Finding the Jewel Read online

  “You’re very welcome,” he wrote at last, on the tablet. “It is my pleasure to serve you, Chloe.”

  Chloe felt like her heart was melting in her chest. Those words and the way he was looking at her…

  Stop it, she chided herself. He’s just being a nice guy. Reign it in, Chloe. Keep it together, girl!

  “I…” She cleared her throat and licked suddenly dry lips. “I just wish there was some way I could…could repay you. I wish I could have helped you find the jewel you were looking for.”

  He hesitated for a moment and to Chloe it looked like he was debating with himself. Then he bent to the tablet and wrote again.

  “There may still be a way to get the jewel. I thought it was in the Commercians’ space station but there is one other place it might be. Another place where there’s a door between worlds—a dimensional rift. It’s called the Resort of Resonant Oneness, and it’s located on Fet’lkk Three.”

  “Really? That’s awesome!” Chloe exclaimed. “You should go there—don’t give up on your dream.”

  Tark frowned. “I don’t want to give up but there’s a problem,” he wrote. He hesitated then for so long that Chloe wondered if he was ever going to go on. Finally, he wrote again. “It’s a couple’s resort.”

  “You mean like…a marriage retreat?” she asked, frowning and eating another Thin Mint. “Like unhappy people go there to work on their relationships?”

  Tark nodded.

  “Exactly. Single males are not welcome without a partner.”

  “Oh, I get it—you need someone to go with you to get in.” Chloe nodded. “So…” She hesitated. “Would you like me to come with you? Pretend to be your wife or girlfriend or, uh, whatever?”

  She could feel her cheeks heating again as she asked. They would certainly look like a mismatched pair to any outside observer—her with her pink hair and plus-sized frame and Tark with his lean, muscular build and gorgeous golden eyes. He looked like a male model and she…well, she didn’t look like a model.

  She had a pretty face but there was no way she could keep up with him in the fitness and all-around hotness department. As much as she owned her curves, Chloe had to admit he was way out of her league. Hell, they weren’t even in the same ballpark.

  But when she looked up, the big Kindred was nodding eagerly.

  “Would you?” he wrote on the tablet. “I know it’s a lot to ask and I wouldn’t ask it if there was any danger. But it’s just a resort for troubled lovers. If I could just get in long enough to look for the jewel…”

  “Of course I’ll help you,” Chloe exclaimed. “After you rescued me from a fate worse than death? I owe you! If it wasn’t for you I’d probably be being probed by tentacles right now—everywhere.” She shivered, remembering the awful Globber.

  A low growl rose in Tark’s throat and at first she thought she’d made him mad. But then he wrote rapidly on the tablet.

  “Fucking Slimerian bastard. He’ll never touch you—I swear it!”

  “Well, thank you…” Chloe breathed, putting a hand to her heart. She couldn’t help the way it pounded when she remembered the possessive light in his golden eyes when he’d kept the slimy tentacle from touching her and growled, “Mine” at the awful Globber.

  Of course, it was a moot point since she was pretty sure the Slimerian was dead—she’d seen Tark shoot a hole right through him after all. But it still gave her a thrill to see that protective look on the big Kindred’s face and know it was directed at her.

  She cleared her throat, trying to still the fluttering of her heart and get back on topic.

  “So, how far away is this, uh, resort anyway?”

  “Very close,” he wrote. “Only one wormhole away.”

  “Uh, one wormhole?” Chloe frowned. “You go through wormholes? Is that safe?”

  Tark nodded and then appeared to consider.

  “Unless you are pregnant,” he wrote and then raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Pregnant?” Chloe couldn’t help laughing. “Please! I haven’t even had a date in over a year. So unless it’s an immaculate conception—”

  She caught herself, realized she was saying too much. Well, blame it on the chocolate high. Looking down, she realized she had somehow finished half of the first sleeve of Thin Mints. Better save some for later. Regretfully, she closed them and looked back at Tark.

  “Sorry, kind of an overshare there. I didn’t mean…I mean, I just…there’s no way I’m pregnant. That’s all.”

  He was staring at her intently. After a moment, he wrote, “So you have no mate? No male in your life?”

  “Oh. Uh—no.” Chloe found herself blushing again for some reason. “No, I don’t. Just can’t…” She ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. “Just can’t seem to find Mr. Right—you know?”

  He nodded. “I have no female either. It’s a good thing since we are going to the Resort of Resonant Oneness together.”

  “Can’t wait.” Chloe smiled at him. “Hey, do you want any more of these before I put them away?” She nodded to the cookies but Tark shook his head.

  “For you,” he wrote. “I like to watch you eat them more than I like eating them myself.”

  Chloe wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “Well…thank you.” She smiled at him tentatively. “That’s very sweet of you. And thank you for getting them for me. You know, I tried to break into that damn pantry myself with a meat mallet but it just bounced right off. And you took it down in one punch.” She shook her head. “Amazing.”

  Tark grinned at her and flexed one bicep jokingly, making her grin back. But holy crap, even though he was just kidding around, his muscles were huge, Chloe couldn’t help noticing. She had to restrain herself from reaching out to touch his bicep to feel how rock-hard it was. God, why did she have so much trouble keeping her hands to herself around him?

  “Well…” She got up from the table, forcing herself to put distance between them. “Since you cooked, I’ll clean up. Okay?”

  He nodded. “I need to plot a course for the Resort.”

  “Great.” Chloe hesitated. “There’s, uh, just one problem.” She bit her lip as he looked at her expectantly, one eyebrow raised. “I don’t really have anything to wear,” she pointed out. “I mean, unless you don’t mind letting me wear more of your shirts as dresses, that is.” She nodded down at herself, clad in his thin white shirt.

  Tark’s golden eyes scanned over her rapidly and she almost wished she hadn’t brought attention to the problem. Her nipples were suddenly harder than ever and poking out from beneath the thin material. It was embarrassing to have him looking at her but at the same time, having that intense gaze on her made her heart beat faster and her breath come short. Embarrassing but intriguing too, she decided.

  Finally, he stopped looking at her and wrote.

  “Don’t worry—I did some research. They give the pilgrims that come to their resort robes to wear.”

  “Pilgrims, huh? Oh—okay.”

  Chloe imagined herself swathed in a shapeless white sheet and breathed a sigh of relief. After days of wearing too-tight, too-skimpy clothes which were supposed to motivate her to lose weight, she would finally be able to relax! It would probably be like going around in her bathrobe all day. That would be nice.

  “Sounds good,” she said to Tark. “Then I guess we’d better get going.”

  He nodded. “Thank you again. And I swear that once we have the jewel, I will return you to your home planet of Earth.”

  “Oh…” for some reason all the warm fuzzy feelings Chloe had been having suddenly deserted her. He wanted to take her home—he already had it all planned out.

  Of course he’s promising to take you home—he’s a nice guy! she scolded herself. But still, she couldn’t help feeling a little let down. Oh well, at least it proved once and for all that Tark wasn’t interested in her—that he only needed her to help him get his jewel and then this would be all over.

  “Thank you,”