Bytes of Passion

Chapter 21

Just as he reached for her hand, to entwine their fingers, Skylar rose from the mat. He'd looked forward to having her head rest on his chest, as he played with her silky hair and breathed in her scent, knowing she'd trusted him enough to give herself to him. He'd never known such a heavenly touch before, as his Skylar. With her tussled hair, chest heaving slightly from being out of breath, and a blush to her cheeks, she was a gorgeous site. But she wasn't smiling. She gathered her clothes, essentially ignoring him as if he wasn't there.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No, you were wonderful," she said, and turned away. "Thank you."

Thank you? Teegan didn't bother with his clothing as he shot out of the cargo bay to catch up with her. The corridor was empty. She'd hurried to her cabin, and locked the door.

He hadn't forced himself on her, he was sure of that. And she'd thanked him... she'd thanked him... as if he'd just serviced her.

He pounded on her door until it opened. She'd dressed in a fresh set of clothes, a light blue blouse and tan pants, and she looked as disinterested in him as she would be in a man selling used shoes.

"I don't understand what I've done wrong. I thought you were enjoying yourself."

"I was."

"This isn't you, Skylar."

"Really?" she said, both eyes going wide in mock doubt. "And you say that because you know me so well?"

"I thought..." he ran his fingers through his hair, at a loss for words. He could tell from her tone and her words that no matter what he'd say, it would fall on deaf ears, or worse, be used against him. She shut the door, practically in his face. He made his way back to the cockpit, to check on their course. Three days until Baccarus 3 and somehow he had a feeling that even if he had ten years it wouldn't be enough to undo the damage he'd already done.

Teegan avoided Skylar for almost two days, hoping to give her time to sort through whatever had her acting so squirrely. Each time he replayed the past events, he came to the same conclusion. He'd betrayed her. It didn't matter that he hadn't thought any harm would come to her, it had.

After working out and showering, he returned to the cockpit to plan his next steps. The only way he could convince Dennison to release him and Skylar had been to promise delivering the Goldsmiths. The gambit had worked, in as far as getting them off of Picos, but now he needed to follow through, or get rid of Dennison's men trailing them. He still had plans for the Goldsmiths, but he couldn't go down there with some DSPS hot shots on his tail. They'd get him and Skylar killed.

"You called," Skylar said as she arrived. With one hand, she pushed her hair behind her ear. The white t shirt she wore hung loosely about her frame, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she looked relaxed and not the least bit irked that he'd asked her for help. Maybe she'd made peace with what he'd done, and she was moving on. The smart thing would be for him to do the same, except he didn't want to. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her, and that started long before they'd slept together.

"I'm not sure how Dennison's men are tracking us. I've tried several evasive maneuvers and I can't shake them," he said, watching her expression closely. She listened with an intensity, a professionalism, one he had not given her credit for days ago. He should tell her, answer all her questions. "I'm hoping you'll have an idea of how we can get rid of them, something they won't see coming. I don't want to hurt them, just lose them so I can enter the planet on my terms without them giving us away."

"Or getting in the way?"

Smart woman, his Skylar. "Precisely."

Without hesitating, she slid into the co-pilot's seat and dove right into lines of code. He enjoyed watching her fingers glide over those keys like a concert pianist. She had such incredible focus and passion as she worked the code. Maybe some day she'd look at him like that...