Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A s expected, Dash’s ship was tiny. He could have squeezed two more passengers on board if he was looking to make more money, but the quarters were already tight and Ro was glad she didn’t need to double up. By the time she climbed aboard, Dash and Kiki were already there, and Kiki had the room next to hers. Dash helpfully informed her of where the captain’s quarters were, and she almost asked him if his bed was big enough for two.

What the hell had gotten into her?

The excitement of the morning seemed to have tired the kid out, and she crawled into her bed and closed herself off with a promise she’d be up for dinner. Dash played around with a control panel outside Kiki’s door for a minute before turning back to her. “Ship AI is programmed to monitor her health, make sure nothing goes wrong. Doc said she’s all good for travel and as long as she takes her meds they don’t expect anything to come up. I’ll handle it if it does.”

“I’m not a total monster.” Ro tried not to feel offended. “I’m not going to leave a sick kid to suffer.”

“I never thought you would.” Dash looked over her shoulder and into her room. Her suitcases were stuffed in beside her bed, waiting for her to unpack. “Are your quarters satisfactory?”

“I’m on a ship headed to Earth… eventually. You could stick me in the cargo bay and I’d deal.” Stowing away on another ship had briefly crossed her mind, it was only worries about oxygen supply and possible arrest that had kept her from following through.

“It’s too cold in the cargo bay with no one to keep you warm.” She and Dash were standing close enough to touch.

What was it about this guy? She had defenses, walls to keep her emotions safe, and he’d somehow found a way inside without even trying. It took her time to want someone the way she wanted him. What made Dash Blitz so special? “What’s your secret?”

Dash’s brows drew down, puzzled. “I’m an open book.”

“You’re hiding something. Everyone does.” And she shouldn’t be prying. But he was there, and if she didn’t keep her mouth occupied with talking, she was sure to use it to trace the outline of his collarbone that was sticking so tantalizingly out of his shirt.

His eyes widened and he laughed nervously. “No secrets, I swear.”

That made her curious. “I totally believe you. Wife? Husband? Harem hiding in that cargo hold? What is it?”

This time his laugh was much more natural. “No one hiding in the cargo hold or waiting for me at some other port.” He leaned in close, until most of the space between them disappeared. “I’m free to find whoever I like and do whatever we want.”

If he touched her, she was going to kiss him. Hell, she’d probably grab hold of his collar and yank him back into her room. Sure the bed was tiny, but that just meant they’d have to stay close. She liked close. Especially when it came to him. She darted her tongue out to lick suddenly dry lips and watched as his eyes dipped to take in the motion. He sucked in an unsteady breath and his gaze darkened with desire. Oh, yes , this would be good. Exactly what she needed.

A buzzing alarm cut through the moment, and Dash scowled. “We’ve been cleared for takeoff. If I don’t initiate the procedure we’ll be chucked to the back of the line.”

Not even her desire for his kiss could make her want to stay on Mars for one second longer. “Then I guess you’d better get moving.”

He stood frozen above her for another few seconds, but the buzzer kept sounding, and finally he pulled back. “Keep me company in the cockpit?”

Ro nodded before she could think of a reason not to. There wasn’t one. “I’ll join you shortly.”

They didn’t kiss. If they kissed there’d be no hope of getting off the planet, though a good chance at getting off in general. But he did run his finger down her arm as he turned away, and Ro shivered. How could she be so consumed with want this soon? It was almost like he was one of those aliens she’d heard about in media reports, the ones who saw a person and from that second knew they had to claim them as a mate. But as far as she knew, Dash was human. Inhumanly cheerful, but she couldn’t hold his good mood against him. Not too much.

Instead of following him directly to the cockpit, she went into her quarters and strapped in for take off. She wanted to get a few of her things unpacked before she went to find the alluring captain. She doubted she’d want to leave once she was there. Why would she?

While she was waiting, her communicator buzzed. Her sister again? Ro didn’t want to talk, even as a part of her wanted to prove she was on her way to Earth and making good time. But a look at the ID proved it was her boss, Derrell. “Hey, boss, what’s up?” She’d been working for the man for years and they had a good relationship. He expected a lot, but not more than Ro was eager to give, and the pay more than made up for busy weeks and sleepless nights.

“I sent you a message earlier but I haven’t seen a response. Were you having an issue with a client? Need me to put on pressure?” The man had been raised on Mars, and his accent was a strange mix of a dozen languages, both human and not. As far as she knew, he’d never been to Earth and had no desire to see the homeland. He’d once told her the thought of vast plains and vaster oceans sounded terrifying, and he was much more comfortable on the sanely terraformed planet.

“I told you I was taking time off. I’m shipping out right now, as a matter of fact. Comms could be spotty for the next week until I’m on Earth. Was this an emergency?” She pulled up her messages while they spoke and read through what he’d sent.

“Just thought we could get ahead of things while everyone’s lazing about because of the holiday. I knew you were taking time, but really? Three weeks?” He wasn’t angry so much as confused.

“Vacation time is provided as part of my benefits, Der, just because I haven’t used much of it doesn’t mean I can’t. I’m excited to see my family.” She really was. Despite her sister’s thorniness, despite the difficulty in finding a way home, Ro was ready to see Earth again and hug her nephew, and even her sister. It had been too long.

“You’re going to be bored out of your mind after a day. I’ll send you some extra work to keep you busy.” He wasn’t joking. Der didn’t take vacations. He lived for his business and thought everyone was wired the same.

Normally Ro was, but not today. “I’ll look at it if I have time, but no promises. I want to spend time with my family.”

“You have a week before you get to Earth,” Der pointed out.

And Ro was not going to tell him she wanted to spend the next week getting into the captain’s jumpsuit. “You’ll barely miss me. And maybe you can take a day or two for yourself. Live a little?”

“I’ll live when I’m dead,” he scoffed. “Now don’t go getting any ideas about staying on Earth. I expect to see you back after the new year.”

Ro laughed. “Why the hell would I stay on Earth? My life is on Mars.”

“Holidays are weird.” And there was a story behind that statement that Ro didn’t have time to delve into. The ship had begun to move and her connection was getting fainter.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks, Der. Have a good holiday.”

He just sighed and disconnected the call.

Ro looked at her communicator for a solid minute before finally putting it away. Der’s weird ideas about the holidays weren’t any of her concern. Once the flight evened out and they were well on their way to the moon, she unpacked a few days of clothes and then headed out. She had a captain to see.

After nearly an hour of flying, Dash wondered if Ro had changed her mind about spending time with him. The autopilot had taken over now that they were safely away from the planet, but he didn’t like to leave the cockpit until they were a bit farther away. The ship wasn’t that big, and if she’d gotten lost she’d find him eventually. But he wanted her now.

Desire had never been so insistent before, and Dash had a nagging feeling he knew why. But it would be impossible to confirm in his human form, and the ship wasn’t big enough for a reilendeer. Even if he could manage to squeeze into the cargo hold, he didn’t want to risk either of his passengers seeing him. If what he thought was true, he’d have to tell Rowan about himself, but he didn’t want to scare Kiki.

Would his antlers glow? It was the sure sign that a reilendeer had found his mate, and the glow wouldn’t fade until he claimed her or she repudiated him.

A mate. He’d always known it was possible, but he’d never expected it to happen to him. Not for any particular reason, but it just seemed so strange. His own parents had been mates, of course, and plenty of his cousins had met their matches. But he’d made it to the age of thirty-seven with no one tripping his instincts, and he’d thought he’d outgrown that.

Apparently not.

Bringing good cheer to a mate was the highest calling a reilendeer could aspire to. And he had a feeling that Rowan needed a lot of good cheer.

But what happened when the week was over? The sudden doubt assailed him and Dash was glad he couldn’t exude sadness in the same way he radiated happiness. His mate—his potential mate—wanted him to take her to Earth and that was it. They were to be together for one week and then part. He would need to return to Mars and find another client to transport, she would eventually return on some other ship, and though they’d be on the same planet some of the time, there was no guarantee they’d see one another again.

That wasn’t acceptable.

He wasn’t sure that she was his mate, but he already knew he wanted more time.

Why was he letting the challenge get him down? He was a reilendeer! He could take any nasty thing and find a way around it. He had an entire week to get to know the woman he thought might be his mate. He had seven whole days to tempt her into his bed and find his way into her heart. So what if they parted for a short time at the end of this journey? She’d found him once at home, surely he could find her? They could make plans to reconnect as soon as this thing was done.

That did a bit to banish the dark thoughts, and soon his normal optimism was returning. It was hard for a reilendeer to stay grumpy for long, and Dash was even more chipper than most.

But he still didn’t know where Rowan was.

Ah, screw it, the ship could fly itself.

He unbuckled the safety harness and was already out of his seat when he felt the stab of sadness permeating the ship. Was Kiki okay? She’d been in good spirits, if a bit tired, when they got her on board, but a child’s moods were mercurial and more than one had grown dour once the journey began. Though Dash wanted to find Rowan, he headed towards Kiki’s room first. He’d cheer her up and then continue on with his goal.

But when he made it to the passenger quarters, it wasn’t a sad Kiki that he found.

Rowan was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest and head resting against them. Sadness radiated off of her, enough to stagger him, and Dash wanted to smother her with warmth, anything to take away her pain.

A quick glance showed that Kiki’s door was open a crack, but the young girl seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Whatever sadness was on the ship, it was coming from Rowan, not the child.

“Fuck,” Ro whispered when Dash’s shadow fell over her. He sat down quickly rather than loom. She swiped at her eyes, rubbing away invisible tears. Her cheeks were pinker and her eyes watery, but she’d managed to stave off the crying fit, or it had passed before he found her. “Shit. I’m sorry. I’m a mess.”

Dash put his arm around Ro, and for a second she stiffened before melting into him. “What’s the matter?” She’d seemed to be in more than good spirits when they’d parted earlier.

Rowan groaned and dug her head into his shoulder, as if she could hide against him. “This is not how I planned to spend my afternoon.” Her breaths grew deep, and Dash was pretty sure she was wrapping his scent around her. He liked the thought of that.

“It’s not wasted yet,” he promised.

“It’s just stupid. And not me.” She leaned away for a moment before rethinking and settling back against him.

Dash liked the feel of her there, but he didn’t like the tears. “Let it out,” he encouraged. “Negativity is a poison and you shouldn’t let it build in your system.”

“I saw Kiki,” she said. “Her door was open just a bit and she was just sleeping there. And it made me think of my nephew, Lee. I didn’t even know he was going by that name until yesterday! He’s ten and I haven’t seen him in person in almost half his life. I don’t know if he even remembers me. And I thought I’d be okay with that, that this trip would make up for everything. But maybe my sister’s right. I’ve been away for too long and they can’t count on me. And I saw how big Kiki is, and it made me realize that I’ve been thinking of Oa—of Lee as this tiny guy, but really he’s going to look a lot like her.”

As she spoke, her tone evened out and she pulled away. Dash immediately felt bereft, but he doubted that pulling her back towards him would give the result that he wanted. “What kept you away for so long?”

She rolled her neck until her head knocked back against the wall. “Work, I guess. At first I was establishing myself up here, and then… it’s such a long trip. And I just…” She sighed. “It was easier to stay away. Just like my father.”

He recognized a trip wire when he heard one, and even though Dash wanted to ask, he didn’t. “I realize that I’ve only known you for about a day, but since we’ve met you’ve been determined to get home to your family. You can’t change the past, but you can fix it now. You can prove to them that you’ll be around, even if you can’t always be home for the holidays.”

“Okay, that’s enough whining.” She pushed herself up and placed her hands on her hips. “Show me the ship, I want to know where I’m staying for the next few days.”

Dash recognized a deflection when he saw one, but he couldn’t hold it against her. He stood and offered his hand. She looked at it for a moment, as if it would bite. And then she reached out and laced their fingers together. A new beginning.

Dash showed her the ship.