Page 65 of Stealing Mercury
She had no intention of having sex with Lo, but she could try to make him understand that she wasn’t rejecting him. She eased back and took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to him.”
Mercury stroked her cheek. “Thank you, my generous mate.”
“When I get back, we should talk about this whole mate thing,” she said. “First, I need something to wear.”
Chapter Eighteen
ArenaDogsCampsite,PlanetG-45987
Earth Alliance Beta Sector - Gollerra Border
2210.167
Samantha pulled on the tent-like top Mercury handed her. She considered making him hunt up her real clothes, but it hung low enough to cover all her girl parts, so she went with it and crawled off the pallet. Padding quickly across the clearing, she slipped between the boulders where Lo had disappeared. She saw him heading into the trees at the bottom of the slope and jogged after him.
At the tree line she had to slow down. Brambles covered the ground and she was barefoot. She grimaced as fine thorns pricked at her tender skin. Lo had to have heard her follow. He’d either allow her to catch him or she wouldn’t get near him no matter how fast she moved.
She stepped on a particularly nasty patch of underbrush and her foot snagged on a vine. One minute she was falling right into the brambles, the next she was in Lo’s arms. He came from behind her. He’d obviously circled around. She sighed. Probably following her to make sure she didn’t get lost. She really was out of her element in this place.
He stood behind her, his arms a loose circle as she got her feet back under her. At her back, he sniffed.
“You’re injured?” His voice was full of concern as he turned her, his clawed hands carefully gripping her slender arms.
She wanted to put him at ease, but she couldn’t hide her uneasiness with him. “Thanks to you, no.”
His inky brows drew together and his nose made a cute little scrunch. “I smell blood.”
“I have a few scratches on my feet.” She could almost feel the distance between them ease as she watched him fret over her. He was still scowling, but it seemed more adorable than threatening. The tension was still there, but she could breathe easier. “It’s nothing s-serious.” Her teeth had started to chatter and it was getting harder to ignore the cold.
In a move too quick to counter, he slipped an arm under her thighs and lifted her into his arms. “It was foolish to come into the woods without your boots... or a blanket.”
She expected him to carry her back to camp, but without another word he strode deeper into the woods. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but he might have misinterpreted her actions in following him.
“Where are you taking me?”
“There’s a clearing. It’s not far.” He didn’t look at her when he said it and she became very aware of the heat of his body along her side and the hand gripping her leg, just above her knee.
“Lo, I—”
He didn’t let her finish. “I assume you followed because you wish to talk.”
She was reminded of Mercury’s claims that her scent changed when her moods changed and wondered if that accounted for Lo’s seeming ability to read her mind.
“I’ll listen,” he said. “If it will ease your discomfort.”
Her discomfort? “Gee, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
She laughed. He was too smart to miss her sarcasm. Somewhere, buried deeply, Lo had a playful side. It hurt her heart to think of the pain that had buried that side of him so deeply.
Lo stepped into the clearing. The moon washed the small ring in a soft light, creating a silvery sanctuary. The lingering aroma of flowers drifted in the air. In the daylight, the spot would be full of color. He set her on her feet in a patch of soft grass. She stood her ground, not stepping back. Choosing instead to reach up to caress his cheek.
“Please look at me, Lo.”
She waited until those devil eyes met hers.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
