SavingAttractions (6 page)

Jagger looked at Keegan. Her pain was obvious and she
couldn’t tell them more. Her lack of memory about the incident didn’t worry
him. She’d probably been attacked from behind. On top of that, she had a
concussion. It would affect her recall of the assault for at least a short
time.

“Burris will escort you out in case you get dizzy.” Jagger
glanced at his man.

“I don’t know if you’re tired, but I want you to stay
awake,” Dafin urged.

Keegan nodded. “I’m not sleepy. It’s just a headache.”

Jagger watched her walk out of the tent before turning his
attention back to the trade ship captain. “Are there any new people among your
crew? Maybe someone unstable. It’s not the pirates. My men are checking to see
if there’s an unknown group of people here, maybe from a crash or an emergency
landing, but I want to know everything.”

“There are three new people on the ship. Rogan, Jeff and
Lucan have been with me for a few months. The rest have been with me for years.
If I knew anyone on my ship was unstable, they wouldn’t be there. We travel
from planet to planet and some our contracts are lucrative. The last thing I
need is one of my crew members going crazy and destroying trade relations with
one of them.” Captain Thomas shook his head.

“Any idea what someone would be after? Because other than a
refugee trying to steal supplies, I don’t have a clue about who or why. The
only thing I can come up with is that one or more of those new men are part of
this. Perhaps paid to spy on you by the pirates.” Jagger scowled.

“We have nothing anyone could be after. Those pirates have
my ship and the cargo. And I still don’t know what they wanted so badly that
they tortured all of us for it.” Captain Thomas shook his head. “All three of
those men would know that we’re not carrying anything of extraordinary value.”

“We’ll have to keep watch and keep aware then.” Jagger
tapped his fingers against his thighs as he thought. That was what they’d do
even if they had an idea of who it might be, but now, they’d have to look at
everyone.

“Jagger, there are two drugs missing as well as the
injectors to administer them. They’re basically relaxants, but they would also
relieve inhibitions,” Kairn said as Captain Thomas turned to leave.

“Other than the reprehensible option that sprang into my
head, that of making someone pliable sexually, what would the drugs do?” Jagger
looked toward the physician. The idea of someone using the drugs to rape any of
the females made his blood boil.

“There is that, but strong relaxants such as these can be
used to lower someone’s guard and make them reveal something they’d normally
keep to themselves.” Kairn lifted a shoulder. “Someone might think they can use
it to get a person to tell them a secret they hold.”

Ada sat with some of her crewmates at one of tables in the
camp, enjoying the warmth of the day. It was a small group at the table. Only
four of them, and all were longtime friends. Other members of the crew lingered
in the camp, but only their small group gathered at the table. They’d worked on
the
Setona
together for years. With them, she could be at ease and
perhaps get her mind off one very annoying man. Even if she couldn’t, she
enjoyed the relaxing chat and companionship.

Frustration simmered through her whenever she thought of
Jagger. After that kiss in the clearing, she’d thought that there might be
something between them. Over the last few days, he’d given her no reason to
believe had any interest in her. Since Keegan had been attacked, he’d been
watchful, but it wasn’t as a potential lover. Nor was it as if he suspected she
was responsible for the assault. No, his gaze had seemed protective, almost
brotherly.

She wanted him. Even thinking about him was enough to start
a slow burn of desire. Part of her wanted to walk over to him and ask him
straight out if he wanted her or if he simply thought to be nice to someone
who’d been hurt. She didn’t though. The only things that stopped her were that
they wouldn’t be here very long and the intensity of the feelings scared her a
little. The powerful pull made her cautious of chasing him. She could feel
something very deep for him. If they managed to get together in this short
time, she wasn’t going to fight or regret it.

“So what do you think the attack was about?” Lauren Dessaint
looked around at the group of people gathered around the table.

Ada frowned. She had no idea. Her first thought had been the
pirates were behind it, but the Zarain men had already verified that the
pirates weren’t near here. It could be about anything. She was more worried about
who did it.

“Doesn’t really matter what it was about.” Owen popped a
berry from the bowl in the middle of the table into his mouth. “I doubt it’s as
simple as someone’s a kleptomaniac, but the problem is who? Because they did
more than panic. They didn’t just knock out the person or persons who possibly
saw them. They waited around and attacked again. More than stealing was always
on the agenda.”

Fuck. Owen was right. If they’d simply been trying to grab
something, they would have taken off when they were first seen. No one knew if
Keegan and the physician Kairn had been hit at the same time. Neither of them
remembered being hit and they were found together. After that, the attacker
should have left, but he was still there when Jagger found the two people. The
only reason she could think of that the attackers would come back was that
perhaps they thought to take Keegan.

“The what might lead to whoever is behind the attacks.”
Lauren frowned. She idly ran her finger around the top of the cup.

“Yes, but unless the person does something again and says
something revealing we won’t know that until he’s caught. We’ll just have to be
more watchful and take care of each other.” Owen reached for the bowl and took
a few more of the berries.

“That’s all we can do now.” Carson Taggert took a gulp of
the purified water in his cup. He slanted a glance to Ada. “Your admirer is
back to watching you.”

Ada didn’t bother to look over her shoulder. Jagger had
watched over her in the last few days, but the man hadn’t come close her
otherwise. She didn’t know what he thought he was doing, keeping an eye on her
but not even talking to her. It certainly wasn’t winning her appreciation.

“An admirer usually approaches the one he likes. He’s been
watching over me as if he’s some overprotective big brother. I grew up without
that kind of attitude and I don’t need it now.” She scowled and resisted the
urge to direct the expression Jagger’s way. She was confused about what he
really wanted.

Carson looked beyond her and shook his head. “No, definitely
not a big brother there. The way he’s watching you, that man is not thinking of
you as a little sister that needs protection.”

Ada resisted the urge to look. She’d caught him watching a
few times and there was nothing possessive that she’d noticed. He simply seemed
to be watching over her.

“I’ve seen the way he’s acted, which tells me more than a
look. He hasn’t approached me or tried to touch me since that first day. I know
the man’s not shy.” She raised an eyebrow at Carson’s assertion.

“Not shy. I think he’s been giving you some space. It hasn’t
been a week since we were all walking wounded, left to survive or die by those
pirates.” Carson leveled a serious look at her. “He’ll make his move as soon as
he’s sure that you’re healed.”

She thought about it for a moment but shook her head. That
didn’t explain why he’d backed off so completely and simply watched over her.
She could see not wanting to get into a heavy petting situation when he thought
he might hurt her. That didn’t explain him not talking to her.

“And the silence and the distance? What about that? He
certainly doesn’t act as if he’s a man who wants someone.” She lifted her chin
and looked at Carson.

“I don’t have all the answers to that, but I’d say he’s
interested in more than a simple fuck and definitely more than a protective
relationship.” Carson smiled at her as if he found her funny.

“A simple fuck is all it would have been. I don’t do
relationships.” She frowned. That watchful attitude was getting on her nerves.

“How about we test him. See if he’s feeling brotherly or if
maybe he’s feeling something else? Owen could give him a little something to be
concerned about if he’s feeling more than protective.” Carson flicked a glance
across the camp to a group of the Zarain.

Ada wanted to turn around and look. The urge thrummed
through her, but she fought it as she’d fought the urge to go to Jagger over
the last few days. She wanted to be close to him. It was almost a physical
need. Not to fuck him, but simply to be near him. The unusual feeling scared
her a little.

“This isn’t going to solve anything, Carson.” She frowned at
him. She didn’t want to be playing that kind of game. If he couldn’t make up
his mind, provoking him into a move would only cause trouble.

“We can’t solve this. But maybe it can help you two stop
avoiding each other.” Carson nodded to Owen.

For a moment, she thought that Owen might not do anything,
that he’d tell Carson where to shove his suggestion. Owen’s arm lifted and
curled around her shoulders. She stiffened and glanced at Owen. This wasn’t a
good idea.

She shrugged and tried to get his hand to fall away from her
without being too obvious about it. Owen’s arm remained around her regardless
of what she did. She didn’t want Jagger to come over because he was trying to
protect her in any way. This wouldn’t prove anything other than that he was a
little possessive.

Ada felt a hand on her arm. She looked back and saw Jagger
standing behind her. A frown knitted his brows and turned the corners of his
mouth down. His silver eyes looked hard and cold as ice.

“Do you want to come for a walk with me?” His hand lifted
from her shoulder and turned palm up in invitation.

She took a deep breath. His voice sounded tight. He
definitely had reacted to Owen’s arm around her. She didn’t know what it meant
though. Was he still trying to protect her? She wasn’t going to find out
sitting here. They needed to talk privately and couldn’t do that here.

“Yes, let’s walk and we can talk.” She turned to him.

Owen’s arm fell away from her. Jagger helped her up and
ushered her away from the people at the table. She raised an eyebrow at the
tension she could feel in his arm. What was he thinking? She kept pace beside
him, although she had to rush a little to do it. She waited until they were away
from everyone in the camp before she asked the question that held most of her
attention.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so…” Her voice trailed off as she
tried to find a word to describe what he was. Angry? Not really. Tense. That
fit, but it was more than that.

He kept leading her away from the camp but stopped while
they were still in one of the groups of trees. “What’s wrong? He had his arm
around you.”

“What’s it to you?” She heard the possessiveness in his
voice, but she really couldn’t believe it. Not after the way he’d acted in the
past few days. “You haven’t even talked to me since that day that we went for a
walk.”

“You were hurt. I wanted to make sure that you were fully
healed.” Jagger faced her. He scowled and his feet braced apart.

He looked like a man getting ready for a fight. Ada smiled.
Well, at least she had his attention.

“What’s your excuse for after I healed, because I haven’t
even felt a pang of pain in days.” She put a hand on her hip. She knew she was
provoking him, but he’d seemed interested in her and then it had shut off
without a single word or clue as to why. That had hurt and left her with doubts
and questions.

“You needed time. I know you as well as some of the others
have nightmares and haven’t been sleeping much. You need to be sure.” Jagger’s
hand cupped her shoulder and slid down over her arm in a slow caress.

“After the way you’ve behaved, I don’t know what you want so
I’m going to make this simple for both of us. Do you want me? No past, no
future. I don’t know if you’re afraid I’ll think this is more or something, but
for us, there’s just now.” She blurted it all out quickly, afraid that if she
tried to explain it better, she’d lose her nerve.

“There is always a past and there will be a future. I’ve
wanted you since I saw you.” His hand lifted to her face, and his fingers
trailed over her cheeks.

His answer bolstered her confidence, but she didn’t think
beyond the words “I want you.” Nothing else mattered. She stood up straighter
and smiled. She hoped he wasn’t one of those men who felt they had to make all
the moves, because she was definitely going to make some demands.

“I want you now.” She peeled the green shirt over her head
and stood before him wearing only the baggy pants and shoes.

She wished she had more of her own clothing. She wanted to
look sexy and attractive. The only thing she could say about the clothing
they’d provided was that it covered her. Specifically, the shirts covered more
than she’d like. She wanted to feel pretty or eye-catching, and the shirts covered
her from neck to waist without even the possibility of showing a little
cleavage.

He took a slow step forward and his eyes lowered to her
breasts. “I can give you time. We don’t have to rush.”

She saw the hunger in his eyes. That was the only thing that
kept her from grabbing her shirt and tugging it back over her head. He was
trying to protect her and the only reason she could think of was that he didn’t
want her to feel as if she made a mistake.

“We have today and I don’t want time. I know what I feel and
what I desire. I want to kiss you, touch you and fuck. Is that what you crave,
because if it’s not, I can put my shirt back on and go back to the camp. I
don’t need an oversized big brother. I never had one and I’m too old to get
used to the crap now.” She raised an eyebrow and hid a grin as his eyes
remained on her naked chest. She wasn’t overly endowed, but just from the way
he was looking at her, he liked what he saw.

“I’m not your brother.” He took the final step separating
them. His hands closed around her shoulders and he glared down at her. “I’ll
soon be your lover, and I thought you might have some doubts.”

“No doubts or second thoughts. I want you as a lover.” She
drew her hand over his chest, tracing over where she knew his tattoo was.

If he’d been standoffish for too much longer, the larger
ship he’d mentioned to Captain Thomas could have arrived before they even
fucked. She knew that they had only a little time. It would take merely days
after they were on one of the larger ships to meet up with a ship from Central
Command.

He looked at her for a long moment. She had a feeling he was
going to say something and wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear it. She
reached up and slipped her hand over the back of his shoulder. Stretching up
onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips over his. They didn’t need to talk.

He drew in a sharp breath, but his lips opened under hers.
She nipped at the lower curve to give him a little encouragement. He groaned
and his head tilted a little as he pulled her closer. His tongue thrust deep
into her mouth in an aggressive claim.

She met the strokes and demanded more. Twining her arm
around his neck, she arched against him, pressing her breasts against his hard
chest. Her nipples hardened and ached from the pressure but it wasn’t enough.
She didn’t know what it was about being near him, but every time she got close
to him, she wanted to strip them both out of their clothes and tease him until
he couldn’t resist her.

Her other hand slipped down his side. Tugging at his shirt,
she let her hand slide under and savored the warmth of his skin and the solid
muscles beneath her fingertips. She felt them tighten beneath her fingertips
and worried that perhaps he was letting his protectiveness override his desire.
What she’d wanted for the past few days was right beneath her fingertips. She
wasn’t going to let it slip away. She’d waited and worried too long about him
even wanting her to miss this opportunity because he thought he might cause her
a little pain. Her nipples ached, the tips hardened and ready to be touched or
sucked. She hoped he’d get over his protectiveness soon.

She pulled her hand free of his shirt and reached between
them. Cupping her hand over the ridge of his cock, she slowly stroked her hand
up and down. A growl vibrated against her lips as his tongue thrust deep into
her mouth. His hands clasped her waist and lifted her off her feet.