Gail R. Delaney
Presidential Ballroom
Edward J. Holbrook Center for Areth-Earth Alliance
Washington, Northern Hemisphere Capital City
Former United States of America
Soft music, laced with subtle string melodies, echoed through the expansive ballroom as military leaders, political figures and scientific pioneers mingled with Areth dignitaries and ambassadors. Subdued conversation hummed just below the surface of the music, blending with the tinkle of crystal and china.
Doctor CJ Montgomery stood at the top of the sweeping staircase that led to the ballroom floor, taking in the crowd as a giddy excitement danced up her spine. She tightened her hold on the arm of the gentleman walking beside her. He patted her hand affectionately.
"I take it you've never attended a soiree on this grand a scale, Miss Montgomery?"
"No," she said on a breath, then blinked and turned to look at Professor Abernathy. "No, Professor." Her voice was stronger this time.
He smiled behind his full, white beard and took a step forward. CJ walked with him, the flared hem of her silk skirt whistling around her ankles as they took the stairs. "You are the next generation of Genetics Engineering geniuses, Miss Montgomery. It's high time you rub elbows with the men and women that will lead our world into a future full of promise and advancements like none we have ever imagined."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Professor Abernathy led her directly to a small crowd of people gathered together in conversation. She immediately recognized Warrick, High Commander of the Areth fleet, and her heart jumped into her throat. He was dressed in a long robe of deep brown, five gold cubes on each shoulder the only indication of his rank within the Areth Chain of Command. He needed no insignia to set himself apart; there wasn't a person on Earth who didn't know Warrick by sight. She barely heard the exchange between Professor Abernathy and the Areth leader, until the saying of her own name snapped her out of her daze.
"I consider Doctor Montgomery my prodigy, and predict her contribution to the study of Theoretical Genetics will be groundbreaking. She is a brilliant doctor."
Heat rose in her cheeks and she glanced away from the professor and Warrick… and found herself looking into the most intense brown eyes she had ever seen.
"Doctor Montgomery, allow me to introduce Colonel Tanner," said someone's voice on the edges of her perception. "Colonel Tanner is one of our honorees this evening."
Colonel Tanner towered over her, or so it seemed. CJ was five-foot-ten and had on heels and yet she still had to raise her chin to meet his gaze. He was at least six-foot-three, and the blue dress Earth Force uniform he wore accentuated broad shoulders and a trim physique. His brown hair was cut close in standard military fashion, with the slightest hint of gray at the temples. That, with his rank, told her he had to be in his late thirties at least. Slight lines bracketed his lips, which were thin and sculpted.
He extended his hand and CJ took it, his long fingers engulfing hers.
"Doctor?" he said, and his voice was like honey over gravel.
"Yes," she managed to say, her voice lost somewhere in her throat.
"I believe, Miss Montgomery, that Colonel Tanner is surprised by your age. And rightfully so. Yes, Colonel. CJ is young, but it certainly doesn't diminish her skill," Professor Abernathy said beside her.
CJ realized Colonel Tanner hadn't released her hand, and slowly withdrew it. The sense of loss that chilled her skin surprised her, and she slid her glance to him only to find him still watching her. A chill danced up her spine and the warmth that had settled into her cheeks spread down her throat, encompassing her.
The officiate for the evening made a general announcement that dinner and the presentation of awards would begin shortly. CJ followed a uniformed server to a small table with several other guests while Professor Abernathy joined his fellow honorees at a long table on one end of the room. She smiled pleasantly at the people she shared her table with, but found her gaze shifting back to Colonel Tanner. He stood back from the table, his hands tucked behind his back, as the other men and women found their seats. When everyone else had found their places, he pulled out a chair and linked his hands on the tabletop.
He was… handsome seemed inadequate. It was inappropriate for the rough edge that shrouded him. He was a gentleman and a soldier, honed and skilled, but there was something subdued about him that made her curious.
A steward walked along the front of the table, offering glasses of synthetic alcohol to the honorees, and she watched as he shook his head and nodded to the ice water the steward had in his other hand. He lifted the crystal glass to his lips, and as he sipped, his gaze met hers over the rim.
CJ sucked in a small breath, her heart pounding in her chest like a caged bird, as he slowly lowered the glass but never looked away. Someone stepped behind him and patted his shoulder, breaking the connection as he turned away. He spoke briefly to the older man in the uniform of an Earth Force General, and when the man walked away, he glanced back to her again.
CJ raised her glass of imitation merlot and wished for a real glass of alcohol to calm her rioting nerves. The awards ceremony began as a compliment of stewards brought each attendee their meal. The citrus-glazed salmon would have looked delicious at any other meal, and she would have enjoyed every bite, but her stomach flipped and fluttered like a mass of butterflies and she only managed to force down a few bites.
"Our final honoree this evening, among our military personnel, is Colonel Nicholas Tanner of Earth Force. Colonel Tanner has shown exceptional skill and unwavering loyalty to the advancement of Earth security. His abilities are envied by every young pilot who must now follow his example, and his leadership is an example to us all. Colonel Tanner…"
He stood, shifting his chair back and moving to his feet with smooth agility, adjusting his jacket with a firm tug at the hem. The other honorees had each taken the opportunity to speak for several minutes at the podium, but Colonel Tanner only took the plaque offered him and shook the hand of the presenter with a restrained smile and a nod. He returned to his chair and set his plaque beside his plate.
She couldn’t help but watch him, and scoffed her own foolishness for being awe-struck by a man she had just met. Every move he made was a practice in smooth restraint, no excess energy was wasted and nothing about him was clumsy.
The dinner ended, and the attendees moved en masse to the far side of the ballroom. A small orchestra played and several couples moved automatically to the floor. Despite her own chastising minutes before, CJ found herself scanning the crowd for a tall, handsome Colonel.
**********
Damn.
No… hot damn.
How the hell an old codger like Avril Abernathy managed to get a hot woman like that on his arm? And what the hell did she see in him?
Nick stood on the outskirts of the crowd, his jacket unbuttoned and his hands shoved into his trouser pockets, watching her through the horde of big wigs and fluff shirts milling around to name drop and play their angles. What Nick wouldn't do for a beer, but the chances of finding one around here was somewhere between slim and none.
Doctor Montgomery stood near a pristine white column, a glass of fake wine balanced in her hand. The deep blue silk of her form-fitting gown had his throat dry, and he wondered how long he'd go before he'd have to button his jacket again.
Hot Damn.
Abernathy was nowhere around, and she looked lost and uncomfortable, her eyes shifting from group to group as she swirled the wine-wannabee in the glass. As Nick watched, three men approached her and – he assumed – asked her to dance. She declined each one with a reserved smile and a shake of her head. Blonde ringlets bounced off her cheek and dangled along the side of her throat, and he wondered how much hair she hid in the tight twist she wore.
She took a sip, and he caught the slight wince when she swallowed. She didn't like the crap they passed as 'social beverages' any more than he did. Nick wondered what she'd do with a beer, and grinned. Doctor Montgomery shifted and ran her hand over the silk covering her stomach, her hand pausing just below the puckered fabric over her breasts. Her gaze shifted, and caught him watching her.
Nick expected her to look away. She didn't. She stared at him, her lips parting slightly.
Hot. Damn.
Nick broke the contact first, looking away as he rubbed his thumb across his lower lip. What the hell was he thinking and who the hell was he fooling? One, she was what… twenty-one? Twenty-two? So, she was legal but that was about it. She was in pre-school the last time Nick asked a woman to dance.
Crap. Had it really been that long?
There was a 'two' in there somewhere, but whatever it was went orbital when he glanced up to see her walking towards him. Dusky color stained her cheeks all the way down her throat to her bare shoulders. Even with the orchestra playing, he heard the soft swish of her skirt, and the sound heated his blood and sent it southward.
"Congratulations, Colonel," she said when she reached him, standing an arm's length away. "You must be very proud."
Nick winced, and bit back his true response. The award was a bunch of bull, and his 'loyalty' to the Areth-Earth alliance was a crock. "Would you like to dance?" The question was out of his mouth before he could figure out reason number three why it was a stupid idea, and was probably a hell of a lot smarter than actually commenting.
She nodded and set her glass down. Nick curled his fingers around her elbow and headed for an empty spot on the dance floor, buttoning his jacket with his other hand. The song changed and he turned to her, taking her in his arms, hoping like hell he remembered how this whole dancing thing worked.
Her hand slid into his, her other arm resting along his jacket sleeve with her fingers near his collar. She smelled of flowers and sweetness, and before his better judgment could override, Nick slid his hand up her spine until he felt bare skin above the back of her dress. Her breath hitched.
Damndamndamndamndamn.
"What does CJ stand for?"
CJ looked into the night, standing at a giant wall of glass that was so pure and clear it was almost like standing on a balcony over the city. She looked over her shoulder to see Nick standing a few feet away, his jacket unbuttoned again with his hands in his pockets as he leaned his shoulder against the wall. Her heart jumped and her skin flushed at the way he looked at her; appreciatively without leering like the sex-starved juveniles at the Academy.
"Why?" she asked with a smile.
He pushed away from the wall and strolled towards her, and with each step, her breathing shallowed and her body flushed. Nick stopped immediately behind her, so close she felt the heat of his body on her exposed skin. His buttons brushed against the silk of her dress and she couldn't fight the shiver when he barely touched the back of her shoulder with his fingertips.
"Just a question."
She smiled and turned to face him, the cold glass to her back. "Caitlin June."
One corner of his finely sculpted lips tipped up in a half-smile. "Doctor Caitlin June Montgomery."
CJ nodded. Nick's gaze shifted down as his fingers brushed across her shoulders. It was barely a touch, but a jumble of sensations rioted in her stomach anyway. Then he withdrew and pushed his hand back into his pocket, looking into her face.
"I want to see you again." His voice was rough and smooth at the same time, like black velvet on her skin.
Her breath caught and she couldn't answer. As tangible as a touch, his posture shifted… a tensing and withdrawal even before he moved.
"Yes," she managed to force through her lips.
His gaze shifted over her face, and she felt the tingle as real as a caress as he settled on her mouth. She involuntarily pulled her lower lip between her teeth, and swore she heard a soft moan rumble deep in his chest. He raised his hands and laid his palms against her cheeks, his fingers slipping into the curls around her face. CJ held her breath, wondering if he could feel the thundering pound of her heart, as he leaned in.
His lips skimmed across hers, his breath caressing her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed and she slid her hands inside his open jacket, the trapped heat of his body warming her arms. She pressed her hands to his back as he shifted closer, sandwiching her body between his heat and the cold glass window. His muscles bunched and hardened beneath her hands as he covered her mouth fully, drawing a ragged purr from her throat when his tongue slipped past her lips and slid along her own.
Nick broke the kiss first, resting his forehead against hers as their rapid breath mingled in the space between them.
"Damn," he said, his voice rough.
All CJ could manage was a nod.
Saturday, March 7, 2043
Parson’s Point, Maine
"It's so beautiful here. I don't think I've ever been anywhere so beautiful."
Nick smiled as he sat down in the chair adjacent to Caitlin's, handing her a glass of iced water. The chairs faced the lake as the sun dipped below the far tree line, and the air smelled of hickory smoke from the fire in the cabin mixed with the fresh scent of pine and earth surrounding them.
"I get up here as often as I can," he answered.
She reached her hand across the space between them, and he wrapped his fingers around hers, holding them in the space between them.
"I can understand why. Your grandfather built it?"
"Great-grandfather. It's been passed down father to son."
He expected the weight in his chest, so he wasn't surprised when it hit him. Even after eighteen years, it hit him hard every time. She curled forward out of her chair moved to slide onto his lap. Nick rested his hand on her thigh, supporting her back with his other arm and rested his head on the back of the chair to look up at her. Caitlin ran her fingers through his hair, studying him in the dimming sunlight.
"That's the second time…" she said, her voice soft.
"Second time what?"
"The second time I've seen the shadows in your eyes, like you're remembering something you don't want to. What is it?"
Nick grinned. "You think you've got me figured out after two weeks?"
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Not completely, no. But enough. You don't have to tell me, but don't think you can't, either."
Nick drew a heavy breath, rubbing his hand over her jean-clad leg from knee to hip. Even after two weeks, he still couldn't quite accept the reality that this beautiful, young, sexy, young woman wanted to waste her time with him. He had asked her to the cabin on a whim, and had to plan fast to have the place open and ready for her when she surprised him by saying yes.
He looked past her to the water, watching a soft ripple dance across the surface to break against the shore. Streaks of orange and yellow shifted with each wave. Caitlin shifted in his lap to curl against his chest with her head on his shoulder. Her breath whispered across his throat, warming his blood. Nick curled his fingers around the back of her neck beneath her long, blonde hair.
"I had a son," he finally said, the words harder to say than he expected.
"Had?"
Nick nodded. "He died when he was born. Both he and my wife."
Caitlin lifted her head, her features hard to make out in the fading light of the day. "I'm so sorry, Nicky."
He still bristled at the nickname she had conjured up for him, but somehow he found it sexier now more than anything else. As he stared at her, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw the soft lines of her profile and the glisten in her eyes.
"It was a long time ago."
She touched his mouth with her fingertips as he spoke, her touch seeking. Caitlin shifted closer and replaced her fingers with her lips, her kiss igniting a need in him he had buried for years; unwilling or unable to let them surface until her. The tempo and intent of the kiss shifted, arousal spiking through him. Her hand slipped inside the front of his shirt to rest on bare skin and he moaned against her lips.
...
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