CALLEY (RIBUS 7 Book 3) (35 page)

Jason shook his head. “He won’t come around.” And then he smiled slyly. “He accompanied me to a facility where a specialist I know ran a specific blood test for me—well, a few blood tests, actually. He doesn’t have HIV, Chelan. And considering his long list of conquests, he appears surprisingly clean.”

Chelan didn’t know whether to berate him or thank him. Questions flooded her mind surrounding the speed of the blood test results, but suddenly none of it mattered anymore. She sprang from her chair, hugged him tight about the neck, and kissed his bearded cheek. “Oh, thank you, Jason! You’re wonderful.”

Jason closed his eyes and finally allowed himself to touch her. His hands slid around her smooth, hard waist and he moved her onto his lap, holding her close.

Chelan pulled back slightly, her fingers tracing down the sides of his face and over his full beard. She looked at his inviting lips, but despite all her urges, she wasn’t going to chance any other man, no matter what the attraction.

Jason’s voice was soft and low. “I guess I don’t have to worry about my allegiance to my former best friend anymore, do I?”

Chelan smiled. “No,” she whispered. “I think your relationship with Jim is pretty much extinct.”

Jason stared at her for a long time. “I’d like to kiss you if you would allow it, just once.”

Chelan became still. With one softly spoken appeal, he had liquefied all her resolve. What was it about this man? Why did his simple presence captivate her so, scrambling all her senses? Even his masculine scent was heavenly. She pondered his request. “Maybe a small one,” she uttered before she could catch herself.

Jason closed his eyes and tasted her lips, his tender caress of her mouth causing her to melt from within. But it was she who withdrew first, and she looked at him sheepishly. “I can’t remember all that happened the night Jim and I were together. I would feel better if we waited for the rest of the tests to come in before we kissed again. I don’t want—”

Jason pressed a finger to her lips. “You’re probably fine, Chelan.”

Chelan shook her head. “You don’t know what acts I performed on him.”

Jason smiled. “Fair enough.”

Chelan pushed away from him a bit, smiling shyly. “After all, he kissed me. Maybe he even gave me cold germs.”

Jason chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, you win.”

Chelan slid off his lap and backstepped into the living room. With a little distance between them, she reassessed everything. “Actually,” she said, “if you don’t mind, I would prefer it if we remained platonic. I’m just a little shell-shocked at the moment.”

He smiled warmly. “I completely understand.”

Chelan was immensely relieved. She glanced at the couch. “You can still sit with me if you wish.”

Jason stood, his crystal eyes alight. “I’d like that very much.”

Jason started back to work the next day, often supplying her with QA to do from his various contracts when he arrived home. She enjoyed having the work, and even more importantly, she loved that she was helping him out. It was her way of repaying the gentle man for her room and board.

Before the week was out, she phoned the clinic: her test results were negative. She was so elated, she took one of the muscle-contracting pills before her period was due, just to ensure all was as well as it appeared to be.

Marion had to stay in Florida, as things were not looking well with her mom, but Will flew into Chicago to attend to some work and to spend as much time with Chelan as he could before returning to Florida.

Things were looking up all around for Chelan, and any uncertainty as to her future accommodations had been erased by Jason. He had put forth a very convincing argument as to just why she should stay with him for the rest of the time before their Oregon trip, an argument that revolved around work, both professionally and on the home front.

In addition to giving her as much contract material as she could handle, he assigned her the task of adding a little character to his rather bland abode. As a bonus, she was encouraged to practice her fledgling culinary skills on him as often as she wished, a passion which she attacked with a flurry of enthusiasm. And just as with her professional pursuits, her attention to detail in the kitchen was fastidious. Soon every windowsill in the apartment was covered with an assortment of fresh herbs, all meticulously cared for. Jason quickly found out just how good a homemade meal could taste.

Chelan was up in the mornings with him, their days often beginning well before six, when he usually left. She attended to Jason’s work until noon and then either hit the stores or tackled the decorating, but the late afternoons were always dedicated to cooking. After the evening’s meal, Jason would clean up, and then both usually settled in for a couple more hours of work just before bed.

Chelan was as content as she had ever been on Earth, but one thing kept nagging at her. Since she had first been reintroduced to her home planet, thoughts of Korba and Fremma had been constant companions of her psyche. But now thoughts of Jason were intruding with ever-increasing strength, to the point of alarming her.

She was becoming ever more attached to the beautiful Earth man while living with him, and it was wreaking havoc with her emotions. He had not approached her physically even once since their one and only kiss, but her desire to be in his company was all-consuming. Every evening when he walked in through the door, her heart leapt and her soul calmed. He was an elixir of tranquility, the air of strength that surrounded him immersing her in a sea of peacefulness. But along with this deep-seated contentment came a sense of longing so powerful, she at times felt overwhelmed. However, as the days went on, she was becoming even more determined to keep their relationship utterly benign.

She surmised that her intimate aloofness was hard on the loving man, who seemed as drawn to her as she was to him. But he never pushed. He appeared satisfied with holding her in his arms while watching TV, or hugging her every morning as he left, and every evening when he came home. Chelan intuitively knew why he chose to wait so patiently, and she did not bother to correct him. He had assumed that her interaction with Jim had traumatized her and that she needed time. This he seemed to grant happily out of his burgeoning love.

But as the month of March descended upon her, despite all her precautions, she finally admitted to herself that she cared for the man deeply, more deeply than she had ever thought possible. This revelation caused even more turmoil to churn within her. After all, Jason was in the here and now, while as time passed, the Empire felt more and more like a distant fantasy conjured by her imagination.

And if that were not enough, the whole emotional quagmire surrounding the inevitable loss of Jason and her reentry into the Empire was thickening. She was well aware that she should be utterly elated over being reborn into the arms of the Empire in a few short weeks, but not only was the uncertainty pertaining to the pickup plaguing her, how could she possibly tell Jason about her abrupt departure? And for that matter, how could she leave him?

As April loomed, Chelan was becoming a powder keg of explosive emotions. On the one hand she wanted to be with Jason, to share all with him. And on the other hand, she wanted to run away, forgetting she had ever met him. As a consequence, she erected an emotional barrier that he could never hope to penetrate. She would not allow his physical love, the added bonding more than she could ever endure. It would make their inevitable departure from one another far too painful.

Today Chelan paced back and forth in the small living room. April twenty-first would be the big day. If all went as planned, at midnight a single ebony fighter would descend at the predetermined location and Chelan would be swept up from the dust of her little blue planet, never to return. But with her deepening love for Jason, her agitation was increasing almost exponentially.

All her dithering had not been lost on the sensitive man, though he did not pry as to the reasons behind her turbulence. But finally he came home with a suggestion. He scooped her up and twirled her around. “How about we start our trip tomorrow?”

Chelan’s eyes bugged. “Your work! It’s only the third week of March.”

Jason smiled. “It’s okay. There’s a hang-up with that supplier again, and there’s no rush anyway. I can take the extra time. How about we begin by flying into Seattle and driving down the Washington coast into Oregon? We can take our time. There are lots of bed and breakfasts along the way, especially along the Olympic Peninsula. And while we are in Seattle, we can pick up all the supplies we need. Once we’re completely outfitted and we’ve explored Washington a bit, we can go to that lake near your home where your Dad used to take you.”

Chelan’s smile was huge. “Oh, Jason. That all sounds so wonderful!”

*****

Chelan called Will and told him her plans, assuring him that she would stay in touch while on the trip. Then the very next morning, she and Jason were on a plane for Seattle. There, Jason rented a SUV and they were off. Chelan was in her element. This adventure on her little blue planet was what she had wanted to go on with her family, enjoying the countryside and the sunshine to the fullest. And fortunately for both of them, the west-coast weather had chosen to cooperate.

While in Seattle, they shopped. Chelan bought a small tent, plenty of warm base layers of clothing, and some rainwear. A good sleeping bag was a must, along with a sturdier pack. Jason purchased most of the other equipment, indicating that a large portion his gear back home needed upgrading, hence the reason he had left it behind. The only time-consuming part of the shopping spree was her search for a good knife. Jason followed her around with amusement but was suitably impressed with the formidable weapon she chose. As a consequence, he promised not to sneak up on her at night.

Their first prolonged stop was Mount Rainier for the hiking, and although there was still plenty of snow at higher elevations, they managed to cover a lot of territory and enjoyed the spectacular wilderness. The first big lesson Chelan inadvertently learned was that Jason had an inexhaustible supply of energy. Needless to say, she slept well nights, bears the furthest thing from her mind this time.

On days that it rained, they found bed and breakfasts or the odd hotel, just so they could dry out. Finally they descended into Oregon and made their way along the coast. Turning inland slightly, they headed for her cozy small town and her precious little lake. They parked the SUV at one end of the lake and then hiked to the other.

Chelan chose a place in a grassy clearing near the water, careful to pick a site well away from the rendezvous location. As soon as she and Jason had finished putting up the tents, she excused herself for a short walk.

Chelan approached the spot slowly, thousands of feelings and images flooding her mind. She walked up to the tree where she and Fremma had shared their last night, and she sank to her knees.

She touched the ground reverently and closed her eyes. She could feel the Warlord’s arms fold around her, and she warmed. Then, as quickly as the warmth had come, it faded on the breeze as Jason’s face arose before her.

She sighed. She was still at a loss as to how to deal with him. But now she was confronted with the fact that time was desperately short. When the moment came to part ways, there had to be some form of explanation. She owed him that much at least.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked over to where, months ago, the fighter had nestled. It all seemed so unreal now. It was as though she had awakened from some outlandish dream. She smiled briefly as she thought of Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz
. It was just the same.

She lingered as long as she dared and then stood. In two short weeks she would be gone forever. In two short weeks she would say good-bye to Jason. And during those two short weeks she knew she would die bit by bit over his impending loss. But there was no solution. Their parting was inevitable, no matter how painful it would be.

Chelan finally headed back to the camp. There she found Jason putting the finishing touches to the site. He stood up, looked around, and smiled at her approach. “This is okay as long as it doesn’t rain,” he said. “If it does, we should move into the trees a bit. It’s dense enough to give quite a lot of shelter and it will be easier to string tarps.”

Chelan smiled. “Do you think the SUV will be safe?”

Jason nodded. “It’s too early in the season for most people. Even the universities won’t be out until the end of the month.”

Chelan yawned and then looked at the orange orb setting over a distant ridge, its reflection echoing over the tranquil ripples of the lake.

Jason glanced at her as she moved next to him. “Lots of memories, I bet.”

Chelan smiled. “A lifetime’s worth, and more.”

Jason looked past her and nodded to the lake. “Do you think it has fish?”

“I don’t know. But I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Jason began rearranging some of his equipment. “I’m looking forward to this time together, Chelan. It’ll be nice not to pull up stakes every day.”