The Rogue Prince (8 page)

“Ambassador,” she whispered, looking around with a renewed nervousness. Reid was gone. Realizing she was still without her shirt, she found it behind her and slipped it over her head. Strangely, it smelled like Reid. Her heart fluttered in her chest.

“My pills,” she said to herself, though the sound of her voice wasn’t as comforting as she’d hoped. Pressing her hand against her chest as if that would slow her heart rate, she took another deep breath. She didn’t have time to take her medicine that morning before being dragged from the cargo. “Computer, is the Federation still here?”

“No, ma’am,” the computer answered, its tone even.

Jasmine relaxed. That was something at least. Suddenly, her muscles tensed as a thought struck her. Reid had kept his word. That meant he’d expect her to keep hers.

“Five hours,” she said softly. Tears filled her eyes. Chad had only ever taken twenty minutes, if that. She could live through twenty minutes, but five hours? “Please let him be joking or bragging, I don’t care which.”

Still shaking, she went to the door and ran her hand over the wall scanner. The door slid up, letting her out. The corridor was empty and she quickly made her way down the hall looking for the cargo hold. Her pills would be in there.

Worse than her fear of five hours in bed with the confident Reid was the embarrassing knowledge that she’d have to tell him she was frigid, that she wasn’t really a woman. Sure, she had the right parts. She looked like a woman, talked like a woman, acted like a woman. But a woman was defined by what she felt inside. Jasmine didn’t feel as a woman should feel. She was dead inside.

Chad had been brutally honest about that. She couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t a good man, but maybe if she could’ve responded to him, made him feel desired as a husband should feel, then maybe he wouldn’t have turned to a life of crime. Maybe her marriage would’ve been different.

Jasmine knew it was too late for any of that. Regret wasn’t anything new to her, nor was the guilt. Chad and their life together should’ve ended before it began.

* * * *

“Hey, stowaway, welcome. I for one am very delighted to have such a pretty lady aboard.”

Jasmine nodded slightly at the man, Rick, as she stepped into the crowded lounge area. Aside from the two Var ambassadors and Dev, his was the only name she’d gotten. She remembered it from the men’s banter back on Nozando. Rick winked at her, kicking his boots up onto a gaming table. A pale man shoved them off. Rick laughed, taking it in stride.

“Welcome aboard, stowaway.” Jasmine turned to the kind voice, recognizing the man. “I’m Evan.”

“Hello,” she said, her voice soft. “Jasmine.”

Evan pointed around the room, introducing the men. “At the gaming table is Viktor, his brother Lucien, Rick, who you’ve had the displeasure of meeting--”

“Hey,” Rick growled, before chuckling. “Don’t hate me because you’re jealous of me.”

“Uh-huh,” Evan said, rolling his eyes. “The blond is Jackson. That’s Lochlann. I understand you met Dev already.”

“Hello,” Jasmine repeated. The men eyed her curiously, as if they expected her to say more. She nervously swallowed and didn’t move.

“Care to join the game?” Lucien asked, motioning to the cards already on the table. “We’ll start over.”

“Hey, you only say that cause you have a bad hand,” Viktor protested.

“No, thank you,” Jasmine answered, before Lucien could argue.

“Are you hungry?” Evan asked.

Jasmine looked at him. He had kind eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head. She didn’t know what possessed her to wander into the lounge area. She’d just heard the laughter and was curious. Now that she was here, she didn’t know what to say. It had been a long time--four years to be exact--since she’d actually had an unsupervised conversation. She had no idea what to talk about or how to even break the ice. She was used to just sitting amongst people like a figurine, letting the men talk.

“Come on, I’ll show you the dining hall.” Evan led the way from the lounge.

The laughter automatically picked up as soon as she stepped out. Jasmine bit her lip and tried not to be jealous of it. She’d never belonged to a group of friends like that.

“We can stop by the medical booth if you’d like,” Evan offered, nodding down at her wrist.

“No, thank you,” Jasmine said.

“It’s not a problem. That bruise looks like it hurts.”

Jasmine swallowed nervously and covered it with her hand. She was so used to hiding her bruises that she didn’t know what to say. “No, it’s fine, really. I can’t use medical booths. I have an allergy to the laser.”

“Really?” Evan said in obvious surprise. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s rare,” she answered. She really didn’t want to talk about it. “Where’s the ship heading?”

She watched Evan closely while pretending not to. He blinked at the abrupt turn of conversation, only to grin. Chuckling softly, he said, “We don’t really have a set plan as far as I know. I believe the idea is to aimlessly make our way back to Qurilixen, stopping wherever we feel like along the way.”

“Have you been there?” she asked. “Qurilixen?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad. I actually kind of like it,” Evan said. “The scenery is beautiful--large trees bigger around than this ship, open skies. Though, it doesn’t really get dark except for once a year. The constant light was something to get used to. We stayed at the Var palace when we were there. Our old captain married Reid’s brother, Prince Quinn.”

“Oh,” Jasmine said before gasping. “Wait. Did you say prince?”

Evan nodded, leading her at a leisurely pace down the corridor. “You didn’t know? Reid and Jarek are Var princes. Their older brother is the King.”

“I thought they were ambassadors.”

“That too.” Evan smiled. He stopped, motioning inside an open door. “Ah, here’s the dining hall. Forgive the mess. Viktor took apart the cleaning droid to see how it worked and hasn’t put it back together yet.”

Jasmine nodded. Without having to be asked, she began clearing the dirty dishes from the long table, moving them to a water basin.

Evan frowned. “I didn’t mean for you….”

Jasmine stopped, confused. “I’m used to it.”

“I mean, Viktor is going to fix it.” Evan ran his hands through his hair. “Aren’t you … I mean, weren’t you rich? Why didn’t you have a droid?”

Jasmine didn’t answer. She didn’t want to talk about her past. If these men, though they seemed honest and trustworthy, knew she’d married a potential member of the Medical Mafia, they might not want to let her tag along. The Federation Military was one thing, the Medical Mafia another completely. She didn’t even want to think how Chad had gotten the Federation after her. It seemed her husband had many connections she didn’t know about. “I don’t mind.”

“Listen,” Evan said, as she kept working. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Jasmine said, surprised. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t believe her. How could he possibly see through it in just a short time? Her face was blank, a mask she’d spent years developing.

“Food simulator is right there. Help yourself anytime, I know they won’t mind.” Evan turned to go. Stopping, he said, “You know you’re safe here. They may act like brutes, but everyone on this ship is a good man.”

Jasmine didn’t answer. Evan left. She turned to pick up more plates.

“What was that all about?”

Jasmine dropped the plate and it shattered on the floor. She quickly turned to the door. Lowering her eyes, she curtseyed low and held the position as she said, “My prince.”

When a long moment passed and he didn’t answer, she chanced a look up. He had a bemused expression on his handsome face. A brow arched over one eye.

“I’m sorry about before. I didn’t know. At the banquet they announced you as an ambassador.” Jasmine curtseyed lower. Reid still didn’t answer. “Prince Reid? Is something…?”

“I was just standing here admiring the view. I can see down your shirt.” Reid grinned, finally walking into the kitchen. Jasmine gasped, looking down, horrified. Her shirt was tight. There was no way he’d seen down it. Reid laughed. “And though I don’t mind being called yours, don’t call me prince. On the ship it’s Reid. We like to keep a low profile.”

“Security reasons?” she asked, choosing to ignore his crude joke.

“No.” He hopped up on the counter by the food simulator and winked. “Too many people trying to kiss up for charity.”

Jasmine gasped and made a face. Under her breath, she grumbled, “How noble of you.”

Reid tossed back his head and laughed. It was a full, rich sound. Jasmine froze. Had she said that out loud?

To the food simulator, Reid said, “Sloken.” The machine dinged and he opened the door to take out a steaming cup of green liquid. To Jasmine, he asked, “Want some?”

“I don’t drink,” she answered.

“Anything?” Leaning back, he sipped his beverage.

“Liquor.”

“Sloken isn’t alcohol.”

“No thank you just the same,” she said, bending over to pick up the shattered plate.

“Suit yourself,
fea
.” Reid took another drink, watching her over the rim of the cup as she dumped the pieces into a trash bin.

“The name’s Jasmine,” she answered, clearing more plate.

“Well,
Jasmine
.” He stressed her name and shook his head. “You’re just a bundle of joy, aren’t you?”

“Where would you like me to sleep?” she asked, changing the subject. She put the last of the plates in the sink and turned to him.

“All the rooms are full, so you’ll have to bunk with me.” Reid set the cup down and hopped off the counter. He moved with confidence and that scared her.

Jasmine stiffened. Surely he was joking. “Why you? I can just as easily sleep in the cargo hold.”

He chuckled. As he neared, she didn’t move. She found she wanted him to come to her. She wanted him to touch her. More than anything, she wanted to feel something when he did. His hand cupped the side of her face, warm and gentle. Her heart rate picked up, but she barely noted it as she looked deep into his dark eyes. The intensity in them took her by surprise. No man had ever looked at her like that. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. She prayed for a spark to ignite, anything that would thaw her insides. When his lips barely touched hers, he said, “Because that’s what we both want.”

Jasmine closed her eyes and turned her face away. There was no great rush of emotion, no great outpouring of wild desire--no matter how much she wished it. Her heart might be beating faster, but other than that, she was dead inside. “No, that’s what you want.”

Reid studied the woman before him for a moment, not sure he’d heard her right. That smooth move had worked on many women. The low, seductive voice. The gentle caress of his hand. The slow glide of his lips.

He didn’t move, waiting for her to turn back to him in uncontrolled passion. Most women would have his clothes off in two seconds, begging him to take them against the countertop. He probably would’ve done it too.

Reid waited. Jasmine didn’t move. He waited longer. She took a deep breath, sighing. He waited. She took another breath. She looked bored.

Sacred Cats! Why in the galaxy wasn’t she kissing him right now? He wanted her so badly he was on the verge of attacking her because of it. Her smell engulfed him. The energy between them was potent, sparking like fireworks, snapping the air. How could she not react upon it?

Reid, not one to be dissuaded from his purpose, leaned forward to nuzzle her throat. She might hide her expression, but her pulse would give her away. He kissed her neck, letting his mouth rest over her heartbeat. To his pleasure, he felt it racing beneath his lips.

“When you said five hours, did that include this?” she asked, her voice soft.

Reid chuckled. That was more like what he was used to. Pulling back, he looked at her face. It was blank. He frowned. She looked unmoved. Losing some of his cool, he said, “Five hours in my bed.”

“Then please unhand me.” Jasmine pulled back. “I’ll pay what I owe, but not a second more. The next time you touch me, I start subtracting minutes.”

Reid instantly let her go, feeling as if she’d slapped him. She wasn’t interested? He would never force a woman to be in his company. He closed his eyes and inhaled, smelling her. Her longing was faint, but it was there--stronger than before. He listened. Her heart raced and her breathing had deepened. The attraction between them practically snapped around the room. There was no way what he felt could be one-sided. It was too strong, too potent. He looked at her face. It was an unreadable mask. For the first time in his sixty one years, Reid doubted himself. It was a new feeling and he didn’t like it.

“You can’t sleep in cargo. That’s Dev’s room,” he said quietly. He couldn’t look at her. Remembering what they’d concluded about her previous lover, he said, “I’m not a monster. I’m not going to force myself on you, Jasmine. If you truly don’t want me, I’ll back off. I’m sorry if I misread you.”

She didn’t move. Reid finally looked at her, meeting her eyes.

“Reid,” she began, but didn’t finish.

He picked up his sloken and strode out of the dining hall. Once away, hidden around a corner, he stopped and took a deep breath. What had just happened? Was it possible she wasn’t attracted to him? Did he only want her because she didn’t want him? Was that why he felt the burning need to go back, just to be near her? Was that why he thought about her all day? Reid was the first to admit he loved a challenge, but was she just playing hard to get or did she really not want to be gotten?

“She doesn’t want me,” he whispered, torn between bewilderment and agony. His body tensed, aching to hold her, touch her, smell her. The first woman in his life that he felt he just had to have and she didn’t want him. “She doesn’t want me.”

Anger and frustration built within him. Storming down the corridor, he found Dev and Jackson combat training in the VR. They glanced at him as he stepped into the middle of a battle with a group of Grugs. The hairy beasts howled, slashing at the men with sharpened claws. Dev stepped over, letting Reid in on the action. They fought, barely saying a word for hours. Afterward, Reid slowly made his way back to his room.