Free Bianca D'Arc by King of Clubs

talk.”
    She got up and took the sheet into the lav
with her. Chip watched her go. He would have been amused at the
picture she made if the situation wasn’t so serious. She was in
danger and he had to do his absolute best to keep her safe.
    Chip got dressed and headed into the galley
to get breakfast in order. Alex had months worth of rations in his
pantry that required little finesse to produce a tasty meal. Chip
got busy and by the time Lila reappeared, breakfast was served.
    She paused on her way to her seat at the
table to place a gentle kiss on Chip’s cheek. He was shocked into
immobility for a moment, astounded by the way such a simple thing
could make him feel. His heart skipped a beat, then fluttered back
to life and suddenly he wanted her soft kisses every morning for
the rest of his life.
    Whoa, boy. He had to slow down a bit. Lila
wasn’t his. Not on a permanent basis. Maybe not even beyond this
morning. He had to settle a few things first and then maybe… maybe…
with full disclosure on his part, which was going to be painful… he
might be able to ask her to consider staying with him.
    Of course, that was only if all the planets
aligned and he could keep her safe through whatever was coming on
the station. He had a job to do and she was at the heart of it,
which worried him as he’d never worried before. It was one thing to
risk his own life and wellbeing in the line of duty. It was another
thing completely to risk Lila.
    She sat down, blissfully unaware of the
turmoil her familiar gesture had caused within him. He wouldn’t let
her see it either. He’d have to come to terms with the changes she
wrought in his life as they happened, or there would be no future
for either of them. His inability to adapt might get them both
killed.
    “This is great. Thanks for making breakfast.”
She tucked into her meal with a grin as he poured coffee for them
both before taking his own place at the table.
    He ate a few bites before broaching the
subject that weighed on his mind.
    “I don’t like how many people know your
schedule, Lila. They know when and how you leave the bar each night
and it’s obvious they now know where you’ve been living. How else
could Beezus have been waiting at your stop?” He scowled as he
thought about what could have happened if he hadn’t been there. A
thought occurred to him. “Would you have had advance warning from
your, uh, gift if I hadn’t been with you last night?”
    She lowered her fork to the table very
deliberately. “I probably would have felt his anger and perverted
glee, but I’ve been wondering what I could’ve done to save myself
at that point. The pod was programmed for that station. I would’ve
had to go there and the hatch would’ve opened. My only chance
would’ve been if I could get the hatch closed again before he
grabbed me and programmed for another location.”
    They both knew the pods didn’t work that
quickly and the red signal would have kept the pod exactly where it
was. Beezus would’ve had her without Chip’s intervention. He
reached out to cover her hand with his. She was trembling.
    “I don’t want you going back there tonight.
In fact, I’d like for you to move in here, with me. We can go over
this afternoon and get your things. One of the guys will watch the
bar for an hour or two. What do you say?”
    She sat back in her chair and looked at him
for a long moment before replying.
    “This is moving a little fast.”
    Not the answer he’d been hoping for, but he
could work with it.
    “You’re better off if Beezus and his pals
know you have a protector. We could play this two ways. Either
we’re seen as a couple and they know if they mess with you, they
mess with me. Frankly, I prefer that scenario. Or, if you want to
keep things under wraps, we keep it quiet and keep them guessing.
Either way, you don’t go back to your sister’s rooms. You stay
here. In my bed. I don’t have to be in it with you, if you have a
problem with