Star Crossed (6 page)

Sidious sighed. “I’ll talk to them.” A knock at the door sounded and he turned.

“Come in.”

Count Damon Marcone marched in and took a seat next to Sidious. Even in his late fifties, his father had a formidable presence. He was an older version of Stefan and Sidious, in looks as well as temperament. “Has Taron found anything out yet?”

“He believes he’s found where the bomb came from that destroyed Senator Lengosa’s ship. He’s on his way to Veenori to investigate. Devlin still owns the largest bar on Veenori, and Taron is convinced he can help. He’ll contact us as soon as he knows anything more,” Stefan replied.

“Good. I’ve met Devlin. He’s a good man once you get past the gruff exterior.” His father nodded.

“Gruff is putting it mildly,” Stefan said with amusement.

“Do either of you have any guesses as to who this is?” Damon asked.

“Sidious thinks it’s someone we know from the militia, and after reading this letter, I would have to agree with him.” Stefan reached over and tossed the letter to the edge of the desk. His father picked up the paper and read it.

Raising his eyes, he looked at Sidious with alarm. “You don’t suppose the prime minister escaped the
Destroyer
during the rebellion, do you?”

“If you had asked me that two months ago I would have said no,” Sidious replied.

“But now you’re not so sure?”

“Now I’m not sure of anything.”

Dinner with Stefan had been much more pleasant than Krista expected. He acted the perfect gentlemen throughout the whole meal, not once making a veiled sexual remark. Even the restaurant was more casual than romantic, with brightly lit tables and a noisy atmosphere.

With a smile, he stood and offered her his hand. “Come on, blue eyes. Let’s go for a walk.”

She placed her hand in his and let him lead her outside to the lantern-lit streets of Daego. His fingers were warm, surrounding hers possessively, and the tremor that moved up her arm took her by surprise. What was it about him that made her melt into a puddle whenever he touched her?

Once outside she pulled her hand from his.
Think about something else—anything else
.

As they made their way around the corner, Krista jumped at the sound of a woman’s squeal. “Stefan!”

Turning to see who yelled, she watched in shock as a beautiful young woman threw herself at Stefan… Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him soundly. At first Krista thought the whole thing was funny, but the longer she stood there the more she didn’t like it.

What on Earth do I have to be jealous of? We’re not a couple
. But for some reason the sight of another woman touching him bothered her. When she noticed Stefan look at her over the woman’s shoulder and mouth the words “help me”, her notorious mean streak reared its head.

Raising one eyebrow at him, she pretended to not understand what he wanted, then smiled. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with the whole situation, and Krista was in just the type of mood to let him remain that way.

“Stefan, where in the world have you been? You haven’t been on Tilarus in months!

Daddy is giving this huge party tonight—you have to come by.”

“I’m afraid tonight is out of the question. I already have plans. I’m sorry.” Stefan tried to extradite himself from the woman’s hands but wasn’t having much luck. Once again he looked to Krista and silently pleaded with her to do something.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” she pouted prettily. “I was really looking forward to spending some time alone with you.”

“Well,” Stefan started.

Finally Krista took pity on him and walked over. Placing her arm possessively around his elbow, she leaned close to him. “Stefan darling, are you going to introduce me?”

Almost sighing in relief, Stefan placed his free hand over her arm. “Sweetheart, this is Ardra Morticio, daughter of Lord Morticio of the Northern Perimeter of Tilarus.

Ardra this is Krista Sinclair.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ardra.” Krista kept her voice cordial but her eyes left no doubt she didn’t like the woman encroaching on her territory.

“I didn’t realize that you were…” Ardra looked to Stefan for him to clarify who the woman was.

“If we’re going to get those errands done before we have to meet my parents for dinner, we should probably get going,” Krista said as she looked up at Stefan. She didn’t give him an opportunity to answer Ardra.
Let the woman wonder
, Krista thought smugly.

“Of course.” Stefan smiled at her, then turned back to Ardra. “It was good seeing you again, and tell your father hello for me.” He and Krista continued down the street.

“Took you long enough,” Stefan grumbled, still holding her hand in the crook of his elbow. She liked it there and made no effort to move it.

Krista chuckled. “I was kind of enjoying watching you squirm. Old girlfriend?”

“No. Just a young girl who thinks I would make an excellent son-in-law for her father.”

“Why haven’t you married?” He was gorgeous, and she was sure he could get most any girl he wanted. Even her, if he were to try.

“I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much of a chance to even think about it, much less find someone,” he replied quietly.

“I don’t know. Looks like Ardra there would be a pretty good catch. You wouldn’t even need to put forth any effort, just a snap of your finger.” She snapped her finger and gave him a teasing smile. “Instant wife.”

“What about you? I think you would make a pretty good catch.” Coming to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, he turned to face her.

Not wanting him to see how much that idea appealed to her, she teased him back.

“I would require too much effort on your part.”

“Are you saying you would be a challenge?” He looked as though the very thought was intriguing.

“Of course. But a challenge you would find difficult to win.” Giving her his best seductive smile, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers.

“One thing you will learn about me, Kris,” he looked at her through his lashes, “I never back down from a challenge.”

Trying to get her furiously beating heart a little more under control, she pulled her hand from his grasp. It felt as though his lips had burned her flesh where they’d touched.

She turned and began to walk slowly down the street. Trying to take her mind off the very seductive look in his eyes and the way his gaze followed her every move, she tried to pay closer attention to her surroundings.

The thought of Stefan actually being interested enough to try and win her over excited her, but then reality sank in.
He’s only teasing. Stefan needs a woman who is just as
powerful and aggressive as he is
. He certainly wouldn’t want her, at least for anything serious. The rich and powerful ones never did.

He fell into step beside her, his hand resting at the small of her back. For a few moments they remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Other than challenging,” she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, “what are you looking for in a woman?” She was curious if she was correct about what kind of woman he would like.

“Do you think you know someone who would be perfect for me?” Up went that adorable eyebrow, she noticed.

“Maybe,” she replied. “But you’re evading the question.” Stefan smiled as he looked straight ahead. “You know, I haven’t really thought about it.”

“You don’t know what kind of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?” That certainly surprised her.

“I keep hoping the woman of my dreams will come running around the corner and barrel into me.” He shrugged.

Krista laughed, for she knew that was how Sidious had met Mikayla. “I doubt miracles like that happen twice.”

“Maybe the woman of my dreams is right under my nose.” Turning back to her, he gave her a charming smile.

“Maybe the woman of your dreams is Ardra.”

Stefan made a face and shuddered, making Krista laugh.

“What about you?” Stefan asked, turning the tables. “What are you looking for in a man?”

Krista sighed. “The same thing all women are looking for. The perfect man that doesn’t exist.”

Stefan laughed. “What is this perfect man like?”

“Well, he’s sweet, funny, patient, romantic…”

“There you go.” He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and spread his arms.

“You’ve described me to a T. See? The perfect man does exist.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t recall saying anything about him being arrogant, condescending, overbearing…”

“I am not arrogant.” He put his hands on his hips, his expression the perfect picture of indignation.

“Of course you’re not,” she replied dryly. With a smile, she listened to Stefan halfheartedly grumble about how he didn’t understand why everyone thought he was arrogant.

* * * * *

Standing on the far side of the street, the man who was once Commander Carlone quietly watched Stefan with the pretty young blonde woman. His plan had worked.

The fortune he’d paid the informant had been well worth it.

He raised his hand and rubbed at the new skin mask that covered his face. It served two purposes. One was to hide the burn scars he’d received during the rebel attack, the other was to keep his identity hidden. Everyone thought he was dead, and he wanted to keep it that way. At least for a while longer.

He studied Stefan and the woman with interest. Could this be a girlfriend? It didn’t matter. If she got in the way, that would be her problem.

Stefan would pay for what he did to him and forever regret getting involved with the rebels.

* * * * *

Stefan couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. Krista was intelligent and funny—most certainly beautiful, but there was something about her that made him feel alive. When he was with her he laughed and looked at things in ways he never had before.

Staring down at her, he noticed her slightly pink cheeks and full lips. She had her arms crossed over her chest, studying the horizon. A cool breeze blew and she shivered slightly. He frowned and wished he’d thought to bring a jacket for her. The temperature had dropped, meaning a storm wasn’t far behind.

Walking up behind her, he rubbed his palms up and down her arms. He had a strong desire to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. That thought made him smile. He knew without a doubt that if he did she would deck him. One thing about Kris, she would never be dull. “Do you want to head back to the house?” he asked.

“What?” She turned and brought her gaze from the planet above them to his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I was fascinated with the rings. They’re beautiful.” Stefan smiled as an idea came to mind. “Would you like to see them up close?”

“Up close?”

He nodded. “We can take the
Negash
and actually fly through them.” A slow smile spread across her face and his heart leapt in his chest.
Good Lord, I feel
like some kid on his first date
!

“That actually sounds like fun.”

He returned her smile. “Then let’s go. I have the
Negash
secured in the general dock at the other side of town.”

Putting his hand at the small of her back, he escorted her down the sidewalk.

* * * * *

Krista sat in the passenger seat of the
Negash
and watched the little moon of Daego disappear beneath them and the planet of Metalon loom larger. The planet was huge, with four rings in all—each one a different color, from red to purple.

Thinking back on the evening, she realized how much fun she’d had. When they weren’t bickering with each other they got along very well. They had the same interests, laughed at the same things. Stefan could be adorable when he wanted to be, but he could also be a total arrogant jerk.

Denying her physical attraction was becoming harder and harder. Sometimes she wondered why she even tried. Why shouldn’t she have a fling with him? She sighed as she tried to remind herself of the reasons why. Because he was her best friend’s brother-in-law and if things didn’t work out or it ended badly, coming back here to visit would be out of the question. It would be too uncomfortable. Mikayla meant more to her than a few weeks of sex. No matter how good it would probably be. Now, if she could only convince her body of that and resist him whenever he kissed her.

Yeah, right
, she thought.

As they flew closer she noticed the rings were actually rocks and dust particles.

Zigzagging through the debris to the third ring, Stefan parked the ship on a rock with a beautiful view of the planet below.

“Is Metalon inhabited?” she asked as she watched the sun set behind the curve of the planet.

“No. It’s uninhabitable, mostly swampland.”

Stefan’s breath brushed against her cheek, and she turned to find herself nose to nose with him. His gray eyes mirrored the storm going on within her, and she swallowed nervously. His hungry gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, making her chest tighten.

The evening had gone so well. She couldn’t let him do this. She knew the second his lips touched hers she would melt. She always did. There was nowhere for her to run this time. No place for her to get away.

Slowly he lowered his head toward hers, and she drew in a shaking breath. He rubbed his nose against the tip of hers, the contact causing her to almost jump out of her skin. The electricity in that one simple touch sent tingles throughout her entire body.

He didn’t kiss her, he just watched her, his face hovering inches above hers.

Waiting. Each second that passed made it harder for her to remember the reasons why she shouldn’t do this. She had to say something, now. She opened her mouth to draw in a shaky breath and tell him to stop but his lips covered hers in a soft kiss, preventing her from saying anything.

She tried to resist at first, not responding, but he continued to nibble and tease. His patience and lack of urgency were erotic in themselves, and she opened her lips beneath his despite herself.

He ran his tongue along her bottom lip before sliding it against her teeth, slowly exploring as if he had all the time in the world. Running his tongue along her teeth, he barely touched his tongue to hers before retreating.

Krista moaned and leaned closer. She wanted to taste more of him. A hint of chocolate truffle and the hot cinnamon drink
korniga
, still lingered on his breath. His musky scent enveloped her, making her want to drown in it.

Gently he cupped her face in his hands and deepened the kiss further. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she met his hungry mouth with her own craving need.

One kiss led to another and she couldn’t seem to stop. With a groan, she admitted she didn’t want to. Her body burned with fire, his fingers scorching every place he touched, and he touched everywhere.

“Kris,” he sighed against her mouth. Grabbing her at the waist, he pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips. Her knees rested on either side of him, causing her skirt to ride up her thighs, exposing them. She didn’t care. She couldn’t believe how badly she wanted him, how much she wanted to feel him inside her.