Merrick was already strapped in, his gold and blue gaze trained on the complicated looking instrument panel in front of him. “Hey,” he said, not looking up at her. “Have a seat, we’re about to go.”
“Can’t I just stay in the back?” Elise asked with as much dignity as she could muster. “I’m much more comfortable back there.”
“What, you mean away from me?” He finally looked up, his eyes flashing. “Sorry, baby, no can do. The thrusters on this kind of ship kick like a son-of-a-bitch. It’s going to be rough when we go through the fold in space and you’re precious cargo. Can’t have you bouncing all around the back cabin like a fucking ball.”
“Right, precious cargo,” she muttered, settling herself in the seat beside his which was much too large for her. “I’m sure.”
Merrick gave her a hard look. “I promised you’d get to Rageron and back without a scratch on you. It may not mean much to you, but I don’t fucking break my word.” He shifted his focus back to the instrument panel and the small ship began to rise, aiming for the black star-studded void of space Elise could see on the viewscreen. “I know you don’t want to be near me right now,” he continued, steering expertly for the black gap. “But you’re going to have to get used to it if we’re going to keep you healthy.”
Keep me healthy. Meaning he’ll have to touch me—to feed the tumor inside him. The tumor that just happens to be me. “About that.” Elise cleared her throat. “I, uh, feel fine. I think you, um, touched me enough during our ride back to Earth. So you don’t…don’t need to do it—to touch me, I mean—anymore.”
“Oh, yeah? That your expert medical opinion?” Merrick raised his eyebrows at her, frowning.
Elise lifted her chin. “I just think that in light of the fact that the feelings we’ve both been experiencing have proved to be, um, false, we should keep…keep contact to a minimum.”
“Fine.” He shrugged as though unconcerned and looked back at the viewscreen. “Have it your way. But if you don’t want to touch during the day, then you’re sharing my bed at night.”
“What?” Elise looked at him, uncertain of what she’d heard. “What did you say?”
“I said we’re going to be sleeping together,” he growled. “Whether you like it or not. Sylvan says that a prolonged period of physical contact at night might help you get by with less during the day. So deal with it.”
Elise felt panic rising in her throat. “Together…in bed?”
“That’s what I said.” He gave her a level look. “You know, while you were recuperating in the med station, you actually wanted me to climb in bed with you. Remember that?”
“Of course I do!” Elise snapped, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “But that was before—”
“Before we found out the bond was fake. Right,” he growled.
But that wasn’t what she’d been going to say at all. Before I remembered, she thought, biting her lip. Before I remembered who I am. Before I remembered about the vault…
“It’s fine,” she said stiffly. “
If Dr. Sylvan thinks it’s necessary then I’ll deal with it. After all, we’re both adults here.”
“Exactly.” Merrick nodded stiffly. “There doesn’t have to be anything to it but me giving you what you need.”
What I need is you! Elise wanted to shout. But she didn’t need him, not really. It was just the artificial bond telling her she wanted him so badly, tricking her into believing she would die if he didn’t hold her and call her ‘baby’ in that deep, gravelly voice of his. I have to concentrate on James, she told herself desperately. On how much I love him, on how wonderful our life together is going to be.
As their little ship aimed for the deep red gash in the fabric of space which she supposed was the ‘fold’, she closed her eyes and tried remembering how she’d first met her fiancé, two years ago.
It had been on the steps of the Tampa courthouse. Elise had been rushing to get to court and James had been leaving at the same time. Neither had been looking where they were going and they’d run headlong into each other, sending legal briefs and data chips everywhere. Honestly, it was like some kind of scene from a movie—the meet-cute where the heroine falls into the hero’s lap but fails to recognize, at first, what a great guy he is.
After they’d gotten everything sorted out, James had asked her for coffee. Elise had refused, telling him she was late for court. She’d left him standing on the steps, a bemused expression on his handsome face. Later, after a long and harrowing case, she’d been surprised to see him waiting for her when she got out of the courtroom.