His knees weakened, but he remembered to keep his weight off of her even as he gathered her close. She felt so small and delicate in his arms, but she had met him with every stroke.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly as he raised his head to look at her.
“Of course. That was perfect.”
Even behind the mask, he could tell she was smiling. Her eyes were suspiciously bright, but she wasn’t crying.
“No tears?”
“No tears. No regrets. Remember that, John.”
There was an unsettling finality in her words, but he refused to acknowledge it. He reluctantly pulled free, and she sat up. She stretched lazily, the picture of feminine satisfaction, but he saw the minute her face turned serious.
“We don’t have to investigate,” he reminded her. “We can call the rangers.”
“No. I have to know what they’re doing.”
Why? The unspoken question hung in the air between them but he would wait until she realized it was safe to tell him the truth. Instead, she turned away and began pulling on her suit. By the time she was dressed, his Serena had vanished, replaced by the cool, poised woman he had seen across a landing field. But the sorrow in her eyes had also returned, and he bit back his instinctive desire to protest the change. Instead, he swept an elaborate bow.
“Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
A smile flashed across her face. “Thank you, kind sir.”
As he helped her into the rover, he couldn’t help the feeling of dread that swept over him.
Chapter Fourteen
Serena’s body hummed with satisfaction as the rover trundled around the base of the mountain, the pleasant ache between her legs a constant reminder of their encounter. Not that she needed it. She didn’t think she would ever forget a single minute. The memory of his face watching her as he entered her with exquisite slowness was burned into her brain. Nor would she ever regret it. But she had to put it behind her, even though part of her was urging her to abandon her quest and give in to the temptation he presented.
No. It wouldn’t last. But a child would be hers forever.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear his question the first time.
“Do you see that?” he repeated.
“What?”
“There.”
She followed the line of his finger but only saw a faint glint in the sand. A long, straight glint, she realized. “Something man made?”
“Yes. A track of some kind.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There was one at the settlement I discovered as well. I think they’re using some type of train to bring in supplies.”
“Supplies from where?”
“If you’re trying to conceal a settlement, you wouldn’t want to land a ship there. But if you had a central landing area…”
“You could transport goods away from the obvious location.” She sighed. “We’ll see what we can find out at the lab. If necessary, we can investigate for ourselves.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Of what? Investigating?”
“We.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Why did he have to sound so pleased by the idea of the two of them together. It wouldn’t last between them—it couldn’t last.
“John…”
“Yes?”
How could such a hard face look so anxious? She shook her head and leaned into him. “Never mind.”
He drove the rover around another outcropping and brought it to a halt in front of a wall of rock. She suppressed the impulse to roll her eyes. GenCon’s desire to hide their activities in the rock was all too predictable.
“What now?” John asked.
He had driven the rover to this point without any additional questions, but it hadn’t been the usual comfortable silence between them.
“Do you think Winston is all right?”
He had told the horse to follow them but remain out of sight, and there was no sign of him now. John ran his fingers over his arm, then nodded. “Yes. He’s in the rocks behind us.”
“Then let’s give this a try. I have an override code. It should work for all GenCon facilities.”
He nodded quietly, then pulled on a breathing mask before helping her down from the rover. He was playing the part of her human bodyguard, although she didn’t see how anyone could look at him and not know that he was more than human. Her gaze drifted admiringly over his big body before she brought her attention back to the matter at hand. The control panel was located in the identical position as the one to the hidden city near New Arcadia, and she found it easily. As she punched in the override, she found herself holding her breath. For a long, silent moment, nothing happened, then she heard the distant scrape of rock and the wall moved to one side.
Straightening her shoulders, she strode confidently into the tunnel.
Unlike the entrance to the hidden city, this tunnel led not to a vast cavern but a small atrium with more tunnels leading away on all sides. Before she could decide which one to take, a tall man in a white coat with the stooped shoulders of a scientist came hurrying towards them.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
John immediately stepped forward, but the man paid no attention to him, his eyes fixed on her face instead. “Ms. Gatling! I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
“Making an inspection, of course,” she said coolly. “And you are?”
“Dr. Renfrey. But we weren’t expecting you.”
“Is that a problem?” She looked down her nose at him. “Surely you are prepared?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” He didn’t sound as confident as his words, and she watched him twist his hands together nervously. “But, um, I just need to check on a few things. You must have had a long trip. Perhaps you would prefer to rest first…”
She let him sweat for a moment, then inclined her head. “Very well. I assume the Director’s Suite is available?”
It was a calculated guess, but all GenCon facilities that she was aware of were outfitted with quarters for visiting officials.
“Yes, yes,” he repeated, a little more confidently
