She gasped. His scent, so much like Alta’s cool rain during a storm, raced into her lungs. A strange sense of calm settled over her nerves, and against her will, her chest expanded. She kneeled next to him. Heat radiated from him in waves, sending a flush to her face, chasing away the cold. Her pulse quickened.
Short, brown hair covered his head, and his aquiline nose and full lips called to her on a level she didn’t understand. Without thought, she ran her finger over his temple, tucking his dark hair behind his ear so she could get a better look at him. Dried blood coated his forehead, and the gash in his hairline glistened from the congealed mass. Under his eye, two small, black digits graced his cheek. How long had he floated through space? Her chest ached for this handsome male.
She ground her teeth. The sooner she got him aboard and rendezvoused with the Sandowins, the better.
“Hey, can you hear me?” She touched his arm, and the firm muscles under his soft skin tingled the sensitive pads on her fingers.
He didn’t stir, so she leaned forward to assess his cut. She trailed her finger around the injury, and his tender skin puckered under the pressure. The deep blue of a bruise had already started to form. She brushed his cheek and before she could stop herself, slid her thumb over his plump bottom lip. Her pulse fluttered, the sudden urge to kiss him rolling over her skin.
His eyelids popped open. He clutched her wrist.
She stifled a scream and pulled back, but his firm grip held her in place.
Instinctively, she knew he could crush her wrist in an instant, but his grasp was remarkably gentle. Deep pools of brown, his eyes were like the richest Andoline chocolate. A part of her wanted to lose herself in them, see how far she could fall. A rush of heat raced up her neck and into her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, steeling herself against this unknown male. “Let me go!”
His eyebrows furrowed. He focused those incredible eyes on her.
“Naet fe corta?” Low and sensual, his voice danced along her nerves, awakening something deep inside.
Without breaking his gaze, she glided her fingers over the third chevron on her forearm. Santek’s translator would convert the stranger’s words into Altonian. It worked both ways, so when she spoke, he’d understand her. “What did you say?”
He licked his lips, and she focused on them. “Who are you?”
“My name is Elle. I’m here to help. Let. Me. Go.”
Trapped by his grip she was held still, their bodies close. Only the sound of their ragged breaths filled the air. His gaze flicked around the pod before returning to her. His features softened, and he released her.
She pulled away. Her heart hammered. “Who are you? What happened?”
He grasped the back of one of the chairs for support and rose on unsteady legs. His fingers whitened under the strain. “I’m Angelo Thirteen. My ship was hit by…” He shook his head. “Never mind. Where are we and how did you get on board?”
The tic in his jaw belied his calm demeanor. Although he’d gripped her wrist, holding her in place, it seemed more out of his own anxiety than his need to dominate her. He didn’t seem volatile, not like her father, but she couldn’t be sure. “You are on the Paragon, my ship. We are in sector six, close to the Dracin colony. My crew and I are on our way to pick up a delivery in sector three.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” He rubbed his fingers through his hair. A wince crossed his face, and he glanced at his hand. Congealed blood coated his fingertips.
Elle huffed. “You need to see Nuette, our ship’s cargo engineer and med specialist. She’ll fix that cut up before you know it.”
He held her gaze. Her chest tingled, a strong physical pull reeling her closer. She swayed on unsteady feet and took a step back.
“I’m light years from Iridis.” He whispered.
She peered at him. Iridis? She didn’t recognize that world. “Maybe you drifted through an undiscovered natural wormhole. Is Iridis your home planet?”
His expressionless face would’ve fooled most people, but not her. Altonians had an innate ability to read the slightest hints in body language. The scant lines around his eyes were a dead giveaway. He was tense, stressed.
“No. I’m from Earth.”
She’d heard of the place. A bunch of warring factions had destroyed the society from within. Who needed external enemies when you had homegrown ones? Her problems paled in comparison. The tension in her shoulders eased.
“I’m meeting up with the Sandowins in a few galactic days out your way. We’ll drop you off at the nearest star base.” She withdrew her gaze from his and focused on his forehead. “Besides, Nuette really needs to check your injury.”
He studied her for a moment then nodded. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER 4
A ngelo Thirteen leaned against the table. Coolness from the hard surface leached through his pants, numbing his backside. The scent of cleaning fluid trickled into his senses, masking the underlying aroma of synthetic leather and alloy. He was in a medical facility on an alien space ship. At least that was better than lost in the deep bone-chilling vastness of space.
Elle, the entrancing female, had roused him on his pod. Surprised at the stranger on his bridge, he’d reacted instinctively and gripped her wrist. The skin-on-skin contact had tingled the nerves in his fingers, causing his pulse to race. With a quick glance, he’d taken in her appearance.
Silky dark clothes covered, but couldn’t quite hide, her generous curves. Where the fabric ended at her elbow, her soft smooth skin was a remarkable shade of green. Embedded in her forearms were intricate gold chevron shapes, unlike anything he’d ever seen. Vivacious energy, intense and powerful like the sun, radiated from her beautiful yellow eyes, enticing and teasing him. His breath had caught in his throat. He’d wanted to partake in her vibrancy, experience what it was like to possess such powerful emotions.
“Nuette, status please.” The soft timbre of Elle’s voice filtered into his brain like a gentle spring mist, bringing him out of his daydream. She leaned against the far wall. He couldn’t see anything except the top of her soft brown hair, his vision blocked by her med specialist.
Nuette’s dark hair was tied in a short ponytail at her nape. A thin membrane traced over her eye then retracted behind her lid.
How interesting. He’d only ever seen membranes like that on the eyes of the local alley cats around his apartment on Earth.
“Looks like he’ll live.” Nuette patted him on the shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. Her gaze flicked from his eyes to his lips, lingering there a tad longer than casual interest before pulling to the bandage on his head. “The cut was deep, but the salve patch we put over it should be just about done.”
A soft giggle echoed, and a female with long dark hair approached from across the room. She nudged against Nuette. “Let me take it off for you.”
Her gaze travelled over his body, and he didn’t appreciate the scrutiny. His jaw tightened.
Nuette furrowed her brow. “Britnie, I’m afraid that’s my job as the med specialist. You’re the ship’s engineer.”
Britnie’s yellow eyes brightened. “Look at those muscles. I just want to touch him.”
“Brit, I’ve got dibs on him.” Nuette gave her a not so gentle shove. “Get out of the med unit.”