Sensations had engulfed Alexia, not just from the super-charged climaxes, but the subversively delicious kissing, so forbidden, so sweet, so joyful. Rick had seemed as mesmerized as she was, and while she knew he needed to leave before dawn, that was hours from now, wasn’t it?
So why was he already drifting away?
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she suggested finally.
“It’s not about us, I promise.” He gave her a warm smile, but when she just stared, he nodded and continued. “It’s about my past. Specifically, my dad. TJ filled you in on how he died, right?”
She nodded.
“What exactly did he say?”
She stared into his green eyes, respectful of the pain behind them. “He said there was a gun battle with the Petrini family. An ambush. Your father never had a chance. But at least Vigg Petrini got killed too. Caught in the crossfire, right?”
Rick hesitated, then said quietly, “That’s the public version. And it’s fairly accurate. They put five laser darts in Dad while Vigg waited outside, that fucking coward. When they were sure Dad was incapacitated but still breathing—barely—they called Vigg back in to do the honors. Because apparently, the fucker wanted to be the one to put the final blast in Dad’s head. But he didn’t notice Dad still had his pistol in his hand.” Rick’s eyes began to blaze. “Dad shot Vigg right in the throat. Then he offed the two remaining goons. Then he died.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Why wasn’t that the public version? It’s so heroic.”
“The thinking was, the Petrinis might have come after Dad’s only remaining family, namely me.” His tone grew strident. “No one survived the battle, but there was surveillance footage from the warehouse. The feds confiscated it before the Petrinis could know. Then they doctored it to make it look like Vigg got hit by friendly fire.”
“I’m so glad,” she whispered, slipping her hands behind his neck and forcing him to lock gazes with her. “And I’m so glad they told you. He was a hero, right until the end. You must be so proud.”
“Yeah.” He nodded sadly. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t share the truth with anyone. Not even TJ.”
“Don’t worry, it sleeps with the fishes.”
He grinned. “Thanks.”
“Why did you tell me? I’m honored, obviously, but…”
He brushed his fingertips across her cheek. “The official story makes him sound like a victim. I just figured you—of all people—would appreciate how he went down fighting.”
“Heroic to the end.”
“Yeah. Like your father.”
The statement caught her by surprise. “Dad made amazing contributions to science. To the world. But a hero? Probably only to me and Trent. Otherwise…” She shrugged. “Mom always said he should use his brainpower to cure cancer or end famine. But he wasn’t wired that way.”
“They seemed so different from each other,” he admitted. “How did they get together?”
“They met at a wedding. In Trenton, New Jersey. Rumor has it, she got pregnant that very night.”
“You’re kidding! That’s how Trent got his name?”
She smiled. “You would have loved her. She was so beautiful. And so tall—five ten, all legs. I always thought I’d be tall too.” She gave a self-conscious laugh. “Mom told me she had a growth spurt in college, so I waited and waited. But I think this is it.”
“You’re perfect,” he insisted. “Although you could use a shower.”
“What? Oh, right.” She realized from the sparkle in his eyes he was remembering how lathered up they’d gotten on the Drifter. “I do feel a little dirty, Captain. And I promise I’ll follow orders this time.”
His gaze warmed and he stood up and scooped her into his arms, then strode toward David Seaton’s luxurious bathroom.
“Mmmm…” Back in bed, Alexia languished in Rick’s arms, exhausted but content, and bizarrely clean considering all that had just happened. “We should have done it that way on the Drifter. Except poor Sensie would have blown a relay, right?”
Rick chuckled. “Yeah, she’s a prude.”
“I love how you interact with her.” She snuggled against him. “Remember how you didn’t want me to have the wrong impression about your father?”
He nodded.
“I feel the same way about Mom. Everyone thinks she was a bitch to abandon Dad while he was working miracles for science. But it wasn’t that simple.”
“No one thinks that,” he protested. “She was some sort of human rights advocate, right? Winning cases, raising awareness, holding fundraisers—famous for her own stuff, not just for being Roberto Montoya’s wife.”
“She lived in the real world, and he lived in fantasy land. Or at least, that’s how she saw it.” Alexia sighed. “The funny thing is, their marriage was fine—fiery but solid—when we were struggling to make ends meet. But once Dad’s book came out, and the money started pouring in…” She bit her lip. “That’s about the time TJ came to stay with us. And to everyone’s surprise, he took Mom’s side, not Dad’s. I think that’s when I first fell in love with him.”
“You were twelve years old,” Rick muttered. “Just a kid.”
“He was my hero,” she insisted. “But it just prolonged things for another year or so, then Mom left. And TJ turned against her as quick as Trent did. It was horrible.”
“How about your father? Was he angry?”
“No, just devastated. Which is why I didn’t go to Croatia with Mom even though she expected me to. Dad begged me to stay with him. Not just because he would be lonely, but because he was sure she couldn’t stay away from me. Because like you said, I was just a kid. Trent was already in college, so she probably didn’t think he needed her anymore. But she was wrong about that,” Alexia added sadly. “My poor brother took it ten times harder than I did.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Rick murmured.
She gave him a grateful sigh. “Anyway, I stayed with Dad, and I think it really hurt Mom. I regret it sometimes, but it felt right back then.”
“Roberto and Trent needed you. And your mother had a new life. A new husband. What was he like, anyway? Aristotle Crosse, I mean.”
Alexia’s eyes misted. “I hated him at first. How could Dad compete? Ari was so rich he made Sea-Mont look like a small-time business. He donated mega-bucks to her causes and treated her like a princess. We all just assumed she was a trophy wife for him, but as it turned out, he really loved her.”
“That’s good, right?”
She nodded. “Except I was such a brat about it. I refused to go to his fancy house, even though I heard it was beautiful. So I just saw Mom twice a year in New York—for Christmas and for my birthday.”
“Not on Mother’s Day?” Rick asked, then he winced. “Sorry, that was stupid.”
Alexia shrugged. “Ari had a daughter, did you know that? About two years older than me. Misha Crosse. Misha loved Mom. It was icky, and I wasn’t about to compete for the privilege of being the actual daughter.” She gave Rick a sad smile. “In other words, I was a brat. But in my defense, that girl was a mom-stealing abomination.”
“Undoubtedly.”
Alexia grinned. “If I wasn’t so busy feuding with the Seatons these last few years, Misha would be my arch nemesis for sure.”
“I’ve seen pictures. She owns Crosse Enterprises now, right?”
Unnerved by the hint of admiration in his eyes, Alexia glared. “She’s off limits.”
“Huh?”
“You know what I mean. I’m putting her off limits for you—permanently. Every lover should be able to name one person the other one can’t ever, ever sleep with. I’m naming Misha.”
He laughed. “I think I can manage that.”
Alexia laughed too, then her mood softened. “I ended up loving Ari, though. After Mom died in a boating accident, he did the most amazing thing.”
“What was it?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “He took Dad aside at the funeral and told him Mom never stopped loving him. He didn’t have to say that, but he knew how much Dad needed to hear it. It was such an amazing, unselfish thing to do. And it’s a secret, by the way.”
“It sleeps with the fishes,” Rick promised.
She smiled sadly. “We lost touch after that. But when Trent disappeared, and everyone else deserted me, Ari came to my rescue and funded most of my research. He’s the one who built my semi-sentient computer for me.”
“That’s cool. He died a couple of years ago, right?”
“Yep, and Misha pulled the plug on my financing while he was still warm in his coffin. And after that, she hired all the good female physicists, just so I’d have to slut myself out to the guys. Can you believe it?” Alexia’s nerves trembled with remembered rage. “God, I hate that bitch.”
“Me too. She’s definitely off limits. Forever.”
“Really?” She smiled, truly grateful. “What about you? Is there someone from your past you don’t want me to sleep with?”
When he winced, she knew he was thinking about TJ and she warned him quickly, “Please don’t pick him. He’s really a great guy, Rick. Underneath it all, I mean. I really need his help. And he’s practically family.”
Rick hesitated, but just for a second. Then he said, “I was actually thinking about Lorenzo Nolo. He’s out. For good.”
She knew he was lying, but felt grateful enough to play along. “Lorenzo? What did he do?”
“Made love to you on a beach. On his private island. It pisses me off.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “Then I agree. He’s out. For good.” Cuddling against him, she admitted, “The whole TJ thing is weird. I know that. But it has to happen. Just like you have to leave in the morning. We each have our demons, right?”
“Yeah, we each have our demons.” He kissed her forehead. “Maybe I should get going, Alexia.”
“Now?”
“We can’t take a chance on anyone seeing me. It could get back to TJ—”
“We have a couple of hours. And I want to sleep with you. Not just sleep with you.”
He grinned in defeat. “I’ll set my pulse alarm for four thirty. How’s that?”
“Perfect,” she admitted.
When he wrapped his arms around her, locking her close, she knew he felt the same way. This was it—their first and only night. And as much as they had reveled in the sex and conversation, they apparently needed this even more.
“Hey, beautiful, wake up.” Rick had already gotten dressed, and now nudged Alexia’s warm, naked shoulder. “It’s almost dawn. I gotta get going.”
“Hmmm?” She opened one eye. “Hi, cowboy.”
“Hi.”
Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. “It can’t be time yet.”
“It’s four thirty. The dome lights go on at five fifteen, and I don’t want to cut it too close.”
“Just five more minutes, please?” She molded herself against him. “Please?”
“Alexia…”
“Don’t move.” She jumped out of bed and raced to the bathroom, returning within minutes, still naked but with her hair brushed and a sparkle in her eyes. “Why are you still dressed?”
He couldn’t argue with that body, so he unbuttoned his shirt while she pushed him onto the bed and unfastened his jeans.
“Lie back and don’t argue. I never had a chance to be on top, remember?”
“Whose fault was that?”
She giggled, then helped him strip off his pants. “I’ll make up for it now, I promise.” Her fingertips stroked his face, then moved to his torso. “You make me crazy. Have I mentioned that?”
“Yeah, once or twice.” He exhaled as she went to work on him, caressing him first, then straddling him and leaning down so her nipples teased his lips.
Then she kissed him—a long, hot assault—and mounted him, her golden eyes alive with arousal. As she started to move, he gave in completely, lost in the sensations and only half-listening to her naughty patter. She always started like this—talkative and playful—but he knew what would happen next. The chatter would cease, and she’d go into her erotic trance, grinding slowly, trying to capture something elusive. Something that rocked her to the core.
And since it rocked him too, he was tempted to hurry it up—to nudge her into her breathless routine. So many girls got louder, or panted, when climax neared. But not Alexia. She imploded.
And it felt damned good.
Stroking her hips and breasts, he repeated her name, softly, again and again, as her smile faded, replaced by a sultry expression. He wanted to flip her onto her back and take over, just to make extra sure. Then she sat up straight above him, her motions so perfect, so evocative, he knew she was exactly where she belonged.
Establishing a slow, sensuous rhythm, she called him “cowboy”, and he wished the moment could last forever. Then she was spasming wildly, over and over, dragging him into a hot, all-encompassing finale.
When she collapsed on top of him, he gathered her against his chest and stroked a damp hair from her cheek.
“Wow,” she whispered. “That was even better than the shower.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” he admitted. “I hate leaving you like this. But I’ve really got to go.”
“I know.”
He wanted to suggest she come with him. To indulge in six months of wrangling and lovemaking. But it wouldn’t be fair. She needed to look for her brother. And then she needed to find a good man—one who could offer a normal life on Earth, not escapist hedonism in space.
So all he said was, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? With TJ, I mean?”
“He’s my last hope.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Do what you have to do, but after that, don’t marry him. Just go home.”
“Home? Where’s that?” Her eyes filled with tears. “Not Earth—I don’t have anyone there. And not here, obviously. But I have a brother somewhere, so I guess that’s home for me.”
He stared, honestly shocked. “If you could go into the sinkhole and be with him, assuming he’s alive—would you?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Geezus, Lexie.”
“Is it so different from what you’re doing? All alone in godforsaken Sector Fourteen with only your computer to keep you company? Millions of miles from the nearest human?”
“I’m exploring new frontiers. Seeing something new every day. Learning something new every day. And yeah, I need to get away—to regroup—but it’s more than that.”
She seemed about to argue, then surprised him with an apologetic smile. “It suits you, that’s for sure. Ever since I saw you in action—whipping that electronic lasso through the air and wrangling that big old thug—you had me convinced. It’s the life you were born for.”
“Thanks, Alexia. And for what it’s worth, I get why you need to look for Trent. It’s like you said.” His throat closed over an unexpected lump. “If I thought one of my crew survived the crash and was stranded somewhere—yeah. I’d be on that forever.”
“Look at us,” she insisted tearfully. “Closure, right?”
“Alexia—”
“I’m fine, cowboy. Just say goodbye.”
“If you need me—”
“I won’t,” she began. Then her eyes flickered with curiosity. “Is there some sort of radio? Or frequency? I mean, if there’s not, fine. But just in case?”
“I’ll be pretty far out. But TJ can always reach me.”
“What if TJ is the problem?”
“Huh?” His gut knotted. “You think that asshole might actually hurt you?”
“No, no.” She grabbed his face between her hands. “He’d never hurt me. I was just thinking things might get awkward, and I might need to slip back through the sinkhole. But I have another contact here, so please don’t worry about it.”
“What kind of contact?”
“A man named Zeke Angelus. Have you heard of him?”
“The smuggler?” Rick glared in disgust. “How do you know him?”
“I don’t,” she assured him quickly. “But one of his men snuck me through the sinkhole the first time, so I know I can trust him. You don’t approve?”
“He’s obnoxious. And he cheats at cards,” Rick told her, still disgusted. “But if you need to get back to Earth quickly, you’re right. He’s the guy who can make it happen.”
“Good.” She flashed a cheerful smile. “I’m sure he’s easy to find.”
“He’s dating a girl named Gabrielle Rousseau. She works for TJ in the communications center. You can trust her to get word to him. But be discreet,” he murmured. “I don’t know how TJ feels about Gabby seeing other guys. They were pretty hot for a while, then they had some kind of falling out.”
“He mentioned a girl who was willing to come through the sinkhole with him, but who was almost—well, I can’t remember how he phrased it, but sort of like a pushover.”
“He called her that?” Rick shook his head. “Unbelievable. After all she did for him. But yeah, he’s supposedly the one who broke it off. Which is nuts because she’s easily the most beautiful—” He caught himself and added lamely, “She’s really nice. You’d like her.”
“Too late, she’s off limits to you for the rest of your life,” Alexia said with a laugh. “But I’ll definitely contact her if something goes wrong. Thanks for the tip.”
His thoughts turned to the miniature red beacon in the pocket of his jeans—a device he used to contact Sensie, and vice versa, over short distances. It didn’t make sense to give it to Alexia, since the range was less than 100,000 miles. He’d be farther away than that in hours. But still—
“Don’t look so worried,” she scolded him. “Just kiss me and get going. The dome lights will be on in a few minutes, right?” Raising herself up on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips across his. “Thanks for last night, cowboy. I’ll never forget it.”
“Yeah, it was the best.” He wanted to say something better. More romantic. But all he could manage was, “Watch yourself with TJ. And when you’re faking D-side poisoning, be sure to mention a metallic taste in your mouth. That’s the major symptom.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks.”
“Okay, then…” He brushed his lips across hers, then pulled open the door. “Take care of yourself, Alexia. And when you see your brother, tell him I said hi.”
When you see your brother, tell him I said hi.
Alexia’s imagination crackled as she climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over her sinfully contented body. Of all the things Rick could have said, that was what she needed to hear most. An affirmation of their commitment to each other’s paths, even though those paths were destined to diverge.
She would always be grateful to him, not just for affirming her search for Trent, or giving her a romantic, erotic fantasy that would last her for as long as she needed it, but for sharing his most precious secrets—about Sensie, about his father’s glorious death.
But most of all, she was grateful to him for preventing her from making a mistake with TJ. Not only was the Sea-Mont CEO her only real link to Trent, but he was her only remaining family outside the sinkhole. She had almost jeopardized that by trading sex for sentient. But it would have been beneath her, not to mention unfair to TJ.
She would find another way to rescue her brother. It was a daunting prospect for sure. But she felt so strong right now, so healthy and alive and optimistic, she knew she could do it, thanks to a handsome green-eyed wrangler who had found her irresistible, at least for one night. And who had then had the sense to back away—ride off into the virtual sunset—so that he could find the peace he so desperately needed.
And so that she could find her brother.