as his hands went to the full cups of her black lace bra, tracing the lace with a fingertip, much as she’d admired his dragon tattoo. “Good thing I didn’t know you had this confection on underneath that serious uniform. Gives me all kinds of ideas.” He swallowed hard. “You’re gorgeous,” he said as he lowered his head to take her lips for another kiss.

  His mouth was hot, coffee-flavored, his tongue tangling with hers possessively. Hard as it was to focus under the sensual attack, Meg persisted in her effort to undo the fastening of his trousers. Red stepped out of them and the swim trunks underneath as soon as she undid the belt and eased the garments off his hips. After kicking off his shoes, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he laid her on the mattress as gently as if she was a breakable piece of art. He stood by the bed for a moment, drinking her in with his eyes. The way he focused on her felt like a caress and she stretched like a cat, enjoying the moment.

  A hot throbbing deep inside made Meg shift her hips as she gazed at his naked body, all muscles and hard planes, the jutting arousal leaving her in no doubt he found her as attractive. “Consider me impressed.”

  He laughed, eyes crinkling in that way she found so sexy every time he did it. Oh, yes, it had been hard to adhere to her self-imposed rule about no fraternization. “The feeling is mutual,” he said, sitting at the end of the bed to remove her shoes, followed immediately by her slacks. He ran his hands up the outsides of her legs, pushing her thighs gently apart. Sliding a hand into the vee of her body, he shifted the gusset of her panties out of his way as he inserted two fingers into her. Leaning close, he whispered, “So hot and wet—your response to me turns me on like you wouldn’t believe.”