“You could never understand.”
“Well, I can’t understand unless you explain.”
She sat silently, her lips pressed together.
And Javan was again flooded with memories of Morna. “My ex-wife was, still is, a Blue.”
Sola smacked her fist on the table. “I don’t wish to discuss her.”
“Um…okay.” Javan studied her. Strange that she wasn’t surprised by what should have been a shocking revelation. Was she just jealous?
“I’m not jealous, so don’t even think it.”
“Okay.” He didn’t quite believe her, didn’t know what to make of her response.
She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “I’m just shocked by the misalliance.”
Not jealous, then, appalled. His pride, which he thought had died years ago, swelled up in his throat. “I was once considered alliance-worthy,” he muttered. He couldn’t look at her. The rest of humanity could have comprised rodents and cockroaches for all the Blues cared. And she was one of them. He’d been treating her like a woman, forgetting who she was, forgetting what she was. He’d actually felt sorry for her, had even considered putting himself in danger for her. Well, at least it was clear where he stood. Fuck-worthy, but not alliance-worthy. If that was the way she wanted it…
“I’m going to my cabin,” she said and walked away, still quite gloriously naked.
He stared at the heart-shaped perfection of her ass. “Within the week we’ll be putting in at Artemis.”
She stopped with her back to him. “Artemis Space Station? The fabled last port before the dark. Poems have been written about her.” She pivoted, her hair framing her face in soft dark waves. “After that we jump, right?”
He ran a hand through his hair. One minute she was a high-and-mighty Blue; the next she reverted into a dreamy little space geek. He was full of a strange feeling for her that he couldn’t pinpoint. Not love. Even he wasn’t that stupid, but something about her made his heart leap.
She gazed up into his eyes. “You’ll let me see Artemis.”
“No, I’m just putting in to unload my cargo and pick up a few supplies. It’ll only take a couple of hours. I’ll bring you a meal—real food—but you will stay on the ship.”
“No, I won’t.” Her eyes shining, she shoved him against the wall, reached down and unzipped his flight pants.
“You’re not going to change my mind, Sola.”
“Yes, I am.” She dropped to her knees in front of him. He began to stop her but instead buried his hands in her hair. She pulled down his pants and slowly took his cock into her mouth.
She was as good as her word. Within the hour he was promising her Artemis, the galaxy, the universe and everything. Her smile was triumphant as she shoved him onto the table, climbed on top of him and brought him to a ragged, desperate climax, pulling his mouth to her breast as he plunged into her again and again. She gently wiped the sweat from him as his breathing returned to normal.
Javan nipped her neck and watched her body respond. She tried to move away, but he held her firmly, pushed her onto her back and slid on top of her. He pulled her hands down next to her thighs and held them there. She was looking mighty pleased with herself.
“Two can play at this game,” he whispered and pushed her legs apart with a forceful knee. Enjoying her look of alarm, he made good on his word and kissed down her belly before using his tongue to drive her to the edge. Within the hour he had the first name of her uncle, her family name and the admission that yes, she found Captain Javan Rhodes irresistibly attractive. He delivered the orgasm, enjoying how she held her bucking body to the table with clenched fists and how she screamed his name as she came. He gathered her into his arms, and she clung to him, sobbing.
Javan held her tighter, reminding himself that this feeling could not possibly be love, because that would be such an unwise and terrible mistake. Attraction—yes. Admiration—yes. She was clever. And funny. And… He picked her up, carried her to his cabin and laid her on the bunk. She turned away and curled into a ball as he covered her with a blanket. She was utterly exhausted, and he felt a twinge of guilt over how thoroughly and repeatedly he had brought her to the edge of orgasm, only to force information from her, then resume and repeat until finally allowing her release.
He tapped on the cabin control panel, turning on the ultraviolet vitalight. She was already sleeping, her chest rising and falling steadily. He watched her for a while, wallowing in memories of women he’d thought he loved. Morna, married to him against her will. Olympia, he wouldn’t even think about. And that brave sweet girl he had once abandoned to an unknown fate—he wouldn’t think about her either. He reached out to touch Sola as she slept, but quickly withdrew his hand. Not love, he decided. He didn’t even know what it was.
Javan stepped into the shower cubicle and turned the air pressure on high, then smarted as it blasted against the scratches on various parts of his body. He punched in a light layer of antibiotic moisturizer and winced as it sprayed his skin. They would enjoy a water shower on Artemis, though the expense of bringing it up from the planet made the price outrageous. And they would eat at the most expensive restaurant. He would deliver her to her destination, but he would make sure she had the journey of a lifetime. He could at least give her that. He wondered why he was spending his dwindling credits on her, and decided it was out of the kind generosity of his heart and that he really deserved a vacation. No other reasons than that. Nope. None.
“No, you can’t wear that. Take off the cloak.” He rummaged in a locker and handed her one of his extra flight jackets. “Wear that.”
“Oh, can I keep it?” She wriggled into the overly large jacket.
“Sure. Now, I’m doing you a favor by bringing you here. The fewer questions about you, the better. You’ll need to be less of a haughty Blue and more…”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You’ll need to act like an employee. Though no one will believe I’ve taken on crew. People who see you with me will think…”
Her expression did not change.
“There are women, you see, who, not unlike you, are kind of obsessed with space. And they jaunt around the galaxy, hitching rides where they may, not caring too much who they are riding…with.”
Much to his relief, she laughed. “I’d be delighted to impersonate your latest space slut. I think you’ll admit I’ve been doing a rather good impersonation so far, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you certainly have. Here, wear this too.” He handed her a cap and helped her tuck her hair into it. “There. You look adorable.” He bent to kiss her, but she quickly averted her face. “Oh? You’ll only kiss me in the heat of passion?”
“I didn’t like what you did earlier.”
“Really? I was under quite a different impression. You know, while you were screaming my name and scratching me to ribbons.”
She didn’t even blush. “Not the sex. When you were questioning me about whether I had to go through with the marriage. I don’t want to discuss it with you again. I must fulfill my duty, and you must do what you’ve been paid to do.”
“And if I promise not to mention it again, I’ll be allowed to kiss you?”
She smiled, lighting up with pleasure. “I would love for you to kiss me whenever you feel like it.” Using the collar of his flight jacket to pull him closer, she kissed him fiercely.
He broke the kiss. She had said the word love. He touched his fingers to her lips, and she kissed them.
Swallowing a sigh, he said, “Let’s go see Artemis, my lady. Quite a few people know me here.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her off to the hold, where bots were already unloading the cases of brandy and a delighted businessman was rubbing his hands together.
“Rhodes, my friend. It’s been far too long. I ran out of brandy months ago. What kept you?” He caught sight of Sola and looked her up and down with obvious relish. “Well, well, I begin to understand. Where did you find this treasure?”
Theo smirked. “Relax, my friend. I can see how it is. When I heard you were docking, I came right down to see what I could buy. I want it all! Name your price.”
“You can have it all except for one crate of brandy. For my personal use.” Javan named an outrageous price, and they set to fierce haggling until the deal was agreed upon and the credits had been transferred.
“Ah, you’re a lucky man, Rhodes,” Theo said. “A fantastic payload, a beautiful woman, and it even looks like you got your tub fixed up. Life is good, no?”
“Yes, it is.” He took Sola’s hand and led her off the dock, as happy as he could remember feeling in a long, long time.
They strode down a gleaming metallic tunnel lit by lines of neon tubing. Other tunnels split off from the main one, each a different color.
Sola’s face was enrapt. “Where to first?”
Javan grinned. “I have a plan, my lady. I want it to be a surprise. Just stick close to me. It’s very easy to get lost if you don’t understand the color-coding. And there are some places you do not want to find yourself in.”
Sola’s eyes widened. “Like where?”
“Well, Artemis is a law unto itself. The man who owns it employs a vicious cadre of security who turn a blind eye to almost anything for the right price.”
“Destin Grady. He used to be a Blue. He owns Artemis? I thought he was just the station manager.”
“You have done your homework. Officially he’s the station manager. Unofficially his word is law. He owns everything on the station and most of the people, including Theo. Grady’s one of the richest men in the galaxy. He collects art, books and, rumor has it, women. Did you ever meet him on Earth?”
“Oh no, I’m from a minor family. And no one is allowed to mention his name. He was famous for something, but then he betrayed us and came here. I remember his name being taken out of the historical accounts. ”
“The war,” Javan said softly.
“What?”
“He was famous for something he did during the war.”
“What war?”
“The Three Worlds War, of course.”
“Oh, that,” she said dismissively.
“Was the war taken out of the history you learned too?” He used sarcasm to mask his growing anger.
“No, of course not. But it was just a minor war. It was a foregone conclusion that we would win. Just a few rebels with delusions of grandeur.”
Her face was lowered, and he couldn’t see her expression. He walked faster, wishing he could walk fast enough to get away from the dictator’s version of history. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Sola. I had credited you with more intelligence than to swallow the blatant propaganda.”
She kept pace with him and stayed silent. He felt a squeeze to his hand and glanced down at her.
She bit her lip. “Forgive me. I was very young at the time, and like you say, it seems there are some holes in my education.”
He sighed. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t been taught the true story of the rebels and the war.
“Javan, did you…” She hesitated. “Did you fight with the rebels?”
He shook his head. “Sola, every single rebel was killed, as were their families, their friends and anyone who had ever helped them in any way. They’re all dead. By order of the dictator. Your dictator.”
She pulled her hand from his. “Not my dictator.”
He laughed mirthlessly. “Your entire social class belongs to him, and that includes you. After all, he had to approve the marriage you are being sold into. I wonder what he’s getting out of the deal.”
“You said that you wouldn’t mention it again.”
He sighed. “Yes, I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Let’s just drop the politics and have some fun. What do you say?”
She glanced up at him, hard-eyed and serious for a second, before smiling. “Yes, no more serious discussions. What’s this surprise you’ve planned for me?”
“We’re almost there.” He turned a corner, following a red neon tube. “We’re going to the Red Sector. Not too dangerous, rather expensive and…here it is.”
They walked out into a massive open space with a glass-encased dome overhead, and a variety of stores and bars and restaurants lining the concourse. People milled everywhere, laughing, drinking.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a dimly lit storefront with a voluptuous woman lying on a chaise longue in front of the entrance.
“Whorehouse.”
Her eyes widened. “And that place?” She indicated a garishly lit bar.
“Drug den.”
She giggled—a little nervously, he thought. “And that?” She pointed to a soaring glass structure that reached up to the glass dome.
“Our destination.” He pulled her toward it, guiding her as she took it all in. The Red Sector of Artemis Station was a hard thing not to stare at. They walked past an extremely expensive restaurant, famous throughout the galaxy. Two long legs unfurled into their path, blocking them.
“Captain Rhodes?”
He turned, recognizing in an instant both the voice and the man who sat sprawled in a chair outside the restaurant.
“It’s been a long time, Captain. Too long.”
In Destin Grady’s frosty blue eyes, Javan saw the wasted lives of untold thousands of innocents. Between the destruction of the colony ship Vesuvian, the New York City massacre and the bombing of Beijing, this man had annihilated the rebels. He’d been cast aside by the dictator after the Three Worlds War for an unknown reason. Javan had never asked, though those chilly eyes dared him to try.
Grady examined Sola. “And I see you’ve acquired yourself a companion. Excellent. Space travel can be far too lonely.”
Sola stared at Grady with avid fascination. Javan suppressed a sigh and introduced them, feeling left out as they sized each other up.
“Sola? What a pretty name,” Grady drawled, flicking his eyes up and down her body.
Javan pulled her closer, causing Grady to smile, but Sola didn’t seem to notice. She couldn’t stop looking at Grady, and a slight shudder ran through her body. A pang of possessiveness ran through Javan’s.
“I’ve been waiting three months for the brandy, Captain. But now that I see what has kept you delayed, I understand. I thought maybe Olympia had caught up with you, but I see that’s not the case. Yet.”
Javan took Sola by the hand and tried to lead her away, but she was paralyzed by curiosity. He had to give her a firm tug before she moved.
“Do you have plans, Captain, or would you and your companion care to join me?”
Sola looked inclined to join him, but Javan got in first. “Sorry, Grady, but we do have plans. Maybe some other time?”
“I’ll bet you have plans.” Grady emitted a bored sigh and turned his gaze once again toward Sola. “Don’t be late with the brandy again, Captain, or I’ll find someone else to bring it in.”
Javan gave a curt nod and pulled Sola away from the scene.
She touched his hand. “But wouldn’t it be interesting to talk with him? I’d like to know more about him and about Artemis.”
“Keep walking. You do not want to catch the eye of Destin Grady. Believe me.”
She looked rebellious for a moment before shrugging and skipping to catch up with him. “On to the surprise, then?”
Javan swept her through the crystalline entrance of the towering structure.
“It’s called the Glass Castle. I’ll be right back.” He left Sola exploring and approached the glass reception area. “I want the best room you have available.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the woman behind the desk. “Place your hand on the identity scanner, please.”
Javan did so as Sola joined him. “This place is quite magnificent. Look, there are l
ights embedded within the glass.”
Destin Grady joined them. “Hello again.”
Javan scowled.
Grady smiled. “Give them the best room, Tilda. And there will be no charge.”
Javan tried to refuse, but Grady insisted. “I was rather rude to you earlier, and I wish to apologize. I’m sure you were delayed with good reason. I’m in the penthouse if you and Sola would care to drop by.” He waved. “Oh, I know. I won’t be seeing you. Well, enjoy yourselves.” Grady walked away without waiting for a reply.
Javan stared after him, wondering why he was being so uncharacteristically hospitable.
Sola stared after him too. “Maybe I did meet him before. He seems…familiar to me somehow.”
Jealousy coursed through Javan. “Let’s go, my lady.”
She turned to him and unleashed a dazzling smile. “I’m ready for my surprise, Javan.”
Sola emitted a long-drawn-out moan. “Oh, that feels so good. More please, more, more, more.”
Javan obliged her, rinsing the soap off her body with the water jet and his hands. “Enough?”
“I’ll never get enough. I’ve decided the worst thing about space travel is the lack of water.”
“I thought it was the lack of real food.”
“That too!”
She was unforgivably beautiful as he gently sluiced the last of their purchased hot water over her sleek black hair, her glistening shoulders, her arched back.
“But the thing is I’ve never enjoyed the feel of water quite so much. It’s something I’ve always taken for granted, but I don’t think I ever will again.”
“Every time I get back to Earth, I always land at Piraeus, and the very first thing I always do is go for a swim in the Aegean.”
“Oh, that must be glorious. I want to do that. Do you just jump right in?”
“Yes, I strip off my clothes and plunge right in.”
“I wish I could do that with you one day.”
He stepped away to fetch her towel, not trusting himself to speak, knowing if he did, he would offer her the chance to swim in the Aegean—and knowing she would refuse.
He wrapped her in the towel and rubbed her down vigorously until she was squealing at him to stop, almost collapsing with laughter. They threw themselves on the bed.
Blue Galaxy Page 3
