Frozen. Morgan Q O'Reilly

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СКАЧАТЬ Care to elaborate?” she pressed, as he scanned the weather dials.

      “I’d rather talk about what you know of The Profetia and The One.”

      “Tell me about your connection to the royal family. Princess Coreen Audelhuk? Where does she fit into all of this?” she countered, with a little wave of her mittened hand.

      It wasn’t that cold in the transport, so why did she wear them still?

      “Good question,” he shot back at her. “How do you know the princess?”

      The woman shrugged and rubbed her forehead. “I got a message one day,” she said wearily.

      He wasn’t buying the act. Coreen used the very same gesture and tone on him when she wanted to avoid certain subjects. He’d seen the Queen and all the other palace women do it, as well as women across the planet. Were the more annoying habits of women universal?

      “She’s the one who asked you to come here?”

      The shrug, as an answer, was growing tiresome. Something didn’t mesh and, with most of his attention centered on driving the transport, he didn’t have time to figure it out. Once they connected with the convoy he’d have two nights and days to untangle the knot. And maybe a few other things. How long was her hair when released from the braid coiled at the back of her head?

      “Look, it’s mid-day. There are some food packs in the cabinet under the bed. Do you mind picking out something for us to eat?” he suggested, instead of carrying the verbal hide-and-seek further.

      “What kind of food packs?”

      “For now, there are some self-heating ones. Easier to ingest while driving. Later, when we’ve connected to the convoy, I’ll put together something more appetizing.”

      “Any special requests?” She loosened her restraint and spun her chair sideways.

      “Surprise me, Noreen. That is your name, right?”

      “Yes.”

      Her short tone made him raise a brow. She brushed against his shoulder as she moved into the tiny space behind him. Even through the thick layers of clothing between them, he felt the electric shock. Noreen? She was an off-worlder. She shouldn’t have this effect on him. He shifted in his seat again. Would this arousal not ease?

      “Which cabinet?” Her husky voice seemed to reach down into his very soul with her simple question.

      He shook himself enough to tell her, then turned on the overhead light for her to see better. It also turned the windshield into a mirror, allowing him to watch her crouch to look through the cabinet. A few minutes later she handed him a foil pack radiating warmth and the scent of meatballs and noodles. She set another pack with hot tea in the holder near the steering wheel.

      Though convenient, nourishing, and ultimately satisfying, the foil packs left a void in the dining experience. Sucking mashed meat in sauce through a tube was unnatural. It was just one more reason he looked forward to meeting up with the convoy. They’d have a real dinner tonight. Or, at least, as real as he could manage in these quarters.

      “Not bad,” she pronounced after taking the empty packs to the trash. He watched her sit back and sip hot chocolate, her seat once again facing forward. “A dram of Lidarian mint brandy wouldn’t go astray here.” He wondered at the ever so fleeting wince that followed her statement.

      “Is that one of the places you’ve traveled?”

      “Lidaria? Yes, as a matter of fact. Lovely world. Fabulous beaches. Just left there before coming here.”

      “Beaches? As in real sand and warm water?”

      “Yes.” He wondered at the far away dreamy look in her eyes. What memory did she relive? He watched a flush warm her skin when her eyes cut back to his.

      “Tell me about the beaches.” He wanted to hear her voice and felt nearly desperate for a safe topic to discuss. One where she’d do most of the talking. After the high-pitched simpers he’d had to listen to from hopeful women, her soft throaty tone was a balm to his ears. The mixed accent and slightly foreign cadence of her voice made him think of faraway places he’d only been mildly curious about before.

      “Soft, pale gray sand, deep green waters, fruit trees every other step, flowers so bright and sweet-smelling it is difficult to believe they’re real. And the mint, well, it’s just everywhere.”

      Another memory that brought a small smile to her face, followed by the hint of a frown quickly smoothed into a neutral expression.

      “What did you do there?” he prompted.

      “I enjoyed myself.” Her simple statement, made with small, wry smile made him want to grind his teeth. Must every word be pulled from her?

      “What does that mean? What did you do to enjoy yourself?”

      “I lounged on the beaches, swam in warm seas, and sailed across the waves. I drank sweet juices, ate all the fresh fruit I could stand and I enjoyed. The Lidarians are very friendly people.”

      “Men?”

      “Beautiful men,” she agreed, with another cryptic smile, and a stab of vicious jealousy slashed through his gut.

      “I see.”

      She looked at him with those distinctive eyes. “What do you see?”

      “Nothing. None of my business anyway.” Purely to see how she’d react, he steered the transport toward a snow drift. Just enough to tilt the vehicle a little and tip her from her seat into his arms.

      “Hey!” The moment the transport settled down again, she pushed away from him.

      It hadn’t been long, but long enough for him to wrap his arm around her waist. That oh-so-very-slender, curvy waist he’d seen when she’d changed. Unexpected, the nearly paralyzing heat boiling his blood made it hard for him to breathe. Suddenly he had visions of pulling her into the bunk without the heavy outer clothing. The bunk was a cozy nest with a feather mattress and thick alpaca wool blanket. Often he’d wondered what it would feel like to spend a long, dark night there with The One in his arms.

      “You did that on purpose,” she accused him safe on her side of the cab.

      He merely grinned at her.

      “I thought you were holding yourself pure?” Those disturbing dark brown eyes narrowed as she glared at him. He wanted to see the look in her eyes as he conquered her.

      “I am, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like a warm armful every now and again.”

      “Just exactly what do you mean?”

      The heat of her glare spiked a feeling through him he’d never felt before. He’d had all the normal urges, and had even indulged in self pleasure while dreaming of his woman, but never had he felt the need so fast, so strong, and so absolutely intense.

      “It means I enjoy the company of a beautiful woman as much as the next guy. Probably as much as you enjoy the company of a beautiful man.” He returned СКАЧАТЬ