Burning Love [Flights of Fancy 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (6 page)

"Shit. What's going on here? It seems we're catching them hiding things at every turn." The captain rubbed her eyes. "I'm half tempted to pull you people out of there right now unless we get some straight answers."

"Captain, I think that would be a mistake from a diplomatic standpoint." Star most certainly wasn't used to dealing with the captain when she was in a bad mood. "I think I can get those straight answers."

Captain Davis barked a laugh. "Until the next time we catch them? No, don't answer that." Her eyes tracked to Spence. "Major, what's your recommendation from a military point of view?"

"We need to get out of here, Captain." Spence glanced at Star, but his gaze flashed back to the screen quickly. "My feeling is that it goes beyond concealing things from us and straight into outright lies."

"What have they lied about?"

"I don't know, and that's what bothers me."

"Me too." She rubbed her eyes again. "So, the diplomatic team is saying stay. My military officer is telling me to leave. Ensign, as a scientist, what would you suggest I do?"

Debi shrugged. "I'd like to stay and solve the riddle."

"I thought so." Captain Davis smiled. "That's two against one, but this isn't a democracy. My vote is the only one that counts."

Star sighed, resigned to the fact that her very first assignment as a diplomat fell apart like a cheap tissue. "I understand, Ma'am. Can I at least talk to Krell and tell him why we're leaving?"

"I never said anything about leaving, Lieutenant. Here's what we're going to do." She ticked off points on her fingers as she spoke. "First, you will say nothing to the Hendri about our concerns. Second, you have forty-eight hours to get answers to these questions. Not one second longer. Third, if Major Spencer says you leave, you leave, right then and there. Is that clear?"

Star felt better, but she knew Spence didn't want to stay. She'd have to convince him to give her the time she needed within the captain's limits. "Yes, Ma'am. I won't let you down."

"You're not letting me down, Star." The captain smiled. "You're not even letting down the Emperor or Empire. This is hard work, and we're learning as we go. The only one who could possibly end up disappointed is you. Don't let that happen to yourself, no matter what the outcome."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Very well. Carry on."

The screen faded to black.

* * * *

While Ensign Harvey gathered her notes to leave, Spence quietly rejoiced in his head. The captain effectively gave him absolute veto power of this mission, and he could yank Star out of the situation at any time with no further explanation other than to get her to safety. And the rest of the team would be safe, too.

Star seemed nervous, and she frequently stared at him, her brows knitted in thought. After Harvey left, Star sat down on the couch and seemed to make up her mind about something.

"Spence, we need to talk." She patted the seat beside her. "Come sit down."

He wondered if sitting so close to her would be any better of an idea than kicking her door down. He needed to buy some time to get used to the idea. "Let me get out of this armor first."

She wore her dress uniform for the dinner with Krell, and Spence didn't like it. It fit loose, and the trousers hid her legs and shape. She nodded. "That's a good idea. Think I'll change, too." She stood and went to the bedroom.

He went to the spacious head and slipped off the black protective suit. Catching a glimpse of himself in the large mirror, he wondered if his fatigues would hide the erection her presence recently triggered in him.

He tried thinking about dead puppies, but his cock still stood out like a rapier from his body. Spence tried thinking of baseball, but he liked the sport and it may have even made things worse. He tried basketball, and that worked better. The image of a two-and-a-quarter meter tall black man with orange hair dressed in drag made his hard-on fade like a dying ember in a fire.

After putting on his fatigues, he checked to make sure he looked as presentable as possible under the conditions, fussing over his uniform like a recruit getting ready to stand inspection. Spence stared at the sidearm resting in its holster where he'd hung it on the towel hook. The blaster seemed somehow out of place for sitting next to Star, no matter the situation, but the mission profile was clear that he and his men should be armed at all times. He sighed and slipped the belt around his waist, drawing the weapon to check the charge and settings.

When he was satisfied that everything was in order, Spence stepped from the head and closed the door behind him. He turned to walk to the couch, and Star had just returned from the bedroom.

She stood near the foot of the sofa, wearing the most remarkable robe he'd ever seen. Of a shimmering green material that closely matched her eyes, it seemed to float on the gentle currents of air from the cooling system, rippling and flowing like soft waves on some alien sea. Her red hair streamed in silky cascades down over her shoulders to spill nearly to her waist, and it caught the dim lights of the room casting flickering flashes of ruby to mix with the glint of emerald from her eyes into a myriad of scintillating pulses that threatened to blind him.

Despite its floating flow, the robe hugged certain parts of Star's body with fascinating effect. Her slender neck was exposed and gave way to the satiny material covering her ample chest where the cloth softly clung to the curves of her breasts. Aided by the tied belt, the robe hugged her waist before giving way to her perfectly shaped hips and her amazingly curvaceous legs.

The robe ended nearly at her ankles, but the floating effect gave tantalizing glimpses of her legs, and he couldn't help studying each and every millimeter of the exposed skin. Spence could have no more stopped his mouth from watering or the need to lick his lips and swallow than he could have contained a supernova in his pants pocket. He longed to touch the soft skin of her thighs with his fingers and tongue, but it was all he could do just now to avoid falling down.

And speaking of a supernova in his pants, he felt his cock stirring despite the drag queen shooting three-pointers from center court.

He forced his building desire and emotions into submission. Other than the brief kiss on his cheek last night, Star never gave any indication that she wanted anything more than a friend. She even said she didn't have time for anything more. In spite of decades of training in controlling his emotions and desires, Spence had to fight to contain himself.

She frowned a little. "Are you alright?"

He thought quickly. "Yeah, just thinking about all this stuff with the Hendri." He wondered if she bought that line any more that he did.

"We do need to talk about that." She sat down and crossed her long legs.

The orange-haired hoops star was now throwing shots from full-court and getting nothing but net, but it didn't impress or distract Spence at all. He thought his head probably bobbed up and down as he watched her pretty, bare foot bounce slowly in the air.

He swallowed and tried his voice. "It's your credit."

She laughed. "Come sit down here." Star again patted the couch beside her. He wondered how she could be so relaxed while he was about to cream his jeans.

He sat down and found himself sitting at rigid attention with both his back and dick. His voice seemed to work alright once, so he decided to try it again. "What's on your mind?"

"I think you know how important this mission is, not just for me, but for everyone."

"Yeah, I do, but your safety is more important."

"I think we're safe, at least reasonably so."

She just didn't understand how the universe worked. "No, you're not. These people are, at best, keeping things from us, and that's dangerous. We're blundering around in the dark, playing hide-and-seek with facts we need to know." He couldn't take his eyes off the bouncing foot that brushed against his pant leg occasionally.

"Spence..." She took a deep breath, and the foot gyrated a bit faster. "Listen, this is a big deal. We'll never have another chance at doing this the first time."

"And we may not live long enough to try it a second time."

"All I'm asking is that you not make any snap decisions to pull the plug."

"You heard the captain. If I think you're in danger, we're out of here."

"This isn't about the captain or anyone else except you." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and her robe slipped down her arm just a little, revealing the gentle curve of where arm and shoulder met. He was glad that she went on, because his own mouth was far too dry to speak. "I just want to give this a chance."

"Yeah, me too." He desperately wanted to have a chance with her.

She stared at him for an instant. "You do?"

He realized they were suddenly talking about two very different things, but she didn't know that. He looked for a way out. "Um, yeah. I want you to succeed."

A small smile came to her face. "Really?"

"Sure. That's important to you, and so it's important to me."

She placed her hand on his where it fidgeted restlessly on his knee. "That's very sweet."

The touch of her skin against his hand was hot, as hot as the Hendri he'd touched, but despite the heat, the contact sent shivers through him. He fought the urge to snatch his hand away from her soft touch. "Maybe."

Later, when he looked back at things, Spence knew it was then that he made his mistake. Despite the time spent fantasizing about her while masturbating, and the hours she filled his dreams, both waking and sleeping, he'd dismissed the idea of seducing Star like he'd done before with innumerable women on countless worlds. The idea seemed wrong. He wanted to move slowly, carefully, and get an idea of her feelings. But the best laid plans came to naught by one simple, innocent move on his part; he looked up from her hand resting on his and into her eyes.

* * * *

"Krell, we are concerned your feelings for this human are clouding your judgment."

The Elders used the High Speech, reserved only for their use and then only when they wished to make a point of their position. Krell dealt with the Elders frequently, but only rarely when they were so clearly unhappy. He bowed slightly to the screen set in the temple wall where the images of the Elder Council swam from face to ancient face.

"I understand your worry, Elder, but your concerns are baseless. Everything proceeds according to your plan."

"We doubt that. This female is not Hendri, and she is independent in her thoughts. She wants to meet the Rangor. Her underling has already examined two Hendri females and knows of the differences."

"It is true that their science is better than expected. I offer my life to you for my failure to correctly assess their abilities."

"You are forgiven that oversight." The image changed to another of the Elders, but the same monotone voice continued. "Speak of what the humans know."

"They know few facts, only interesting questions without answers. They know Hendri females lack the box, and they know the Rangor can make plans and carry them out." Krell wiped perspiration from his brow. Here in the temple, the heat was oppressive, even for a Hendri. "Much of the information they have is jumbled and distorted to conceal the truth."

"As it should be." A ripple of laughter coursed through the Elders, all in the same voice coming from the speakers above the screen. "What is your advice to the Council?"

Krell nerved himself. "The same as it has been since you first saw the humans. We should either tell them the truth or tell them to leave us alone."

"Neither will happen, Krell. These humans provide us the chance to leave this world for someplace better, but they must be made to cooperate." The voice of the Elders paused, and an old, craggy face stared out from the screen at him. "Can you follow your duty?"

"I can, Elder."

"If they learn the truth, we will set their ship to burn."

"I understand." Krell knew he couldn't protect Star from the Council.

* * * *

Something in the way Spence looked at her grabbed Star's full and undivided attention. He'd been nervous since he sat down next to her on the sofa, fidgeting with his hands, drawing little circles on his knee with his fingertips. No, he'd been spooked before that, ever since he'd met her back in the sitting room.

Even though she'd felt a little embarrassed by the attention, some part of her enjoyed the way his eyes drifted over her body when he saw her standing there after changing into her robe. She almost laughed out loud when his mouth opened and closed rapidly like a fish on the riverbank.

But now, he stared into her eyes, his face only half a meter from hers, and his expression was one she'd never seen before. Oddly slack, the skin of his face hung loose, like all the muscles simply stopped working and left him unable to move. His mouth was open slightly, and she heard the rush of air from his quick, shallow breaths as it whistled softly between his lips. Spence's eyes flickered rapidly, his gaze moving across her face as he looked from one of her eyes to the other, and then back again.

His hand still rested on his knee, but as soon as she placed her hand on top of his, his restless movements stopped. Now, Star felt a warmth flowing up her arm from the contact with him, one that rivaled the heat from the Hendri. As the warmth enclosed her, she suddenly felt safe and protected, though her mind could find no reason for her emotions to be triggered so. Somehow, Star knew Spence's protective streak went much deeper than just his job or even his duty.

Suddenly, Spence's face went hard, and a forced grimace came to his visage. He stood up so quickly that she nearly fell from the couch, and he moved to step away from her.

Star grabbed at his wrist and stood up next to him. "What are you doing?"

His gaze continued to flit over her face as before, but she saw a trident of lines form between his brows, and perspiration ran slowly down his temples despite the coolness of the room. His body tensed again, and his jaw seemed tight when he spoke. "I need to go for a walk."