Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (25 page)

After he was finished, he threw a ten dollar bill at me and told me to get out. I remember staring at that bill for a long time.

I remember thinking it was food. I got something to eat, and I bought a blanket. The next day, I earned thirty dollars." She finally lifted her face to him so he could see the emptiness in her eyes. Dearest heavens, he could swear the blackness went all the way through her soul.

"After that, it became a simple matter of pick and choose.

Once I got the look down and a handle on the business end of it, I could pretty much decide who I wanted to do and who I 346

could tell to fuck off." Her face hardened. Once more, DeGrassi could see her hooker side. The Mr. Hyde.

Unemotional. Calculating. With skin like stainless steel.

"Do your folks know what you're doing over here in the States?" he asked.

"My parents were killed by the enemy, Lieutenant. There were only thirty-one of us left on the ship when it landed here. Thirty-one homeless souls left to seek asylum. My enemy slaughtered everyone else. So I guess the answer is

'no.' My folks don't know what I do for a living, but I can tell you this: they would be celebrating the fact that I had managed to escape. They would be thrilled to learn that I'm still alive, which is a lot more than I can say for the other few million of my people who aren't."

The waitress brought them the check. DeGrassi paid as Roni waited for him by the front door.

He hadn't known how to answer when she had opened up that tiny bit so he could see and understand the bitterness and fear she continued to live with. This woman's story wasn't like the ones he had heard in the past. There was honest-to-God despair in every word she spoke.

What he wouldn't give to pull her into his arms and hold her. And promise her the worst was over. That she would never again have to face that kind of misery and terror. At least, not while he was arounf.

The employment agency was a short, five-minute drive from the restaurant. When he pulled into the parking lot, he stopped and turned to her. "I have to run a couple of errands, but I'll be back before you're finished. I'll be waiting here."

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She stared at him, her eyes searching his for some sign, some clue. DeGrassi had no idea what she needed for him to do or say.

And then, without warning, she closed the small gap between them and kissed his cheek before slowly drawing back. He refused to let her go with just that small token.

He reached out to cup her face between his hands. He captured her lips with his, taking her mouth with a tenderness that left her gasping for air. Heaven help him, but her mouth was a veritable paradise. Her heat seared his lips, and her intoxicating smell filled his sinuses.

There was a trace of coffee on her breath. He sucked it in and tongued the corners of her smile for more of her sweetness. Roni whimpered as her hands found his face.

Before he was aware of it, her mouth opened for him. Her tongue flicked out to find his lips, the edge of his teeth, and finally his own tongue. Every nerve in his body went on high alert.

He felt like a man on the brink of starvation, only to find a banquet laid out for him. Without realizing his own actions, DeGrassi pulled her into his lap and into his arms. Roni's arms went around his neck, and together they melted closer together.

She was a hundred fountains of the purest water. He could not get enough of her. The bulge in his pants throbbed, pleading to be set free. This is nuts. His body was going haywire from the barrage of smells and the feel of her in his hands and against his aching erection. Vaguely, he heard her call out to him. "Thomas."

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It was a major effort to separate his mouth from hers.

"Roni."

"Not ... here."

The words had the effect of someone shutting off the faucet to whatever they had been drowning in. DeGrassi cursed to find his hands shaking as he released her. Roni slid back onto the seat with her hands pressed to her cheeks. She was flushed and breathing in short little gasps.

"Roni, I'm sorry," he tried to apologize, then stopped when he saw her shake her head. But instead of replying, she got out of the car, slammed the door, and quickly walked over to the offices. He watched until she was safely inside.

Nice going, jerkwad. Real smooth moves you put on her.

What's your next plan of action?

Cursing himself, he pulled back into traffic, but not before glancing back at the agency offices. If she hadn't stopped him, how far would he have tried to take it? He had lost it.

Really lost it.

And then the reality of what had almost happened came back to strike him in the gonads. For the first time in his life, he hadn't been thinking about not being able to make love to a woman. He hadn't been worrying about whether he could or couldn't keep it up.

No. Every atom in his body had been focusing on having more of her. More. More of her smell. More of her heat. More of her to touch and taste to devour. More.

They had been so close to achieving a perfection he had never expected, and DeGrassi felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow spark tears in his eyes.

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Shit, man. The last thing in the world he needed was to fall in love with a whore. But nature had him by the balls, and it wasn't letting go. No, sir, not for anything in the world.

Yeah, nice going, DeGrassi. What's your next plan of action?

Hell if he knew.

Worse yet, damn him for not caring.

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There was a woman's restroom just past the lobby doors.

Roni headed straight for it, not stopping until she reached a stall and barricaded herself inside. Only then could she sit down and fight the battle going on inside herself.

He had overwhelmed her. She was totally helpless against his strength and his desire. His heady, powdery scent dominated her, breaking down all her barriers. She was his, his life mate, and that knowledge elated her as much as it terrified her.

All her life she had fought the Arra's continuous rape of her. She had fought them and those males they had forced upon her. Fought them until the walls of her tiny cell were splashed with blood and viscera from the more cruel or insistent alien species.

Yet she had never lost that small spark of hope she nurtured in the deepest part of her. Inside that part they would never see, never learn about. A part of her she had allowed less than a handful of people to view. It was the hope of having a life partner. Someone who would share everything with her. Someone who would understand her and accept her.

And more than that, someone who would protect her one minute, and in the next melt her with the mere touch of his hand.

Thomas had come to see if she was the woman killed last night. His worry had spiked with the scent of fresh apples.

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The fear he had felt had ribboned around her like an invisible animal seeking solace and comfort. He had come looking for her, but she had been out in the woods.

Still, they were connected, and their linking was growing stronger. Thomas had figured out it wasn't her the Cutter had killed, but he continued to worry about her because she wasn't there for him to protect. She was out of reach, and like a Ruinos male, to not be able to reassure himself would leave him angry and frustrated until he could.

He had taken her out to eat. He hadn't asked her out. He hadn't even asked if she wanted to have something to eat. A life partner didn't have to. Keeping her safe and healthy and content was as natural to one as breathing. He would see she was well-fed. He had assumed his position as her defender with an ease that continued to surprise her.

The only part of their relationship left to explore was the sexual part. And it was a part she knew would never happen.

Thomas would never accept her in her true form, and that's what hurt more than anything. Roni thrived when she was near him. When she had seen him drive up this morning, it was as if the sun had broken out from behind the clouds and bathed the world in a whole new light. She had watched him as he drove. She had noticed how he inspected her from the corner of his eye, so she had returned the favor. He looked scruffy, with long tangled hair almost touching his shoulders and the days-old growth on his face. The dark blue t-shirt he wore was tight across the bulging muscles of his shoulders and chest, and the jeans were well-worn. But he was clean.

His scent was bright and rain-fresh. And when she had 352

climbed into the car next to him, the smell of lemonade was everywhere.

Lemonade. Caring, devotion, affection ... love. She had been forced to turn her head away to hide her reaction to it.

They had breakfast. Over and over his worry for her, and the scent of his frustration at not being able to care for her the way he wanted to, kept drifting across to her. That was why she had been unable to resist touching his cheek with her lips. She couldn't bear to part from him without the taste of him on her mouth. One kiss, one simple peck on the cheek, and cracks had appeared in the walls they had erected around each other. The cracks became fissures, until the earthquake sent everything tumbling into dust.

She couldn't let him go. She couldn't stop herself from having his mouth. From tasting the riot of emotions he was spilling on her tongue. She drank in every scent, but the craving increased until she found herself unable to do anything but let him have his way. No more resisting. No more denial. No more emptiness.

Thomas wanted her, but he wanted the human her. Roni gasped and clutched at the stabbing pain in her chest with both fists. She rocked forward and back on the toilet seat until it faded away. Unless he joined with her in her Ruinos form, there would be no life bonding. What they shared right now was very strong, but it wasn't permanent. It would continue to grow for a time, yet in the end it would diminish.

She would do everything in her power to stay with him until he finally tired of her and let her go. Which he would do, eventually. After all, he was human. He wasn't one of her 353

kind. They would share hot, passionate kisses and tender caresses, but in the end he would leave her.

He wasn't Ruinos. Therefore, their blood bond would never come about.

How could he forever love someone who was of an entirely different species? How could he love someone with green skin and talons for fingers?

How could he love her?

You have now, Tiron. You have found him and he has accepted you, so take what you have now and cherish it. Be joyful that you've found him. Be joyful that you have been given this brief chance at happiness. That way, when he finally deserts you, you will have those memories to get you through the rest of your days. It's all you'll have because it's all you deserve.

Another few minutes went by as Roni calmed herself.

Emerging from the restroom stall, she went over to the wall mirror and straightened her hair to make herself presentable.

A pale face with light gray eyes and framed in jet black hair stared back at her. She didn't like wearing makeup. It was enough to keep her true self covered with the almost glove-like skin she wore now, along with the clothing, without adding anything further on top of it. Biting her lips to bring more color into them, she left the restroom and found where she needed to go to apply for an interview.

She was fortunate. The line was short, and by the time she had finished filling out the application and other forms and had turned them in, she was called into the inner offices. A young man with a clipboard walked up to greet her, then 354

suddenly stopped to stare in shock. Roni shifted, uncomfortable under his gaze. Worse was the odor of rotten eggs that was quickly filling the narrow hallway. After another minute, he finally gestured for her to follow him and escorted her into his cubicle, closing the door behind her. The sound of it shutting immediately put her on edge. The room was small and reminded her too much of the cells she had spent almost twenty years of her life in.

To make matters worse, the man sitting across from her was beginning to reek of lust. He kept staring at her in disbelief, as if she wasn't supposed to exist but did. A glance down at his hands visibly shaking on the keyboard confirmed his reticence. The man was either very angry or very much afraid.

"Roni Tarakon?" He entered her information into the computer as he read it back to her. "Barandat. Where's that?"

"It was a small European country near Russia." The well-rehearsed lie tripped easily off her tongue. "I came over five years ago, seeking asylum when it was overrun by a political faction. I-I think you call it a coup. Since then, it's been pretty much wiped off the map."

He glanced at her with hazel eyes, taking in her breasts with increasing interest. "For previous occupation, you wrote

'streetwalker.' For real?"

She crossed her arms over her stomach. The acidic smell coming off of him was beginning to make her feel queasy. "I made a deal with the officer who arrested me. He got me probation, so here I am."

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The man made a funny noise as he typed in the information. "You look a lot like another hooker who was here the other day. We get a lot of girls like you. Call girls who are hoping to find something more accommodating."

Roni lifted an eyebrow at him. "Do they?"

"Do they what? Find another occupation? Sometimes," the guy admitted. "But most of them just end up back on the streets." He shot her another one of those looks that spewed the smell of rancid oil all over her body. It had been a long time since Roni had felt this dirty after being with or near another man. "Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones. Then again, maybe not."

"Why not?" she shot back immediately.

"Well, for one, you ain't got no skills. No typing or computer skills."

"I'm not looking for an executive position," she told him. It was hard not to snap at the man, but her instincts were telling her to get out of this place and to get out now. "Listen, I'm a very quick learner. You want me to learn a skill? Okay.

Just tell me what kind and where I can learn it."

He chuckled. "Yeah, right. And where are you going to get the money to pay for your training so you can attend?"

"I can get the money," she tried to assure him.

"Right." The single word reeked of sarcasm.

Roni let out a heavy sigh. "Is there anything on that computer I can go interview for? I'll take anything ... just as long as it's a day job."

"Whoa, now. You can't waltz in here and put conditions on your employment. If you're sincere about wanting any kind of 356

job, you're gonna hafta take what's out there. And right now, most of what I have waiting to be filled are evening shifts."

He squinched his eyes at her. The look made him appear almost like a predator. "Or is there another reason why you're asking for a day job? Huh?"

Hot, sour lust was thrust into her face. Its stench made her sit back and blink. "What other reason could there be?"

she managed to ask.

"You're wanting a day job so you can continue to spend your nights hooking. That's it, isn't it?"

"You're nuts." It was a struggle to get to her feet. The room was almost black with the heavy, putrid scent of the man's insinuations.

He shook his head. A smile she knew too well swelled on his face. "You girls are all alike. You want to look all respectable in the daytime, but you drop all your pretenses and sell yourselves after dark."

She started to argue with him, to tell him she didn't work the nights like he'd accused. But something in his manner told her she needed to get out of there. She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't think. The walls of the cubicle were shrinking, pressing closer with every passing second. Soon they would stifle her. Suffocate her. Leaving her with only one other option.

To run.

Swallowing her growing fear, she tried one last time to appeal to his more optimistic side.

"Okay. I'll take a night job if I have to. Is there anything you can give me?"

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"At this moment, no. The summer holidays will be here in a couple of months, though. Do you have an email address where I can send you some prospects?"

She shook her head. "I don't have a computer."

"Then it'll be your responsibility to come by or call every week to check what positions have become available," he replied with finality.

The interview was over. She was free to go.

Giving him a curt thank you, she hurried out of the man's office, barely glancing at the nameplate on the outer door.

Quickly, she exited the agency and reached the sidewalk in front of the parking lot. She stopped to breathe in the clean air, taking huge draughts of it to cleanse away the taint in her lungs. She never heard the car pull up next to her, nor the sound of its door opening. Nothing penetrated the haze she was fighting until a hand closed around her arm. For a split second, she almost snarled and jerked away from the touch.

Almost. His presence was a quiet balm that soothed her almost immediately.

"Jesus, Roni, what's wrong? You're pale and shaking!"

She could lean against him. Hear the strong, steady beat of his heart. "It was too closed in." The excuse came from somewhere. Heavens knew she couldn't think straight at the moment.

"Well, that explains why you have such an aversion to spending a couple of nights in jail," DeGrassi observed.

"You're claustrophobic."

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Not really. When you're cooped up in a ship that's filled over its capacity, and you live with them for nearly two years, you quickly learn if you're claustrophobic.

But she couldn't tell him the real reason. If he wanted to think she had an aversion to small spaces, let him.

He guided her over to the car and helped her in, shutting the door behind her. Once he was behind the wheel, he asked, "How did it go? Any possible job interviews?"

Roni shook her head. "Not at the moment." His baby powder scent was more refreshing to her than the outside air had been. She closed her eyes and let herself revel in it.

The car began moving. After a while DeGrassi asked, "How about lunch?"

Her eyes flew open. "Lunch? So soon?"

He chuckled, and she was struck by how deep and sexy it sounded. So opposite from the awful laughter that agent had given her.

"It's nearly noon. You were in there almost two hours."

"Wow. Didn't seem like it."

"What did they tell you? Who interviewed you?"

She gave him a long look as she debated with herself how much to tell him. If she gave him the truth, how far would he go to protect her? He would protect her—that fact was indisputable. She just didn't know what he might do if he felt the need to retaliate.

"Some man named Cowven. Uhh ... B. Cowven."

"What did he tell you, other than the fact that there was nothing yet available?"

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Pain bolted from temple to temple and across her eyes.

Roni lifted a shaky hand to rub her forehead. She could tell it was going to be another one of those horrific headaches coming on. The headaches had plagued her ever since arriving on this planet. She never knew why she got them, only that when they struck, they could incapacitate her for days.

"Lieutenant, can we not have lunch? I'm really not hungry." Not when her stomach was still knotted up from the man's reeking odor.

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

"I get these bad headaches ... Could you ... could you just take me home so I can lie down and rest?"