half-shuttering those fabulously bright green eyes. A small smile lurked at the corners of his mouth. “You didn’t seem in such a hurry a few hours ago.”
“Never mind that. I was simply carried away in the moment. It’s these damn mind games of yours. The exotic backdrop.” The incredible heat and feel of your lips, she admitted to herself. “You have no right to treat me like this.”
The smile faded. “I told you. We need to find out the truth. The m’ittar will allow me to be absolutely certain of your involvement.” He hesitated for a moment then continued. “We can try to stop the sexual element of the contact if you require it. Doing so will be difficult, as there is no way to lie in m’ittar and it is a sensual connection by its very nature, but it can be done.”
He turned and gestured at the communication screen behind him. “I believe you heard my commander. There has been another attack. Two of my people have been killed.” He stood and gripped her arm, looking deep into her eyes. “You may know something that may help, even if you are not aware of it. Everything is locked in here.” He touched her temple gently, the warmth of his fingertips lingering after even such a brief caress. Instantly m’ittar joined their minds.
“What do you mean? I didn’t tell them anything important, hell I didn’t even know anything about a base—a secret base, and I might add that I seriously doubt any of my people are aware of one.”
“You possibly saw or overheard something while you were being tortured. Or you could have been witness to others passing information, even if you did not pass it yourself.” He tightened his grip on her arm; the heat from his hand seemed to brand her. No memory world took them away from the present. This was it, a moment of complete truth between them. “You may have told them something you are not even aware of.”
She tried to wrench away from him, aware that doing so would pull their contact apart. The fact that she couldn’t didn’t surprise her. The reality was that she didn’t truly want their contact to end—even when she knew the truth was about to be shockingly clear. “I know exactly what I told them.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “I told them what I had to, but not a bit more. Not enough for them to succeed, only enough to get them in trouble so they would fail. So they would die.” She lowered her head, staring blindly at the textured floor.
He laid his palm against the smooth skin of her back. “And you would die, too.”
She shuddered, the tears falling down the curves of her cheeks. “I was so tired, I didn’t care anymore if I survived. I couldn’t expect it…or hope for it.”
He pulled her into his arms. “You’re safe. And I know that you believe you are innocent. Now we must prove it, and we must discover everything that is buried in your subconscious.”
She turned in his arms to face him, to burrow into the incredibly soft robes he wore with such grace. He held her, towering over her, his bulk dwarfing her long lean frame. For the first time in years she felt small, vulnerable. As a military woman she was expected to be rough, tough and ready to fight. This feeling, of being cherished and protected, felt…alien, and yet, at this one moment, it was more than welcome. It was right. Perhaps it was because he was an alien that she could admit to her need for his care. He had no expectations from her other than the truth.
Sue rubbed her cheeks over the soft material stretched across his chest. She slid closer, moved into an embrace that welcomed intimacy. It felt natural, necessary. She looked up at him, into his earnest gaze and lifted her lips to meet his.
The air around them changed. He’d brought them back to his beach. His mouth lowered to hers, and she welcomed the sensation. Within their joined minds she began to realize anything was possible. With the transition into m’ittar, he’d shed his chammiss robes in favor of a
“Never mind that. I was simply carried away in the moment. It’s these damn mind games of yours. The exotic backdrop.” The incredible heat and feel of your lips, she admitted to herself. “You have no right to treat me like this.”
The smile faded. “I told you. We need to find out the truth. The m’ittar will allow me to be absolutely certain of your involvement.” He hesitated for a moment then continued. “We can try to stop the sexual element of the contact if you require it. Doing so will be difficult, as there is no way to lie in m’ittar and it is a sensual connection by its very nature, but it can be done.”
He turned and gestured at the communication screen behind him. “I believe you heard my commander. There has been another attack. Two of my people have been killed.” He stood and gripped her arm, looking deep into her eyes. “You may know something that may help, even if you are not aware of it. Everything is locked in here.” He touched her temple gently, the warmth of his fingertips lingering after even such a brief caress. Instantly m’ittar joined their minds.
“What do you mean? I didn’t tell them anything important, hell I didn’t even know anything about a base—a secret base, and I might add that I seriously doubt any of my people are aware of one.”
“You possibly saw or overheard something while you were being tortured. Or you could have been witness to others passing information, even if you did not pass it yourself.” He tightened his grip on her arm; the heat from his hand seemed to brand her. No memory world took them away from the present. This was it, a moment of complete truth between them. “You may have told them something you are not even aware of.”
She tried to wrench away from him, aware that doing so would pull their contact apart. The fact that she couldn’t didn’t surprise her. The reality was that she didn’t truly want their contact to end—even when she knew the truth was about to be shockingly clear. “I know exactly what I told them.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “I told them what I had to, but not a bit more. Not enough for them to succeed, only enough to get them in trouble so they would fail. So they would die.” She lowered her head, staring blindly at the textured floor.
He laid his palm against the smooth skin of her back. “And you would die, too.”
She shuddered, the tears falling down the curves of her cheeks. “I was so tired, I didn’t care anymore if I survived. I couldn’t expect it…or hope for it.”
He pulled her into his arms. “You’re safe. And I know that you believe you are innocent. Now we must prove it, and we must discover everything that is buried in your subconscious.”
She turned in his arms to face him, to burrow into the incredibly soft robes he wore with such grace. He held her, towering over her, his bulk dwarfing her long lean frame. For the first time in years she felt small, vulnerable. As a military woman she was expected to be rough, tough and ready to fight. This feeling, of being cherished and protected, felt…alien, and yet, at this one moment, it was more than welcome. It was right. Perhaps it was because he was an alien that she could admit to her need for his care. He had no expectations from her other than the truth.
Sue rubbed her cheeks over the soft material stretched across his chest. She slid closer, moved into an embrace that welcomed intimacy. It felt natural, necessary. She looked up at him, into his earnest gaze and lifted her lips to meet his.
The air around them changed. He’d brought them back to his beach. His mouth lowered to hers, and she welcomed the sensation. Within their joined minds she began to realize anything was possible. With the transition into m’ittar, he’d shed his chammiss robes in favor of a
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