Free Desire Disguised by Lynn Rae Page A

arms disengaged from his body. It was proper to take a step back, but her body ached where she’d touched him. Ben watched her with narrowed eyes, his mouth a tight line. “If I’d been thinking, I would have known you might suffer anxiety when you were exposed to this. I was…distracted. I’m sorry.”
    Cara shook her head a little. “Why are you apologizing? We needed to get our things, and it’s hardly your job to act as a butlebot for our luggage.”
    Ben barely shrugged his broad shoulders. “Feeling well enough to get back on board the flyer? I’m sure Mat’s concerned.”
    She nodded and made fruitless attempts to find something in her pockets to wipe her face. She didn’t appear cool and serene now. More like a sloppy mess. Some hygienic tissues appeared in Ben’s hand, and he offered them to her. Wiping her face roughly, Cara focused on him and saw the mess she’d made on his tunic. She reached out and wiped at the damp spot, but his hand caught at hers before she could make contact.
    “Don’t worry about me. Can you get on the ship or do you need some more time?”
    “No. Let’s go. I’d like to leave this place.”
    * * * *
    It was late by the time Ben returned home. Too late to stop by the Belasco’s and make sure they had everything they needed for the evening. He’d returned from their minor expedition to find there had been a domestic dispute between the ever-feuding Emmerts. It had involved heavy equipment crashed in the middle of the street, and there were innumerable witnesses to interview as well as monitoring the medical condition of the two injured parties. That had taken him well into the third shift by the time he’d felt he could leave the station. He was tired and hungry and too keyed up to remedy either. He checked his datfeed and found he had several messages in the queue and that the Belascos had arrived home just after he’d dropped them off after their trip to the crash site. They hadn’t left their suite since.
    Slightly less agitated after learning that, Ben decided to make a sandwich and start watching his messages. Perhaps by the second or third communication he’d be relaxed enough to eat. A bottle of brew might help too. He checked the duty roster and reassured himself there were four experienced officers scheduled that night, so it was very unlikely he’d be called in for anything, and he could have a drink or two. After he placed his meal and beer on the table in front of his display, Ben unfastened his tunic and inspected it. A strand of auburn hair was caught on one of his pips, and he stroked it with a fingertip as he remembered Cara’s anguish that afternoon. He decided not to put the tunic in the laundry bag just yet, and instead, hung it over the back of a chair.
    Settling in to his seat, Ben called up the first message and gave his sandwich an experimental bite. Not bad considering he hadn’t bothered to get supplies for at least a week. Or was it two? He needed to remember to order groceries more often. Had Cara been informed she could order in whatever she and Mat needed? He knew she was reluctant to venture out, so that could be a good choice for them. Ben pulled out his datpad and made a note to mention it to her the next time he saw her. Maybe tomorrow…
    His musings were interrupted when the vid message began and Liliane Frei’s smiling face appeared.
    “Zash! How are you?” She was seated on a dark grey sofa, the edge of a large framed painting visible on the wall behind her. “I’m happy to confirm I’ll be arriving on Gamaliel courtesy of flight two ninety-one of the Horton. By the time you get this, I’ll be on my way.” She curled her legs up and glanced down at a datpad, probably to confirm her information. Lia had worked as the initial construction scheduler on the new congressional projects in Pearl at the same time he had arrived to set up a formal safety services station a year prior. She was so good at her job she’d been