“I helped T’arv set up the AI that runs the lights and sound equipment. While I was inside the system, I might have noticed that there are actually four owners, not two. T’arv and his wife run this place, but there are two cyborgs who act as silent partners.” Eric chuckled. “They know I know. And occasionally I ask them for a favor, like oh, a table in the VIP section.”
“That’s blackmail!”
“Not really. They’re friends, and they work at Corp-Sec. I do them favors when I can, too.”
She arched a brow. “Favors that might get you in trouble if you were caught?”
“Sometimes.” He admitted. He shrugged one shoulder, looking utterly unrepentant. “My friends trust me because they know I’d do anything to help them. Anything, Nyx.”
“Which is the same reason the IAF brass don’t trust you, right?”
“One of the reasons.” He touched the light cube that illuminated their table, re-setting it to a softer, golden glow. “Before we get into that, I want to hear about your day. Did Tyra stay and visit for a bit today? I wasn’t sure if you’d want her to, given how you two first met and all.”
“She stayed. We had wine and I tried on more clothes than I’ve worn in my entire life. It was enjoyable. And I like Tyra. Thank you for asking her to visit me. She was kind.”
“She’s a good person, and a friend. I hate that I didn’t know she was part of your assessment. Secrets aren’t a good thing, especially not when they involve my friends, or my team.”
A server approached the table, and they paused in the conversation to order. She let Eric choose, he knew her tastes better than anyone else in the galaxy.
Once they were alone again, he reached across the table and waited until she placed her hand in his. “That’s better. I’ve missed talking to you like this.”
“I don’t ever remember talking like this,” she squeezed his fingers. “This is new. Like that kiss.”
“I’m hoping you let me kiss you again before this night is over.”
“I don’t remember letting you kiss me last time. It just happened.”
He stroked his thumb across her skin. “Well, you didn’t throw me through a wall, so I took that as a good sign.”
“I didn’t throw you through a wall because you’re my friend. I don’t know much about friendship, but I’m pretty sure you don’t do that to people you… care about.” She almost didn’t say the last two words, but something made her do it.
“I care about you, too.” He stood and walked around their table to stand beside her, then tugged at her hand until she rose to her feet. Without a word, he stepped into the shadows that shrouded the back wall of the space and pulled her into his arms.
“What are we doing?”
“Something that’s undoubtedly going to get me in trouble.”
Laughter bubbled up inside her and she let it spill out as she slipped her arms around his waist. “I’m starting to notice a pattern. Where you go, trouble follows.”
He cupped her cheek in one hand, stroking his thumb over her lower lip and smiling at her. “And yet you’re still here.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Because most women don’t like trouble, not for more than a night or two.”
“From what I’ve seen, life is full of trouble whether you want it or not. I think I’d rather be with someone who actually knows how to deal with trouble when it comes.” She paused, then hastily added, “Not that I’m with you. I don’t know what we are, exactly, or how long we’ve got to be…whatever this is.”
“I’m not sure what this is, either. Not yet.” He kissed her then, slow and sweet. His mouth moved over hers, tasting and teasing, and she leaned into him, kissing him back for the first time. He whispered her name in a low, husky tone that sent a delicious shiver running down her spine.
Heat pooled low in her belly and she gave into the needs flowing through her, pressing herself against the hard lines of his body and running her hands up his body. Flanks, chest, shoulders, and finally letting her fingers brush over the scars on his neck and up into his dark, curling hair.
He groaned, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips with a questing hunger that made her body throb. She opened her mouth to him, a low moan of need escaping her throat as the kiss deepened, and her senses reeled from the pure, boundless pleasure of it all.
His hands were strong, steady, and sure as they caressed her, his desire for her flatteringly obvious from the hard line of his cock pressed against her stomach to the way his heart raced and his body temperature spiked the moment their mouths touched. She registered it all, memorizing every detail.
They stayed that way, entwined and breathless, until she sensed a presence on the stairs. Their server was returning with their drinks. Eric noticed, too, ending their kiss but keeping her cradled to his side, one arm still wrapped around her waist.
The server was discreet, setting out their glasses with only a slight nod in their direction. “Dinner will be arriving soon,” was all she said as she left.
Eric chuckled and she could feel the vibration of his laughter deep in his chest. “In other words, we should get back to our table before they serve our meal to a couple of empty chairs.”
“Which would be a waste of good food. Is ravioli as enjoyable to eat as it is to say?”
“Better. Nadia is an amazing chef, and she recommended I order that today when I made the reservation.”
“And they really don’t mind that we took this whole section? They could have other paying customers in here if it weren’t for your request.” It didn’t feel right to her that their presence might have cost Eric’s friends fairly earned income. She’d already learned enough about the station to know that living here was expensive. Everything they consumed had to be imported great distances, and resources like air, water, and real estate were all finite and had to be carefully managed.
He kissed her lightly. “Don’t worry. I made sure they were compensated fairly.”
“So, you blackmailed them into giving us a private table, then gave them scrip to cover the difference?”
His lips quirked and he looked a little sheepish. “Yeah.”
She touched her hand to his chest and snuggled into his side, feeling a warm sense of contentment and security as she looked into his eyes. “You’ve got a soft heart. I never understood that expression until now.”
Eric didn’t answer her with words, but his next kiss spoke volumes. It was passionate and at the same time tender, and she’d remember this kiss for the rest of her life. She’d keep her promises and end the ones who had hurt her, but until then, she was going to steal a few moments of happiness and create some memories of her own.
Dinner arrived shortly after they returned to their seats. It was the promised ravioli, along with freshly baked bread slathered in butter and a side of synthesized vegetable matter roasted to golden perfection. Eric barely looked at it. He wanted to ignore it all, pull Nyx onto his lap, and kiss her until T’arv threw them out.
Instead, he casually withdrew a small device from his pocket and set it on the table by the light cube, tapping it twice. The noise level around them dropped significantly.