Break Out

chapter Seven

Skylar was hungry.

At least she presumed that’s what the hollow sensation in the pit of her stomach was telling her. It was weird—as though her appetites, long suppressed, were coming to life.

All her appetites.

An image of Rico flashed through her mind, and she shifted on the bed, her thighs clenching as she remembered the feel of his mouth and hands on her breasts, between her legs….

Oh God. Maybe food would take her mind off sex.

But as well as food, she wanted company, real company.

Last night, her first night on board, she’d pleaded exhaustion, and Al had brought her a tray to eat in her room. Maybe tonight, he would stay and talk while she ate. Tell her about Rico.

Rico again. She was obsessed. She had to get her mind off him and his hands and his mouth and his tongue and….

A light tap on the door interrupted her thoughts. She leaped up, crossed the room, and peered into the viewer. Al stood outside, shifting from foot to foot. Tonight, he didn’t carry a tray, and Skylar’s stomach rumbled in protest.

She pressed her palm to the panel and the door slid open.

Al shoved his hands in his pockets. “Captain Tannis says if you want to eat, you have to join us in the galley.”

“I—”

“She said that anyone who thinks they’re too good to eat with her crew could go hungry.”

“But—”

“So are you coming? The vampire won’t be there. Vampires don’t eat—not food, anyway.”

Skylar made a swift decision, nodded, and followed Al down the corridor. He stopped before they reached the galley and turned to her. “You know, if you’re worried about the vampire, I can protect you.”

Skylar managed to keep a straight face. “You can? Don’t you have work to do?”

Al nodded. “But when I’m busy, one of the others could take over.” He chewed on his lower lip. “You’d probably have to pay them though.”

“You think it would be worth it?”

“Oh, yeah. He won’t try anything when one of the crew is around. He promised the captain. You’ll be safe.”

Skylar wasn’t really afraid Rico would snack on her against her will. On the other hand, after their previous up-close encounter, she wasn’t sure just how much against her will it would be. Besides, it was clear Al wasn’t going to be satisfied until he felt she was safe. “That’s great. You organize it, and I’ll pay.”

The galley lay right at the center of the ship. The scent of food wafted from the room, and her stomach rumbled again. A large oval table took up most of the floor space, and a bank of food dispensers stood against one wall. Four people sat around the table. They looked up as Skylar hovered in the doorway.

“Good of you to join us,” Tannis said.

Skylar managed not to wince at the sarcastic tone. Instead, she curled her lips in the semblance of a smile. “My pleasure.”

Next to Tannis sat a woman Skylar hadn’t met before. She was perfect, from her tawny gold hair to the elegant black dress to the silver high heels, which looked right at home on the end of her slender legs. Skylar bet this woman never tripped over her feet.

“I’m Janey,” she said with an easy smile. “I look after the systems around here. Daisy you’ve already met, and”—she waved her fork at the man next to her—“this is the Trog. He’s our engineer. He doesn’t talk much, so don’t try and engage him in conversation.”

The Trog lifted his head and grunted. He appeared wholly human, but it was hard to tell anything beneath the shaggy mop of dark blond hair.

Skylar smiled in greeting and slipped into a chair. Al handed her a disposable tray of food, and Skylar kept her head down as she ate. After a few minutes, the conversation started up again, and she let it flow over her. The food was good, some sort of beef stew, and it tasted almost real. Finally, she put her fork down and sat back replete, to find everyone watching her. Everyone except Al, who jumped to his feet and started clearing the trays, depositing them down the recycling shoot.

Their gazes shifted to focus on something behind her. Skylar peeked over her shoulder, and the air seemed to leave the room. Rico’s lean figure lounged in the open doorway, enticingly rumpled, still in his usual black pants and shirt, but his weapons were gone, his feet were bare, and his dark hair hung loose around his shoulders. A whole new kind of hunger rumbled in her belly.

His lips curved into a slow smile, and he sauntered into the room. He touched her lightly on the shoulder as he passed, and a shiver prickled across her skin, her breath catching in her throat. He held something in his hand—a small rectangular object that he placed on the table in front of him as he sank into the chair opposite.

Skylar pushed herself to her feet. “Thanks for the food,” she said to the room in general.

Rico watched her sleepily. “Stay,” he murmured. When she didn’t move, he tilted his head to the side and studied her. “What can happen with everyone here?”

Tannis snorted, but Skylar ignored the sound, concentrating on Rico. He leaned in closer. “I won’t bite, and I’m lonely and feeling nostalgic. I thought we might play an old Earth game.” He glanced around at the others. “All of us.”

Skylar realized she wanted to stay. Everyone else appeared relaxed; Janey and Daisy were staring at Rico with something approaching hero worship. Tannis was actually smiling.

What harm could it do?

“Come on, Skylar, you know you want to play with me.” Rico’s tone was low and dark and ignited a fire deep inside her.

The flare of heat reminded her that he was dangerous—that she couldn’t trust herself around him and that she should get the hell out of there. Instead, she slowly sank into her chair. “What are we playing?”

He grinned. “Seven-card stud. A game I learned when I lived in the Wild West. Around a thousand years ago, give or take a couple of hundred.”

“I’ve read about the Wild West,” Daisy said, eyes wide. “Were you a cowboy?”

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. “I’m a vampire, honey, and there aren’t too many cows that need chasing at night.” He relaxed in his chair. “So this,” he said, picking up the box in front of him, “is a deck of cards.”

. . .

It was true, he had been feeling nostalgic—a new experience for him. He suspected Skylar was the cause, but had no clue why she affected him so profoundly. After she’d punched him yesterday, he’d decided to give her a little space. But all day, he’d had to fight the urge to hunt her down—not for sex, or food—but just to spend time with her, to get to know her. A loner by nature, he couldn’t understand what drew him to Skylar.

She was a mystery. A tough, highly trained soldier whom occasionally revealed flashes of vulnerability. A beautiful woman almost unaware of her own sexuality.

He’d managed to resist until tonight, when he’d been lying alone in his cabin, restless, unable to settle, and suddenly he’d craved company. One person’s company in particular, but he’d put up with the rest of the crew, if that were what was needed to put Skylar at ease.

He caught her gaze, and her lips curved into a sweet smile. He’d bet it was the first genuine smile he’d seen on her face, and it twisted something deep inside his chest. He had a sudden desire to see her laugh, to break down the natural reserve that hung about her like a protective shield.

“Gather around, children,” he said. “I’m going to teach you everything I know—which is a lot—so pay attention.” He shuffled the cards. “And if you’re really good, tomorrow night, I might teach you a variation.”

Daisy giggled. “What’s that?”

“Strip poker—I’ll leave the details to your imaginations. But for tonight we’re going to bet with these.” He took a worn leather pouch out of his pocket and emptied it onto the table. A stream of sparkling gemstones glittered against the matte black metal.

He picked up a stone from the glittering pile and held it up to Skylar. “Did you know, back on Earth, men would give one of these to the woman they wanted to marry, and she’d wear it on her finger for all to see.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Another old Earth custom?”

“Yes.” Reaching across the table, he picked up her left hand. “This is your ring finger. Folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein leading directly to the heart. The ring was supposed to symbolize eternal love.” He held her gaze, as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across her palm. A shudder ran through her. She pulled her hand free and placed it on her lap, out of reach.

“Eternal love? How sweet.” Tannis spoke from beside him, and he turned reluctantly to face her. “Did you give your wife a ring?” she asked.

“I did—an emerald—green like her eyes.”

Daisy perked up. “Like mine?”

He bit back a smile. He doubted anyone had eyes or anything else quite as green as Daisy. “Just like yours.”

He wondered whether Skylar would ask about his wife, wondered whether he would answer if she did. But except for a slight widening of her eyes, she made no response.

He toyed with the stone he’d picked up, rubbing it between his finger and thumb. It wasn’t an emerald, but a deep purple amethyst, glowing with violet fire. He tossed it toward Skylar, and she caught it in her hand and closed her fist around it.

“Pretty,” Janey murmured, picking up a diamond and holding it up to the light.

“And unfortunately, totally worthless. But these were once quite valuable—a souvenir from my days as a real pirate.”

“A real pirate? On a ship sailing across oceans?”

“I was, and an excellent one. Unlike cows, it’s quite easy to chase ships in the dark.” He split the stones into piles, pushed one toward Skylar, his fingers lightly grazing hers as she took them. She jumped as though a shock had run through her, and a little glow of satisfaction warmed him—definitely not immune. “Let’s play.”

He dealt two cards down, one up. “Now, you can look at your cards, but don’t let anyone else see them.” He glanced across at Skylar. “And no peeking. Any cheating will be severely punished.”

She smiled again, and the glow burst into flames. No, he didn’t understand what attracted him to Skylar and he still had some serious reservations about her story, but they just added to the intrigue, made her that little bit more fascinating. He looked forward to unraveling the mystery, discovering what was beneath the lies and evasions.

But not tonight. Pushing the thoughts aside, he settled down to the considerable challenge of making Skylar Rossaria laugh.