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Hack reluctantly left Jeannie’s side. Every instinct screamed he court her until she couldn’t bear to live without him, but duty beckoned. He could not ignore his responsibilities any more than he could stop breathing. His mate was safe next door. The abducted humans were not.
Scanning the room, he sighed. Human tech was all he had to work with. Yay. He plopped onto the edge of the mattress and hung his head. No nanos to aid him. How was he going to do anything? He did another internal check. It would be days before he could perform as before. Maybe even weeks. Without the right equipment, he couldn’t really make an accurate prediction. It could be worse. At least his translator still worked.
If he had his nanobots, he’d simply tell Trace and Crypto about the transponder he’d placed on the smugglers’ shuttle and the frequency they needed to track it. Problem was he couldn’t communicate with them.
He jerked his head up. Or could he? It wasn’t like he had to talk to his team via their minds. There were other means of communication. They were probably going crazy with worry at his sudden disappearance during the storm. They might even think him dead. He ground his teeth. He hadn’t considered that possibility.
Resting his hands on his knees, he pushed himself erect. Fine, he had human tech. He could make a—a transmitter. Hell, he wished human tech was more compatible with the rest of the galaxy. It would have been so much easier to just steal one. Now, he had to break galactic law by building advanced technology on Earth.
Any alien presence on this planet had been eradicated eons ago because they had brought advanced technology and influenced human culture, which was a crime. Hack would destroy what he made as soon as he contacted his team even if it meant them having to strand him here.
Hack paced around his room, moving and checking out equipment he had at hand. Tools were needed for the finer work. That was his first objective. He could easily find a maintenance room. Places like this always needed repairs. He inspected the back of the television and the underside of the telephone, disconnecting what pieces he could with his hands. Once he procured a toolbox, he’d work on the more detailed parts.
A knock on the door interrupted his cataloging. Upon opening it, he found the hall empty. “Hello?” Another knock. This time it was clearly behind him. He opened the door he’d assumed was a closet and faced an amused Jeannie.
“We have a connecting door to our rooms.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
He leaned against the jam, almost purring. “How very convenient.” Slipping into conversation with her felt akin to sliding into warm waters. Comforting and soothing all at the same time.
A rose color bloomed on her cheeks, the same shade of the flower she still wore in her hair. She held up a card. “There’s a dance tomorrow night to welcome all the new arrivals. I wanted to know if you would like to go together.”
“Of course, we’ll go together.” He wouldn’t let anyone else take her. Tamping down his urge to stake his claim right there and then, he reminded himself that humans didn’t have the same biological urges he did. Jeannie didn’t understand they were meant for each other. Not yet.
She leaned forward, those expressive eyebrows raised as she scanned his room. The television lay flat, its surface on the mattress. The telephone was in its detachable pieces and the microwave sat on the foot of the bed. “You’ve been...busy.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m not from the area and I forgot my adapter to charge my devices. I was looking for an alternative means.” His chest swelled at how quickly the explanation came to him. Being around the silver-tongued Trace for so long had rubbed off on Hack.
“Oh, we can shop for one tomorrow. In the meantime I have a tablet you can borrow.”
“That’s generous of you.” He meant it. There was a naïve and generous nature to some of the humans he’d met. He could understand the older races’ desire to colonize this world. Look at how desperately he wanted to possess this woman after meeting her just that morning.
Her gaze stole around his room. “Didn’t they deliver your luggage?”
“No.” He’d overlooked that detail. Wearing the same outfit every day would most likely draw even more attention and he hadn’t any currency.
“Let me call the front desk and ask about it.” She returned to her room and used the phone.
He rubbed the nape of his neck and bit the inside of his cheek to stop from grinning like a fool. Hack was more than capable of taking care of himself. However, his amused heart softened as she berated the resort staff for losing his luggage. Guilt tugged a little at his conscience. The staff wasn’t at fault but he loved this protective side of Jeannie, and being championed for once instead of being the champion.
She hung up. “They will give you resort credit to buy a few outfits while they search for your luggage.” Jeannie grabbed her purse. “Let’s go.”
Hack straightened, glancing over his shoulder at his project. “Where?”
“To shop. You can’t wear that to the dance, and we should get you a bathing suit.” She had her back to him.
He pressed his body to hers. “I could just go naked.” Taking a small risk, he pressed his lips to her cheek. She needed to get used to his touch. The sooner the better, because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could resist staking his claim. They had so much ground to cover—like the fact he was an alien.
She laughed and poked playfully at his side. “And cause a stampede of women. I don’t think so.” She pressed her hand to where he had kissed her. Had he been too bold? For once, he envied Trace’s ability to blend with any culture with ease. Hack hadn’t realized how difficult it was until now.
Hack’s kiss seared Jeannie’s flesh like a brand. She hadn’t been kidding about the stampede. She’d noted the appreciative stares Hack drew. There was a predatory nature to his movements and a dominance to his presence. They had barely met and she’d seen the reaction people had when he entered a room. They sat up and took notice.
Yet Hack didn’t seem to care. He’d been focused solely on her. She’d held her breath the whole way to their rooms in fear of waking up to discover this had all been a dream. Yet, here he was and he’d kissed her cheek. Agreed to go to the dance with her. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like he was gay and wanted only to be friends.
She led him out of their building to the area that held a few boutique shops. “They said to charge the outfits to your room.”
He stood at the entrance of the store, glaring at the racks as if facing off an army.
She weaved her fingers with his and tugged. Pleased when he tightened his hold. “Come on. The sooner you try stuff, the sooner we’re done.”
“I’m not sure where to start.” He scratched his head. “What is appropriate to wear at the resort?”
“You packed your own bags, didn’t you?”
He gave her a sly smile. “No, I didn’t.”
Of course, he didn’t. He probably had one of his many lovers do it for him. She ground her teeth. That thought was unfair. Hack hadn’t been anything but friendly since they’d met—in her bed. Had that been just this morning? She was already prepared to sink her possessive claws into him. Time to cool her jets before he broke her heart.
Jeannie browsed the racks, giving Hack some distance. Space. She needed space and a cold shower. If that didn’t work, she would pay a visit to the ice dispenser and pour some down her panties. How had he ended up in her bed? Then lost his resort package and luggage. “Hack?” She turned and he was right behind her, kissing close.
His gaze was all liquid heat and laser focused on her lips. “Yes, Jeannie?” he whispered.
She gave him a slow blink and forgot how to breathe. What had she wanted to ask? Oh yeah. “Were you possibly robbed while on the cruise? Is that how you ended up in my room?” She didn’t see any visible evidence of an attack except for the swollen eye she’d given him. Maybe he’d been drugged. All he’d told her was that he hadn’t been feeling well. She’d assumed he’d drunk too much alcohol like everyone else.
“I don’t have much memory of last night. It’s possible. What do you remember?” His gaze grew sharper as if hanging on to her every word and hoping for a specific answer.
“Umm...” She tried to access something after boarding the cruise. Foggy images of her lounging by the pool, and a party that seemed to last forever. Her head began to pound and she rubbed her temples. “There was that humdinger of a party.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Concern crossed his expression and he caressed her cheek. “We don’t have to. I was just curious what you recalled.”
She returned her attention to the clothes. “Here.” Holding a pair of khaki shorts in front of his hips, she nodded. “Looks like they should fit. We should buy some T-shirts and that bathing suit.”
“Yes, I like to swim.” His gaze darted to the view of the ocean outside the window. To her joy, he hadn’t looked at the pool. It seemed out of character that she had spent yesterday lounging by the chlorinated water she hated.
“I was planning on exploring the reefs tomorrow morning. A small snorkel trip.”
“To look for your sharks?”
She laughed. “My sharks are in much deeper water. I’ve chartered a boat to the area in a couple days to take some videos.” She also needed to make sure her filming equipment was fully charged and that she had extra battery packs. The dive would be deep and dangerous. There was no room for error. “The snorkeling is just for fun.” She held up a prepackaged set of mask and snorkel that she’d selected from a rack by the register. “Here.”
He took the package and examined it closer. “Interesting gear.”
“You’ve never used one?” Maybe she’d gotten the wrong impression about how much he loved the ocean. It wouldn’t be her first time misjudging somebody’s character.
“Never.” A soft chuckle. “I can understand the design would help you see and breathe easier.”
“Me?”
He cleared his throat. “Us. I meant us. I’ve just never bothered with equipment. I’d love to go with you.”
“It’s a date.” She added the snorkel set to his shorts and helped him pick out a few more items.
Hack held a small black bathing suit. “How about this?”
“Perfect.” She almost purred at the thought of seeing him wear it tomorrow.