Free GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) by Marilyn Campbell

I have another. You can't get back without my assistance and the journey will be much more pleasant if you accept what I've said. Also, I could undoubtedly complete my mission without your help, but with it, I should be able to end it much faster. Thus, if you'll cooperate with what I have in mind, I'll be able to return you to Innerworld that much quicker."
    Cherry got up and paced the few steps back and forth within the narrow cabin. It didn't sound like she had much choice when he put it that way. "What would I have to do?"
    Gallant grinned with what Cherry supposed was a sense of victory. "Just a little acting. There's no reason to go over it until we get where we're headed."
    "Which is?"
    He got up from the bunk and opened the door for them to return to the bridge. "A fascinating little planet called Zoenid."
    Cherry nodded as if she'd heard of it before. She figured if they were following Frezlo there, it must have a civilization of some sort. And civilization meant transportation. If Gallant turned out to be lying again, she might be able to hitch a ride home with someone from there. Meanwhile, she would keep him guessing as to whether or not she intended to cooperate. He deserved to sweat a little for everything he'd done.
    She glanced up at him as she passed through the doorway and gave him her answer. "I'll think about it."
    Dot was facing the doorway as they entered the bridge. She was clearly anxious to hear how the explanations went but neither Gallant nor Cherry satisfied her curiosity aloud. Gallant was brooding again however, and that told the he-she things had not gone as well as hoped.
    As Gallant returned to his station, Cherry wondered what she could do to occupy herself for several more days. She wasn't accustomed to so much inactivity. Considering her alternate scheme to hitch a ride home with someone else, one problem came to mind. Gallant had been able to deceive her because she didn't know how to determine where they were in space. As long as she remained ignorant, she would continue to be dependent on him or any other pilot she found.
    Strolling around the control panel a few times, she finally decided how to reduce her disadvantage. Putting on her sweetest smile and dripping southern honey, she faced Mar. "Mar, honey, Ah think what y'all do is absolutely intriguin'. It would truly please me to learn more about navigatin' this heah ship." Gallant's groan made it clear she had laid it on a bit thick, but Mar's expression was one of pure male delight.
    Glancing at Gallant, he asked, "With the captain's permission?"
    Cherry thought she could hear Gallant's teeth gnashing, but after a few seconds he grunted his approval. She bestowed her charming smile on him in thanks, even though he was back to not looking directly at her.
    After pulling out Mar-Dot's bench seat, she made herself at home and started asking questions about the panel in front of her.
    Gallant kept part of his attention fixed on Mar and Cherry. Her curiosity could be perfectly innocent, he told himself—an antidote to boredom. But he'd already discovered how bright she was and how determined she was to get back home. He had a feeling her interest in navigation had a deeper basis than simple curiosity.
    If he put a stop to her education though, she would probably go back to nervously pacing the bridge, circling the panel again and again, until he was driven to do something drastic, like locking her in his room for the duration.
    The problem with that line of thinking was that it made him imagine being locked in there with her and the last hour had already stretched his control to its limit.
    He wanted her to put the peasant costume back on. At least with that he hadn't been forced to notice every feminine curve and swell or the swaying movement of her slim hips. But he knew the costume alone wouldn't be enough because it wasn't her appearance that was pushing him to the edge. That just made a bad situation worse.
    It was the sparkling