“No.”
That’s when he dipped his head toward my neck. My hands flew to his thick shoulders, but I couldn’t quite work up the energy to push him away. Instead, my fingers flexed, holding on. Just that easily, he disarmed me. I felt his lips at my ear, his whiskers rubbing just below on my soft skin where he took a deep breath. Nerve endings flared to life, making my skin prickle and heat swirl around my womb. My breath caught with the suddenness of the sensation.
Who was this guy?
“Are you okay?” he asked softly. The vibrations against my lobe caused delicious tingles.
“I’m fine.” The words came out a little breathless sounding.
“It’s been a rough intro.” His lips brushed my ear again.
“Ryder! We’ve got to go,” Nick called from the main room.
“We need to talk. Later.” He straightened with a somber look and stared into my eyes. After a moment, he let go of my lapels and stepped away. It was only when he was out of the room that I was able to breathe normally again. Damn, that was intense.
I was in trouble.
Chapter Eleven
“You need to get dressed.”
Cynthia was holding an armful of clothes as she came back into the bathroom. There was a question on her face as she gazed at me; she looked as though she was contemplating something but had chosen to keep it to herself, which I have to admit was relieving to me. I had no idea what to say about Ryder. My emotions were all over the map, which freaked me out on a personal level. I needed to feel in control of me, at the very least, but since meeting Ryder, the roller coaster had left the gates and there was no end in sight.
“So what do you aliens wear up here?” I smiled.
“Aliens?” She snorted indelicately, which was so out of character for her cool, blond, chic image, I couldn’t help but chuckle. She handed me the clothing.
“I’m a little disappointed that my first encounter with a foreign planet yields no little green men.”
“You’d have to go to Mars for that,” she said authoritatively. Though I knew she was joking, it brought up a question for me.
“Have you been there?”
“To Mars?”
“Yeah.”
“No, but we have found other planets similar to ours in composition. I’ve seen pictures. Not too far off of Te’re or Earth. Oxygen rich. Oceans. Mountains. Very beautiful. Still in the early stages of discovery, though, trying to figure out the flora and fauna. A few small groups have gone to map areas, build temporary shelters.”
“Wow. Modern-day Lewis-and-Clark kind of people? Are you guys going to start a colony?”
“No. Or not just yet.” Quietly she said, “We’re preparing for war. Women and children will be moved to safety if we’re attacked, and it’s looking more and more like that will happen.”
That was a sobering thought.
“Try these on.”
The clothing she’d brought me was from her own apartment in the Catacombs, which I made her promise to take me to. The top was made of the same soft material that Ryder’s blanket was made from. It was semifitted with an Empire-style waist, in a beautiful shade of rich chocolate. It fell to my waist, gently outlining slim lines. A pair of too-long (Cynthia is a few inches taller than me), beige, cottony pants that were loose fitting and had a drawstring went under the blouse. Borrowing underclothes was just weird, so I went commando, which always feels a little strange because I’m out in public feeling totally exposed.
“Thanks for the loan.”
She acknowledged my appreciation with a quick smile. “You can roll up the hems.”
“I’ll do that. Maybe I could grab some socks from you, since we don’t wear the same size shoe. The thought of putting my heels on again is causing me actual mental anguish.” I’d worn mine for twenty-four hours straight. I could hear my toes crying out in high, screechy voices.
“We may need to go shopping for a couple of things. Just wear them a little longer, and we’ll see what we can get for you.”
“I need to get back to Earth by Thursday, Cyn. I can’t stay here more than one more night. In spite of all the craziness, I can’t lose my job. It’s all I have to get me by.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re back safe and sound.”
“All right. Shopping on a different planet. I can’t even believe I’m saying that out loud and meaning it. But cool. We’ll take some time to hit the local mall, check out the local fashion center and maybe grab some food. I’m starving.”
Cynthia slowed down my monologue with a shake of her head. “You have to know that things are going to be different here, Tay. In fact, I’m not sure I should even take you to the marketplace, but I suppose, if asked, I could always state you’re a visiting cousin from Reethan, the province where I’m from.”
“People would be that nosy?”
“Oh, absolutely. Now, women are far more conservative here. You aren’t going to find any real variety. Sunan women do not flash skin. As you can see, I’m wearing pretty much a matching outfit to what you’re wearing, just in a different color.”
She was wearing a semifitted, tuniclike top with loose-fitting pants, but her top was in an amber tone that brought out the color of her eyes. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her dressed so conservatively before, not that she dressed like a ho-bag or anything, but she was usually extremely fashionable. In my town, that involved showing off your assets (my brain smirked, because yes, I can be immature).
“Some of the materials are actually really pretty in this style. We have a number of artisans who can make the most delicate materials in beautiful prints. You’ll see. Very feminine.”
I could tell she was excited to show me around, but I had one more issue I needed settled. There had been an irritating gnat of a voice that was keeping me from being completely on board, and I needed to ask a question to make sure Cynthia really was all in the clear for my peace of mind.
“Cynthia, did you know it was Ryder moving into our apartment complex?” I needed to know that she hadn’t set me up to be Ryder’s “in” with Reggie and Frank.
“No. I swear to you I didn’t. We have a large network of people who work on Earth, but we all have different responsibilities. Mine is research and maintenance. I keep tabs on visitors who apply to go to Earth. I spend the days monitoring who’s coming, who’s going and what they’re working on.”
“How can you do that and get your stuff done for the company we work for?”
“The company is a front. Most of the partners are elders of Te’re.”
“But the actors and writers and—”
“Are legit. They make money for the company and have no idea that anything else is going on. It’s a real business, which allows us to be in the middle of it all, so we can monitor our people as they come and go. The president of the company has a transfer unit that can connect here directly.”
“Were you the one who was able to let everyone know Ranik was lurking about?”
“There are a number of agents who’ve caught sight of him here and there over the last dozen or more years, but no one has ever been able to capture him. He always seems one step ahead. He even has his own way of transferring to Earth. One we haven’t found yet. So actually, this is the first time we’ve been this close to capture.”
“How did we become friends? You weren’t friends with anyone else. Why me?”
“I was drawn to you. You’re right. I wasn’t friends with anyone else. I’d been inside the minds of all those silly, desperate, bitchy women who wanted fame and fortune. In my mind, with the very sobering situation our world finds itself in, I didn’t have time for anyone, but your energy was so powerful, it reached out to me. That’s never happened to me before.” She frowned thoughtfully. “As a matter of fact, I only know one other person who has that same powerful kind of energy signature. Ryder’s grandmother.”