Her lips parted as the last notes faded away leaving them in silence. Her eyes jerked back up to his when he slowly lowered the instrument in his hands and stood up. She was unable to prevent the defensive step she took backwards as he rose to his full height. He stood at least a head taller than her.
“Who…what are you?” Evetta asked in a voice she didn’t recognized as her own. Since when had she ever been breathless around a male before? She frowned. “Where did you come from?”
Chapter 2
Ben knew the moment the female entered the small room that he used when he wanted to be alone. It had a small port window, two chairs and nothing else. Hell, not much else could fit into the narrow space unless he took out the chairs.
He was used to the occasional visitor when he was playing his harmonica. It was the one thing besides Aaron that he had left from Earth. It had been the last gift their mom had given him before she patted him on the head, gave Aaron a kiss and walked out the door never to return.
He was playing Red River Valley. It was the first song he had learned to play. There was something about the haunting melody that pulled at him on days when he was feeling melancholy. Over the years, he had taught himself other songs that he vaguely remembered from Earth or made up new ones. It was one of the things that helped keep him sane.
He continued to finish out the last of the chorus, drawing out the last few notes before turning his attention to his unexpected visitor. Behr was very careful about who came to the lower sections of the ship. He and the rest of the crew on the lower levels were very suspicious of any crew member who came down who had not been screened first. Since Ben had never seen this female before, he suspected she had found her way down without their knowledge. Behr was very meticulous about making sure he and Aaron were introduced to anyone new.
“Can I help you?” Ben asked, rising to his feet and looking down on the slender female.
“I…who are you? What are you?” The female asked again in a confused, hesitant voice.
His lips curved up in an unexpected hint of a smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like smiling. The female looked like she wasn’t used to seeing a smile of humor either.
He studied her as she studied him. She was very attractive for being an alien. He had never thought of ‘purple’ skin as being something he would be drawn to but there was something about the female that made him want to reach out and touch her.
She had the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. They were dark, almost black and were shimmering with a shy curiosity. She had long, black hair that looked thick and glossy and hug down her back in a long braid.
When she bit her bottom lip, he fought the urge to soothe it with a kiss. He could feel his cock harden at the idea. A dark frown of confusion crossed his face as he tried to understand why he was reacting the way he was. Sure, it had been years since he had enjoyed the body of a woman but he was used to dealing with his desires either on his own or through hard work to take his mind off his sexual needs.
“Well,” the female suddenly demanded. “Are you going to answer me?”
Ben chuckled at her irritated tone. “Actually, I was thinking how much I’d like to kiss you,” he admitted. “My name is Ben Cooper, by the way. I’m a human. And you are?”
Evetta looked startled before a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. “I’m Evetta Marquette, Engineer Technician First Class.”
“Would you like to have a seat?” Ben asked, stepping aside so she could sit in one of the two chairs. “I’m afraid I don’t have any refreshments to offer.”
“You…,” Evetta glanced nervously at the chair before she looked back up at Ben. “You say you were thinking of kissing me but you don’t try to force yourself on me. Why?”
Ben grimaced but didn’t look away. “I don’t believe in forcing my attentions on a woman. A woman has the right to make the choice. I prefer her willing and wanting. I find it much more rewarding if she is enjoying herself.”
Evetta took a cautious step closer to him. “I want you to kiss me,” she said suddenly. “But nothing more,” she added hastily.
Ben’s eyes widened in surprise before his eyes darkened with desire. His eyes swept down to her lips. While her top lip was thin, her bottom one looked full and lush. He fought back a groan when her tongue darted out to moisten it. He shook his head and clenched his fists.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Evetta,” Ben replied softly, turning away to look out the small port window at the darkness of space.
“Why? You don’t want to kiss me now? You do not find me…attractive?” She asked in a puzzled voice. “Is it because I am different from your kind?”
Ben stiffened and looked down. How did he explain that he was afraid to touch her? What if he couldn’t stop at just a kiss? It had been over four years since he had last been with a woman. Then, it was with a whore that the captain brought back for him and Aaron before they left the Spaceport they had stopped at. Evetta was no whore to enjoy. Neither was she an emotionless sex droid that each crew member used for the long trips between dockings. He wouldn’t be able to just cast her aside once the edge was taken care of.
Ben cleared his throat before he turned back around. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman,” he explained gruffly. “You are a very attractive woman, Evetta. I think it best if I keep my distance.”
He watched as her eyes widened in surprise before she frowned in concentration. He could tell she was arguing with herself. Her lips moved ever so slightly and she impatiently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of dried blood on her hand.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the way she stiffened defensively as he held her slender hand in his larger, warmer one. He turned it until her knuckles were facing upward so he could see them better. They looked slightly bruised but he didn’t see any cuts.
“You’re bleeding,” he murmured. “What happened?”
Evetta tried to jerk her hand back but he refused to let her go. Now that he was touching her, he never wanted to let her go. The feel of her skin was surprisingly soft. He gently ran his thumb over her bruised knuckles.
“It is not my blood,” she admitted softly.
Ben glanced up at her sharply. “Whose is it?”
Evetta glanced nervously down at the hand he was holding. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about what happened. What if he told her commanding officers? They more than likely wouldn’t care but they may demand something for their silence – like the use of her body in exchange.
She had heard and seen that happen too many times over the last six years. One of the other females who was in her department on her last assignment was attacked by one of the engineers. The female had killed him in self-defense just like she had. Only that fight had been witnessed by one of the upper level commanding officers. He had demanded the female pay restitution for the loss of the male or face death. Three months later, the female returned a hollow shell of who she had been before. The officers had used her. She was transferred to another warship not long after that when she killed the commanding officer.
“I killed a male,” she whispered. “Three levels up. He disabled a sensor and I was sent to repair it. He came up behind me and attacked me. I knew if I did not kill him he would kill me after he….”
Ben felt the tremble in Evetta’s hand when she admitted to him what she had done. He knew enough of the laws of the Marastin Dow that it had nothing to do with justice. That was one of the things Behr and the others were working on. He had shared a little of what he remembered from the United States and several other countries. He hadn’t been the best of students but he had loved history and he remembered a book report he had done comparing several different countries’ political structures. Behr and several other officers and enlisted personnel were working on developing a new Constitution for their people.
Over the last four years, both he and
Aaron had learned to read, write and speak the language of the Marastin Dow thanks to Behr and the others working with him to start the fires of a revolution. Behr had asked them both repeatedly to look over the draft and comment on it. For the first time in over ten years, he and Aaron felt like maybe there had been a greater purpose for their kidnapping.
He hated the slight hint of fear in her voice. He could tell she was scared even as she tried to hide it. Unsure of how to express his feelings of sympathy, he gently pulled the slender figure into his arms and held her close.
Ben closed his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of her silky hair. He wanted to rub his cheek against the soft strands but didn’t want to frighten her. She had been through enough without him pushing his desire on her. It would be a fruitless endeavor anyway. He had nothing to offer her. No future, no hope of anything but uncertainty and life among the lower levels of an alien warship. Hell, he didn’t even have his own room to offer her privacy.
No, he thought in despair as his arms tightened around her. I have nothing to offer her but a moment of compassion and comfort.
Chapter 3
Hanine Marquette frowned and glanced around her work area. Except for the one item that had not been there just minutes before, it was exactly as she had left it. Her office, if she could call it that, was set in a small room with nothing more than the computer monitoring system and a chair. She worked as a programmer and was damn good at what she did. In fact, she was much better than what her commanding officers were aware of which was just what she wanted.
She might be assigned as a lowly Engineering Programmer Third Class but she was much more skilled than her peers. She had learned early in her career that when others underestimated who you were and what you could do, they became sloppy. They talked too much and they ignored her when she was around. They also left her alone in her little room where she was supposed to just monitor the warship’s systems. They had no idea that she had written a program that had allowed her to take over the entire warship if she wanted. They also had no idea that she had developed other programming scripts that could shut down systems and shield her and her sister’s movements. She was currently working on a device that would allow her to transport short distances undetected.
No, what was bothering her right now was the small item on her desk. It and the dozens of others she had found always appeared when she was on duty. She normally took only small breaks to relieve herself or to do the hourly checks that were required in the other room. It didn’t matter how often she tried to vary the times, the small items ‘magically’ appeared. She had even found a few on her bunk in her personal quarters.
She was frustrated as she had set up surveillance equipment to monitor who came and went out of the room. So far, she had not been able to capture anyone who was not assigned to the area.
Even the system she set up for their private quarters showed that no one but she and her sister had ever entered the room. She had specifically programmed the door so that no one else could enter except for them and she changed the password every few days.
“Where are these coming from?” She murmured under her breath.
Hanine carefully turned the delicate shape in her hand. This one was in the shape of a soft pink flying creature. The intricately folded creature was made of the same material as the rest of the ones she had. It was made from a mixture of cloth fibers that had been mixed and rolled flat before being dried. She had done an analysis of it when they first started appearing several months before.
She carefully unfolded the creature. She hated destroying it but she was curious when she saw the hint of a printed letter on the tip of one wing. Making sure she didn’t tear the material, she sank down into her chair and worked at unraveling the form. Soon a message appeared on the creased square.
Can I keep you? Forever?
Hanine’s breath caught at the simple words. Her fingers trembled as she carefully traced them. She bit her lip to keep the smile from showing. Whoever was doing this was driving her crazy with curiosity.
“Who are you?” She whispered with a shake of her head. “How are you able to sneak past my sensors?”
*.*.*
Aaron Cooper lay back in the vent above the desk of the woman he had been dreaming about ever since he saw her while working in one of the maintenance shafts four months ago. He had fallen in love with her the moment she rolled her beautiful dark eyes at the two females calling her names.
His lips curled into a grin as he remembered her face when the two women turned away. She had stuck her tongue out at the women and made a face before returning to what she was working on. It was obvious she couldn’t care less what anyone thought of her.
He had been curious about her and began watching for her. He had discovered shortly after Behr had assigned him to one of the maintenance workers that it was easier to move around the warship using the maze of maintenance accesses. When his mentor was reassigned to another warship, Behr had suggested he just take over the task of maintaining the different sensors and wiring. Aaron readily agreed as it allowed him access beyond the lower decks.
He bit back a chuckle when he heard her whispered words of frustration. He had always loved origami. Ben had given him a book on it when he was five in the hopes of helping him learn to read. In the past four months, he had been creating every type of animal or shape he could remember to give to Hanine.
Hanine. Her name is just as beautiful as she is, he thought as he remembered hearing her name for the first time several months ago.
He closed his eyes and pictured her face in his mind. He wished he could touch her in real life. She had short black hair that danced around her face as she talked. She was always so animated when she was with her sister or she didn’t think anyone was watching her. He loved observing her in those unguarded moments.
She was a lighter purple than her sister. Her skin was more of a soft violet and he would bet the few credits he had that her skin was just as soft. She had a long narrow nose and soft, full lips that begged to be kissed. It was her eyes, though, that held him captive every time he saw her. They were almond-shaped and framed by the darkest lashes he had ever seen. He felt like he could drown in their dark depths.
With a sigh of regret, he heard the next crew member come in to relieve her. She would go up to the dining hall on the upper levels, get herself and her sister some food and return to their living quarters. They never ate with the other crew members. He would have just enough time to leave her another origami. This time he had made her a giraffe.
Pushing silently up, he rose to his feet and took off. One day he would meet her. Even if it was only to watch her turn away from him in disgust. He knew he was nothing like any of the males of her species. While Behr and the others did their best to treat them as equals, Aaron knew that he and Ben would always be considered different.
Until that day, he thought, until the day she sees me, I’ll be the ghost who loves her from afar.
Chapter 4
Ben sighed when he felt the warm body in his arms finally relax against him. He gingerly rubbed his chin against Evetta’s soft hair. A soft moan escaped him when he felt her slender arms slide up his chest. He started to release her, thinking that she was pushing him away before his eyes snapped open in surprise as they stopped on his broad shoulders.
“I do not understand why but I want you to…kiss me,” Evetta whispered. “I have never felt this urge before. What power does your species have that makes me want to touch you, taste you…hold you?”
Ben pulled back just far enough to look down into her puzzled eyes. With another groan, he lowered his head and captured her lips. The moment she opened for him, he took advantage and deepened the kiss. She tasted as sweet as he knew she would the first moment he saw her in the doorway.
He broke the kiss when she buried her hands in his hair. The soft sound of her whimper of frustration pulled at him. He pressed soothing kisses across her temple and down along her face to h
er jaw. He wanted to taste every part of her.
“Ben!” A sharp, deep voice called out, startling them.
Ben turned, shielding Evetta with his body while turning toward the male standing in the doorway frowning at him. Even though he knew it was Behr, he didn’t relax his protective stance. He had no idea what the huge Marastin Dow male would do to their unexpected visitor. He relaxed when he saw it was surprise and not anger that darkened Behr’s voice.
“This is Evetta,” Ben said in a calm voice.
“I know who she is,” Behr replied with a deep frown. “What I don’t understand is why she is down here,” he paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed on her. “Unless you are the reason my men found a dead maintenance worker three levels up.”
*.*.*
Evetta trembled and would have pulled away if not for the tightening of Ben’s arms around her. She tilted her head in challenge, refusing to back down. She would fight before she allowed the officer standing in front of her to abuse her for protecting herself.
“He attacked me. I defended myself,” Evetta responded stiffly. “If I had not killed him, he would have either attacked or killed me at another time.”
Evetta watched as the Chief Science Officer regarded her. His eyes did not hold the cold, calculating look she had seen in others. Instead, she felt like he was peeling away the layers of protection she surrounded herself with to see deep into her soul. She finally had to look away. She was afraid he would see the fear deep inside her and use it against her.
“Evetta,” Behr murmured, waiting for her to look at him again. “It is important that you do not mention that you were down here or that you saw Ben. Many of the other officers have forgotten he is here. It would be dangerous for him and his brother if others knew about them.”