Page 13 of Stealing the Star Stone

Chapter Nine

Laurus Research Vessel

Watch out for snakes.

Day One.

“Well done in convincing Nova to come with. I thought it was going to be a struggle,” Orien said to Nova as if he wasn’t imprisoning them.

Eli gritted his teeth. The asshole.

Nova paled, but she was smart enough not to let on that she wasn’t who Orien thought she was. “This is a bit extreme. Was this your intention from the start?”

They’d been wined and dined. Well played, Orien.

“I must say, your presence is a welcome change,” Orien said, striding along as his men ushered them to who knew where. “And sure to boost my funding once word gets out of your patronage.”

“Of course.” Her smile was strained.

Eli bowed his head. By now he should be used to people using him, but this was life and death. He’d handed himself and Nova into the hands of a madman. “Our absence will be noted.”

“Pfft,” Orien said. “You’ll attend the premiere.

We all will.” He grinned. “But if you thought I’d let you take advantage of my good heart, then you’re sorely mistaken.

You,” he pointed at ‘Nova,’ “destroyed years of research in seconds. And you,” he gestured to ‘Thorne,’ “thought you could charm me to forgive and forget the disrespect your ‘nobody’ showed me. I must admit, your credits saved your backside. For that alone, you won’t be harmed.

I want publicity without the law digging their dirty noses in my business.

” Orien paused. “Let me be clear. You’re my guest. She isn’t. ”

They were marched along a wide passage, white-clad staff hugging the sides as they passed. Glassed labs, canteens, and offices preceded the living quarters. Well, at least they wouldn’t be in some sort of cell or strapped to gurneys. They halted in front of an unmarked door.

His heartbeat paused. He held his breath.

The door slid open, and they were nudged to enter.

A double bed dominated the left, a bathroom leading off.

To the right was a small living room. His luggage and their packages sat next to the coffee table.

By a wall of windows looking out to space was a table with two chairs.

Sheer luxury was in every inch from the lighting to the fabrics to the furniture.

The colors were in beige and navy blue, a vase of real flowers adding a little joy.

“What?” Orien smiled. “I’m not a monster, and besides, you asked to share a suite. My team will assess you soon, Blake. Be ready.”

The door shut, leaving them alone.

Nova bolted for the bathroom.

Not a bad idea since a pinch-and-pull pressure built in his groin—soon he’d need to pee.

Eli wasn’t eager to learn how to do that.

Men just did a little tap-tap, and they were ‘clean.’ Women didn’t do the same, did they?

With how long they were in the bathroom, he supposed they just waited for the dripping to stop.

Damn . Time wasted, in his opinion. They could use toilet paper and wipe. To speed up the process, y’know.

He searched their room, hoping to find some sort of screen he could use to call Graham.

He gave a cry of victory when panels slid aside and revealed…

nothing. Whatever had been there was gone, ripped from the walls.

How long before Graham worried? Would Captain Harolds say anything other than Eli took his things and disembarked?

Shit . He should’ve taken the time to update his manager.

Now he was trapped with no one coming to rescue them.

Their one chance was at the premiere. With Eli ‘missing,’ Graham would be in a panic.

He found himself outside the bathroom door. “Nova, you okay?”

“Oh my word,” she cried out. “I’m never eating cheese again.”

“Cream and milk, too.” He leaned against the wall. “It will pass soon.”

“Wonderful,” she snarked. “Might as well shower. Do you mind choosing something to wear?”

“Sure,” he said, grinning.

She was about to wash his body. What would she think when she soaped and rinsed every inch of him?

He dipped his chin to his chest, curious about her curves.

In the changing booth, her breasts covered in white had tempted him to ogle.

He hadn’t. He’d taken pity on her sheer panic. Like he’d never see her naked?

It took minutes to unpack his luggage and her new things. And when the shower switched on, he gathered a change of clothes. He didn’t do underwear. Neither would she. He chuckled. They hadn’t gotten him a negligee, so he took out an old T-shirt.

“I didn’t look,” she said, emerging from the bathroom with a towel around the waist.

“You can, y’know.” Nudity in his films weren’t commonplace, but they did happen. So half the galaxy had seen him naked. Except Nova. He watched her expression for any reaction.

She huffed. “No, because you’re not looking either. My body, Thorne. Remember that.” She waved a hand at him. “You’re just borrowing it for now.”

“Fair enough.” He had every intention of disobeying. It was silly when it was unavoidable. “I left you jeans and a T-shirt.” He waltzed past her and shut the door in her face.

The mirror was rimmed with steam. He faced it and peeled away her uniform, mesmerized by her white-encased breasts and the way her panties hugged her hips and ass.

Her ripped abs truly surprised him. He’d half-expected to find a beautiful softness to her belly.

Off went her bra, easy enough for a man too used to disrobing women.

Shimmying out of her panties stilled his focus. He forgot to breathe.

This… This was hiding under her uniform?

“I knew it,” he whispered, spinning to admire the curve of her back into firm butt cheeks. Something caught his attention, and he narrowed his focus on it.

She had a tattoo… In an unknown language that was almost alien-like. Pretty, and familiar somehow.

He eyed the toilet, sank onto the seat like he was going to have a shit, and waited. Not sure for what, though. Like magic, his bladder released. The relief was instant. When it trickled to a few drops, he started counting, wanting to know how long in general he needed to ‘drip dry.’

The wetness down there didn’t fade. He scowled.

“This is bullshit,” he muttered, leaping away from the toilet and spinning to flush it.

While the shower activated, he released her ponytail then stepped into the hot spray, moaning when it coated her tired body.

Ah, yes, the hard bench in station-sec’s cell.

A container read ‘bodywash,’ it’s wet outside proving she’d used it.

The fragrances of vanilla and jasmine surrounded him as he soaped and rinsed, trying not to register the silkiness of her skin and the fullness of her curves.

“What’s taking so damn long?” she called through the door.

“I’m washing your hair.” He flipped open the shampoo to do so, pouring a healthy amount onto his palm.

“Hurry,” he thought he heard her say. “I don’t want to be alone when they arrive.”

He worked as fast as he could, used to long hair.

It was minutes later when he finally switched off the water, wrung the last of it from her hair, then got out, drawing a towel around him.

It was such a good thing he knew women well.

He spent a little time drying her hair before patting the rest of her body with the thick towel. Naked, he marched out, only to halt.

She’d changed the T-shirt he’d wanted to slip into for a complete outfit, right down to the boots.

“I was going to get comfortable,” he said, waving a bra at her.

“Hell no when they’re coming to ‘assess’ us. For all you know, it’s full body. No need to help them do whatever that idiot has planned.”

“You’re acting like silk’s made out of chainmail.” He sighed and clipped on the bra.

Shimmying into a fresh pair of panties was done with way too much wiggle. For shit’s sake, he wasn’t a woman, but he couldn’t help moving like one. Why couldn’t she do the same? Why had she brought her feminine ways with her into his…masculine body?

He’d scolded her, but no way would she understand the panic behind his words.

At the restaurant, she’d raised the tea cup in a far-too-delicate manner.

A scan of the tables around them confirmed they were at the center of everyone’s attention.

Some were even filming. If he could survive this without damaging his reputation, he’d be grateful.

As much as he loved being in her body, he hated not being in his for the consequences alone.

He almost rubbed his palms together in glee. At last, he’d see her in an outfit other than her uniform. Had he left the shopping to her, she’d live in pants and shirts; the proof was the selection sprawled on the bed.

Summer dresses, evening gowns… Lingerie. He grinned, having packed away the latter before she noticed.

“Just…” Her eyes had a suspicious sheen to them. “Take care of me.”

“Listen, if I die in your body, there’s no guarantee I’ll return to mine. You’ll probably be stuck as Eli Thorne forever.” He caught her wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Besides, I know how to fight.”

She winced. “Well, that’s comforting. No punches to my face. I like my nose unbroken, thank you very much.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled.

“This isn’t funny, Thorne.”

“Don’t I know it.” But if he was going to be honest, he preferred switching with her.

Any other woman would have been inconsolable.

Dealing with that and this situation would’ve been utter torture.

Nova had already set aside blame, wanting a solution and teamwork.

There was something to be said about a mature woman.

The door swished open.

“How dare you?” she snapped at Frederik. “Can’t you wait five minutes?” She gestured to Eli standing there in underwear.

Taking that as his cue, he yanked on the pants and zipped them shut.

“Maybe buttons weren’t a good idea.” She held out the blouse to him.

“We didn’t know,” he said, slipping into it.

She swatted his hands away and worked the buttons shut. “We were fools,” she hissed.