Chapter Four
“Get back to work,” Mydon ordered, as he stalked past the group.
Faro stood in between Blaze and Jude. Together, they toiled in a dark and dank cavern. It was backbreaking work, repetitive and boring, too. Frankly, Faro thought it was worse than being cooped up in a stasis pod for weeks on end.
Link had located the scandium deposit thirty kilometers outside of Bleak Bay, buried deep in a mountainside. The earthly humans hadn’t yet discovered this deposit, and with any luck, they wouldn’t.
Blaze snorted. “Why doesn’t he pick up an ax, and help?”
“Because he’s the Captain.” Faro knocked a chunk of scandium free.
Jude scowled at both of them for talking, but said nothing.
The Interstellar Parliament had a strict policy when it came to Tertiary worlds. They must never even know the Prime worlds existed. If they didn’t fear discovery, they could’ve leveled the mountain with the ship’s plasma beams.
Since they didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, the Knights couldn’t use large equipment. After using some targeted laser blasts under cover of night to get at the scandium, they were forced to liberate it the old-fashioned way, with the aid of an occasional handheld laser and hand tools. Consequently, the mission would take longer.
“I’d say we’ve earned some entertainment. Come to the tavern with me tonight. Perhaps we’ll find interesting bed companions.” Blaze nudged his shoulder. His brother had brown hair and eyes, a neatly trimmed beard, and his skin had a copper appearance.
Faro groaned.
Blaze was a hedonist. While Faro enjoyed the company of women, he did so one at a time. Blaze loved taking two, or even three, to bed for a romp.
“I’ll think on it.”
“Are you unwell?” Blaze asked.
“No, why do you ask?”
“Because you enjoy wenching as much as I do. While you haven’t swived as many women as I have, you’re always up for the challenge.”
The idea held no appeal. “Perhaps another time.” His thoughts centered on the pretty innkeeper. Faro wasn’t tempted by the promise of new conquests because he had a different quarry in mind.
He prided himself on loving and leaving women. It wasn’t difficult to do on Iradia. Iradian women thought the Drakeborne Knights were tainted by the circumstances of their unusual parentage. So while they enjoyed having wild sexual adventures with him, the women had no use for his heart.
Being a Knight was a lonely existence. The trajectory of his life had been predetermined, and he didn’t have the luxury of deciding his own fate. He couldn’t change anything, even if he wanted to.
None of this matters anyway.
Faro took his annoyance out on the wall, hacking at it with the ax.
“Why don’t you both shut your mouths, and get back to work?” Jude wiped the sweat from his brow. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re here to save our planet, not help ourselves to lonely women.”
Faro hated to admit it, but Jude had a point.
The Iradians had exhausted their supply of scandium a long time ago, and it was a rare commodity in the universe. They needed to manufacture hundreds of new spaceships, ones capable of carrying their entire local population to another world, a safer one.
Iradia was running out of time and options. The temperatures were plummeting, and it got worse every year. If they didn’t leave the solar system soon, millions would die.
“Pick up the pace,” Mydon ordered, and Faro got back to work. He had the weight of a world on his broad shoulders.
***
Later the same evening, Amy stood at the front desk.
Molly and Ivy were helping some guests with their luggage. The couple was leaving for the airport tonight, so she’d volunteered to run the desk for a few minutes.
Amy hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Faro. She hadn’t seen him since this morning, but out of sight didn’t mean out of mind.
The Smith brothers had spent the entire day away from the inn. She had no idea where they’d gone, and Amy was afraid to ask. If she found out they were up to something illegal, Amy’s conscience would bother her until she asked them to leave, regardless of the money.
The guest services phone rang, and she picked it up. “Hello, this is the front desk, how can I help you?”
“Hello, Amy.” She recognized the deep masculine voice right away and wished it didn’t give her a thrill.
“Hi, Faro, I mean, er. Mr. Smith.” She flinched. “What can I do for you?”
“Call me Faro, and I’m cold.”
Says the man who went topless in subzero temperatures.
“I see, is there something wrong with the heat in your room?”
“No, but I could use an extra blanket. Would you bring me one?”
This was a come-on, Amy could feel it. It was on the tip of her tongue, to tell him to get it himself, but it wouldn’t be professional.
“Certainly. I’ll bring it right up.”
This is such a bad idea.
She grabbed the cordless phone and closed the desk. Amy stopped at the third-floor linen closet on her way to his room, and tucked a quilt under her arm.
Amy promised herself she’d knock on the door, offer him the blanket, and then get out of there before she got sucked into whatever game he had in mind. And yet, part of her wanted to play along. Flirting with such a handsome man was a novelty.
She knocked on the door. “Faro, I have your blanket.”
“Come in.”
Steeling herself, she opened the door. Amy found Faro lying sprawled on the bed, with an arm tucked behind his head. Once again, he was bare-chested, and the covers rode low on his hips. She wondered if he had anything on underneath, and bit the inside of her cheek, to snap herself out of it.
“Here you go. I should head back downstairs.”
“Or you could keep me company.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Humor me.” He gave her a naughty smile. “How was your day?”
Ugh.
Bolting out of the room would be rude. Amy dropped the blanket on the end of the bed, but didn’t sit. Instead, she stood a good six feet away, near the door, in case she needed to make a hasty exit.
“Fine, and yours?”
“Tedious.” He smirked, as though he found her forced small talk amusing.
“Oh? Link said you were here on business.”
“We are.” His expression went from seductive, to somber.
Did I say something wrong?
“What business are you in?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
What if they were drug dealers? Or mafia members? Her imagination filled in the blanks with all kinds of wild theories.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Absolutely.” Amy raised a hand, as though taking an oath, joking to cover her nervousness. “I’ll take it to the grave.”
His face clouded.
She gulped. “Hey, I was kidding.”
“Right, of course, you are. We’re acquiring natural resources for our, er, company.”
Again, the response was ambiguous, but at least he hadn’t said, “I’m a murderer.”
“Okay, well good luck. I should go, so have a pleasant evening.” Amy turned to the door, eager to leave before she made a fool of herself.
“Don’t.”
She froze. “Don’t what?”
“Treat me like a guest.”
“You’re staying at the inn, so you are a guest.” And I should be giving you wide berth since you’re a player.
Faro was trying to seduce her, but she didn’t understand his motives. After all, there were plenty of other women available. Yet, he only had eyes for her, or maybe, he figured she’d be easier prey because she wasn’t as pretty or confident as most of the women he met.
Why did he want her? Was it the hunt? Was he bored? Maybe he wanted a vacation fling, like her mother had, once upon a time. Of course, there was always the tiniest possibility that he liked her, but she doubted it.
“I made my intentions clear.” His gaze raked over her. “I’d like to be so much more to you.”
Amy didn’t know what to say. She could tell him his remark was inappropriate, or ignore the sexual innuendo and avoid him. Instead, she went a different route.
“Why?” She needed to know.
“You doubt my motives.” It wasn’t a question.
Amy nodded. She gripped the door handle, squeezing it hard.
“I find you intriguing.” Faro sat up in bed, and the covers rode low on his hips.
“You don’t even know me.” She forced herself to not to ogle him.
“Yes, but I’d like to, if you’d give me a chance. Perhaps I’ve been overzealous, but I shall temper my enthusiasm, if you like.”
“Hmm.” Amy wanted to believe him, but couldn’t.
“I’ve never met a woman quite like you.” He studied her face. “Why are you so sad?”
“I’m not.” She flung the door open. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but it’s time to feed the reindeer.”
He tilted his head, as though listening for something she couldn’t hear.
“There’s this deep pain you carry. Why? What happened?” His gaze was almost hypnotic.
“You’re mistaken. Goodnight.” Heart pounding, Amy ran out of there before he could ask any more uncomfortable questions.
***
“Oh, hi, Amy.”
The next morning, Amy had taken a break from working on the schedule to freshen up her coffee and grab a quick snack from the kitchen. She hadn’t slept well last night, even worse than usual, in fact. If she could somehow tap a vein and hook it up to a coffee IV, she would.
“Hey, Lucy.”
She was at the table, grading a stack of papers. As per usual, the kitchen was full of people.
After running away from Faro, she’d spent an hour in the barn. Faro’s comment made Amy reexamine her grief. She’d thought no one but Ivy had noticed, but evidently, her emotions were on display for the whole freaking world to see.
Amy thought she’d been doing a decent job of coping, but obviously not. After all, she’d almost steered the inn into a financial disaster, and the only place she felt truly alive was in a barn.
How pathetic am I?
“Hey, Sage made banana split yogurt, and it actually tastes good. Want some?” Ivy sat next to Lucy.
Sage smacked Ivy on the arm. “I heard that.” She stood at the kitchen island, snapping photos of her latest creation. She was probably putting them on Instagram.
“Yeah, but I don’t care,” Ivy mumbled around a bite of banana.
Amy hesitated. “Uh…” She didn’t have much of an appetite.
“You should try some. I used full-fat Greek yogurt, walnuts, strawberries, fresh pineapple, and bananas. It’s delicious.” Sage handed her one.
Amy took a bite, and it tasted pretty good.
“Thanks. It’s yummy.” And she didn’t have to make her own food. Lately, Amy found simple activities like showering and eating exhausting.
“So, what’s going on with you and Hottie?” Ivy asked.
Amy groaned inwardly. “Nothing, and the man has a name, you know.” She could have a talk with Ivy about professional boundaries, but doubted it would help matters. Ivy did whatever she damn well pleased.
She scrunched up her nose. “Yeah, but it sucks.”
“Which hottie is this?” Lucy asked, putting down her red pen.
“Faro.” Ivy answered for her.
“Oh, yeah. I met him and the rest of the brothers yesterday in the hall. He's a cutie.” She narrowed her eyes. “So you’ve got a thing for Faro, huh?”
“No, of course not.” Amy flushed.
Lucy chuckled. “Nope, you’re definitely not interested.”
“Hashtag denial,” Sage said.
“Yeah, it’s completely platonic. And why’d he invite you to his room last night?” Ivy leaned closer.
“He needed a blanket.” Amy could feel a headache coming on.
“And by ‘blanket,' you mean…?” Ivy formed air quotes with her fingers.
Sage snickered.
“I mean blanket, he just needed a quilt. What are you grading, Lucy?” Amy asked, desperate for a change of topic.
Lucy shrugged. “My Astronomy 101 students struggled with the last test, so I gave them an optional extra-credit essay. It’s a gimme assignment.”
“What is it?” It was a generous offer. None of her professors had taken pity on the students.
“I asked them what killed the dinosaurs, a comet or asteroid, and they had to support their theory with scientific evidence, not speculation.”
“Which do you think it was?” Ivy asked.
Lucy pondered it a moment. “My money’s on a comet.”
Amy had heard the theory before, but never gave it much thought. She supposed either option would be a terrible way to go.
“Oh, hey, have you heard any more about the pandas?” Amy asked. She hated watching the evening news, because it was so depressing.
“Nope, they’re still gone, but there was another missing animal report.”
“What happened now? Did somebody make off with koala bears?” Sage asked.
“No, several wolf cubs dissapeared from Yellowstone Park.”
“How do they know?” Amy asked. It’s not like they checked the wolves into cabins.
“Some of them wear radio collars so they can track their movements, but a half dozen just up and vanished, like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Everybody at the university’s talking about it.”
“How odd.” Those two cases had to be connected, but the heists had occurred on two different continents, so it didn’t make much sense.
Then again, not a lot in her life did at the moment.
***
In the afternoon, there was a knock on Amy’s office door.
The room used to belong to her father, and she hadn’t touched a thing. His Big Bang Theory Bazinga! poster was on one wall, along with a Darth Vader clock. A shelf in the corner of the room held some of his prized possessions, like the Harry Potter Funko Pop figurines she’d gotten him last Christmas, alongside his comic book collection in protective sleeves.
“Come in,” she called, expecting to find Ivy, who had an issue with her new schedule. She always ended up swapping her hours with Molly.
Instead, Faro stood in the doorway. “I owe you an apology.”
“No, you don’t.” She’d rather forget about their awkward encounter.
“Yes, I do. I was unforgivably rude. I have no right to pry into your affairs, so please forgive me.” He took a seat on the opposite side of her desk.
“Absolutely, and I’m sorry for overreacting.”
“I spoke out of concern for you. I can tell something’s amiss.”
“Well, you’re right, I’m sad. My dad passed away a few months ago.” Amy removed her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Tell me about him.”
She smiled. “He was a friend, as well as my father, which sounds odd, but we had a lot in common.”
“Like what?” Faro asked.
Amy could say a lot of things, but wanted to keep it light. After all, Faro was a perfect stranger, and she didn’t want to discuss her pain.
“For one thing, he was a bit of a nerd. It’s something we had in common, a way we related to one another.” Amy glanced around the room, admiring all the traces he’d left behind.
“Any time there was a new sci-fi show on, we watched it together, and then he’d get all philosophical about life on other planets.”
When she was a little girl, they’d watched reruns of Star Trek: the Next Generation together, Battlestar Galactica, and Doctor Who. He was also obsessed with superheroes, and they’d gone to see every Marvel movie, although his favorite was Iron Man. They’d even attended a Comic-Con once in San Diego.
He blinked. “I see, and did he believe in aliens?”
Amy couldn’t quite decipher his expression, but she got the impression he was holding something back.
“Yes, he was convinced we weren’t alone in the universe. Is something wrong, Faro?”
“No, everything’s fine.” His lips pressed into a thin line.
Amy didn’t believe him, but she let it go, for now.
“And do you believe?”
“In life on other worlds?”
He nodded.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s fun to think about.”
Faro rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you obviously loved him a great deal.”
“Yes, I did.” She sighed. “I always wanted to be just like him.”
“Perhaps you are.”
“I hope so. He was pretty great.” Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away.
“If your father were still alive, perhaps I’d ask him for permission to court you.”
Courting? It was such an out-of-date term, but she found it oddly charming.
“You want to court me?”
He leaned forward. “I believe so. You are…different, refreshing.”
“Thanks.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, because his scrutiny made her nervous. “At least I have reminders of him—the inn, his collectibles, and the reindeer, of course.”
“Reindeer.” He repeated the word, as though it were foreign.
“Yes, his pets. They’re kind of amazing.”
“I’d love to meet them.”
Hmm. He seemed sincere.
“Maybe you will.”
“Did you always want to carry on his legacy?”
Amy thought it over a moment. “Yes, I’d planned on following in his footsteps, and becoming his business partner, so I’m going to see his vision through.”
Instead of learning the business slowly, over a number of years, she’d been thrown into the deep end. Amy had just graduated with a degree in hospitality, and she had a lot to learn.
“And what of your mother?”
Amy cleared her throat. “It was just the two of us. She gave motherhood a try for a few weeks, and it didn’t work out. My mom’s a painter, kind of a free spirit. She used to send me postcards when I was a kid, though.”
Both Amy and her father had been only children, and she’d never had a relationship with her mom. Her grandparents were long gone. And now she was all alone.
All of a sudden, Amy felt like crying, and she couldn’t let go in front of Faro. For the most part, she’d been stifling her grief, tamping it down, and trying to move on.
“Um, thank you for stopping by, Faro, but I should get back to work.”
He didn’t budge from his seat. “I’d like the chance to correct my blunder. Do you have plans this afternoon?”
“Some bookkeeping.” Amy gestured to the open manila folders on her desk, full of receipts. Spreadsheets were calling her name.
“This looks like it could wait.” He gave her a playful grin. “Perhaps you could take some time off, to spend with me.”
She doubted many women had resisted the full force of his charm. Amy was certainly finding it difficult.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
Going outside sounded good. Her brain was fried, and a break might clear her mind, or maybe she was just searching for a plausible excuse to spend more time with him.
“I have a better idea. Do you like sledding?” As a child, she’d gone all the time, and it had been ages since she’d done anything fun.
“Sledding…?”
Amy sighed. Yet another odd conversation, where she was obligated to explain common knowledge.
“Yes, where you lay down on a wooden or plastic sled and plunge down a snowy hill?” Amy leaned forward and placed her arms in the air, to illustrate her point.
After a moment, he nodded. “Yes, I enjoy sledding. Shall we go?” He offered her a hand, and she stared at it for the longest time, before taking it.
A shiver of awareness traveled up her arm, from such a small touch. Amy wished she was immune to Faro, but he got under her skin.
After gathering two old wooden sleds from the shed, they hauled them over to a small slope in the backyard. They barreled down the hill several times, laughing like children, as they raced to the bottom. Faro had apparently done this before, and maneuvered his sled like a pro.
The tension leaked from her body, and Amy couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. She’d been on edge for months.
On the last trip, their sleds collided, and they were both thrown off, tumbling down the hill. Amy stopped rolling first, and Faro wound up on top of her.
Neither one of them moved.
And Amy couldn’t bring herself to say something, mostly because she had trouble forming words. Somehow, Amy didn’t think it was an accident.
Their breath mingled. The weight of him was delicious, and he was so warm, giving off enough heat to counter the chill in the air. She felt positively toasty, like sitting in front of a blast furnace.
No, more than toasty. Things had gotten decidedly hot.
“And now I have you where I want you.”
Amy shivered. “Do you?”
His lips hovered over hers, but he didn’t kiss her. Not yet. Amy arched her back, unconsciously trying to get closer, before catching herself.
What the hell’s wrong with me? She should be shoving him off of her, dusting her coat off, and marching back inside, where it was safe.
“Why do you resist? I know you’re attracted to me.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I’m certain of it.” Faro raised a brow, as though daring her to contradict him.
Okay, maybe he’s right.
“Most women surrender themselves easily.”
Amy closed her eyes and reined in her temper. She reminded herself that he was a paying guest, and she needed the money. No doubt women threw themselves at him all the time, and he was used to easy conquests, but Amy refused to be one of them.
“I’m not most women. If you could let me up…?”
He ignored her request. “No, you aren’t, and it vexes me.”
She could say the same about him.
Faro cupped her cheek. He wasn’t wearing gloves, so the pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip.
“I crave your mouth.”
Amy stifled a moan, as a surge of warmth spread through her.
“Ah, that’s the reaction I was looking for.” His hips shifted closer, settling between her legs, and Amy felt the hard length of him, straining through his trousers.
She bit her lower lip, at a total loss for words.
“I can ease the ache betwixt your thighs, if you’d let me.”
“You can’t be serious. Here…?” She hadn’t glanced at the temperature on the way out the door, but it was well below zero. They’d wind up at the hospital with a serious case of frostbite.
“I assure you.” His lips twitched. “I’ve never been more serious.”
“We’d freeze to death.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Amy wished she could call them back. She’d meant to say his comment was inappropriate, and they wouldn’t be having sex.
“Don’t you trust me?”
Not by a long shot.
“I’ll have to earn it, then.” Somehow, he intuited her answer. “I would protect you from the elements. You’ll come to no harm on my watch.”
“You don’t control the weather.”
Faro flipped them over and clasped Amy against his chest, so she was sprawled on top of his body. It should’ve made her feel more in control, but it didn’t. When it came to Faro, Amy was a hot mess. She should be scrambling off of him, and reprimanding Faro for his high-handed behavior, but she couldn’t.
He squeezed her ass. “I would have you now.”
Amy shut her eyes, as she summoned the will to resist him. She didn’t know what was worse, his sexy comments, or the way his hands felt on her body.
“Amy?”
“In the backyard? In broad daylight?”
Faro smirked. “Your objections center on the venue, and the cold, not the act itself.”
Amy gritted her teeth. “That’s not what I meant.” But, apparently, her hormones had been talking to him.
“Yes, it is. How about we compromise? I’ll take you upstairs to my bedroom, and we’ll finish this?” This time, his lips brushed hers, but it still wasn’t quite a kiss.
She hadn’t had sex in months. More than anything, Amy longed for a real kiss, a good, old-fashioned, intense lip lock. She hesitated, on the verge of giving in to him.
Amy already knew Faro would be fantastic in bed, and she’d never been this attracted to anyone. Ever. And afterward? What if he lost interest and moved on to Ivy? Or Molly? It would be devastating.
Not to mention, they’d have to see one another every day. There’s a reason business and pleasure aren’t supposed to mix.
I can’t do this.
“Sorry, but I don’t think so.” Amy forced herself to get up.
“As you like.” He muttered something under his breath, but didn’t try to convince her otherwise, thank goodness. Amy doubted she could’ve turned him down twice. “But you nearly capitulated.”
“The operative word being nearly.” She shook her head to clear it. Amy felt dazed whenever she got near him.
“You’re softening toward me, I can feel it.”
He was right, but she didn’t acknowledge it.
“I should head back inside.” Yet her feet were rooted to the ground.
And then a bird overhead cawed, startling both of them. It perched on a low-hanging pine branch, squawking.
“What is that thing?” He asked, pointing.
“Oh, it’s a vulture.”
He grimaced. “I’m fair certain it’s the ugliest bird I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter.”
Vultures weren’t the prettiest birds she’d ever seen. They had nearly featherless faces, and gawky mannerisms, plus the whole eating carrion thing was gross.
“You don’t have them around your village?”
He shook his head. “No, we don’t have many birds due to the harsh climate.”
“Hmm, I never thought about it.” She shrugged. “Most of the birds here are beautiful, and a lot less opportunistic.”
“How are they opportunistic?”
“They feed on dead or dying animals. Vultures lie in wait, circling above them, ready to pounce.”
His face went slack.
Somehow, she’d hit a nerve. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all.” He smiled, but the corners of his mouth were pulled tight. “You’re right, we should go back inside.”
Faro was definitely hiding something from her, and Amy was determined to get to the bottom of it.