Page 10 of Master (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #3)
“Maybe you'll find love again, too?” Daisy teased, casting a glance in Tarook’s direction.
"With him," I snorted. "No way." Although I would admit, a girl might warm to an idea like that if he wasn't such a lying pervert.
“Wait till you get to the Bardaga. We got a ship full of them. You can take your pick,” Emmy promised.
Tarook loosed a snort that I would have sworn signaled dislike of Emmy’s suggestion, although when I met his gaze, he smiled.
“I think they sent the wrong one of us to the hedonism ship,” I quipped, watching Daisy and Emmy dissolve into giggles.
Their laughter caused a warmth in my chest. I'd gotten good at making people laugh.
During the last years of Curtis' illness, I'd damn near put on a daily comedy show just to bring a smile to his face.
Now, I was stuck in this spaceship with a guy who couldn't stop smiling.
I didn't hate it as much as I wanted to.
“My love, I need to talk to Tarook.” A smooth male voice announced off-screen.
Emmy smiled broadly at the owner of the voice. "We'll see you soon, Clara. Enjoy the trip!”
A male stepped into the screen, so tall his face wasn’t visible until he dipped his head to brush his lips against Emmy's cheek.
I'd known Emmy for twenty years, long before she realized her ex-husband kept a rotating harem of college students.
Not once did she ever look at him like she looked at this alien.
The male sat beside Emmy, draping an arm across her shoulders. He appeared as tall and broad as Tarook, dressed similarly in the alien version of black leather. Unlike Tarook's wavy chestnut hair, this male's hair was black and worn straight, with two braids at each temple.
"I am here, Chieftain," Tarook slid his chair closer to mine. The warmth of his body banished the slight chill that permeated the inside of the skiff.
The Chieftain gave a curt nod, trying to appear professional. Still, his full lips curved upward just a hint, enough that I could recognize he and Tarook were friends.
“The Bardaga will not be able to rendezvous with you as planned,” the Chieftain—Khaion—told him. “We had to adjust course to assist with the rescue of Daisy and the younglings. We are on route to Tau Ceti and will arrive in approximately ten days. We will meet you there.”
“I will adjust our flight plan,” Tarook replied.
Khaion removed his arm from around Daisy's shoulders, leaning forward, possibly to highlight the urgency of what he said next. "You will reach the planet before us. Be on guard, Tarook. Those once considered friends may be our worst enemies. We have much to discuss when we meet."
“Aye Chieftain.” Tarook’s voice was low and serious.
“Bardaga out,” Khaion said, and the small square of light shimmered into nothingness.
Tarook slid his chair back to the control panel and began fiddling with the controls.
I watched him, unsure of how to act. He wasn't some slaver trying to get me for himself.
He was a bona fide hero who'd saved me from a dreadful future onboard the hedonism ship.
Then again, he'd fucked me under false pretenses.
Granted, I had thrown myself at him like a major slut, but he should have told me.
Dammit!
“Are you alright?” Tarook asked, noticing my stare.
"I will be." I turned my gaze toward the space unfoldingin front of us. It was a lot to deal with.
It sounded like returning to Earth would never happen. But the way Daisy and Emmy acted, a new life awaited.
Did I want it?
Why wouldn't I want it? The last thing I remember being excited about was our Appalachia hike and look where that got me.
“I wish to apologize for what happened between us on the Hartouk Lenaii. I did not intend to injure you in any way. I truly thought you... wanted me.”
Tarook's words—his sincerity and the sheepish expression on his normally cocky facade—touched me.
"It's not your fault." I let myself speak the words I knew to be true. "Luarian told me I’d have to take a client, or she'd sell me to one of those awful grizzly bear men.”
“The Kerzak,” Tarook said, a look of distaste twisting his features.
“Yeah,” I said, shivering. "As bad as I thought I had it with Luarian, I knew life would be much worse with one of those Kerzak. So, I decided to take a client. I just mistook you for Mr. Magoo.”
The feigned shock on Tarook’s face made me giggle.
“What? How could you mistake me for that short, bug-eyed fucker?”
“I didn’t know what he looked like,” I defended.
“Me... a Vaktaire warrior mistaken for a Karisian,” he grumbled. “Unheard of.”
"I said I didn't know what he looked like.
Only that he bought me," I laughed, then confessed because I couldn't help myself.
"If you want to know the truth, I was relieved when you walked into the room.
I knew I would have to fuck an alien... something much easier to accomplish when said alien looks like Jamie Fraser rather than a blob of rancid Jello. "
His laughter echoed throughout the skiff, and I found myself relaxing.
He was a flirt, that was for sure, but I didn't hate this playful banter.
Even before Curtis got sick, he was a serious sort.
It might be nice to be around someone happy-go-lucky for a while.
It would make the trip to Tau Ceti more enjoyable, at least.
“What is a Jamie Fraser.” Tarook issued a playful frown as he fiddled with the controls.
"He's the main character in a book series my friends and I like. We have a book club where we meet once a week and discuss the books and our love for the main characters. We were on a book club outing when the abduction happened.”
Tarook appeared to be studying my words. "And this Jamie Fraser? He is a good male?"
"The best male," I chuckled, remembering how my friend Pearl always wondered about the size of Jamie Fraser's private parts. I doubt even he could stand up to the Vaktaire. "He's a warrior too, something they call a highlander. He's brave, honorable, and kind. We call him the king of men."
"I like being compared to Jamie Fraser," Tarook announced, lifting an arm and flexing his biceps.
"Will you stop?" I giggled, but he kept flexing.
I might like this guy if our first meeting wasn't so embarrassing. "Tarook, will you promise me something?"
“Of course.” The flexing stopped at the serious tone of my voice.
I bit my lower lip and studied him for a minute. "Will you promise not to tell what happened between us on the hedonism ship?"
“Why?” He didn’t seem upset, only curious.
“It’s just that… even though you weren't a client. I just... I don't want my friends to think I was okay with being a prostitute." I already had one deep, dark secret. What was another?
Taroo’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “Our worlds look at pleasurers very differently, it seems.”
“What can I tell you?” I shrugged. “Us humans are repressed sexually.”
My hands lay on the armrests of the co-pilot's chair. Tarook reached over and laid his hand over mine, the touch gentle and tentative as though he expected me to jerk away.
“That’s not my experience,” he said with a bawdy wink that might have pissed me off if his expression hadn’t grown serious a second later. “You have no shame to bear, darlin’. You did what was necessary to survive.”
“Thank you.” I turned my hand over and gave his fingers a squeeze. “So, you won’t mention it to anybody? Promise?”
Tarook’s dark gold eyes held promise and protection. "I will not speak of it to another soul nor touch you again until you ask for it.”
Until I ask for it. The idea he considered sex between us again to be viable in the future gave me the strangest tickle low in my belly.
"Don't hold your breath," I quipped, pulling my hand from his and giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. God, his skin felt like warm velvet. I felt a strange softness envelop my heart.
Damn it all to hell.
I did like him.
Not that I wanted to crawl back in the sack with him anytime soon, but he was funny and teasing. Plus, he laid his life on the line to rescue me from an awful fate. Dude had to get at least some brownie points for that!
"What does holding my breath have to do with sex?" Tarook frowned, teasing again.
I opened my mouth to answer but lost my response to the scream ripping from my throat as a gigantic explosion rocked the ship.