SavingAttractions (4 page)

Ada didn’t know what it was about him, but she wanted to get
closer to him. She had to fight the urge to snuggle against him. It was too
soon. She wasn’t certain that he wanted more beyond companionship. His glances
led her to believe it was true, but she might be seeing what she wanted to see.
She wanted him so badly. It was possible that he was only being nice.

Grass and twigs crunched beneath her shoes. As they moved
into the group of trees, the shade from the leaves above them and the bulk of
the trees around them gave the impression of isolation. Shafts of light
streamed down from gaps in the leaves. She could almost believe they were alone
here.

“What do you do on your ship?” Jagger glanced over at her.

“Navigation for the most part, but it’s not exactly a huge
ship. When a large load of goods come on, I help with inventory. With the work
and courses I’ve taken, I’ve gotten enough experience for an inventory
specialist position if I wanted it.” She smiled. “And what do you do when
you’re not patrolling for victims of space pirates?”

“Pretty much anything needed. When I’m on the
Vigilant
,
I work as a commander. So I could be on the bridge, on security, or a few other
positions. I’m trained on a variety jobs so I can step in if an extra hand is
needed.” Jagger shrugged and guided her around a dark-green, thorny bush.

She was tempted to linger in the private confines of these
trees. The trilling calls of the birds provided the only counter to their
voices. She’d have liked to remain within the silent seclusion it offered.
Maybe she’d get the nerve to pull him down onto the grass near one of those
thick trunks. If she was a little more certain of his interest, she’d
definitely give it a try. Her ribs might ache, but she wasn’t hurting that
badly.

As they left the trees, the bright glare of the sunlight
seemed almost blinding. She lifted her free hand up and briefly shaded her
eyes. His arm tightened a little, almost bracing her as they continued forward.

“Do you have a home on a planet somewhere, a place you go
back to between trade runs?” Jagger glanced at her.

“No, for a while I kept a small apartment, but I was never
there to use it. It was a waste of money. When I have time between runs, I go
visit my family or spend some time on Emidice, my home planet, relaxing. Rooms
are easy to find, but for the last few years, the
Setona
has been my
home.” She glanced around the grassy area.

She had some concerns about what would happen when she once
again returned to United Systems space. The
Setona
would be replaced
eventually, but she’d need a job in the interim. She’d have to buy more
clothing and the other necessities lost with the ship. That would take a chunk
out of her savings.

Now, she couldn’t do anything about that though. She focused
on the beauty around her. Long blades of light green grass swayed in the
breeze. The tangy scent of the plants drifted to her on the wind. She inhaled deeply,
savoring the moment. At times, she lived for when she was on planet and able to
savor a walk in the sun, smell the flowers or just taste real food. The time
spent on ship made her enjoy the simple joys even more. For all the technology
available and the ways it provided to relax, it was never able to measure up to
the pleasure of a sunny day and fresh air.

“Do you have a home?” She turned to him since he’d stopped
walking.

“Yes, I have a home on a planet, although I haven’t been
there in a while.” Jagger urged her to start walking again. “Why don’t we walk
a little more?”

“You haven’t been there in a while?” She asked as she went
along with him.

“We’ve been on patrol of the border even before this pirate
issue came up,” Jagger said. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not hurting. I’m a little stiff, but that’s normal and
better than I hoped. I’m sure that it would hurt if I went running, but I’m not
going to do that.” Ada curled her arm around his back.

Ada silently acknowledged that she was understating the
stiffness. She’d pay for the walk later, but it would be worth it to be with
him. As for pain, pressing on the bruises or her ribs caused a jab of
discomfort, but she didn’t think they were going to get into a heavy clinch,
not from the way things were going so far. Not that she’d object. She wanted to
slip her fingers beneath his shirt and see if his body was as hard and corded
beneath his clothing as it looked.

“You tell me if it begins to hurt. I’ll get you back to
camp.” He sent her a stern glance.

Who knew someone that big could worry so much over injuries
he hadn’t even seen? She suppressed a smile. It was endearing.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Are we going to walk on or
rest here?” She raised a brow at him. As much as she liked the view, she wanted
to walk. At least then she got to lean against him as they moved.

“How about we walk over that way and sit in the shade?” He
pointed across the grassy clearing to another group of trees. “I have water and
a couple of pieces of fruit.”

“Where did you get fruit?” She glanced at the bag. “Are you
sure it’s safe?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s one of the most common fruits. We still
call it the
kisla
fruit, but I think in most United Systems areas it’s
called the
pini
.” He frowned as he thought for a moment. “As for where,
I told you I sent men out looking for fresh food.”

Now, she knew what he was talking about. The name
kisla
for a fruit had drawn a blank with her, but
pini
she knew was a bright
red oval fruit. It was delicious and it seemed to grow on most worlds.

“Those will be good. Sitting in the shade sounds great.” She
nodded and strolled beside him to the small group of trees.

He pulled a blanket from the pack. While he spread the
covering over the grass, she stood off to the side until he waved her over. He waited
until she took a seat before settling in beside her. Now that she was sitting,
an ache started in her ribs. It wasn’t anywhere near the pain of yesterday, but
she took a deep breath and straightened trying to find a comfortable position.
She leaned to the side a bit, bracing herself on an arm and moved her legs, but
couldn’t quite find a posture that would ease the discomfort.

“Is something wrong?” He looked sharply at her, a frown
pulling his brows down.

She debated whether to push aside his concerns. After all,
there wasn’t anything physically wrong. She’d been warned that there might be
some discomfort and would have been surprised if there wasn’t. It would go away
over the next few days. Nothing had been broken. Her ribs merely bruised by a
few of the blows delivered by those damn pirates.

“It’s just my ribs. Walking is all right, but sitting down,
I have a hard time finding a comfortable position.” She sighed, a little
irritated by the discomfort and the fact that it was interrupting what had been
a promising afternoon with him.

He considered her for a moment. “Why don’t you try leaning
against me? We can try different positions until you find one that lets you
relax.”

“Are you sure?” She looked up at him.

“Yes, come on. I want you to be thinking of something else
other than your side.” He held his arms wide.

At first, she tried simply leaning into him on his side but
couldn’t find a position that eased the ache in her ribs. She just shook her
head at him. It hadn’t been so bad at the table. She’d leaned a little forward
and braced an arm on the table. The odd position had helped. She’d eaten as
quickly as she could to shorten the discomfort.

“Let’s try something a little different.” He stood and then
sat back down behind her. “We’ll try positions until we find something that
works. Why don’t you lean back against me? We’ll try this position first.”

She leaned back against his chest. It was better than
sitting without something bracing her. Her ribs didn’t ache as much, and there
was an added benefit. She could feel his chest pressed against her back and she
thought he might be more muscular than she first thought. Most of her attention
focused on him and the warmth of his body and her mind drifted away from the
discomfort of her side. His hard chest rose and fell against her back. She
tried to relax.

“Is this better?” His hand lightly rested on her forearms.

“Yes, but I’d really like to see you when I talk to you.”
She liked the feel of his hands stroking over her skin. Maybe too much.

“How about you turn and I’ll try supporting your back and
ribs with my arm,” he suggested.

His arm was certainly big enough, muscled and firm. She
slowly turned and lifted one of her legs across his thigh and leaned back
against the arm behind her. Although there wasn’t as much surface against her
back, the support was good. His hand rested low on her hip, but there was no
pressure on her.

“How are you now?” He smiled down at her.

“Good.” After how accommodating he’d been, she was glad that
she could tell him that honestly.

“That’s wonderful. Now, I want to know more about you. You
said that you go visit your family. Tell me about them.” Jagger’s hand trailed
across her cheek.

“My mother, Thea, just recently remarried. My sister, Lara
currently lives with her fiancé. Chaina, the youngest of the family is working
on her career. She’s in finance and last time I talked to her, she was taking
more courses so that she could get a promotion.” Ada smiled. She loved her
family but knew that short visits were best when it came to her mother. She
just didn’t understand her and the confusion was reciprocated. “Tell me about
your family.”

Belatedly, she realized he might have more than mothers and
sisters as a family. She hadn’t even thought that he might be married. She
blanched at the thought of what might have happened if she hadn’t been hurt.
She was so attracted to him that she might have fucked him before asking that
question. It mattered to her. She wasn’t going to be a woman on the side or the
woman who destroyed a marriage.

“I have three brothers and a sister, although they don’t
live on the planet where I do now. My sister is still on the planet where I was
raised and where my parents still live. Of my brothers, one still lives there
as well, but my other two brothers work on ships as I do.” Jagger brushed her
hair back behind her ear.

“Do you have a woman of your own?” She looked up at him
through her lashes. His answer mattered and she watched him carefully.

“No, there’s no woman in my life right now.” His lips curved
into a smile. “So is there someone in your life?”

“No, I’m not in a relationship now.” She shrugged. It was
normal when she was on a long trade run.

His smile widened even more. He looked satisfied. Maybe the
answer had mattered as much to him as his had to her. She relaxed a little
more. Her fingers brushed over his arm. His muscles tightened beneath her hand.
She’d like to unbutton his shirt, but they were just getting to know each
other.

“How long have you worked on the trade ship?” He trailed his
fingers down her arm before lifting her hand.

Her fingers tightened around his before she turned her hand
to tangle her fingers with his. “About six years, I think. It was my third
posting.”

She stared up at him. With every breath, she felt pulled to
be closer to him. She wanted to touch, but she also needed to know him. He was
certainly handsome and his body built for sex, but she’d be happy sitting here
and learning about his life and what he thought. That part confused her a
little. She’d thought it was physical. She wanted it that way. No promises of a
future that wouldn’t happen.

“Has Captain Thomas been the captain for all that time?” He
drew her hand to his chest.

“Yes, the
Setona
was his ship. I really liked working
there.” She let her fingers splay across his chest. She didn’t know where the
Setona
was or if they’d destroyed it. Even if it was in one piece, a salvage vessel
would find it. Getting it back from them might be more costly than getting
another ship.

“Liked. Did they destroy it?” Jagger frowned down at her.

“I don’t know, but it was damaged badly. I don’t know if
they took it or destroyed it or simply left it somewhere.” Ada sighed.

Everything about the future of the
Setona
and her
crew seemed uncertain. She couldn’t predict what the trade company would do
about the ship. Even if the vessel was replaced, that would take time and then
the assignment of a trade route wouldn’t be immediate. Other ships would take
over the
Setona’s
routes in the interim. When the replacement ship was
put into service, that schedule would have to be shuffled again. She didn’t
know if the ship’s crew would be released or reassigned.

Her fingers trailed around the collar of his shirt. She
wanted to run her fingers down the seal of his shirt and push it wide. The feel
of the hard muscles beneath the fabric made her want to see and feel it without
that covering. Warm, slick juices gathered between her thighs as she thought
about feeling his body moving against hers.

“Are you still feeling good? No pain?” His hand cupped her
cheek so that she had to meet his eyes.

“No pain.” She bit her lip. She really wasn’t in any shape
to follow through, but she needed to feel his skin. “Jagger, I want to touch
you and maybe kiss you, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to do more.”

“We have time for more. If you want to kiss me, I’m more
than willing. When you want to stop, I’ll stop.” He drew his finger across her
lips. “Let me come to you.”

Tingles spread over her lips from that simple touch. She
relaxed against his arm. She didn’t want to move and aggravate the ache in her
ribs. She had a feeling that he’d stop the moment she showed the first sign of
pain.