Chapter Six
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Cam left the basement facility more confused and definitely more concerned than he’d been upon his entrance. He didn’t know who’d boarded the ship, but it wasn’t Ria. The ship would return in ten days. The only true concern was whether the imposter was an Alpha or an earthling.
After only a few minutes of thought, he dismissed the idea of sending a formal message to the ship. He couldn’t trust it would only be read by the onboard law enforcement officer. There was a real danger it would be leaked or read by the entire ship during the course of the trip.
Wide knowledge of an imposter would likely end up biting him in the butt if he admitted knowledge about the phony passenger aboard at this early stage. If a horrific issue with an earthling aboard developed, he’d hear about it before much longer.
He mulled over what problems he’d have to deal with if he waited for the ship’s return without sending a heads up in advance. If the fake passenger was quiet about her excursion and behaved with the goal of simply wanting to enjoy a deluxe vacation, he might not have to admit anything. Calling attention to the mix-up now might open a can of worms he’d just as soon stayed closed.
If this had happened to Axel, he probably wouldn’t worry about it at all. His carefree brother would skip to work singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, smile through every worrisome difficulty and sleep like a coma patient. Maybe Cam would try Axel’s carefree-lifestyle for the next ten days and see what happened. He’d keep his ear to the ground for any communications, messages or issues from the ship, and hope the notion of out of sight, out of mind might work in this situation.
He wasn’t going to lie. As much angst as this caused one part of his mind, another part was wildly elated. With an imposter on board and no one actively looking for Ria, it meant he’d have her to himself for the next ten days. Another part of him was troubled when he remembered the future fiancé aboard the ship. It sounded like she’d be better off without him. If the guy looked at other women and couldn’t see how perfect Ria was, he was an idiot.
Because one look at Ria had Cam besotted beyond all reason.
Was her future fiancé blind or simply a rich, elitist, womanizing, jerk, dirt bag as she’d stated?
While they hadn’t formalized their arranged marriage agreement, Ria didn’t seem as excited about the prospect of marrying a Technician’s son as her mother was. Still, perhaps Cam should tread carefully while they were together. Maybe he shouldn’t spend the next week and a half in bed with her, as much as that thought appealed.
Maybe they could just spend the time hanging out like very good friends, getting to know each other. He could show her Earth and all the things he loved about it. That would be fun. Seeing his life-long home through the eyes of someone from Alpha-Prime would be interesting. Up to now, he’d only dated earthlings. Perhaps he’d subconsciously waited for Ria. Too bad she was spoken for.
He shook off the melancholy and retrieved his new happy-go-lucky attitude, the one he would copy from Axel.
Alphas typically fell into two camps with regard to sightseeing on this planet. They either loved Earth because it was so different from Alpha-Prime or hated it for the exact same reason. The one thing everyone remarked on was the tall trees.
There was one other risk he’d have to keep in mind. If he squired Ria around town, he’d have to be careful not to let Axel see her. He’d recognize her almost instantly. If anyone else saw them together, Cam would simply say she was an earthling he was seeing. Wouldn’t Diesel love that, given all the times Cam had neutralized Juliana’s memories when they started dating?
Okay, maybe he’d avoid both Axel and Diesel for the next ten days.
The other thing he needed to do was extend his long weekend into a full-fledged ten-day vacation. That stunning news, and the resulting shift in workload to cover for him, might keep both Axel and Diesel too busy at the Big Bang Truck Stop to keep track of what Cam was doing. That would free him to spend as much quality time as he could with Ria until she had to leave.
The mere idea of never seeing Ria again or, worse, thinking of her forever linked with the guy she called Dirt Bag FitzOsbern, raised his fury to a level he’d never before experienced. He didn’t like it. Not the manic feeling or the thought of her being forever attached to some other guy.
Taking a deep breath, Cam calmed himself, promising to live in the moment or rather to live in the next ten days, soaking up as much time with her as he could. He’d decide what to do about the imposter when the ship returned, and vowed not to worry over that which he didn’t have control anyway.
Cam returned home to find Ria in the kitchen instead of his bedroom. It was a good start to his new stay-out-of-bed plan.
She stood at the breakfast bar sipping what looked like coffee. She looked so beautiful in his shirt, his breath hitched for a second before he entered the room.
Ten days alone with her would be both heaven and hell, but he wouldn’t miss it for anything. “Ria.” Her name caressed his lips as he said it.
“Cam.” She took another sip of coffee and saluted him with her steaming cup. “You have really wonderful coffee here.”
“Better than what you get on Alpha-Prime?”
“Oh, yes. It tastes richer somehow and there are flavors I’ve never heard of before.” She sighed and sipped more. “This one is pumpkin spice. Also, I had something with blueberry in the name.”
“You’ve already had two cups? I didn’t think I’d been gone long enough.”
She giggled. “Actually, this is my third cup since you’ve been gone. I started with something called Rainforest Reserve and, honestly, they are all my favorites.”
“Good. I’m glad you like the variety.” Cam moved to her side and kissed her cheek. Before he could make a coffee for himself, she put her cup down on the counter, turned and kissed him hard on the mouth.
He responded in kind and with enthusiasm for the first thirty seconds, until he remembered her looming arranged marriage and her future fiancé, and broke the kiss, stepping away.
“What’s wrong?” Her lips were delightfully puffy from their ardent lip lock.
“We probably need to stop doing that.” He turned away to grab a mug from a low shelf and started making a cup of coffee, focusing with laser-like precision on his task, as if it was the most important beverage he’d ever make. He didn’t want to say out loud the restriction he’d put on himself for the rest of their time together. Once he told her of his vow not to fall into bed with her again, he’d honor it.
“Why?” she asked in a small voice.
“You know why,” he said softly, turning to show her his resolve.
She stared briefly, then looked away, grabbed her cup and took a deep drink of her steamy beverage. “Because of the arranged marriage, right?”
“Yes. I didn’t know before, but now that I do, the honorable thing is to stop kissing you like I have a right to.”
Ria nodded. “I understand. Maybe you’re right. I don’t like it, of course. But I get it. You’re very nice.”
“Seriously, I’m not that nice.” He made his cup of coffee and they didn’t say anything else about being nice or kissing or the lack of same that was about to be his reality.
Cam changed the subject. “Do you know anyone living here on Earth?”
She shrugged and a mischievous smile shaped her lovely lips. “I know you.”
“I meant before you got here. Was there someone you’d planned to visit after your foray into the karaoke bar? Someone you’d planned to stay with or anything?”
“Nope. I didn’t know a soul before now.” She sent a heated gaze his way before she took another deep sip of coffee. “This is the first time I’ve been here. Even coming to Earth on the ship was a necessary evil, according to my mother. She would never allow me to befriend anyone on a colony planet, before or now. She’s rather snobbish about what I consider our dubious high status. She and Dirt Bag have that in common.”
“Dubious? What does that mean?”
“It means the only reason she is so zealous about having me accept the arranged marriage into this particular Technician family is because she’s broke. My father didn’t leave her as much money as she expected, given the status he managed to obtain. Certainly not enough funds for her to live the expensive cultured life she’d planned. After he was gone, she was certain he gambled all our money away or somehow foolishly lost the bulk of it before he died.”
“Did he?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought so, but he did have a rebellious streak that he only showed on occasion.”
“Guess you came by yours honestly, then.”
“Guess so. Anyway, that is why my mother is much more excited about this arranged marriage than I am. Basically, I’m being traded away for money.”
“What money?”
She let out a long sigh of frustration. “Included in this ancient marriage arrangement is a provision for the groom’s family to not only pay for the probably elaborate wedding ceremony, but also to make a substantial financial payment to the bride’s family once the nuptials are completed. Like a bride price. It’s not a common practice, but it’s a contracted part of this particular arranged marriage.”
“Why, I wonder.”
She lifted one shoulder, her expression scornful. “Maybe because he was the fourth son and his parents and family wanted to ensure he moved out one day. Or more likely because we were of a lower class, but a stand-up family and that was how it worked all those years ago. I’m not sure about that either, but I do know my mother is counting on those post-wedding funds to let her live her life the way she thinks befits her station, as the widow of a Governor.” An exaggerated eye roll came with that assessment.
Cam took his mug from the brewer and inhaled the scent of his favorite coffee. Rainforest Reserve was the thickest, darkest, richest coffee he’d found. It never failed to jumpstart the mornings when he suffered from lack of sleep. After a sip or two, he was more alert, but Ria seemed to have a calming effect on him. He’d love nothing more than to curl up with her anywhere and simply sleep until tomorrow morning.
Another sip of powerful coffee brought with it a relevant thought. “What about your lady’s maid?”
“Prudence? What about her? I assume you know about her from my mother.”
He didn’t correct her. “Does Prudence have any family on Earth?”
Ria nodded. “She has an aunt and a cousin or maybe two cousins. I’m not certain and I can’t remember their names or anything. Why?”
Inside, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least the imposter was an Alpha, not a wayward earthling. “Your mother sent Prudence to look for you. She came back with someone pretending to be you. It sounds like maybe she just co-opted a vacation for one of her relatives.”
Ria’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t sound like something Prudence would do. Perhaps her aunt or cousins talked her into something. I’d believe that more easily than any deception from Prudence, who, let’s be clear, is really my mother’s maid, not mine.”
“Did Prudence know about your escape plans or where you might go on Earth?”
“No. She probably guessed that I wanted to visit some places on Earth besides the way station. And she also knew I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere once we docked, but she certainly didn’t know about my escape plans, the karaoke bar or that I’d end up with you.”
He grinned. He couldn’t seem to help it.
“I mean, I didn’t even know I’d end up here in your house, so how could she?”
“My singular concern is whether she’d bring an earthling aboard the ship to pretend the woman was you.”
Ria’s eyes widened. “Oh. No. Prudence would never do that. If she brought someone onto the ship—and that’s a big ‘if’—then it was one of her Alpha relatives living here on Earth.”
Cam allowed his shoulders to lower a fraction of an inch. “Well, that’s something anyway. I won’t have to do an extreme memory wipe on some unwitting human when the ship gets back in ten days. Or explain how I knew a human was aboard, but didn’t mention it or try to warn anyone on the ship.”
“You aren’t going to do a memory wipe on me, are you? I don’t want to forget you.”
“The Defender I developed doesn’t work on Alphas. Besides, we only wipe the memories of earthlings who find out about aliens living here in plain sight.”
“You developed the Defender? I’ve heard of it.”
He gave a self-conscious nod. “I like to tinker with things.”
“Well, color me impressed,” she said. “From what I understand, that’s some pretty impressive technology. I’m certain you’ve invented other things to keep not only earthlings in line, but to keep rebellious Alphas like me from doing things we aren’t supposed to.”
The shackle sticker’s subduing impact on Alphas drifted into his mind and he smacked it right out again. Shackling her was equal to a blinking red warning sign of unbelievable temptation. She’d be cooperative to the nth degree. She wouldn’t resist any suggestion he made. Yes, dangerous with a capital D.
Not that she’d been less than compliant with any suggestions he’d made to this point. Besides, the shackle sticker inspired the kind of loss of will that was anything but enticing to him. No, what he liked was the idea of Ria submitting totally to him. Willingly.
He swallowed, hard, and reminded himself of his vow.
“Like sneak off a ship and allow an imposter to get on that same vehicle so you can play around on Earth for ten days?” He stared into her luscious hazel eyes.
She stared back. “Yes. Like that.”
They watched each other rather intensely for several moments. He didn’t dare move in her direction. After a few seconds, it seemed she planned to stay across the room, too.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I wouldn’t use anything on you, Ria, even if I had it. Honestly, I don’t want you to forget me.” Why did simply staring at her beautiful face make his brain go so soft that he’d admit something volatile like that out loud? He should consider the shackle sticker an option. If this were anyone else, he already would have slapped one in place and led the renegade alien back to the basement brig for safekeeping until the ship returned.
But he couldn’t do that to Ria. He didn’t want to do it to her. And if anyone found out what he’d already let her get away with, it might cost him his job. Ria was worth it. And if she had to be here on Earth for the next ten days, who better to watch over her than the chief of security for the Big Bang Truck Stop?
His argument was as convenient as it was accurate. He was the person best qualified to keep an eye on her, if he also ignored the protocol for an escaped Alpha on the loose in Alienn without prior permission to explore.
The next ten days were going to test every one of the boundaries he’d put in place for himself. He always held himself to a higher standard. He always did the right thing. He never bent the rules to allow anyone or anything to endanger the secret about aliens living in plain sight on Earth, let alone sever them cleanly like he was now by not announcing to anyone what she’d done and shielding her unauthorized actions.
He glanced her way and his eyes caught on the sight of her rebellious blue-streaked hair as she sipped her coffee, sighing in simple pleasure. She was a sight to behold even though he knew her wicked ways.
Ria could tempt a saint to misbehave, but Cam was no saint.