He chuckled, and the vibration of his chest against her ear sent goose bumps through her. His skin was warm beneath her cheek, and she snuggled in, tracing her fingers over the scar on his arm. “I’m assuming the hospital staff wouldn’t approve of all this exercise. Aren’t you supposed to take it easy for a few more days?”
“I think this was exactly what I needed.”
She raised her head to grin at him. “Well, it does release lots of endorphins. And they’re really good for you, right?”
He smoothed a piece of hair away from her face. “Definitely.”
There was that jolt again, as their eyes met. She felt naked and exposed, not just because she was lying on his chest, but because he seemed to see her. And she’d been hiding for so long.
She cleared her throat and sat up. “We should probably get dressed before one of your nurses returns and gets ideas about you. Though I’m sure they’ve already had plenty,” she said, taking in his flat stomach and muscled arms.
“Stop, Renna,” Finn said, leaning on one elbow and frowning at her. “I know what you’re doing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She rescued her underwear from the floor and slipped into them.
He let out a noisy sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed. She forced herself not to get distracted by the sight of his carved thigh muscles.
“What happened between us freaked you out and now you want to dismiss it. Run away from it. I get it. But I’m not going to hurt you.”
“This has nothing to do with you, Finn. We were just having some fun.” Her chest constricted, and she could feel herself gearing up for the it’s-not-you-it’s-me conversation she’d had so many times before.
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” he asked with a wicked smile. “Nice change from the sniping and fighting we’ve done so far. I’d like to do it again.”
Her heart kicked with unease, and she nodded. “I feel the same way. But I can’t be distracted right now. We have a job to do.” She shrugged into her jacket. “Let’s keep it casual, okay? We can figure it out later if we need to.”
He slid off the bed and stalked toward her. Completely naked. She forced her gaze away, focusing on his strong chin, the hint of a dimple as he talked. Renna shook her head and realized his lips were moving.
“When this is all over, we’re going to have a lot to talk about. I’m not going to let you run, Renna. Not this time.”
He tilted her chin up so their eyes met for one long, intense moment.
And then he kissed her. Gently. Before letting her go.
TWENTY-SIX
She left Finn and made her way back to the ship. Partially to escape Finn and partially because she needed to talk to Aldani about the drug they’d found. She wanted the truth, and this time she wasn’t letting him get away with vague half-answers.
Renna made her way to the comm room, nodding at the crew as she passed. Somewhere in all this they’d come to accept her as one of their own. Maybe because she’d saved Finn’s life. Maybe it was something else. Either way, it felt…nice.
She frowned at the thought. These men and women would give their lives for him. That they respected her now meant something.
She just wasn’t sure what.
Renna patched into the comm system and waited for Aldani to answer, drumming her fingers against the table. The steady beat slowed as her mind crowded with images of Finn’s naked body beneath hers. Her skin start to burn, and she pressed her hands to her cheeks. She could still smell him on her skin. Feel his hands on her.
Aldani’s voice jerked her out of her daydream. “Miss Carrizal. I assume you’re calling about a status update on the mission?”
Renna cleared her throat. Thank the gods he couldn’t see the flush staining her cheeks. “Actually, Doctor, I’m not. I need information. Have you heard of this compound before?” She rattled off the formula Wall had given her.
There was silence at the other end of the communicator. Then Aldani cleared his throat. “Where did you find that?”
Dammit. She was right. “Does it matter? I know this is the same drug Myka’s parents were working on. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
He let out a weary sigh. “You’re correct. But their work was based on something my ex-partner Draven Navang and I developed years ago. We thought the compound could be used for creating a new medical device, but it never worked properly. When a new chemical was found on Banos Prime, my brother remembered our research. He and his wife began working on a new chemical formula containing that mineral.”
“Their drug was an inhibitor, right? To help the body receive retrofitted body parts and transplants?”
“Exactly.” He paused for a moment before asking, “How did you know what Navang’s original work was to be used for?”
“Because it’s now being used on a robotic army.”
Aldani sucked in a breath. “What did you say?”
“The facility was full of robotic parts and cybernetic implants. Whoever is behind this is creating a mechanical army.”
“Damn him,” Aldani whispered. “He promised.”
“Doctor?”
“The formula you shared is slightly different from the one my brother developed. Someone’s been working on it since he was killed. Altering it. My ex-partner has to be behind this. He’s using his NavStar facility on Vall. It’s the only place in this part of the galaxy with that kind of tech.”
“I thought you said Navang wasn’t involved.”
“I’d say anything to keep Myka safe, including lying to you.” His voice dropped, worry in every syllable. “Navang threatened my nephew. Blackmailed me into keeping quiet about his involvement with the promise to return him, unharmed.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling forcefully to temper the sudden frustration swelling inside her. “Don’t you realize you’ve put him in even more danger? What does Navang want with him? Is he using the kid as blackmail to get you to cooperate with his research?”
Before he could answer, sirens screamed through the ship and the emergency lights flashed.
Renna shot from her chair.
“What is that?” Aldani demanded.
“I don’t know. I need to go, but this isn’t over. You owe us the truth.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Renna. I didn’t have a choice. Just be careful. Navang is more dangerous than you can imagine. Don’t trust a word he says.”