Bytes of Passion

Chapter 4

None of this was going according to plan. She raced out of the galley like he'd threatened to kill her. He only touched her cheek, nothing more. Except her delicate, graceful neck. And the side of her breast... Fuck. He'd touched more than he should of. Oh, and then there was how he'd pressed his cock against her, sending a very clear message, that she was playing with fire. In retrospect, he'd been an ass, and deserved that slap, but damn if it didn't make him want her more. There was a fire in her, one he'd enjoy fanning, but not in her present state of mind.

As it was, he'd been fighting the urge to let his hands glide lower, over her seductive curves. Something in his head kept telling him to keep everything professional. To touch her further, let alone stripping her naked and sinking into her, would be wrong, on so many levels, even if she consented. She was oblivious to what had happened to her, and worse, she considered the Goldsmiths her parents. If she was acting, she was a damn good actor, but his gut said she believed the Goldsmiths were he parents. Why would she believe that? She'd grown up an orphan on a space station. He was no closer to the truth and yet every time he was next to her he felt this overwhelming urge to protect her. Apparently he needed to protect her from himself at the moment. Which is why he would not go to her cabin to check in on her.

He would shelve the puzzle of her relationship to the Goldsmiths for the moment. Something was off about her and the soldier in him needed to know what is was and how it would affect the next few hours. Several times she'd looked away, distracted. At first he thought her a bit flighty, but then when she'd entered the cockpit, he'd noticed the needle Ephrams on her left arm. Her sleeves had been pushed up, and she'd been scratching the area, as addicts often do. He'd read nothing about drug use when he'd read up on her. Then again, he hadn't had time for much research.

Before he realized it, Teegan had walked to her cabin. Hell, he didn't need this. He should leave her there until it was time for the meet. In time, he'd find out just how involved she was in the Goldsmiths' activities. Until then, he had to consider her dangerous.

Those curves, beautiful eyes that could make a man lose himself were a danger in their own right. He needed to keep his distance from her. Which was a thought he brushed aside as he used his override to disengage the lock on her cabin.

The door slid open, and she didn't look his way, but kept her eyes trained towards the porthole. In her silky, tailored blouse and slacks, she hardly conjured the image of a drug addict. Still, he couldn't ignore those tracks on her arm. The pillow she was hugging was wet and her eyes were red. His stomach turned. He'd done that to her, scared her.

Teegan's fingers itched to wipe the tears from her face. Instead, he picked up the datapad sitting on the corner of her bed. She'd drawn a man, maybe in his fifties, with strong features, balding, crooked nose and bags beneath his eyes. Ephram Goldsmiths? No, he'd seen pictures of the Goldsmiths and this man was definitely older. He tossed the pad back onto the bed and stood across from her. She had such pretty eyes, a warm hazel with an amber ring flecked with gold that reminded him of the fall leaves back home.

"I saw the tracks on your arm," he said. He didn't want to go there, but it could affect his plans. She'd been fully dressed under her robe when he'd kidnapped her. Likely venturing out without anyone knowing. Classic addict behavior. Or maybe she'd become hooked and the Goldsmiths supplied her with drugs in exchange for her cooperation. She was a skilled hacker, from what he'd read. They could be using her to hack any number of government agencies, corporate entities... anything.

"None of your business," she said, not daring to look his way.

The woman who'd been all bubbly and talkative a mere twenty minutes ago had closed herself to him. He'd crossed a line back in the galley, even though he'd let her escape before anything serious had happened between them. He wasn't made for this. If it hadn't been for that asshole Dennison he'd still be in the military following orders, with a clearly defined mission plan. Dishonorable discharge... it had been eighteen months and he still couldn't get past how Dennison had blamed him for that clusterfuck of a mission.

"Please, go," Skylar said, her voice so soft he could hear the desperation in it.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

Her face tensed and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

"If you're going to go through withdrawal, I can get hold of some Nixaphyl, to make it easier for you."

"It's medicine, not drugs," she said, her tone icy as she pulled her sleeve down to hide the Ephrams.

Strange how kidnapping her hadn't made her uncomfortable, but his question had. "What medical condition?"

"I'll stay in my cabin. You won't hear a peep out of me."

With one push off the desk he'd been leaning against, he headed towards the door. She was acting like a true kidnap victim now. Perhaps that was for the best. He could keep his emotional distance until he had a handle on what she knew, and why someone would kidnap her away from the people she claimed were her parents.

"I have to lock you in again."

Nothing from her, not even a glare. The door closed, and he keyed the pad, locking her in. He'd locked people in here before, murderers and others he'd spent weeks tracking down. This was different. He had no proof that she'd done anything wrong, and yet he was throwing her to the wolves tomorrow. It went against everything he'd stood for.... once.