by Tracy Lauren
I find it kind of odd though, the way Gile kept talking up Mire—and even the way he set up this whole day for Mire and me to spend together—it almost seems like he’s trying to fix me up with his withdrawn brother.
Once the thought hits me I can’t get it out of my head. Gile did say he was concerned with his brother’s happiness and that he was afraid Mire wouldn’t take the leap towards achieving it without Gile’s guidance. Maybe Gile is trying to set up Mire and me. Is this a blind date, I wonder? I think back to my lengthy conversation with Gile night before last. While it was a wonderful exchange and we got along really well, he didn’t necessarily flirt with me, and other than our short discussion about hickeys the tone of our conversation never became sexual or romantic in any way.
I look over at Mire with a fresh set of eyes. He stares back at me, his gaze intense.
“You have interest in learning more about this ship?” he asks.
“I hadn’t thought of it before, but it would probably be important to know a little about things like this. And…it does sound fun.”
Mire stalks toward me and I’m reminded again of a lion. Involuntarily I take a step back, and another, and another. Still he advances, until I bump into one of the panels, startling myself. Mire reaches behind me and I nearly flinch.
“This is for communications,” he says, pointing down at the panel.
“Oh!” I laugh, shaking away my nerves. “Communications. Interesting.” I pretend to focus on all the little buttons and lights Mire indicates, even though the only thing that really has my attention is the proximity of the behemoth at my side. I’m eye level with the man’s biceps and his masculine scent makes me want to lean into him. I find myself studying the alien.
Mire and Gile look a lot alike, despite the fact they’re not truly related. But where Gile is shorter and stockier, Mire is a giant in all directions. His hair is a shade darker too, looking more bronze to Gile’s gold, and he keeps it buzzed close to his head. Though Mire doesn’t smile nearly as often as Gile, I can bet he has those same dangerous-looking canines in his mouth too. And where Gile sometimes gets dressed up and even slicks his short hair back to look fancy, I somehow imagine Mire to be incapable of such an act. As a matter of fact, this is probably the most put-together I’ve ever seen him.
As most days, he’s shirtless, wearing only his heavy boots and utility pants. On his belt is a thick knife and metallic device I assume to be a weapon of some sort. But today everything about him looks so crisp and clean…like he…I don’t know, ironed? Shined his boots maybe? Oh God, this is a set up. When I look up at Mire, his bronze eyes bore into mine. His gaze is smoky, lined with thick lashes the same color as his irises, making eye contact all the more intense. He reaches past me again, and though our bodies aren’t quite touching, it still leaves me pinned between him and the hard metal of the ship.
“This is for navigation.”
“Uh huh.” I nod, not really listening to him. All I can do is think about how massive the muscles on his chest are.
“But this…this runs scans.” He swipes his hand across a screen and it lights up, reminding me of the way light reflects off of water, dancing and rippling across the small monitor. It’s enough to pull my attention from Mire.
“That’s lovely,” I say, truly in awe.
“Computer, dim bridge lighting by 90 percent,” Mire says. His voice is so deep I can feel it rumbling in the pit of my belly. Suddenly the bridge goes dark, leaving only the waves emanating from the screen.
I gasp at the sudden change and clutch onto Mire’s forearm. “Oh my…” I trail off, my eyes following the waves bouncing off dark corners of the room. My gaze leads me to Mire’s face, and the light reacts with his gold-toned flesh, making him shimmer in the darkness. My heart races and my breath hitches as we stare at each other silently.
“Hope you like your ceata hot!” Gile calls from down the hall.
“Computer, return lights to normal settings,” Mire says hurriedly. Gile comes around the corner carrying three steaming mugs in his hands and I can’t help but notice how quickly Mire puts a few feet of distance between us.
I’m left feeling completely confused. Gile hands me my mug, oblivious to my confusion however, and he stares at us expectantly, his grin wide. Neither Mire nor I can seem to hold his gaze.
“Let’s go,” Mire says suddenly, setting down his mug without ever having taken a sip.
I jolt. “Yeah, okay. I’m ready.”
“Have fun!” Gile encourages, clapping his brother on the back and cheesing at me. He pushes us toward the hatch. I don’t know what’s going on with these guys. Is Gile trying to set me up with his brother or does he have his own feelings for me? One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to come between brothers. So until I find out if there’s potential to be more than friends with one of these guys, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.
“Hey, are you sure you didn’t want to join us?” I ask suddenly.
“No!” Gile is quick to say. “You two enjoy the remainder of the day. I have work to do around the village.” Gile puts one hand on my shoulder and the other on his brother’s as he ushers us toward the hatch.
“Good luck today, Mel, though you will not need it with a teacher like Mire. If you were to drag an Ugly Bear back to the village for dinner I would not be surprised in the least. Comm me if you need anything!”
And with that, Mire and I are practically shoved out into the daylight. Gile closes the hatch behind us.
I stare up at Mire nervously. “So, what’s the plan for today?” I ask.
“There is a place not too far from here—an hour-long hike if we go at a human’s pace. It has a grove of trees that are in bloom and a gentle stream winding through it,” Mire tells me.
Hmm…sounds like a suspiciously nice spot for a simple shooting lesson.
Chapter 10
Mel
Mire is quiet as we walk…no big surprise there. And I’m working so hard to keep up with him I don’t have the chance to fill the silence.
Though it’s muddy, the path he leads us on is beautiful, arched over by massive ferns. The air feels cool and crisp against my skin and all around us flowers are beginning to bloom. But the terrain eventually becomes mountainous and sloping and I have to keep my eyes on the slippery ground. Thankfully Mire is attentive and he stays close to me when he thinks I might need help.
Every time he offers me his hand I’m struck by how solid he feels. The man is all muscle. Our hike wears on and his golden flesh starts to glisten with sweat. I have to avert my eyes. The sexiness is just too much to handle. Finally, I clear my throat and try to find a segue into a conversation with the guy.
“I think I owe you an apology,” I say.
“I cannot imagine for what,” he responds, jumping down to a lower rock. He turns to help me. I expect him to hold out his hand, but instead he grips me by the waist and I have to hold onto his bare shoulders to steady myself as he brings me down to level ground.
“I kept Gile out all night, I hope it didn’t inconvenience you in any way,” I tell him. Mire scoffs and an amused smile softens his hard features. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the sulking alien with an expression beyond his usual poker face. I have to say, I like it.
“You did me a favor keeping that one entertained,” he says.
“I’m glad. I was worried you might have been upset,” I admit.
“Never,” he assures me. And just when I think our short-lived conversation is done, Mire surprises me and continues. “My brother had a good time with you.”
“Did he? I thought so, but it’s hard to tell sometimes with all the cultural differences. I never know if I’m missing something.”
“Gile enjoyed getting to know you. It is an opportunity I hope for as well,” he shares. His admission leaves me flustered. Not only because of the striking beauty of the alien saying it, but because he says it at all. Mire doesn’t just run around the village getting
to know people.
“You’d like to get to know me?” I echo, just to be sure I heard him right.
“I would.”
“Oh, well I’d like that too,” I tell him, wondering how I got to be so popular with the Sovolians. While I’m happy to be bonding with Mire, I don’t understand why my relationship with the golden brothers is budding in the first place.
I wonder if the attraction I feel towards the sexy alien men is one-sided. I am a self-diagnosed sex-deprived horn dog, after all. So that wouldn’t be too far-fetched a notion. Perhaps the most logical answer for all this is that the guys are looking to make a connection in the community and they’ve deemed me “safe” for whatever reason. Plus, now that Gorrard is busy with Holly, the Sovolians are probably looking for someone to fill the gap that their friend left behind.
I sigh, admiring the beads of sweat sliding down Mire’s muscled back. As much as I’d prefer a relationship where I could lap up the body fluids of one of these golden boys, I certainly don’t mind having friends that are such eye candy. Friends. I resolve to be that for them…even if I never do get laid.
I’m cursing my silly hormones when Mire turns to me. “The grove is just ahead,” he says, pointing to a copse of trees heavily corded in vines. They wrap the tree trunks and hang from the branches like curtains. Mire pulls ahead to move them aside for me, and I duck past them. Beneath my feet the ground suddenly feels soft and spongy. I look down to see a thick layer of verdant moss blanketing the forest floor. It looks cozy enough to lie on. Even the air here is lovely, perfumed by the scent of tremendous magenta blooms that hang heavily from the vines. Then I hear the soft babble of a nearby brook and I step a little closer to see water gently cascading over pearly white stones.
“Mire, this place is breathtaking!” I spin, taking in everything the magical little grove has to offer. “How did you find this?”
“Walking. I enjoy exploring this world. If it is to be mine I would like to come to know it in its entirety.”
I pause and consider Mire’s words. Gile seems to think that Mire isn’t fully committed to this place, so this admission seems particularly potent.
“You plan on staying?” I question.
“For as long as we are needed.”
“What about the things you and Gile need?” I ask. “A planet of your own maybe? A home?”
“I have survived a long time without those things. I could do so again if necessary.”
“Hmpf, you do sound like you have one foot out the door already,” I point out.
“When one comes from a life of slavery the idea of needs narrows in scope.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. I should be talking about what you want. Because you can think about that now, you know? All the things you want out of life. It doesn’t just have to be needs anymore.”
“Is this what you discuss in your groups?” Mire asks.
I shrug and give him a playful smile. “Maybe. You’d have to come to group to find out.”
“Truly? Is that the only way to find out what you want, Mel?” My silly heart beats a little faster in response to his question.
“I thought we were talking about what you want.”
“Are the two mutually exclusive?” he asks, and I choke back a sputter as Mire assesses me with those piercing eyes of his.
Thoughtful, he bites into his full bottom lip and the subtle but sexy image nearly causes my panties to spontaneously catch fire. “What I want is to share this place with you,” he tells me, nodding to the beautiful landscape around us.
“It really is gorgeous here, Mire. Thank you for bringing me.”
“There is more,” he tells me, striding over to one of the vine-laden trees. He stretches his mountainous form, reaching up to snag a long fern-like branch. He pulls it down and I see the underside is covered with little hardened knobs. Mire breaks a few off and brings them to me.
“What are those?” I ask, coming closer to see what it is he holds. The little knobs are bright yellow, with a round indentation in the center. The shape of it vaguely reminds me of a barnacle, but the texture is more like a bumpy melon. Mire jabs his thumb into the center, tearing it open, and a thick, gooey gel beads at the scar he makes. The shade of it is a vivid ruby color, contrasting with the yellow exterior of what I’m coming to realize is some sort of fruit.
“Taste it,” Mire offers. I look up at him before I grab onto his wrist and lean in to suck the ruby sap from the fruit he holds. My eyes go wide. This fruit is so otherworldly, there’s really nothing I can even compare the flavor to. It’s sweet and fresh and I feel like I could eat a thousand of them if given the chance.
“This is delicious,” I extoll.
“You are not done yet.” Mire tears the fruit in two, discarding the yellow rind. Inside is a nearly opaque, whitish disk. He holds it out to me and I take it. The core of the fruit feels cool to the touch, but when I bite into it the temperature is like ice.
“Whoa!”
Mire chuckles at my reaction and takes the rest of the fruit he gathered and drops them into my messenger-style bag that hangs across my body. Something about the simple gesture seems intimate to me and it feels strange to suddenly have a sense of comfort around a guy who only an hour ago seemed so distant and intimidating.
“I confess, sharing this place with you is not all that I want,” he tells me. A couple of naughty sexual positions inadvertently pop into my mind. Maybe Mire pushing me up against one of these big, hard trees.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask, batting my eyes innocently.
“Did you bring your charger?”
“I did.”
“Perfect. Let’s begin your lesson. I would sleep much better at night knowing all the females had extensive weapons training.”
Womp womp, my inner horn dog whines. I had nearly forgotten there was a reason for our little excursion into the forest.
All business, Mire starts his lesson with the basics and shows me how to adjust all the functions on the charger. Then we move up to target practice. At first he has me shooting randomly at the vines, just to get a feel for the weapon. But once I start hitting my targets he ups the ante and tells me which vines I should be aiming for. My winning streak begins to decline at that point and I start to feel like I might not be any good at shooting.
“Relax. You grow more tense each time you miss,” Mire points out, scrutinizing me.
I fire and a blast of light goes zipping off into the distance. Mire has the audacity to laugh and I narrow my gaze at him, biting back my own smile.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve laughing at a girl with a gun,” I tease.
“I’m not worried,” he chuckles.
“You should be, you’re a bigger target than those vines.”
“Even still, you could not hit me.”
“Ouch, you’re breaking my heart, Mire.”
“I would never,” he tells me, his smile fading. Then, without word or warning, he springs from his spot against a tree and pulls in close behind me. He’s so close, in fact, that my back is flush with his chest and slowly he helps me raise my gun. “You are aiming for the short one to the right,” he reminds me. “Now fully extend your arm and keep your eyes on your target.”
I do as he suggests and fire off a round, missing the vine entirely.
“I did not tell you to fire yet,” Mire reprimands.
“Whoops,” I say, feeling flustered by his touch. Mire chuckles and I can feel the deep rumble of it reverberating against me. I fight the desire to lean back and melt against him.
“Extend your arm. Now, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Then fire.”
I do as he asks, trying not to focus on the contact between us and instead I zero in on the vine. This time when I fire I split the green tendril in two.
“Fuck yeah,” I mutter under my breath. Mire runs his hand down my side, giving my hip a firm squeeze. My eyes go wide and I choke on a lusty whimper.
“Very good
,” he commends, releasing me and backing away. “Now the next one, to the right.”
Inwardly I grumble at the distance he puts between us, but I focus on the task at hand. Mire instructs me in my shooting until I’ve cut a window in the curtain of vines. Then, it’s time to head back.
I find that I’m surprised not only by how quickly the time seemed to pass, but also by what good company Mire had been. It makes me wonder why he keeps the rest of the village at arm’s length. Though I don’t think I know him well enough to ask about that just yet.
On the way back we take a different route, turning toward the village rather than the airfield. The return hike seems to take less time—a fact that leaves me feeling sorry. My afternoon with Mire turned out to be far more pleasurable than I expected and when he holds my hand to guide me down a slick, muddy slope, I blush over the fact that I have two alien crushes. This may not be the distraction that I wanted, but perhaps it’s the one that I needed. Two fantasy boyfriends are a lot less messy than one real one, especially in a small village like Beacon.
Chapter 11
Mel
Mire and I scarcely get into the gate before we hear Reagan’s agitated voice rising in the courtyard.
“Oh shit,” I complain, breaking into a jog. Mire remains by my side as I hurry to the scene of the drama.
The dinner bell hasn’t been rung yet and I follow the sound of the voices into the pantry.
“What’s going on?” I demand. Inside the room Gabby and a few of her minions are having a standoff with Reagan who protectively blocks V. It’s ironic considering V is the last person on Beacon who needs any protecting. From what I’ve heard, that weapon inside her is like her own personal war machine. Still, when I see a metallic sheen wash over V and notice the frightened look in her eyes I grow concerned over how this might play out.
“These dumb bitches are trying to get a rise out of V just to see what her TASE can do,” Reagan accuses loudly.
Mire stiffens beside me. “Get them away from her,” he says in a low voice. I don’t know much about the TASE, but Mire’s worry tells me everything.
