Star Crossed (8 page)

Stefan walked up next to her and grinned. “Don’t like the idea of eating replicated food?”

Krista scrunched up her face. “Not particularly.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll have to scrounge up some real food.” He smiled as he tapped her nose with the tip of his finger. “Just for you.” Krista smiled as she watched him go around her and continue down the hall.

“You’re too kind.”

She fell into step behind him, studying the rock walls and solid earthen floors.

Lights hung from the ceiling, the connecting wires exposed. She could feel the slight slope to the ground and vaguely wondered how deep they were.

He eyed her over his shoulder. “Kind, huh? Can’t say too many people have accused me of that one.”

She waved a hand and rolled her eyes. “You were the driving force behind the men and women who freed the galaxy of an abusive and sick tyrant. You can’t get any kinder than that.”

Stefan came to an abrupt halt and spun to face her with a thoughtful expression.

She frowned. “What?”

An eyebrow arched adorably and she fought the desire to smile. “A compliment?

Coming from you?”

“Yeah, well. Don’t get too used to it.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “Most people would say I had an ulterior motive.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Did you?”

“No.”

She shrugged. “Then what do you care what other people think?”

“I don’t.” His expression sobered as he gazed at her. It made her uncomfortable, and she shifted her stance, trying to find a way around him. “I only care what you think.”

She jerked her eyes back to his in surprise. “Why?”

His only response was to smile before turning away again. She frowned at his retreating back. He never failed to completely throw her for a loop. With a sigh, she followed him further into the cave.

* * * * *

Krista surveyed the massive great room. It had three fireplaces, one in the center that she was sure someone could easily stand in, and two not quite as large on each end.

They appeared to be made of the same stone as the cave, blending into the wall almost perfectly.

The center fireplace divided the room into two sections, a kitchen and eating area on one side and a living room-type area on the other.

Large overstuffed chairs and sofas in shades of burgundy and green filled the living room, while the kitchen offered numerous tables and chairs as well as cabinets filled with dishes and pots. Four replicators took up the opposite wall.

“How many people were usually here at one time?” she asked as she continued to scan the room.

Stefan set the bags down and turned on a replicator. “Two coffees. Black.” While he waited, he leaned his back against the counter. “The most, I think, was about one hundred and fifty.”

Walking over, she looked into the center fireplace. It was open on both ends, which allowed the heat to spread to both sides of the room. There were logs at the bottom but no burnt-wood scent. It just smelled damp.

“If you’re cold I can turn that on.”

She looked over at him and smiled slightly. “Please.” Stefan chuckled and grabbed their cups of steaming coffee. “Here, this will help.” He handed her a cup before opening a panel to the side of the chimney.

She eyed the drink warily before taking a sip.
Hmmm…not too bad
. She really couldn’t tell a difference. Wrapping both hands around the warm cup, she took another sip.

Suddenly there was a loud pop, and she startled as the logs came to life in bright orange and yellow flames. With a sigh, she moved closer to the heat.

Looking around, she noticed the other fireplaces had come to life as well.

Stefan smiled. “They’re all interconnected and attached to gas lines running down through the ground. I can also turn on the ones in each individual guest room with this panel as well.”

She raised an eyebrow. “The bedrooms have fireplaces too?” He nodded as he closed the panel.

“How long did it take you to do that?”

“Not long.” He came to stand next to her, putting his back to the heat.

Bringing her cup to her lips, she took another sip as she eyed him over the rim.

“What was this place used for?”

“This was where we made the
Vultair
. We built her in pieces and then assembled her in orbit, cloaked. She’s too big for the cavern.” Stefan swallowed a sip of coffee.

“After that, we used it as a place to gather in relative safety. A few fugitives, running from the prime minister, hid out here, as well.”

“Now we’re hiding here.”

“So it would seem.”

Krista watched him study the flames, a faraway look in his eyes. She wondered what he was thinking.

“If it wasn’t for me…would you still hide out here?” Stefan brought his gaze to hers and for a second she wondered if he was even going to answer her. He shook his head and whispered, “No.”

She spun away from him and walked toward one of the many tables in the eating area. Pulling out a chair, she sat down, setting the cup on the table in front of her. The idea of him getting hurt didn’t sit well with her, but she refused to analyze it—refused to even think about it. Acknowledging any feelings she had for him was too dangerous.

“Krista.”

She looked up to see Stefan take the seat next to her. He reached out and placed his hand over hers. His fingers were so warm, his eyes so full of concern and compassion.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled her hand out from under his and shook her head. “I feel terrible…”

“This whole mess is my fault, Kris. Not yours. I should have listened to Taron when he tried to warn me about this.” Putting his finger under her chin, he turned her toward him. His dark gray eyes held hers as he rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

How is it he can always do this to me? Why is it when he touches me all I want to do is
drown in him?

She closed her eyes against the desire to make love to him again. They hadn’t talked about it, but they probably should. Unfortunately, at the moment she was so tired she couldn’t think straight, much less talk about what happened. She wasn’t even sure what she would say anyway.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered and placed a soft kiss against her brow.

Krista wasn’t as confident.

Stefan came down the hall late the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee.

With a slight smile, he followed his nose to the great room. He stopped at the entrance and searched for Krista. He found her standing by the counter, softly humming along with the music playing in the background. She must have found Taron’s old disk player.

For a second, he leaned against the rock wall and watched her hips softly sway back and forth. The images her movements created in his mind made his cock thicken. The woman could drive him to distraction without even trying.

Keeping his steps whisper soft, he came farther into the room. She had her back to him, her hair hanging in soft curls. His fingers itched to run through its honey-blonde softness like they had on the ship.

With an inward groan, he grimaced. Just thinking about that night made him hard all over again. He shifted his gaze from her hair to her perfectly rounded behind. He remembered the feel of those tight mounds in his hands and his blood quickened.

Good going, idiot. Make it worse
.

Coming up behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. The material of her sweater was soft beneath his fingers. Her singing stopped and she stiffened.

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “It’s just me.” Her hair smelled like lavender and he inhaled the scent. She always smelled of lavender. He wondered if she bathed in it.

“I’m making breakfast, would you like some?”

He grinned at the breathless quality in her voice. “I’ll take a side of you with that bacon.” He placed a soft kiss just under her ear and smiled to himself when he felt the tremor run through her.

“Knock it off.” She nudged him in the stomach with her elbow.

He grunted. “Yes ma’am,” he mumbled with a grin.

Moving away from her, he ordered coffee from the replicator. “Do you need some help or have you figured it all out?”

“I think I’ve figured it out.” She smiled and proudly held up a plate. Grabbing a piece of bacon off it, she set it in the center of the table with the rest of the food she’d prepared.

“Hungry this morning?” Stefan raised an eyebrow at the amount. There was bacon, eggs, potatoes, toast and fruit.

“Actually I am. In case you haven’t noticed it’s almost lunchtime and we missed breakfast.” Krista grabbed her own coffee and sat down.

He smiled as he sat across from her. He liked this. Waking to find her in his kitchen, cooking breakfast, grinning at him over her morning coffee. He liked her smile much more than her surly attitude. Although he had to admit her smart mouth could certainly be entertaining.

“What’s it like outside?”

Her question snapped his mind back to the present.

“That’s right. You were asleep when we landed.” He scooped some eggs onto his plate. “It’s mostly wooded. There are a couple of clearings, one with a large lake. Some of the men used to fish there. This time of the year it’s a little too chilly for that, though.”

“Not too chilly to go out, I hope.” She offered him the plate with toast on it.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

He grabbed the plate and their fingers touched. For a second he didn’t move, just let them rest over hers. “You look gorgeous when you blush.” Krista jerked her hand away so fast he almost dropped the plate. She narrowed her eyes. Picking up her fork, she stabbed a few potatoes. Stefan got the distinct impression she wished they were his head.

“You never answered my question,” she said.

“Oh, yes.” He nodded. “Back to the weather.” He put his coffee cup to his mouth to hide his grin. “It’s cold right now, but not too terribly bad. Were you warm enough last night?”

“Yes. I found some extra blankets in a trunk at the foot of the bed. The fireplace really kept the chill off.”

“If the cold ever gets to be too much for you, you’re always welcome in my bed.” Krista snorted. She couldn’t believe the gall of this man. “Only if I could hogtie you first.”

“Hmmm.” Stefan took a bite of bacon and chewed thoughtfully.

Krista could just imagine what was going through his mind.
Probably the same thing
that’s going through mine
. The image of Stefan tied up in a bed was definitely interesting.

“If you hogtie me will you have your way with me? Or better yet…” Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth and she scowled at him.

“Why don’t I tie you up and have my way with you?”

“Okay, look…” Krista dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clang.

Stefan raised an eyebrow in amusement. “You brought it up.” One corner of his mouth twitched up as he fought a smile.

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry I did.” She picked up her plate and took it to the counter.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she knew Stefan was behind her. She fought the wave of desire that surged through her like a runaway train as he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed.

He’ll just use me and I refuse to be used
.

“I’ll take care of these. You go find some warm clothes and we’ll head outside for a while.” She turned to look at him and he shrugged. “If we don’t see sunshine occasionally, we’ll become claustrophobic.”

She eyed him warily, unable to bring herself to relax after his latest comment.

“I promise to behave myself.” He put his hand over his heart, his expression turning somber.

“Where have a heard that before?” she mumbled as she headed toward her room.

Stefan chuckled. “Yeah, but that time I had my fingers crossed.” Krista smiled despite herself.

* * * * *

Krista turned her face up toward the sky and sighed. The trees were so tall and thick she barely saw the lavender sky peeking out between the tips of the branches, which made the valley floor dark and cold.

Just being outside made her feel ten times better. The cool wind against her cheeks, the smell of damp dirt and dead leaves mingled in the breeze, tickling her nose. She could hear a stream in the distance, but the further up the mountain they went the further away the stream sounded.

Coming to a stop, she put her hand against the side of a tree. She ran her fingers over the smooth blue skin of the trunk. No grayish bark here. It almost felt like the leathery skin of a frog. Holding back a shudder, she let go of the tree and put her hands back in the pockets of the jacket Stefan had loaned her.

“You doing okay?”

She brought her gaze to Stefan’s and smiled slightly. He was standing sideways, one foot resting on the log beside him, his hands on his hips. He didn’t look the least bit winded, whereas she was almost breathless.

“I’m fine. Just taking a breather.”

He studied her with a frown. “I keep forgetting you’re not used to the atmosphere on this planet. I shouldn’t have brought you up this far.” She shook her head and went to sit on the log next to where his foot rested. “It’s not that. I just haven’t hiked like this in ages. I didn’t realize how out of shape I was.” One side of Stefan’s mouth twitched as he let his eyes roam over her from head to toe. Her body immediately responded and heated up several degrees, her heart racing out of control.

“You look pretty in shape to me.”

Krista scowled and reached out, slapping the side of his leg with her hand. Stefan laughed and the sound echoed in the trees.

“We can head back if you want,” he said, sitting on the log beside her. The heat coming off his thigh seeped into hers and she ran her sweaty palms down her jeans.

She shook her head. “No. I’m not ready to go back yet. I like it out here. Is the whole planet like this?”

“Pretty much.”

It suddenly became darker, and he looked up at the sky with a frown.

“What is it?” she asked as she raised her eyes as well. The blue had been replaced by dark gray clouds that obscured the tips of the trees. She pulled the edges of Stefan’s jacket more firmly around her as the wind began to pick up. “Is it a storm?”

“Looks like it.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “We better get back.” She had no idea how far they were from the entrance to the cave, but she knew they had been outside for a while. Stefan came to a stop and she grabbed his elbow to steady herself on the slope. Following his gaze, she gasped.

Directly in front of them was nothing—everything was obscured by white. At first she thought it was fog but it appeared to move. “What is that?”

“It’s snow.”

She sucked in a breath as she watched it slowly approach them. “Oh my God, a whiteout? How are we going to find our way back?” He squeezed her hand and gave her a firm look. “You hold onto my hand and don’t let go, no matter what. Do you understand?”

She nodded her head and swallowed nervously. She could feel the biting cold of the wind as the storm moved closer. Never in her life had she seen anything like it. Holding tight to his hand, she followed him into the blinding white of the storm.

* * * * *

Stefan stopped and tried to get his bearings. As a child he’d had a strong sense of direction and had been taught to use it. He just hoped he still could. It had been years since he actually had to rely on it.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a second, trying once again to get a feel for the direction he needed. The mountain was to the right, he just knew it. Slowly, he began to make his way toward what he hoped to be south.

He could still feel Krista’s hand in his, although he really couldn’t see her that well.

The snow was coming down too hard. He knew she had to be cold, he was freezing.

The wind had picked up and more than once almost knocked them off their feet.

The cold felt like knives slicing through his skin. The snow coated their clothes, making them wet and only adding to their misery.

He turned sharply when he heard her squeal then felt the tug on his hand as she fell to the ground. Immediately he was down on his knee next to her. With one hand on her back, he leaned down next to her ear. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded her head, her lips quivering and blue from the cold. Her nose was bright red, her cheeks already chapped. They had to find the cave soon or they were both in trouble.

“We’re almost there. Hang onto me.” He put her hand firmly back into his and helped her stand before starting off again.

After what seemed like an eternity, the white in front of him began to grow darker.

Putting his hand out, he touched cold rock and let out a sigh of relief.

The entrance has to be here somewhere
.

Moving to the left, he quickly found it and helped Krista inside. She let go of his hand and ran farther into the cave ahead of him. She wrapped her arms around her, shaking from head to toe. “Oh God. I am so cold.” He came up behind her and pushed her toward the hall, heading straight for her quarters. Once in the door he stood her before the fireplace and then headed to the bathroom.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m running you some water. I want you in a warm bath. While you’re doing that I’m going to go fix us something hot to eat.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. You get in the tub.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, sir, bossy.”

From his position sitting by the tub, he turned to look at her and almost laughed.

She tried to scowl but her quivering lips only made her look comical. The idea of getting into the tub with her flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside.

Neither one of them had eaten since their brunch earlier and that had been several hours ago. He hadn’t meant to keep her out that long. Reaching down, he swirled his hand through the water, checking the temperature.

“I can run my own water, you know.”

He eyed her over his shoulder. She had come into the bathroom and was leaning her shoulder against the doorjamb.

Lord, she was tempting. Her hair was damp from the snow, her cheeks still kissed pink from the cold, her nose red. Her lips continued to quiver, and he was tempted

beyond reason to cover them with his, to warm them until they stopped and melted against his own. Just thinking about it made him shift uncomfortably before standing.

“By all means.”

He walked over, never taking his eyes off her nervous ones. Reaching out, he tugged at one of the buttons of her shirt. She swatted his hand away and he grinned.

“I guess that means you don’t need any help disrobing, either?”

“Nope.” She frowned and stepped aside, allowing him room to slip through the door.

“Okay, I get the hint.” Before going completely out, he stopped. Putting his hand on the frame, he turned to look at her. “Would you like anything special for dinner?”

“Anything warm is fine.”

“Warm it is.” He winked at her before heading to the replicators.

* * * * *

Krista sank deeper into the tub and let the warm water cover her shoulders. With a sigh, she looked around the unusual bathtub. People of Earth would pay a fortune for this look—the rock walls and floor. It was like sitting in a pool.

Reaching out, she touched the wall with the tip of her finger. A tiny waterfall cascaded along the rock and into the bath water. The trickling sound relaxed her and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

She tried not to think about Stefan, but her mind kept recalling the way he looked at her. The concern in his eyes when he thought she had overdone it, the seductive way he gazed at her, making her skin heat up. The way his lips felt on hers… God, just thinking about it sent a shiver of awareness through her body.

Watching the water ripple with her movements, she wondered if she could have a physical relationship with him and not let her heart get involved. But then what would she do if it did get involved? She didn’t want to spend night after night crying herself to sleep, hating herself for once again losing her heart to someone she shouldn’t.