Not the Man She Thought (11 page)

He flashed her a grin. “What do you say I show you the
sights?”

Aware that his fellow crew was watching the exchange, Laken
didn’t want to embarrass him by bluntly refusing his offer, but nor did she
want to accept it, and she was thankful when Dev came to her rescue.

“If she goes with you, all she’s likely to see is the inside
of a hotel room,” the dark-haired woman said. “I’ll show her around.”

Though Dev had been more than blunt herself, Keir didn’t
look the least bit offended. His grin broadened.
 
“I’d be happy to escort both of you. I know all the best
clubs.”

Dev rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Taking Laken’s arm, she led her across the cargo hold and
down the gangway.

Like most spaceports, the one on Konteline was within
walking distance to most of the shops, restaurants and nightclubs, and as she
and Dev made their way down the crowded sidewalks, Laken found herself dragging
the other woman into practically every store they passed. She didn’t really
want to buy anything, but she enjoyed looking.

However, not being the professional shopper that Laken
obviously was, Dev announced she was exhausted after a dozen shops and said she
need to get something to eat. Though Laken could still have shopped for hours,
after seeing the haggard look on the other woman’s face, she reluctantly agreed
and they left to go in search of a restaurant. They chose one that served
traditional Kontelinian food, which was heavily spiced, and though not to
Laken’s usual taste, she found that she still enjoyed it.

Over dinner, they ended up talking about men. Dev wanted to
know all the details about Mallin, and Laken was more than happy to talk about
her fiancé. She was shocked when Dev asked her how he was in bed. Laken wasn’t
used to talking about something so intimate, but after she finished blushing,
she admitted Mallin was extremely talented in that department. Of course, she
didn’t mention that Mallin was her first and only lover, and that she didn’t
have a lot of room for comparison.

It was nice talking to someone about Mallin. She was
embarrassed to realize she hadn’t given him a lot of thought in the past day or
so. That made her feel guilty. She was going to marry him as soon as she got to
New Ashanti, after all.

Dev divulged a few intimate details herself, talking about a
how she would “hook up” with men she met when the ship docked on certain
planets. The other woman’s romantic encounters sounded a lot more adventurous
than her own, and Laken couldn’t help but be a little jealous. While Mallin was
a good lover, he was more reserved in bed. His kisses were gentle and romantic,
not passionate, like Rade’s.

Laken blinked, wondering where that thought had come from.
Rade’s kiss hadn’t been passionate. It had been brutish, just like he was.

After they had eaten, Dev suggested they go to a nightclub.
Laken readily agreed. It seemed like a lifetime since she had been out to a
club. Since Dev had been to Konteline before, Laken let her pick the place.

  
Men
approached them the moment they sat down at a table. Thinking that it wouldn’t
be right to dance with another man since she was engaged, Laken politely
refused the men who asked her, but was pleased when Dev went off to dance with
a tall, blond good-looking guy.

Laken was so busy watching the couple dance, she didn’t see
the man that had come over to the table until he sat down in the chair beside
her. Draping his arm over the back of her chair, he leaned in close. Average
looking, with dark hair and gray eyes, he smelled like fish. Which wasn’t all
that surprising,, since Konteline was known for its fishing industry.

“How about a dance?” he suggested.

His breath reeked from alcohol, and she tried not to make a
face as it wafted over her. “No, thank you.”

He grinned and leaned closer. “Come on,” he cajoled, his
breath brushing her cheek. “One dance. What do you say?”

Laken moved as far away from him as she could without
falling off her chair. “I said, no thank you.”

He reached out and put his hand on her arm. “Come on. A
pretty little thing like you can’t sit here all alone.”

“She’s not alone,” said a deep voice. “She’s with me.”

Surprised, Laken half-turned in her chair to find Rade
standing behind her.

The man beside her gave her a questioning look. “Is that
true?”

As much as hated to do it, Laken knew it would be smarted to
play along with Rade, especially since she couldn’t think of any other way to
get rid of this drunken jerk.

She gave the man him a nod. “Yes. I’m with him.”

When the man made no move to leave, Rade took her hand and
gently pulled her to her feet. “Let’s dance.”

Rade didn’t give her a chance to answer, but instead led her
onto the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.

Laken held herself stiffly. “I don’t want to dance with
you.”

Rade’s gaze flickered behind her to the table where she’d
been sitting. “If you’d rather dance with him, I can always leave.”

Laken glanced over her shoulder to see the man still sitting
there watching them. Swallowing hard, she turned back around to find Rade
regarding her with an amused expression.

She gave him a fake smile. “I suppose I do want to dance
with you after all.”

“I thought so,” he drawled. “You don’t have to act as if
it’s such a chore. I’ll have you know, that there are plenty of women who would
enjoy dancing with me. I’ve been told I dance very well.”

Laken snorted. “I imagine that whoever said that was under
the influence of alcohol at the time.”

Instead of the angry retort she thought he would spit out,
he only grinned. “I’m sure you’re right. But it doesn’t mean they were wrong.”

Before she could say anything else, the beat of the music
changed, and Rade swept her into a complex series of twirls vaguely reminiscent
of some of the latest dance steps on Tellune. She was so surprised a pirate like
him could dance so well she made no attempt to stop him. As much as she hated
to admit it, Laken enjoyed dancing with him. Mallin didn’t really like to
dance, and when he did, it was usually the more rigid, formal steps that the
merchant class of the Federation approved of.

The music changed again, this time becoming slower and more
hypnotic, and Rade pulled Laken closer, his hand slipping down to the small of
her back. Being
 
so near to him
made her think of the way he had pulled her into his arms and kissed her back
on the ship, and she automatically pulled.

“I-I’m a little tired,” she stammered. “I think I’ll go back
to my table.”

Rade glanced over her shoulder again. “Only if you want
spend the rest of the evening with that guy trying to grope you.”

Laken glanced over her shoulder. The jerk who had been
harassing her earlier was still at her table. She was trapped. She could either
dance with Rade until that idiot went off to bother some other poor girl, or
she could take her chances with him.

Deciding Rade was the lesser of the two evils for now, Laken
stayed where she was.

Rade held her close as they danced, his hand on the small of
her back, his body moving slowly and sensuously to the beat of the music. Laken
instinctively moved with him, her hips swaying in time with the music. He was
right. He was a very good dancer.

Pressed close to him, she could feel every inch of his
well-muscled body against hers. Once again, she couldn’t help but compare him
to Mallin. Her fiancé was fit, but definitely not built like this. The feel of
Rade’s body against hers, combined with the sensual beat of the music, had an
intoxicating effect on her, and she found herself grinding against him.

Her face colored as she realized he was hard underneath his
breeches. She tilted her head back to look up at Rade, only to find him gazing
down at her. Her breath caught at the hungry look in his dark eyes.

Oh, God. He was going to kiss her. Heart pounding, she
turned her face away. Her gaze went to the table where she’d been sitting to
find it empty, the man who had been bothering her nowhere in sight. She turned
back to Rade. “The jerk left. You don’t have to babysit me anymore.”

Rade’s mouth tightened and for a moment, Laken didn’t think
he would let her go, but then he inclined his head. Taking her hand, he led her
back to the table.

“I enjoyed the dance,” he said. “Stay out of trouble, if you
can.”

Before Laken could think of something suitably flippant to
say, he turned and disappeared into the crowd. She watched him go, feeling
strangely let down that he hadn’t actually kissed her. She couldn’t believe she
could even think, but she couldn’t help it. Some part of her had wanted him to
kiss her again, longed for it even.

A light touch on the arm startled her and she turned to see
a tall, dark-haired man standing beside her. She eyed him warily for a moment.
With hazel eyes set behind wire-rimmed glasses and a charming smile, he was
attractive enough, she supposed, and the cut of his clothes was definitely
expensive. She hoped he wasn’t another jerk there to make a move on her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, he said. “I was
just wondering if that was Rade Karsten I saw you dancing with?”

Laken’s brow furrowed. “Yes. Do you know him?”

The man’s lip curled. “By reputation only. Truthfully, and
pardon me for saying so, but I’m surprised to see a lady of your obvious
quality in the company of a man like him.”

Clearly, Rade Karsten’s reputation preceded him. She only
wished she’d known about it. “I’m not in his company, as you put it. He’s
giving me passage on his ship to Marlon Prime, that’s all.”

The man looked taken aback at that. “Why would you take
passage on his ship?”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business, Mr....?”

He gave her a smile. “Vlanders. Brantly Vlanders. I didn’t
mean to be so rude. It’s just that I would hate to see a woman such as yourself
taken advantage of by a man like him.”

She frowned. “Well, I would prefer not to be at his mercy,
either. Unfortunately, due to some financial constraints, I have no choice but
to travel with him since I have to get to Marlon Prime right away.”

The man studied her thoughtfully for a moment. “Perhaps I
may be able to help you.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You could? How?”

“I know many of the people at the Regional Federation Office
here in the city. I could speak with them, see that you get passage on one of
their ships. They have many heading in that direction from this port.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t have enough money to
book passage on a transport.”

The man shook his head. “Not necessary. I will gladly pay
your way.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “Why would you do that? You
don’t even know me.”

His mouth tightened. “No, I don’t, but I do recognize when
someone is in trouble. I could scarcely call myself a gentleman if I allowed
you to stay in the company of someone like Rade Karsten. Not only would you be
risking your reputation, but your very life as well. Let me help you get away
from him.”

Laken hesitated. Just a few hours ago, she had been wondering
if the small amount of money she had on the credit-stick would be enough to
book her passage on another ship, and now, she’d met a well-bred gentleman who
wanted to help her out of the kindness of his heart. This was her chance to get
away from Rade before he got her into trouble.

A part of her cautioned to be careful around a man she had
just met, but it was obvious she could trust him. While she felt a little
guilty accepting charity from Brantly Vlanders, it would get her back to Mallin
faster. Besides, once she was with her fiancé, she could always pay the man
back. It would be no riskier a step than when she had stowed away on Rade
Karsten’s ship.

“I just need to tell my friend I won’t be going back to the
ship with her,” she said. “I’ll just be a moment.”

She turned toward the dance floor, but he caught her arm.
“I’m not sure if that would be wise. If she told Karsten, he might try to stop
you.”

Laken doubted that. Rade would be only too glad to get rid
of her. She didn’t want to risk it, though, so she nodded. All the same, she
felt badly about leaving without saying anything to Dev.

Brantly Vlanders gave her another of his charming smiles and
offered her his arm. “Shall we go then?”

She hesitated again, her gaze going to the dance floor
again. Dev was slow dancing with the same blond hunk she had been with earlier,
her head on his shoulder. Laken hoped the other woman might look her way, but
when she didn’t, Laken turned back to Brantly Vlanders. Taking his arm, she
allowed him to lead her out of the nightclub.

* * * * *

Rade hadn’t known Laken would be at that nightclub. He’d
picked the place at random, then gone in to have a drink and find a pretty girl
to dance with. He hadn’t expected the girl to be Laken. But he had enjoyed
himself much more than he’d thought he would. He’d loved the feel of her curvy
body against his as they’d danced. And the way her lips had parted when she had
tilted her head back to look at him. He would definitely have liked to kiss her
again. Too bad she had bailed.