Chapter 5
Much to Darial’s satisfaction, Halli’s list was successfully completed and loaded in the back of both trucks by late afternoon. It was mostly insulation, metal brackets and wall sheeting. Halli had also ordered enough timber laminate flooring, to do the whole house. Joe figured they must be going to the Arctic if they had to haul this many building materials.
However, as successful as their shopping trip had been Joe was still not a happy camper. He had not been able to do more than politely assist Darial in and out of her truck at each store. He was running out of time to hold her and let her know how he felt, he craved the unique smell of her soft skin, the sound of her voice and her husky laugh. Whenever he caught her gaze the world vanished, and he would have sworn that she felt it too.
Joe couldn’t believe that the desire was all on his side Darial just had to feel it too. He wanted to know what she was thinking and what he could do to make her happy. Damn it all to hell! He was in love, love with a capital L. He didn’t know how it had happened, because up until yesterday, he’d been a man perfectly happy with his life. But, here it was and now he needed to convince her that he was a man worth taking seriously. Driving separate trucks all day, they had constantly been apart. He only had tonight left to make her understand how he felt before she saw what an idiot he was about flying. After that, she might not give him a chance to prove that he was worth loving.
Added to his romantic frustrations was the fact that, he was a man deprived of the toy of his dreams. At every opportunity he had played with Darial’s com-pad. He’d transferred money between his accounts, paid his phone and electricity bills and checked the weather in Iceland. He’d watched as, with just a few simple taps, she had paid the accounts at every store they visited including the plumbing supplies he’d bought yesterday. Joe had been miserable every time Darial had reclaimed it to pay an account. The com-pad was a seriously essential bit of electronics, and he wanted one.
An hour later Darial led the way to the hanger to store the supplies ready for tomorrow’s flight. Pulling into a parking bay beside the private hanger, she waited for Joe to park his truck and join her. Tapping out a code on the com-pad, she opened the side door to reveal what appeared to be an empty hanger. What Joe didn’t know was that, the transporter they would use to dock with Seeker 5 was actually parked inside. A cloaking device that was controlled by the com-pad made it invisible to the naked eye.
A huge pile of boxes, the result of Darial’s shopping the previous day, was piled neatly just inside the door. Joe was stunned anew by how much Halli was having transported.
“How did you get all of this delivered and stored yesterday, It usually takes a couple of days to get stuff to a job site?” Darial was surprised by his question.
“That is of course why I rented a truck, to be able to convey the goods by myself. The boxes are really not very heavy and I have a small machine to help move it all.” Darial once again tapped out a command on her faithful com-pad. Joe watched in stunned amazement as, a small four wheel, flat bed sled appeared from behind the boxes.
Darial manoeuvred the sled into place behind her truck with a few taps, then, signalled the arms that had been folded flat on the sled to extend and lock onto the first box. Lifting its burden, the mechanical arms steadily lowered the box to the sled where another set of arms safely locked it into place. It was then swiftly conveyed into the hanger and stored away. In less than forty five minutes they had both trucks emptied and stored. Joe was once again in technological lust, he wondered if Darial would get him a sled if he begged hard enough.
Joe picked up Chinese take-away on the way home. He planned on getting in some quality time with Darial so, wasting time cooking wasn’t on his agenda. Darial had resisted his idea of eating out, on the grounds that they had too much yet to do before they left; although she’d happily agreed to the take-away.
Darial had only had one of her field rations the night before, and had never sampled this mysterious pre-cooked food.
Arriving home Joe reluctantly parted company with Darial while she went for a shower. Time was running out for him, and he would have to act fast if he was to convince her to share her life with him. He hoped Chinese food and soft music would help, though he wasn’t counting on it.
His fear of flying was complicating the situation badly. He really hoped Darial had a pill that worked fast. He didn’t care if he was a walking zombie as long as he could get on that plane.
When Darial knocked on Joe’s door thirty minutes later she was stunned by the reception she received. Joe flung open the door with one hand as he swept her into his arms with the other for a swift, hard hug and short, blistering kiss. Darial felt all her senses explode with pleasure, her lips tingle and swell, and her body burn like it was on fire. Then, too soon, it was over as he pulled her inside the unit and closed the door.
“What took you so long you only had to have a shower? I missed you.”
Darial laughed happily as she snuggled into his close embrace with a happy laugh. She breathed in the heady perfume of his freshly washed body, overcome by the feel of his warmth and sheer masculine hardness. His damp hair hung in darkened blond curls around a beloved face that tempted her fingers to trace every line. His lips were in kissing distance again, lips that she wanted to kiss forever. Taking a steadying breath, Darial moved reluctantly out of his arms, trying hard to remember her mission.
“I had to notify my executon that all was ready for our departure tomorrow morning. Callem is looking forward to meeting you soon and sent his thanks for your help.”
“It’ll be good to see old Callem again it’s been quite a while.” Pulling out a chair he ushered Darial to sit at the table then, got busy pulling food containers out of the microwave. A quick zap had re-heated their meal to perfection. Sitting down opposite her he served it out, querying Darial’s wishes with a raised eyebrow and a smile as his spoon hovered over each dish. A contented silence descended as they eagerly consumed their dinner.
“Oh, that was magnificent thank you,” congratulated Darial as she finished the last morsel on her plate with a contented smile. “I don’t think I have ever had such a tasty meal. Do you eat this take-away often?”
“Yeah, pretty often, I’m not much of a cook but, I like to eat so, that makes me best friends with all the different fast food places around here.”
“I could eat this way every day too, I have always eaten healthy food but, it does not taste as good as this,” smiled Darial, as she patted her full stomach cheerfully.
Joe started to clear the table as he talked. “I rang a friend and arranged for him to cover any maintenance problems that might arise while I’m gone then, gave his phone number to all the tenants. I’m ready to go, whenever you give me the word.”