Page 18 of Alien Knight Teddy Bear Troubles

“I was purchasing supplies when the attack came. I stumbled over Ion and his guardian. You know the rest.”

His silence stretched and he stepped around the viewing table, moving toward her. Determined not to back down, she held her ground until his body brushed up against hers and she knew she was in way over her head.

“You are lying to me, Cassie.”

She couldn’t even look at him. She stared at his shoulder and hoped he would let it go. She should have known better.

“What were you doing on Mora Five? How did you come to be on the planet? It is very far from Earth. Too far.”

She shook her head because she wouldnottell him and betray everyone on Earth. But she knew him now, intimately. He had literally saved her life. She knew that. Taeger and his team had sacrificed their own to get Ion off that ship, but Taeger had been honorable enough to respect a child’s promise to free the rest of them as well. She knew that had not been part of his plan. She didn’t know why Ion was so important and she didn’t care. What Taeger had done spoke volumes about his character. He was a soldier, like she was. She recognized a warrior’s mindset when she saw it, andUncle Taegiewas a fighter, through and through.

A sexy, gorgeous, hunk of a fighter who knew how to use his hands. And his mouth. And his…yeah. That, too.

When his fingertips brushed her jaw, she allowed him to lift her face to his. Their lips perfectly aligned for a kiss she desperately wanted. Their breath mingled and she pulled his warmth into her body like it was oxygen and vital for survival and hated herself for her weakness.

“Cassie? I am not your enemy.”

“You aren’t. I know that.” How could she deny it when she’d spent hours wrapped around him like a bendy toy having orgasms. “But the Caldorians have been lying to us, Taeger. The attack a few weeks ago? What was that? And why were we not warned about the Vilitos on Earth and their black markets? And what the hell were those things on that ship? The Dark Ones? They make the Vilitos look like cute little green men from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”

“I do not know this Bugs Bunny.”

“It doesn’t matter. Why weren’t we told?”

In place of an answer, he ran his thumb over her lower lip and placed his free hand on the curve of her hip, the heat of his touch making her want to burn up in flames and melt into a puddle at the same time.

“Stop that.”

“I do not know the answer. I know nothing of Earth or its trade agreement with the Intergalactic Council.”

“What do you mean, you know nothing about Earth?” She pointed to the blue and white orb still floating in her vision. “You know something.”

He sighed and lifted his palm to cup her cheek. She felt like a traitor when she leaned into his touch. “I boarded the Dark Ones’ ship to recover Ion. He is my responsibility and is precious to us.”

“I got that.” She knew Ion was the reason they were all on that ship. No surprise there. “But why didn’t your people warn Earth about the Vilitos? And the black markets? And the fact that they had already broken through your defense system?”

“That is not my defense system. Prior to a few weeks ago, I had never set foot on the planet.”

“What?” Of course he hadn’t. She was in the middle of freaking nowhere out in deep space on a ship with aliens she’d never seen or met before. “Are you Caldorian?”

“No. We are not.”

“Then what are you? Where are you from?”

The sadness in his eyes made her lean into him and wrap her arms around his waist.

“My planet was destroyed many centuries ago by the Vilitos that attacked Earth. I have survived on Mora Five with my people until this latest attack. Now, I do not know if we will be able to remain, or if we will need to find a new home.”

Now she felt like a jerk. “I’m sorry. And Ion? He’s your nephew? What happened to his parents?” She knew. Oh, yeah, she knew, but she had to ask.

“They’re dead. Ion was left in my care.”

“I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” She gave up the fight and melted into his arms, rested her head against his chest so she could absorb his heat and listen to the steady drum of his heart beating. He held her in silence until she lifted her head to look up at him.

“I want to tell you everything, but I can’t. I can’t tell you. I took an oath to see my mission through. I’m from Earth. I’m a captain in Earth’s military. For starters, my ship and crew went down on Mora Five after a Vilitos attack. I managed to land the ship, but I have wounded crew members hiding a few miles from the city and a ship I need to repair. I have to go back to Mora Five. I can’t abandon my crew and let them die. I won’t.”

Taeger lifted both hands to her face, leaned his forehead against hers, and sighed. “I knew you were going to be trouble, female.”

She smiled. She was going to overheat, her body aching in all the right places just from being so close to him. “How long will it take us to get to Mora Five?”

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