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pinned out of the way so they could see around them, Shara worried she d pass out
from the heat.
She sat down on the tarp, draining the water from her water-pack over her head.
They d accomplished what they d planned for the evening, but there was no way she
could call it a night and head home. She reached for her light and the metal burned her
skin.
 Ouch, she yelled, quickly pulling her fingers to her mouth.
Romair stripped his shirt off, dunked it in the water at the entrance to their world,
then pulled it out dripping wet and handed it to her.  Wrap this around your hand and
then hold it.
She nodded, fighting not to stare at his now bare chest. She wasn t sure she d ever
been so distracted by so many rippling muscles before. Wrapping his wet shirt around
the light, she picked it up again and turned it on, shining it into the darkness around
them.
 Oh hell, look. Her heart moved to her throat as she stared at the buildings that
they hadn t noticed in the darkness.
73
Lorie O Clare
Chapter Seven
Romair stared at the tall, straight structures. His heart rose to his throat and began
pounding furiously. He d hoped for a bit of excitement up here. And a pang of
disappointment had hit him when all appeared barren. But now, staring in the direction
of Shara s light, the water dripping out of his skin no longer bugged him. They had to
figure out a way to explore.
The buildings were less than a mountain s length away. In daylight, their makeshift
campsite would easily be noticed. Advertising the entrance to their world wasn t what
he had in mind.
 We need to tear down the tent before it s noticed, he told Shara, turning to grab
the pole next to him.
 You re right. She ducked when part of their makeshift roof slanted toward her.
 Somehow I want to document this before we head back to the tran-bus.
He grabbed the tent roof so it wouldn t hit her and folded it backward then worked
the poles back out of the ground.
As much as some excitement on the surface brought out the adventurer in him, he
wouldn t jeopardize South Passage. Allowing Shara to swim into danger wouldn t be
an option either.
Nonetheless, his heart thumped with excitement. It would kick ass to learn
something newsworthy about the desolate surface of Earth. It had already been proven
that life existed up here, but to document it, prove it to South Passage, would put him
down in the history books. There were worse ways to be remembered.
He reached for Shara s light, unable to touch his and not having anything else to
wrap around it. She stood slowly, pulling the light to her so he couldn t take it.
 There s got to be a way we can walk on their ground. She stared at the town and
slowly let the light travel from one building to another.
 Shara. I can t allow you to explore that place. He knew she d argue.
But damn it. She led South Passage, and he d sworn when he took on duties as First
Commander that he d protect her with his life. He planned on doing just that.
 We know this is here. She waved toward the community, looking up at him.  We
can t just swim away and ignore it.
 I wasn t suggesting we should ignore it. He fisted his hand by his side so he
wouldn t reach up and stroke her face. So much determination made her expression
glow. She was passionate in anything she did. He shook his head, looking over her
head at the backdrop of the quiet town. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and now
that he knew where to look, he could see the silhouetted outline of them without the
74
Shara s Challenge
light. Not to mention he would drown in her black eyes if he kept looking at her.  But
there s no way you and I are going to float over there.
Shara made a very unladylike snorting sound. She d relaxed with him again, her
mind obviously distracted by their discovery. He d felt her nervousness as soon as
they d finished fucking and knew it wasn t from anticipation over coming up here. He
didn t like the way she d started ignoring him, tuning him out after they d dressed.
He more than disliked it. It hurt, damn it. They d known each other forever. She
had no right to treat him like some stranger who d just serviced her and should now be
on his way.
Now for the first time since they d had sex she once again acted like herself. Again
he wished no, craved to touch her. Just the touch of her dry hair against his fingers.
He ached to smear the beads of water off her forehead, to run his hand over her soft
flesh. And he would touch her again. Damn, it better be soon.
Her uneasiness had filled the tran-bus before they left it. The fact that she had
seemed irritated after they d fucked bugged him. Especially since he couldn t wait to
take her again. For now, he d keep those thoughts, and his hands, to himself. They had
business to tend to.
 We re not floating anywhere up here in this desolate place. She scowled at the
hose to her water-pack that hung over her shoulder.  We need more water. And now
that we know what s up here, we need a plan of action.
 What we need are better supplies. He wrapped the tent back up after collapsing it
then pushed it into the small water hole. It bobbed at the entrance to their world.
Shara scanned the rest of the desolate area around them.  Yeah. We need a way to
move over this ground without setting our feet on fire.
Lights appeared from the buildings, shining in their direction. They waved in the
heat coming off the ground, heat that seemed to soak into him, making it damned hard
to breathe.
 Oh shit. Shara doused her light, turning quickly and running into him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]