He smiled at the ridiculousness of that comment. Whatever. He could probably charm her into forgiving him, but he wasn’t really in the mood. He ached too much to try.
This day had sucked in so many ways he couldn’t even begin to catalog all of them. Right now he was too tired to care about anything other than catching some sleep.
Rubbing his eyes, he stretched out on the cold floor and tried not to think about her. Unfortunately, the sweet scent of her skin hung in his nostrils and made him so hard he couldn’t concentrate on anything except how close she lay beside him and how easy it would be to slide his hand down her warm cleavage and touch skin he knew would be incredibly soft and tasty. If she rode him with even half the passion she put into everything else, she’d be one incredible lover.
I’m in hell.
Not really true. He’d been in real hell and this wasn’t it. But this was close.
Think about tomorrow. They had a lot to do to get off this rock and back to the Arimanda. At least he knew Darling would take care of his father even if he had to out his Sentella identity to do it. So long as his friend was on board, no one would be able to get near Evzen.
And as he ran over all the technical difficulties of what they’d have to do in the morning, he fell asleep.
Desideria came awake to a light gentle snore in her ear and a warm, heavy weight completely surrounding her. It was like being wrapped in a hard, heavy blanket. At first she had no idea what it was until the scent of Caillen hit her forcefully and she realized her pillow was his left biceps. For the merest instant, she allowed herself to enjoy the novelty of waking up in someone’s arms. He smelled so good and the sensation of his body surrounding hers…
Until she felt something strange pressing against her hip. Was that…?
Oh my gods…
Horrified by the intimacy of what it was, she jumped away from him with a mortified squeak. He woke up ready to fight. Out of nowhere a knife appeared in his hand as he looked about for an enemy.
His gaze focused on her before he gave her a fierce scowl.
A shiver went down her spine at his new, sinister appearance. True to his words, his hair fell just past his shoulders. Jet black, it made his Andarion eyes all the eerier. He looked nothing like the rogue she’d come to know…
Until he grinned.
Yeah, she’d know that cocky twist of the lips anywhere. “You are a total freak of nature. You know that?”
His laugh was as dark as his aura. “Yes, but you’re going to be grateful I look like this when we runnto the natives.”
She wasn’t so sure about that.
Yawning, he stretched, then scratched at the whiskers on his chin in that familiar gesture she was coming to know a little too well.
She jerked her chin toward his hand. “You always come awake with a knife?”
“No. Usually it’s my blaster and normally I’m shooting. Be glad I’m still tired.”
She scoffed at his bravado. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.” He slid the knife back into a sheath that was hidden in his sleeve.
If he had any memory of cuddling her while they slept, he showed no sign of it as he stretched his body and went through a series of graceful movements that showed her just how flexible he was for a man.
Once he was done, he pulled his backpack up. “You hungry?”
“Not for another round of ick. Sorry.”
“I understand.” He took a small band from the pack and pulled his hair back from his face to secure it into a becoming ponytail. “Now that I look semi passable, let’s get off this rock and find something decent to eat.”
Her stomach grumbled a reminder that she hadn’t really eaten the day before. “Don’t they have edible food here?”
“Probably, but the first rule of survival. Don’t stop to eat or get laid. I’ve known more people to get killed because they let their stomach or hormones dictate evac. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a cautionary tale for anybody.”
He had a point.
Caillen handed her the cloak. “Remember to stay covered no matter what.”
Desideria pulled her hair back and coiled it into a bun before she raised the cowl. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” He slung his pack over his shoulder, then led her down to the ground level.
They crept out of the shed and back toward the woods where they had cover from any stray glance. Moving quickly and gracefully, Caillen skimmed the yards, heading toward a more densely populated area.
Desideria was surprised at the difference between this town and her native Qilla. The houses here were narrow and long, their roof lines cut at sharp angles. Qillaqs used mostly untinted glass and windows with a lot of circular designs. The Andarion homes had small windows that were kept covered up.
“Do they have an aversion to daylight?” she asked, wondering about the custom.
“Their eyes are more sensitive to it than ours.”