Crossing to the oil lamp, she turned the wick down so that it gave less light.
“They have those on Naxion?” Max asked.
“Similar.”
She kicked off her sandals and eased down beside him, then eased over until her hip was against his. Rolling to her side, she slid her fingers inside the placket of his shirt.
“We shouldn’t,” he said in response, his voice thick.
“Why not?”
“Because I need to pay attention to our surroundings.”
“You think something’s going to happen?”
“I’d like to know what those guys were talking about as we left. I didn’t like the vibes.”
She had not heard that word before, but he had made the meaning clear, especially since her reaction was similar. She nodded against his shoulder. Although she understood his concerns, she ached to feel connected with him. There had been no firm plan in her mind when she’d determined to escape from Naxion. She knew now that she would surely have flown into the arms of disaster without Max Cassidy.
Rising, she moved so that she was half on top of him and found his mouth with hers.
At first, she knew he was fighting his instincts. Then he gave in and returned the kiss. It was a relief to feel him respond to her. Since they’d arrived at this place, she hadn’t known what to expect from him. Now he was kissing her with all the enthusiasm of a man who hadn’t had sex in months—when they’d both been satisfied the night before.
She let him fill her senses, so thankful once again that he’d been the ship’s captain who had picked her up on Naxion. Deep down, was he glad that they’d been thrown together by Rafe, or did he wish he’d never gotten involved in his friend’s illegal trip to the forbidden planet?
She couldn’t know his hidden feelings, but it seemed he might go back on his vow to keep watch. Using her powers of persuasion, she pushed him further toward the point where he would start to take off her clothing.
He made a strangled sound as she pressed her breasts suggestively against his chest.
“You devil,” he muttered.
“But a good devil.”
Things were going the way she wanted, but she never got a chance to find out how far he would go.
Just as he was reaching for the buttons at the front of her dress, they both heard a noise on the ladder outside their hut.
With a barely audible curse, Max sprang off the bed, crossed to his boots and pulled out a knife. Amber rolled off the bed and stood, just as a hand reached to pull aside the curtain hanging over the doorway.