Chapter 10
BALECK
Two cycles had passed since Iris and I had dined together.
Not as working partners, but as two people.
I’d made her laugh. Truly, freely laugh.
It felt like the greatest accomplishment of my life.
The two cycles since consisted of stolen glances and not-so-accidental touches and an awareness that crackled between us like static electricity.
Today, though, Iris had a request. Or rather, a demand. She’d asked if I would teach her to use a zavat.
“I want to understand Destran weapons,” she’d said that morning. “For security assessment purposes.”
Sure. Security assessment. That was definitely why she’d shown up at the outdoor training area in another one of her snug bodysuits that did absolutely nothing to hide her lean, muscular frame.
I was doomed.
“Ready?” I asked, pulling out my zavat.
She watched intently as I demonstrated the weapon’s mechanics—how the second bow folded out perpendicular, how the energy strings hummed to life, the weight distribution for proper aim.
“Your turn.” I handed it to her.
Her fingers closed around the grip, and I walked her through the setup. She was a quick study, getting the bow deployed on her second try.
“Good,” I said, moving behind her. “Now your stance. Feet shoulder-width apart.”
I nudged her feet into position with mine, hyperaware of our proximity. She smelled like the soap from the guest quarters today. Less blaster exhaust and more flowers.
“Shoulders square to the target,” I continued, placing my hands on her shoulders to adjust them. Her muscles were tense under my palms, coiled and ready. “Relax a little. You need fluid movement.”
“I am relaxed.”
“You’re wound tighter than an energy coil.” I moved my hands down her arms, adjusting her grip on the weapon. “Breathe.”
She exhaled shakily, and I felt it through my whole body where we were touching.
Focus, Baleck.
“Draw back slowly,” I said, guiding her movements. “Feel how the energy strings respond. Aim for that target.”
I pointed to the practice target set up across the training ground. She sighted along the arrow, her enhanced eye probably giving her perfect accuracy measurements. “Let it fly when ready.”
The arrow shot forward with a hum, striking just left of center.
“Not bad for a first try,” I said.
“I can do better.” She reset and loaded another short, metal arrow. This time when she drew back, I didn’t need to adjust her stance. She’d already internalized the positioning.
The second shot hit dead center.
“Well done,” I murmured. “It took me many cycles to aim so accurately.”
She smiled a real smile, not the almost-smile she used to give me. I was getting more of these lately. It transformed her face, made her look younger and less guarded.
“What?” she asked, catching me staring.
“Nothing. Just your smile is devastating.”
Her smile faded to something more complicated. “Baleck…”
“I know. I’m pushing. I can’t help it.” I took the zavat from her and set it aside. “You make me want to push.”
“Why?”
“Because I see what’s under all that armor you wear, and I want more of it. More of you.” I stepped closer, drawn to her like gravity. “You fascinate me, Iris.”
She stood her ground as I approached, her dark eyes tracking my movement. “This is a bad idea.”
“Probably.”
“We work together.”
“We do.”
“Complications aren’t—”
I kissed her. Just leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, cutting off her logical arguments with the most illogical thing I could do.
For a second, she froze. Then her hands fisted in my shirt and she kissed me back with a hunger that made my colors flash brilliant gold.
She tasted like possibility. Like every good thing I’d been waiting for without knowing I was waiting. Her lips were soft but demanding, and when she opened for me and my tongue swept against hers, I heard her make a small sound that drove me wild.
I pulled her closer, one hand sliding into her hair, the other gripping her hip. She was all lean muscle and coiled strength, and she kissed like she fought—with total commitment and zero hesitation.
Then she pulled back abruptly, breathing hard.
“We can’t,” she said, despite her hands still fisted in my shirt.
“We just did.”
“Baleck.” My name was a plea and a protest all at once.
“I know you feel this too. I see it in your eyes when you look at me. The way you lean into my touch.” I cupped her face, my thumb stroking her scarred cheek. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
She closed her eyes. “You’re not wrong.”
“Then why—”
“Because I don’t know how to do this!” The words burst out of her, raw and honest. “I don’t know how to be what you need. How to be soft or open or any of the things that relationships require.”
“Then don’t be soft.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “Be honest. Be you. Let me in, even if it scares you.”
“It terrifies me.”
“I know.” I kissed her again, softer this time. “But we can figure it out together. If you want to.”
She searched my eyes, and I let her see everything. The want. The certainty. The hope.
“I want to,” she whispered finally. “Even though it’s probably going to end badly.”
“It’s not.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” I kissed her forehead, her temples, the scarred skin on her cheek. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
A crack of thunder made us both jump. We looked up to see dark clouds rolling in. The first drops of rain hit moments later. I was still a little gun-shy from my time here before the storms ended. The D’tran were, too.
“Looks like we’re getting a storm,” Iris said unnecessarily.
“We should get inside.” I took her hand and we jogged to an empty building on the settlement’s edge just as the drizzle changed to a steady rain. Inside was basic—stone walls, a shoddy roof, some old empty crates. But it was dry.
Mostly.
Water dripped through cracks in the roof, and we were both already soaked from the sprint. Iris shivered, her clothes clinging to every curve.
I pulled off my outer shirt, which was only slightly less wet than hers. “Here.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shivering.”
“It’s not a big deal.” She swatted at my hand. “You’re just doing this to show off your hot body.”
But I saw the way her hands trembled slightly, saw the goose bumps on her exposed skin. I crossed to her and wrapped my shirt around her shoulders anyway. “You think I have a hot body?”
She looked up at me, water dripping from her hair, her lips slightly parted. We were close. Too close. Not close enough. “Baleck, everyone with eyes thinks you have a hot body.”
“I only care what you think.” I kissed her again because I couldn’t not kiss her. She melted into me immediately this time, no hesitation. Her hands slid under my undershirt, palms flat against my ribs, and I groaned at the contact.
This was dangerous. We were alone, soaking wet, with adrenaline and want crackling between us. I should pull back. Should wait.
But when her tongue swept against mine and she made a little moan, all my good intentions evaporated.
I backed her against the wall, deepening the kiss. She went willingly, her leg hooking around my hip to pull me closer. I could feel every line of her body against mine, feel how perfectly we fit together.
My hand slid down her side, over her hip, her thigh. She gasped into my mouth and I swallowed the sound, wanting to memorize every reaction.
Thunder crashed outside. Rain pounded against the roof. And inside, we created our own storm.
When we finally broke apart, we were both panting. My skin was blazing gold and orange, colors I couldn’t control even if I wanted to.
“That was…” she started.
“Yeah.”
“We should talk about this.”
“Later.” I kissed her again, softer this time. “Right now I just want to hold you.”
So I did. I pulled her against my chest and wrapped my arms around her, feeling her gradually relax into the embrace. We stood there as the storm raged outside, and I knew with absolute certainty that this woman was mine.
The mating marks hadn’t appeared yet, but they would. I’d never been more certain of anything in my life.
The rain eventually passed, leaving the valley washed clean and fresh. We walked back to the guest quarters in comfortable near-silence, my arm around her shoulders, her body tucked against my side.
At her room, she turned to me. “Tomorrow. Let’s go for another ride beyond the valley.” Her eyes twinkled. “I’ll show you how to operate the Raycer.”
I winced. “I can drive it?”
“Sure.” She rose on her toes and kissed me briefly. “We need to get out of here for a bit. We need to actually talk about this.”
“Agreed.”
She disappeared inside, and I walked back to my hut feeling like I could fly. Tomorrow we’d talk. We’d figure out where to go from here.
But right now, I just savored the taste of her still on my lips and the knowledge that she wanted this as much as I did.