Page 7 of Derius

Derius frowned and obviously wanted to argue with her again about working on the vacation but he said nothing and left the sitting room with deliberate strides. A minute later she heard the shower go on and had to clench her thighs and fight hard to suppress the memories of what they’d done in the shower at the hotel three years ago. Derius was by far the best lover she’d ever had, their bodies fitting together seamlessly, lifting each other higher and higher on waves of pleasure.

“Oh for space sake.” Annoyed with herself, she snapped the device shut, rose and walked onto the balcony to stare across the vast ocean and try to regain her calm.

When it was time to go downstairs for the special dinner, Leonie had changed clothes and put her hair up in a simple arrangement which framed her face and accentuated her eyes. Derius did a doubletake when she walked into the room.

“You look stunning,” he said.

“Thanks. I’ll come to dinner since the fish are special but then I’m coming up here to read,” she said, drawing a firm line.

“That’s more than I expected, so thanks.”

“If room service would deliver my portion of the dinner to me here, I wouldn’t go,” she said, hating the way she sounded a bit childish and whiny. This wasn’t her. “This resort may be the height of luxury but the concierge said that wasn’t possible. I thought anything was supposed to be possible here, if you had enough credits.”

“You asked?” he said in astonishment as they proceeded to the gravlift.

“I told you, I’m not here to spend time reliving old mistakes.” She made her voice cold.

Derius was silent as the couple went to the dining room and found his friends. To her chagrin, Leonie found herself tongue tied and hated the way the others were watching them uncomfortably as the meal progressed. There might as well have been a visible wall between the two of them, as obviously as they were ignoring each other. The chef had done a superb job with the various types of fish and had cooked them in different ways. He came out at the end of the meal as an elaborate flaming dessert was served and accepted compliments for his efforts.

“It was a pleasure,” he assured them. “I don’t often get the chance to work with fresh petravane because as a certified game fish the species is so hard to catch.”

Derius stood up and made a comical bow. “You can all thank me now.”

Amid the laughter, Leonie rose. “Thanks for dinner but I’ve got to be going now. I hope you all have a great time tonight.”

There were a few perfunctory murmurs from the others but she knew by now they’d accepted she was going to be a bitch to their friend and had pretty much given up trying to entice her to have fun with them. It’s better if I don’t ruin their evening, she told herself as she made her way to the suite and changed into a pair of silk pajamas with tiny flowers on them.

Leonie tried to get interested in her book but found herself staring off into space instead. She slammed the book shut. “This is getting me nowhere,” she said. “I wish Delain had let me leave.” But would departing so fast have been better or would she have continued to wonder whether she and Derius could repair what they’d had? Or what she’d thought they had until she woke up alone in the cold bed. What Nikko had said earlier in the day about Derius’s injuries and all the time in the military hospital came back to her. He couldn’t have even tried to find her to apologize then, which it certainly sounded like he’d wanted to do.

She called the concierge desk. “There’s a dress I wanted to buy earlier today and didn’t and now I need it. Can you get the shop to charge it to my room and send it over?”

The rep on the other end assured her it was possible and Leonie gave her all the details. While she was waiting for the dress to be delivered, Leonie freshened her makeup and redid her hair. Within the hour there was a knock at the door and a robo bellhop handed over the red-and-white striped bag from the trendy store. Taking it to her room, Leonie was delighted to find the correct dress, in the right size. She put on a set of sexy black lingerie, paused to admire the effect with a suddenly dry mouth from nerves and slid the dress over her head and down her body. The effect in the mirror was stunning, she had to admit. The sparkles in the fabric caught the eye as she moved and the cut of the design drew attention to her curves. More generous than the popular norms, as set by trideo stars, famous Socialites and other celebrities, but Leonie was comfortable in her own skin and owned her sexuality. If you’ve got them flaunt them, was her motto.

She had a pair of heels which accented the outfit perfectly and were comfortable. Gathering up a lacy shawl because she’d found the evening breezes off the ocean here at the resort could get chilly, she added a tiny clutch purse with her handheld and the card to access her New Switzerland credits account, took a deep breath and sallied forth.

The desk clerk was able to tell her which club Derius’s group had chosen for the evening since Kath and Nikko had asked her for recommendations earlier.

The closer she got to the place in question, the more the butterflies in her stomach fluttered and she had a panicky urge to turn and flee to the hotel. But he already hurt me once and I survived so what’s the worst that can happen? My eyes are open tonight and I’m on guard. The pounding music from the club ahead enticed her to dance and she put a little sway into her steps as she approached the line to get inside.

“I’m with Nikko’s party,” she said to the bouncer at the door. “They’re expecting me.” Kath had told her Nikko was probably the highest ranking Ardannan at the resort right now and that he was a cousin of the king. Ardanna sent a member of the royal family with each large group from their planet and Nikko had been the one chosen this time. Leonie had heard him laughingly deflect any attempt to treat him with royal etiquette but the fact of his rank remained.

The bouncer eyed her for a minute but then nodded and opened the red velvet rope to allow her to slip past the line. “They arrived about an hour ago. The duke said someone else might be joining them.”

“Thanks.” She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and stepped inside the foyer.

Chapter Four

Derius toyed with his drink. The temptation to get so drunk he’d forget how badly he’d screwed things up with an amazing woman was strong but he resisted. It might ease his memories and frustration tonight but in the morning they’d all come rushing back. Headclear could take away the hangover but nothing could change the past. His friends came and went from the table, going to the dance floor and the karaoke stage. Kath and Nikko belted out a duet which was surprisingly good. Derius refused their urging to give it a go himself. The others tried to include him in the general conversation, which he appreciated but this was their date night and it wasn’t anyone’s job to cheer him up. Besides, several of his buddies and their dates had gotten pretty intense over the last few days and didn’t really have attention to spare for their dateless friend.

Braden was a no show yet again. If he’d joined the group at least the two dateless men could have drowned their sorrows together.

Since this part of the resort was devoted exclusively to the Ardannans, every woman here was paired up and even if Derius had wanted to find other companionship there wasn’t any available. The IDA employees were friendly but not available for anything more than the required customer service in each venue. No distracting the guests from each other.

He should go back to the hotel instead of being a drag on the fun evening the others were having. Leonie was undoubtedly working on that damn proposal again but maybe he could get her to talk to him. He didn’t want to leave Resort Planet without being allowed to explain and apologize even if she wouldn’t accept anything else from him. He hoped he was wearing her down enough to let him clear the air.

Having reached a decision, he finished the feelgood in a long swallow, set the glass down with a clink and swiveled in his chair. As he got to his feet, he stared in disbelief. A vision in a black dress was walking briskly toward him, cutting through the dancers with ease, even though her eyes were fixed on him.

“Leonie?”