Free Proposition by Unknown

secret.
    “All right,” Krig suddenly said, relenting, and for whatever reason he did it, Geoff was thankful. “How old were you and Keirah when you married?”
    Geoff took a deep breath and shook off the memories. “Eighteen. As soon as she came of age I went back to that orphanage and took her out of there.”
    “And you took her off Earth to save her.”
    “Yes,” he answered, although Krig hadn’t asked a question. “She wouldn’t leave without me.”
    Krig nodded thoughtfully. “That’s another reason why I’m attracted to her. She’s loyal.”
    “Yes, she is.”
    “It’s getting late,” Krig murmured. “Perhaps we should get some rest. Tomorrow I want to try to find someplace else to camp.”
    “Still think that Xryan is after her?”
    “I do.”
    “If that fucker shows up I won’t hesitate to kill him.”
    Satisfaction sharpened the lines on Krig’s face. “Then we’re in agreement. But we torture him first so I find out who the traitor was on my ship.”
    “I’m cool with that. That fucker is the reason why Keirah’s hurt. Did I ever tell you I saw a movie once about torture? It was a classic called Saw .”

Chapter Eight
     
    When she’d been really little, her parents had taken her to visit her Great Aunt Mimi who lived deep in the Appalachian Mountains . She’d been shocked at how primitive she’d lived with only electricity and indoor plumbing. There’d been no internet, cable, or hover mail. What she did think was neat was how the rain sounded on the tin roof, much like Keirah heard now as she drifted from sleep back to awareness. It comforted her somehow, and for a moment, she imagined she was back in the mountains, back on Earth, and the world wasn’t dying.
    But keeping her head buried in the sand could only last so long, and her bladder was protesting heavily. So she opened her eyes and saw Krig sitting at the console. His back was to her so she couldn’t see his handsome face, but that was okay. It was fine to admire his muscular physique from behind, which was almost too big for the average size chair.
    She shifted, ready to sit up, and a dull ache shot through her hand and arm. She gasped, causing Krig to turn. Keirah saw relief fill his eyes as he rose and moved to her side, helping her to sit up.
    “How’re you feeling? You’ve been asleep for a long time.”
    “How long?” she asked. “I feel fine except for a little pain in my hand.”
    “You got stung the day before yesterday, so you’ve been sleeping for almost forty-eight Earth hours.”
    “Jesus,” she muttered. “No wonder I’ve got to pee. Hold that thought.”
    She held up one finger as she made her way to the latrine. She felt like she peed for about an hour, but her bladder thanked her, and she washed her hands before making her way back to Krig. He watched her approach with those magnetic golden eyes of his, the same color as his skin, and couldn’t seem to look away.
    “I seem to remember you saying pus before blacking out. Was that right?”
    “Yes,” he replied. “It seems like the plant injected you with some type of toxin. I got it all out.”
    “Great. Nothing like a big plant zit.”
    He cocked his head. “A what?”
    “Nothing,” she said, smiling. She looked around. “Where’s Geoff?”
    “He went out to check the perimeter. Just a precaution. He’ll be back soon.” He held out his hand. “Come here, Keirah. I’ve been worried about you. I need to know you’re all right.”
    She swallowed and took a deep breath before taking his hand. He brought her in close to his body and simply smelled her, closing his eyes as if to savor her scent, which probably wasn’t that great. She’d not bathed properly in a week. Then again, neither had he, and she didn’t care.
    He nuzzled at her temple and then traced down to the skin behind her ear. Her blood heated as electrifying jolts raced over her skin, and her heart pounded so loudly it drowned out every other sound. He kissed over