Page 23 of Touch the Stars
Understanding rose in his eyes as he reached back and brushed his fingers over his holster…the empty holster.
One.
“I’m not leaving Kris.”She blinked against the sting of tears threatening her goal.There was no room for sentimentality now.“Sorry.”
He lunged forward as she gave the blanker’s control band a quick squeeze.The blue light shot out like lightning, then crawled over him until it enveloped him before fizzling out.It looked like he’d been frozen in mid-step, eyes open.Accusing.Then his body wobbled, tilted, and crashed to the floor, his head smacking against the command chair with a dull thunk.
Ooh.
Hadn’t seenthatone coming.She set her teeth together and cringed.She’d shot him.Shot another living, breathing person.
But I didn’tkillhim…I think.
A small whimper escaped her, then she allowed the blanker to slide from her numb fingers.The clatter of it hitting the metal floor was far too loud in the room.
“Fuck me.”
Chapter 8
Kaitlyn.
Atleastmakesurehe’s breathing.
But, how did one check for an alien’s pulse?It wasn’t like that’d ever been covered in basic first aid.She had to do something, though.Carefully, in case he wasn’t really unconscious.
“Of course he’s unconscious, you idiot.”No one fell that hard if they were awake.
Unless hehadfaked it.Then he’d deserve an Oscar for that performance, which she’d personally award him…once she got out of traction.Because, yeah, he was gonna throttle her.
She took a step closer, then another.Not so much as a muscle twitch from him, but his chest was rising and falling, so he must be alive.She gave his leg a nudge with her toe.No response.All right.He was probably not faking unconsciousness.
There was only one sure-fire way to be sure.She reached down and grabbed his balls through his pants.Not so much as a twitch.Dude was out cold.And fucking hell, there was a lot of junk in his trunk.She jerked her hand back, and a flush of heat raced up her neck to her cheeks.
Nice going, dumbass.Feeling up the guy I just practically killed.
She straightened up and let her gaze roam the command center.Now, where to stash him?Had to be somewhere where he couldn’t get to her and stop her after he woke up.He’d probably just pick her up, dump her sorry ass in her room, and lock the door.Then they’d be back on the road to Ghara, and Kris would be lost forever.
Nope.It’d be a bitch to move his oversized ass, but he couldn’t stay in here.It took a few minutes to get him laid out.Once he was in position, she leaned against the command chair, panting.
“Damn, you’re as heavy as you look.”And as sexy.
Her gaze drifted back to his crotch.Fuck, she was doing it again.What was in his pants wasn’t going to help move him to a secure place.
She positioned herself at his feet, grabbed him by the ankles, and pulled with everything she had.Five minutes later, she’d only made it to the common area twenty feet down the hallway.She bent over, hands braced on her knees for support as she panted from the exertion.
It would be better to lock him in her cabin, but it wassofar down the hall and time was wasting.The common area had to be good enough.She cast a glance at the floor-to-ceiling viewing window at the far end of the space.Bright points of light glowed in the blackness outside.
She refocused on him.“All right, Sleeping Beauty, you’re staying in here while I figure out how to reprogram the command center locks and go find my sister.Don’t worry.The view in here is killer, so enjoy.”
She ran her tongue over her lips.A good-bye kiss was out of the question, with him being unconscious and all.Bet his kisses would be hot though.
Jesus, where is my head?
There’d be no salvaging even a civil relationship with him, now.
“Maybe in some other life, my warrior.”
Five hours later, she slouched sideways in the command chair, her shoulders propped against one armrest and her legs dangling over the other.The cruiser kicked ass.It hadn’t started out that way, because a certain AI thingy hadn’t cooperated, but once she’d figured out how to override the controls, the vessel itself purred like a kitten.And she’d managed to reprogram the door lock.She’d bet money Baatar didn’t know that the translator worked with binary language, too.
