by Bianca D’Arc
When the storm broke, she felt completely at peace for the first time in her very complicated life. As if nothing could ever hurt her—as long as she was with him.
Her heart broke open wide, and he moved in, whether he was aware of it or not, it didn’t matter. After this night’s experiences, John Starbridge would always own a piece of her soul.
And she was okay with that. She liked having him there, in her heart and her mind—and especially in her body. Truth be told, he hadn’t strayed far from her thoughts since that first night she’d barged in on him to find him shirtless and listening to her music.
They made love long into the night, and in the morning, she woke to another round of tender pleasure. There was a poignancy to their joinings after that first time. A sense that this was all going to go away sooner rather than later, due to circumstances beyond their control.
There was a slight feeling of desperation, but that only made the loving all that more special. It was a stolen night, away from prying eyes or judging stares. They could be themselves in the little cocoon of privacy they’d managed to steal for the night.
Diva was somewhere else. As was the captain. Only Maggie and John remained, twined together, almost never apart throughout that long, wonderful night.
In the morning, reality intruded once again.
They showered together in the luxuriously appointed bath chamber stocked with high-end toiletries from exotic spots all over the galaxy. Only the best for Diva, of course.
She ordered breakfast to be brought up by a server bot, and they lazed in the suite, wearing robes provided by the hotel and feeding each other a gourmet selection of pastries and breakfast foods until they were both laughing and ready once more for more amorous pursuits.
She enjoyed her stolen time with him, knowing it was all coming to an end more quickly than either of them wished. As soon as she found a way to impart her information, he’d probably have to go, to act on her intel. She knew she was counting down to his departure, though he still thought he had a week’s leave coming.
She delayed until she knew she couldn’t any longer. As she was dressing to leave for a long-scheduled meeting later that afternoon, she broached the subject she knew would send him away much sooner than she wanted.
“John, I heard something I think you should know about,” Maggie said as John watched her put an earring on.
He liked watching her turn from Maggie the sex kitten he was just getting to know into the self-possessed galactic superstar known as Diva. The clothing went a long way toward making that change, but it was also the cosmetics and the accessories. Though she worked faster than any woman he’d ever known, she still took a while to transform from sweet Maggie to the fire-breather Diva. It was like watching a master magician work.
But her brittle tone and the worried look in her eyes made him stop and take note. She was serious about whatever it was she wanted to tell him.
“What’s wrong?” He immediately thought of ways to extend his leave so he could do whatever it was she wanted him to do.
Maggie laughed, but it sounded forced to him.
“It’s probably nothing, but I just can’t help but worry. My last show was out near Andrakian space, and we held a meet and greet after for the local dignitaries.” She wrung her hands together as she stood to pace.
John knew the Andrakian region of the Milky Way galaxy was out near the rim. The Andrakians were humanoids who claimed their ancestry was from ancient Earth, but human scientists had long disputed their claims. Andrakians were a strange people that weren’t widely trusted by the military. Command never seemed to know whether the andraks were for or against jit’suku colonization of the outer rim. It was something humanity fought against, but every once in a while, some politician raised the issue of negotiating peace with the jits by giving them a foothold in the Milky Way galaxy.
That would happen over John’s dead body.
“What happened?”
Maggie’s pacing stopped. She halted before the vid unit and turned to face him. John didn’t like the look in her eyes. He read fear in every muscle of her body, and he didn’t like that at all.
“The Andrakian ambassador said some things that really disturbed me. Oh, they weren’t bad on the surface, but when taken together with some things I saw on their orbital station, it really had me worried.”
John stood, taking her hands in his own. He felt the slight tremble in her fingers as he closed his own over them.
“Tell me what you saw and what the ambassador said.”
He guided her over to the couch, and they sat, but he didn’t release her hands. She looked truly worried, and he wanted to offer what comfort he could.
“When we first docked, there was a lot of hassle. Usually we’re given priority berthing because they’re expecting us. You know how it went when you traveled with the tour.” John nodded, well aware of the VIP treatment Diva’s ship was given. “They wouldn’t let us off the ship for hours, and then only through specially marked corridors. Everyone was given perimeter passes that would alert station personnel if we strayed off the marked pathways. It was like being in prison.”
“Go on.” John didn’t like the sound of this at all. He squeezed her fingers gently, offering silent support.
Maggie breathed deeply. “I…well, I strayed. I ditched the perimeter pass and went off to see what they were hiding. I figured I could get away with it, being Diva and all. Most people don’t expect me to have much of a brain in my head, and it suited me this time to let them believe it.”
John frowned. “You took a big chance, Diva or not. Please Maggie, don’t tell me they caught you snooping.”
“Actually,” she looked momentarily smug, “they didn’t. I got around their security pretty easily and saw a bit of what they didn’t want us to see. It was an army, John. They were preparing an invasion force of some kind, working hard to ready hundreds of small fighter ships and the troops were crowded three and four into a cubicle, sleeping in shifts. It was pretty scary.”
“Andrakians keep a standing army, Maggie. Maybe that’s what you saw.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. This was more than a regular army. This was way bigger. And the ambassador confirmed it with his cryptic words after the show.”
“Okay, so what did the ambassador say that makes you so suspicious?”
“He said he looked forward to my return visit. When I told him we had no plans to return, and that no Andrakian station or colony was on our tour itinerary, he got downright scary. He said to expect a change in itinerary soon, and it wasn’t said in a friendly way. It sounded more like a threat, John, as if he expected big changes in the coming weeks.” Maggie gripped his forearm, pressing home her sense of urgency. “Then, he said something about new alliances and reunification. John, I’ve heard about the Andrakian reunification movement. I think the government—or at least the ambassador—is involved.”
John started. This was bad news. Very bad news. If it was true.
There were rumors about a group of important Andrakians who believed they descended from the jit’suku. They believed Andrakia and all its colonies were merely intergalactic settlements by pioneering jits.
And they wanted to rejoin their brethren. Or more accurately, they wanted the jits to come join them in the Milky Way. But jits weren’t welcome in the Milky Way, and the human government that owned eighty-five percent of the galaxy wouldn’t allow jit’suku incursion anywhere within the spiral arms of the home galaxy.
It sounded like the Andrakians were preparing for war. War with humanity over jit’suku incursion.
John’s worst nightmare.
“There was something else.” Maggie’s hesitant words recaptured his attention. She stood and retrieved something small from a table on the other side of the room. John couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips as she walked back toward him. Distracted, he almost didn’t notice the micro data disc she held out to him. “I found this waiting
for me back aboard my ship. It was from someone named Dalen, and it was addressed to you.”
John was floored at Maggie’s mention of the super-secret spy who had helped him and his men before. If Dalen knew enough to get a message to him through Diva, then the spy was even better than John had credited.
“Did you access it?” He tried to keep his tone gentle as he took the small disc from her hand.
She shook her head, blushing a bit. “I wanted to, but it wouldn’t open for me.”
John pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “I’m glad you didn’t see whatever’s on this disc, Maggie. Dalen runs in circles it’s best you stay clear of. In fact, it’s in your best interest to forget that name, and the existence of this disc. He took a risk using you to get to me, and I don’t like it. I don’t want you caught in the middle of this mess, whatever it is.”
“I’ve had time to think about it, John, and it must have something to do with what I saw on the Andrakian station. I questioned my crew and checked the records. That disc had to have been placed physically on board my ship—in my quarters—by hand. That means this Dalen, or someone close to him, was on board the station.”
John set her back and held her shoulders, catching and holding her gaze to impress upon her the seriousness of his words.
“You’re probably right, but honey, you’ve got to forget you ever saw this disc or ever heard the name Dalen. Promise me.”
“But I could help—”
He squeezed her shoulders. “Promise me. It’s too dangerous, and I couldn’t bear thinking about you being in danger. Please, Maggie. Do this for me.”
She gave in with grace, though he could tell she wanted to argue.
“All right, John. For you.”
His lips captured hers in a sweet salute that quickly turned to passion.
But he put her away all too soon, as she’d thought he would. Their time together was at an end. She could see it in his eyes.
“Honey, I know I said I had a week’s worth of R&R, but this…” He held up the disc with a troubled expression.
She covered his hand with hers. “I know. I thought this might happen, which is why I selfishly didn’t tell you right away, but I couldn’t, in good conscience, wait any longer. I’m sorry, John. For both of us. But I understand your duty. I understand why you have to go.”
He crushed her to him for a long, emotional hug that said more than words could express. When he let her go, they both seemed to have a little extra sparkle of tears in their eyes.
“You mean the universe to me, Maggie,” he said in that low, rumbly voice that she loved.
“Right back at’cha, Captain.” She tried with fierce determination to hold herself together. She wouldn’t fall apart in front of him. Not now. Not after the joy and pleasure they’d shared.
Her dreams had come true last night, but reality was biting them both in the ass today. As she’d thought it would. Duty called to both of them.
“Thank you for passing on this information, and I’ll be selfish and thank you also for waiting until now to do it.” He laughed and leaned down to kiss her lips, smiling. When he lifted his head again, his gaze was soft and sad. “But you know what this means. You’re a smart lady.”
“I’m guessing it means you’ll probably have to go put down an Andrakian rebellion, and I’m the one who sent you into the thick of it.” She let just a bit of her discomfort show.
“Don’t think of it like that,” he told her, hugging her close, swaying a bit from side to side. “No matter what happens, this is my job. Whether you were the conduit for the information or it came to us through more regular channels, once command hears of this, my unit will undoubtedly be sent in. It’s what we do. So it’s not your fault in any way. Remember that, Maggie. This is who I am. It’s what I do.”
She placed her hand over his heart, feeling the strong beat of it. “I know. It’s what makes you so darn attractive to me. You’re a strong man who protects others. That’s really sexy.”
She would leave him with happy memories of their last moments together, she decided. She’d tease him and remind him of the magnificent hours just past. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. There was time enough for tears when she was alone again and he was out there…fighting a war she had sent him into the middle of, no matter what he might say.
His strong hands tightened on her waist as he smiled. “Honey, you’re the sexy one in this relationship.” His gaze held hers as he seemed to realize what he’d just implied. “That is…if this is something you want to continue.”
“Are you out of your mind? Of course, I do. Whenever. Wherever. I know we’ve both got obligations, but I want you in my life, John. I hope you want the same.”
“Are you kidding?” His smile was back, and it held the force of the sun, the mystery of the moon. “I thought I showed you last night how much I want to be with you.”
“Oh, you did, Captain. You certainly did,” she agreed, reaching up to place soft kisses along his strong jaw. She was going to miss him so much. Maybe she could keep him here a little longer. “If you need a secure com station,” she whispered, “mine is top notch.”
But John pulled back, his expression turning serious again as he was reminded of his duty. Dammit. She hadn’t meant to do that, but she knew it couldn’t be helped. She was going to be late already, and he…well…she knew he had a job to do. She understood it. Hell, she even admired it.
“No, Maggie. You’ve been involved in this too much already. I’ll use military channels from here on out. Hopefully, nothing will trace back to you in any way. I’m not putting you in more danger.” He kissed her one more time, sweetly, and then stepped back, letting her go. “I hate it, but I have to go.”
She glanced at the chronometer on the wall. “So do I.” She hated to have to say it. “I’m already late.”
“You go first. I’ll sneak out a few minutes later. Just in case the hotel’s security isn’t as good as you’re paying them to be.” He gave her a lopsided smile that threatened to loose the tears straining behind her eyes.
She retrieved her bag reluctantly, then he walked her toward the door.
“I don’t want to leave,” she admitted in a small voice.
He put his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close again. “It means a lot to me to hear you say that, Maggie mine.”
She turned, clinging to him desperately for another long moment while they stood together, in front of the doorway that would separate them again…maybe forever. Fate could be cruel, she decided in that moment. To allow her to find such a man, only to rip them apart time after time.
He kissed her cheeks, softly, with a tenderness she’d known only from him. He was such an amazing man, in so many ways. But she couldn’t stay in this idyllic bubble forever. The galaxy was still out there, in trouble, and they both had their separate duties to perform.
Finding strength she didn’t know she had, she gradually pulled away from his embrace. He let her go, his eyes holding the same sadness that she felt in her heart.
She wanted to say so many things, but words were inadequate for the depth of emotion she felt. She placed her palm on his cheek, holding his gaze for one last moment before she turned and fled out the door, unable to look back.
If she had, he’d have seen the tears falling uncontrollably down her face. She didn’t want to leave him with that image, so instead, she ran down the corridor and straight into the waiting lift. Within seconds, she was out of his sight.
And in the privacy of the lift, she cried. Though, by the time she reached her destination, she’d gradually pushed Maggie’s heartbreak to the background and donned her Diva mask. It was time to go to work.
It was only much later that night, after a concert and the ensuing meet and greet period, that she returned to her hotel room. The love nest of the night before had been cleaned by the bots and returned to its ubiquitous state of impersonal cleanliness. No trace of John remained, except for the note she found on
the desk, written on the old-fashioned hotel stationary supplied in the drawer of the desk.
In a bold hand, the name Maggie was written across the front of the sealed envelope. Holding her breath, she opened it and unfolded the paper, handwriting in the same masculine scrawl covering the page in a single message.
It read simply, “I love you, Maggie mine. Until we meet again, John.”
Chapter Six
The Andrakian rebellion took months to quell. Diva watched the news reports like everyone else, knowing that John was in the center of the storm. She worried intensely about him, but she couldn’t let it show. She had to maintain the Diva aloofness at all costs.
She stuck to her grueling tour schedule, though they changed up the itinerary to give a wide berth to the Andrakian sector of the Milky Way. The Diva show stayed firmly on the other side of the galaxy from the conflict, though she did insist on occasional forays closer so she could play benefit concerts for men coming out of the hot zone.
All the while, she held that simple note, written on paper, close to her heart. John had said he’d loved her. He’d written it down, so she knew it was true. Of all the things he could’ve written, he’d wanted her to have those words to take with her into their uncertain future.
She loved him too, but she hadn’t had the nerve to tell him when they’d been together. She wished every day that she’d been able to give him that same gift.
She could only hope that fate gave her a chance to tell him…someday. If they were ever in the same place, at the same time, again. It was too precious a message to record on a holo or send via courier. No, this had to be said in person. She wanted to see his eyes when she told him and bask in the knowledge that her feelings were returned.
She kept sending messages to him, but his replies were few and far between. He was in a war zone and in danger every day. She still had to be careful about how she sent her messages and what they said, lest they be intercepted, but she wouldn’t stop sending them. He’d told her how much they meant to him, and she was determined to keep the lines of communication open, even if it was mostly one-sided these days.
