Page 12

H e'd fucked up.

Davis stared at the medbay ceiling, mentally cataloging every place that hurt.

The list was long. The energy weapon's damage radiated through his chest in waves, dulled now by whatever cocktail Covak had found that worked.

Still felt like someone had driven a plasma torch through his sternum, but at least he could think again.

The quiet hum of medical equipment filled the silence. That, and the occasional soft click of Spot's legs against the deck as the little drakeen core repositioned itself near Mira's feet. The robot had appointed itself her guardian, glaring at him like he was a potential threat.

Smart little bastard.

Through half-lidded eyes, he watched Mira check the readings on the handheld scanner.

She moved with quiet efficiency, her movements precise as she recorded his vitals.

The blue glow from her tablet illuminated her face in the dimmed medbay lighting, casting shadows that accentuated the delicate curve of her cheekbone, the line of her jaw.

Her hair had come loose from its usual tight bun, blonde wisps falling around her face.

She tucked them behind her ear with an absent gesture that seemed intimate.

She chewed her bottom lip when concentrating. Huh. He'd never noticed that before.

She glanced up and caught him watching her. Their eyes locked before he could pretend to be looking at something else. A flush crept across her cheeks, warming her skin in the blue light.

She touched her face. "What? Do I have something on me?"

He cleared his throat, the sound loud in the quiet room. "No. Just... thanks. For staying."

His voice came out rough, sandpaper-edged. He blamed it on the pain, not on the way she'd looked at him.

"You should get some rest," he added, not meaning it. "I'm fine now."

"I told Covak I'd monitor you," she said, eyes flicking back to her tablet. "I don't leave jobs half-finished."

Spot chirped in agreement, settling beside her chair. Davis studied her determined expression, the set of her jaw. There was steel beneath that outwardly gentle manner. It reminded him of how she'd faced him down at the scrapyard, refusing to back down.

"You're stubborn," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them. The meds were working then. "Noticed that about you. How you take on responsibilities. How hard you work."

No, he hadn't meant to say any of that, but the words were out there now and he couldn t take them back.

Her eyes widened.

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" she asked, wariness in her voice.

"Observation." He moved on the bed, wincing as pain flared across his chest. Was it stubbornness that kept you with Rettnor?"

The moment the name left his lips, something shifted in the air between them. Her expression shuttered, eyes distant. She busied herself checking the monitor, movements stiff and mechanical.

"That was different," she said in a low voice.

Heat surged through his veins, a sensation separate from the burning in his chest. The mere thought of the asshole doctor triggered something primal in him, something ugly and possessive that had no business existing. Metal groaned as his fingers curled around the edge of the bed.

"How?" The word came out a harsh demand. "How was it different?"

The monitors betrayed him, beeping faster as his heart rate climbed. She glanced at them, then back at him, her distant expression replaced with confusion.

"Are you okay? Your vitals are spiking." She reached for the scanner beside him.

He ignored the question, ignored the pain, ignored the rational part of his brain screaming at him to shut up. The meds had loosened something in him, unleashed something dark and hungry that had been chained beneath layers of control.

"Why him?" he demanded. "Why the fuck would you stay with someone like that?"

Her face drained of color.

"You don't get to interrogate me about my past," she said, voice shaking despite the steel in her words.

But he was beyond hearing the warning. Something inside him needed to know, needed to understand the hold Rettnor had had on her.

"Did he offer you something?" The question came out harsh, accusatory, as he swung his legs over the side of the bed in one fluid motion, ignoring the tearing sensation across his chest. "Career advancement? Protection?"

Her eyes flashed in anger but she answered him.

"At first," she admitted, the words slow as if dragged from her. "He offered... opportunity. When no one else would."

Davis took a step toward her, the movement predatory despite his injury. "And what did he want in return?"

She flinched. Spot chirped in alarm, scuttling closer to her legs.

"It wasn't like that," she said, but her gaze skittered away from his. "Not at first, anyway. He needed an assistant with gaming experience for his neural interface research. I was good. Top-ranked in three systems."

"When did it change?" he pressed, moving closer. The monitors across the room continued their frantic beeping, tracking his elevated heart rate. "When did he start controlling you? Hurting you?"

She stepped back, bumping against the counter behind her. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded. "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters." His voice dropped, a dangerous edge in the words.

"He started small," she said, the words spilling out.

"Criticizing my work. Making me doubt myself.

Then it was my appearance, my friends, isolating me bit by bit until he was the only voice I heard.

By the time he She stopped, swallowing hard.

"By the time I realized what was happening, I had nowhere else to go. "

Something in Davis snapped. He surged forward, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

He crowded her against the counter, one hand on either side of her, caging her with his larger frame.

For a moment, they both froze, breathing hard.

Mira's expression shifted from wariness to something else something that heated his blood.

"You have somewhere now," he said, the words raw.

He stared down at her, aware of everything about her-the rapid pulse beating at the base of her throat, the parting of her lips, the way her pupils dilated as they met his.

The scent of her skin filled his senses-clean soap and something unique to her.

Time suspended between them, the tension electric.

He leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

The kiss was hard, desperate. For a heartbeat, she froze.

Then, with a soft moan, her lips parted under his.

Her hands smoothed over his chest as he growled and deepened the kiss.

Parted her lips with a hard sweep of his tongue to surge in and taste the sweetness beyond.

Somewhere behind them, the monitoring system was going crazy, but all he could concentrate on was her.

Her fingers threaded through his hair, drawing him closer.

He traced the curve of her hips with big hands, flirting with the curve of her tiny waist as he lifted her to sit on the edge.

The kiss got harder, needier as his hand slid beneath the hem of her shirt.

The breath punched out of his lungs at the warmth of her soft skin under his -

The medbay doors whooshed open.

They froze. Mid-kiss, lips locked. Caught in the moment. Covak stood in the doorway, his huge frame filling the entrance, medical scanner in one hand. His expression shifted from concern to amusement in a heartbeat.

They sprang apart. Mira almost toppled backward off the counter, yanking her shirt down, face flushed red. Davis took a step back toward the bed, a hiss of pain escaping as the movement tore at his wound.

"Well, well, well, Covak drawled, crossing his massive arms over his chest, sharp fangs visible in the corners of his smirk. "Seems your elevated heart rate wasn't a medical emergency after all, Tell."

"I was just-" Mira started.

"She was checking my-" Davis said at the same time.

Their explanations collided mid-air and Covak snorted.

"Save it. Pretty sure that's not standard medical protocol on any planet I've visited."

Mira snatched up her tablet, refusing to look at either of them. "I should go. You're here now, so..."

She fled without finishing the sentence, rushing for the door. Spot followed, emitting electronic chirps that sounded like it was telling Davis off.

The door slid shut behind her with a soft hiss that managed to sound judgmental.

Davis collapsed back onto the bed, pain overwhelming the adrenaline that had kept him upright. His chest burned, each breath a sharp reminder of his injury-and of what he'd just done.

The big Vorrtan medic stepped forward, scanner running, a grin plastered across his face.

"Let me check that wound, loverboy, he said, indicating the bed. "Make sure you didn't tear anything important during your... examination."

He glared at the Vorrtan. "Don't go there.

Me? I didn't say a word," Covak replied, the innocent effect he was obviously going for ruined by his wide grin.

"You don't have to. Your face says it all."

Covak's expression dropped serious as he checked the wound, though amusement still danced in his amber eyes. Well, you re not bleeding again, which is good. But you've reopened the outer tissue layer, which is... not surprising, given your activities."

Davis closed his eyes, the full weight of what had just happened crashing down on him. The memory of Mira's expression as she fled replayed in his mind. The hurt, the confusion, the embarrassment

Shit. He'd totally fucked things up.

* * *

She stared at the ceiling of her quarters for what felt like the thousandth time that night. Sleep had proven elusive, each attempt at rest dragging her back into memories of the medbay. Of Davis. Of his hands on her skin and his lips against hers.