Not the Man She Thought (24 page)

* * * * *

Back in his ready room. Rade gripped the edges of the table,
his knuckles white as he stared down unseeingly at the holo-map.  He
hadn’t known it was possible to hurt this much, but walking away from Laken
down in the cargo hold had damn near killed him.

“She would have stayed if you had asked her to, you know.”

Kellen.  He should have known his old friend would seek
him out.  “And that’s exactly why I didn’t ask her to,” Rade said without
turning around.

“Don’t you think she should have had least been given the
choice?”

Rade stared down at the map.  “I did what was best for
her, Kellen, and we both know it. She’s not cut out for this kind of life.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kellen said.  “She seemed to
fit right in with the crew.”

Rade didn’t say anything, which prompted the other man to
continue.

“She loves you a great deal, you know.”

Rade swallowed hard.  “I’m sure she’ll forget about me
the minute she’s back in her fiancé’s arms.”

The image of Laken with another man made his gut clench, and
he gripped the edges of the table more tightly.

Behind him, Kellen was silent for so long that Rade thought
the other man had left, but then he spoke.

“Will you be able to forget her as easily, I wonder?”

Rade knew his silence was all the answer the other man
needed.

“Captain?” Dev’s voice came over the ship’s intercom.

“What is it, Dev?” Rade said, grateful for the interruption.

“Commander Vargas in on the com for you.”

Rade closed his eyes.  Maybe talking strategy would
take his mind off Laken. God, he hoped so.

* * * * *

Keir didn’t talk much on the flight down to New Ashanti,
much to Laken’s relief.  She was barely holding herself together as it
was, and she was afraid if Keir said anything even remotely kind, she would
dissolve into a fit of tears.

“Do you want me to wait until your fiancé comes to pick you
up?” Keir asked when they docked at the spaceport a little while later.

Laken shook her head.  “Thank you, but I’m sure you
need to get back to the ship.  I’ll be fine.”

Keir looked hesitant, but after a moment, he nodded. 
“Take care then.”

 
Giving her a
warm hug, turned and walked back to the shuttle. Laken didn’t stay to watch it
take off.  Instead, she slowly made her way toward the transport center.

The building was crowded with people, but Laken barely paid
attention to them.  Finding a ladies’ washroom, she went inside. Going
over to one of the sinks, she turned on the water and leaned over the basin to
splash some of it on her face. While it made her feel more refreshed, it did
hide the anguish in her eyes, and she let out a sigh as she gazed at her
reflection in the mirror.

How could she possibly go to Mallin like this when all she
could think about was another man?  A man who had most likely already
forgotten about her the minute she had stepped off his ship.  The thought
that Rade could care so little for her made her heart squeeze in her chest, and
Laken closed her eyes.  Maybe seeing Mallin right now was exactly what she
needed.  She’d had feelings for him once.  Maybe being with her
fiancé would make her see that what she felt for Rade wasn’t love after all.

Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, Laken gazed at
her reflection in the mirror for a moment longer.  Then, squaring her
shoulders, she lifted her chin and walked out of the washroom.

Finding a hover-cab wasn’t difficult outside of the
spaceport, and once seated inside one, Laken gave the cabbie Mallin’s
address.  Taking a hover-cab would mean she had to use her ident-card,
which meant that her father would be able to track her, but now that she was on
New Ashanti, it didn’t really matter.  Besides, Mallin house was out in
the country, so it wasn’t like she could walk there.

When the hover-cab pulled up in front of a huge house almost
an hour later, Laken was glad she hadn’t tried to walk out there.  She
hadn’t realized Mallin lived so far outside the city.  Or that he lived on
such a palatial country estate.  He had told her he lived a modest life.

Handing the cabbie her ident-card, she waited while he
processed his payment, then opened the door and got out.  For a moment,
she wondered if she should ask the man to wait for her, but then decided
against it.  Even if Mallin wasn’t home, surely the servants would be.

Walking up the front steps, Laken took a deep breath and
rang the doorbell, then smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and
waited. Within seconds, the door swung open and she found herself face to face
with an elderly gray-haired man.  He looked her up and down.

“May I help you?”

Though the words were polite, it was obvious from the man’s
cool tone that he thought she was out of place in such rich surroundings, and
Laken lifted her chin.  “I’m looking for Mallin Pemberton. Is he at home?”

The man lifted one of his bushy, gray brows.  “And whom
shall I say is calling?”

She lifted her chin a little higher.  “His fiancée.”

The man’s eyes went wide at that.  “His fiancée?
But...”

“Laken!”

At the sound of Mallin’s voice, Laken turned her attention
from the butler to see her fiancé hurrying across the ornate foyer.  Blond
and blue-eyed, he was tall and slender.  Dressed in an expensive silk
shirt, dark breeches and shiny, leather boots, he looked every inch the fine
gentleman he was.

Laken waited for her heart to flutter at the sight of him,
for her breathing to quicken just because she was in the same room with
him.  But she didn’t experience either of those things.

The older man eyed her fiancé in confusion.  “Sir, this
woman...” he began, but Mallin cut him off.

“I’ll take care of it, Burl,” he said.  “Bring the car
brought around, would you please?”

The butler hesitated, but then after giving Laken a cool
look, he nodded at Mallin, turned on his heel and walked off.  Her fiancé
waited until the man was out of sight before turning back to her.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

She lifted her chin.  “When you didn’t come back to
Tellune, I decided to come to you instead.”

It was obvious from the look on his face that her words had
surprised him.  He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it
again.  He raked his hand through his hair.  “Are you staying in the
city, then?”

Her brow furrowed.  “No.  I naturally assumed I’d
be staying with you.”

“With me?” Mallin echoed.  “You can’t.”

Her frown deepened.  “Why not?”

He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to her. 
“Because it wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re not married and it would ruin your
reputation.”

Laken stared at him in disbelief.  Mallin certainly
hadn’t cared about her reputation when he’d bedded her back on Tellune. 
She opened her mouth to remind him of that when he took her arm and hurried her
back down the front steps.

“Mallin, what are you doing?”

He ignored her as he led her over to the sleek hover-car
that was now parked in the circular driveway.  At their approach, the
butler quickly moved forward to open the back door.

“Mallin, what...?” she began again, but he had turned his
attention to the butler.

“The townhouse, Burl,” he told the man.

She frowned.  “Townhouse?”

“It’s in the city,” Mallin explained as he urged her into
the back seat, then slid in beside her.  “It’d be better if you stayed
there.”

Laken frowned, but didn’t say anything as the butler pulled
the car out of the driveway.

She and Mallin didn’t talk at all during the drive, which
was fine with her.  She was starting to get a little annoyed with how he
was treating her. 

It was almost dark by the time they reached Mallin’s townhouse. 
While much smaller than his house in the country, it was no less impressive,
and she couldn’t help but look around in wonder as her fiancé led her inside.

“This is Josen,” Mallin said, introducing the elderly man
who had greeted them at the door.  “He’ll show you to your room and see
that you have everything you need.”

She looked at her fiancé in confusion.  “Where are you
going?”

Her fiancé glanced at Josen, who nodded and retreated to the
far side of the foyer.

“I’m going to go back out to my house in the country,”
Mallin told her quietly.  “But I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. 
We’ll talk then.”

Laken let out a sigh.  She would rather talk now, but
before she could say anything, Mallin put his hands on her shoulders, then bent
his head to press his mouth to hers.  The kiss was cool and impersonal,
and she was relieved when he finally lifted his head.

Mallin stood gazing down at her for a long moment. 
“I’ll be by tomorrow.”

He walked over to speak softly with Josen, then giving her a
stiff nod, her fiancé turned and left.  As the door closed behind Mallin,
the butler abandoned his post by the wall to approach her.

“Shall I show you to your room, madam?”

Laken hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

The room Josen showed her to was decorated as beautifully as
the rest of the house, and yet as she took in the gold and white décor, Laken
found herself longing for the simple cabin she had occupied on Rade’s
ship.  It was ironic.  For days, she couldn’t wait to get off his
ship, and now that she had finally gotten her wish, all she wanted was to go
back. 

From his place by the door, the butler was regarding her
with kind eyes.  “Shall I bring a tray up, madam, or would you prefer to
eat in the dining room?”

The thought of food made Laken’s stomach churn, but at the
expectant look on the butler’s face, she nodded.  “A tray would be
nice.  Thank you.”

The butler gave her a nod, then left the room, closing the
door behind him.  No longer needing to put on a show for anyone, the tears
came fast and hard, and Laken let them fall.

* * * * *

Laken slept little that night, and when she finally did
drift off, it was to dream about Rade.  Fighting back tears as she lay in
bed the next morning, she came to a decision.  While she and Rade might
not have a future together, she couldn’t marry Mallin when she was in love with
another man.

Now that she’d made her decision, Laken was eager to leave
New Ashanti as soon as she could.  And though Laken supposed she could
have waited for Mallin to come to the townhouse, it was just easier to go to
him.  When she asked Josen if he would drive her to Mallin’s country
house, however, the butler frowned.

“I’m sorry, madam, but I can’t.  Master Mallin has
asked that you wait here for him.”

Laken’s brow furrowed at that, and though she tried to
sweet-talk the butler into taking her to see Mallin regardless of what her
fiancé had said, Josen wouldn’t budge.  Rather than argue with the man,
however, Laken smiled and told him she would wait for Mallin to come see
her.  The minute the butler had left the room, however, she was out the
door and in a hover-cab.

As the cabbie drove, Laken went over what she would say to
Mallin.  She didn’t want to hurt him by telling him she was in love with
another man, so she would simply tell him that her feelings for him had changed
and that she had decided to go home.  The word “home” immediately conjured
images of Rade’s ship, and Laken had to blink back fresh tears.

Swallowing hard, she went back to looking out the window and
was surprised to see that they were already close to Mallin’s home.  As
they drew nearer, she could see a woman and two children standing on the
doorstep along with Mallin.  Laken didn’t think anything of it until she
saw him bend his head to give the woman a kiss.

“Stop the cab!” she ordered.

The cabbie did as she requested, pulling off to the side of
the driveway.  Through the hover-cab’s open window, the voices of the
people gathered on the doorstep could easily be heard.

“Now you two kids be good for your mommy today, okay?” Mallin
was saying to the children.

“We will, Daddy,” the boy and girl said in unison.

Daddy?  Laken blinked.  Mallin was married? 
All the time he had been wooing her on Tellune, he’d had a wife and kids back
here on New Ashanti waiting for him?

As Mallin’s wife and children got into the car parked in the
driveway, Laken leaned forward to tell the cabbie to take her back to the
city.  Mallin didn’t deserve an explanation after he had deceived her. But
then she changed her mind.  While Mallin might not deserve an explanation,
she did.