She didn’t buy his explanation for a moment, but now wasn’t the time to call him on it. She didn’t want to give him even the slightest excuse not to take her with him.
Transit Station 3 had become a very dangerous place for her over the past cycle.
A chirping sound broke through her thoughts. A bird?
“What’s that?” she asked, startled.
“End program,” he said shortly. The noise ceased, and the walls faded to gray metal. “It’s nothing, just part of the welcoming program. You can change it to a wide variety of settings, depending on what you’re interested in.”
“What was that setting?”
“That was my mother’s garden,” he said shortly. “Your cabin is the second one on the left. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. We’ll be pulling away in about an hour if everything goes right.”
She nodded, walking over to the cabin and opening the door. It was barely big enough to turn around in. There was a fold-down bunk, a single. She stared at it for a moment, wondering if by some miracle she’d misunderstood what he intended for her.
His voice came from behind, startling her. She hadn’t realized he’d been following her.
“My cabin is across the way,” he said. “I’ll expect you to be available to me whenever I want you.”
“But I won’t be sleeping with you?”
“No.”
She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing quite how to take that statement.
An hour later they left the station. She barely felt them move as it pulled away from the dock, probably wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t called over the com instructing her to strap in. Whatever else his faults, he seemed to know how to pilot, she thought.
Now they were steadily cruising away from the station. She had no idea how long it would be before he made the leap out of normal space, but she figured at least a week.
Most stations required that kind of clearance.
She wandered out in the corridor and started down it, away from the airlock they’d entered through. To one end there seemed to be cargo holds. She had no idea what he was shipping, but she had her suspicions. If he wasn’t a smuggler, than she was the Imperial princess. It was the only thing that could explain the cash he could throw around. Hopefully the criminal wouldn’t get caught while she was still on board, she thought sourly. She came to the end of the corridor, and started making her way back up toward her room. The ship had several crew cabins, and she suspected she’d been given the smallest, least comfortable one.
At least it was better than sharing with him, she reminded herself wryly. She ambled back up the other direction, discovering a small galley, an eating area, a living area and, to her surprise, a library. A real library, with what appeared to be thousands of datatabs and vids. She scanned them quickly, noting he had far more than the porn she’d found in his room.
The man appeared to be educated. In fact, far more educated than she was. Half the tabs were in languages she didn’t even recognize. What the hell kind of smuggler was he, anyway?
“You’re free to borrow any of the titles,” he said, and she squawked. She whirled on him, speaking without thinking.
“Why the hell did you do that?’ she demanded. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
He gave her a chilly smile. “You shouldn’t poke around in places on a ship that you haven’t been invited into.”
“Why, afraid I’ll discover some of your goods are smuggled?” she asked acidly.
“Perhaps prohibited?”
“No, afraid you’ll accidentally stumble into an airlock while I’m running compression checks,” he replied smoothly. “It’s a terrible way to die.”
Her anger suddenly faded and reality washed over her in a rush. She was utterly dependent upon this man for survival. It didn’t matter that he was smuggling—staying alive was what counted.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to sound genuinely contrite. “I wasn’t trying to pry, I was just exploring.”
“I know,” he said. “I watched you from the cockpit.”
She stilled. It hadn’t occurred to her that he had video access to the ship, but of course he did. It only made sense.
“I suppose you have my room bugged, too?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” he replied, turning to walk out of the small library. She followed, unsure of herself. She didn’t really want to be near him, but she didn’t like the idea of him watching her from afar, either.
“I’m going to fix us some dinner,” he said. “Do you have any preferences?”
She gave a nervous laugh, and then nodded her head. When in doubt, make a joke.
It always worked on her bar customers. She wracked her brain, coming up with the most exotic dish she could imagine.
“I don’t suppose you have roasted kvana with Beloni herbs?”
He smiled, and the tension between them broke.
“Naturally,” he said. “I’ve just gotten back from the Emperor’s summer palace on Beloni, where we hunted kvana.”
She smiled back at him, feeling more comfortable now that the tension was broken.
“I don’t suppose you have some of his Imperial Majesty’s private reserve wine to go with it, then?”
“Well, naturally,” he said. “What well-equipped smuggler doesn’t?”
For the first time since she’d met him, he seemed almost playful. The hard façade had dropped, at least for the moment, leaving behind a surprising nice looking man.
Even his scar seemed less menacing.
“So, are you going to prepare this wonderful meal for me?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “You may be surprised to discover this, but I’m actually quite a cook.”
“Forgive me if I’m doubtful,” she replied pertly. “You just don’t seem like the cooking type to me.”
“Well, you don’t really know me very well, do you?” he replied. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’ll get started on dinner.”
He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she saw dinner. He didn’t allow himself to consider why he cared so much. Moving efficiently, he placed a last few sprinkles of fresh herbs over the glazed kvana, then placed both warm plates in the stasis box. The first course was already prepared—thin slices of toasted bread topped with grilled Gnoscan mushrooms in a light vinaigrette sauce, and still-crisp steamed vegetables. A meal fit for an emperor, he thought wryly.
He poured wine into two gracefully sculpted crystal goblets, carrying them over to the small table. Things were almost perfect. He brought over the plates with the grilled mushrooms and arranged them, and then spoke quietly to the ship’s computer.
“Jenna, please turn on the dining program.”
Instantly the utilitarian colors of the walls shifted. Light, lovely patterns reminiscent of natural wood appeared on the walls, and a window seemed to open along the table.
The view was of a tropical garden, swirling with colors. A soft chirping filled the room.
This garden always seemed to soothe him. He hoped it would work for Giselle. He didn’t like the tension between them. However badly they’d started out, it was time to make peace. There was no need for their time together to be unpleasant.
“Dinner is served,” he said as he walked out into the main room. She looked up from the vid she was watching, and smiled at him. She must have taken a shower, because she seemed to glow at him with health and cleanliness. Her face was bare of the dreadful cosmetics, and the freckles dotting her nose made her appear charmingly youthful, although he knew she was a woman grown. She wore one of the simple jumpsuits he’d purchased for her on the station. Plain as it was, it still showed her figure to advantage.