Yes, he understood exactly what a black sheep was.

"I tried, but I always seemed to do things the hard way. It's like I klutzed my way through life, trying anything once, trusting everyone." She frowned. "Unfortunately, I always picked the wrong people to trust."

"Like Bob?"

Hurt flashed in her eyes. "Exactly."

"What did your family think of him?"

"They thought he was perfect for me."

Zain watched her blink rapidly under a crush of memories. "They didn't know him very well."

"No, they didn't. Look, I know I probably deserve this conversation, but suddenly blissful silence sounds like a terrific idea."

"You deserve better," Zain continued, ignoring her request.

She gave a short, cynical laugh. "You don't understand, Zain. On my world, I'm . . . ordinary. I write software for a living. I hang out online with other geeks. Even the cat gets bored with me." She looked away. "And the worst part is, I like it. I like the simple life. It's not what you have, but it keeps me centered and happy."

"Lacey, you are a beautiful, intelligent, sexy woman. There's nothing wrong with you or your lifestyle."

Her blue eyes widened, and her mouth worked a few seconds. "I'm sexy?"

She had no idea. "Incredibly. You don't need to settle for anyone. Especially some heartless, gutless, senseless bastard who didn't know how lucky he was."

Her eyebrows rose. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

"That's the only way of looking at it. Why did you finally get rid him?"

She flinched and he knew he'd hit something big. She seemed to brace herself as she spoke. "He was my development partner before he stole our application, erased my name, and sold it out from under me. When I tried to say it was my creation, he told the client I was an ex-lover who was stalking him. Then I mysteriously started losing my other clients, one by one."

"You lost more than that," Zain noted.

She nodded sadly, her spirit fading from her eyes. "I didn't realize how completely he controlled my life until the day I caught him in our bed with one of my girlfriends." She gave a little laugh. "When he realized I was standing there, he told me to wait for him in the living room until he was done."

Zain swore under his breath. He was tempted to give up on InterGlax, track down Bob, and beat the shit out of him.

"The sad part is that I did." She swallowed and Zain could almost feel her pain. "For ten minutes I sat in the other room until I finally realized what I was doing. Then I left. It was only later that I found out he'd stolen my application and most of my savings. By then, he was long gone."

"And you just let him go?"

She closed her eyes. "You have no idea how much work is involved on Earth in suing someone, Zain. Lawyers, trials, paperwork, fees. Not to mention admitting that you were stupid enough to let him do it in the first place. I'm just not up to it."

He wasn't letting her get away with that. "You fought off Bobzillas, talked to aliens, teleported to other planets, crossed a bridge that terrified you, saved my life, figured out the dome, and argued with me for four days straight without letting up. I find it hard to believe that you can't take on one cowardly Earth-man."

She stared at him in stunned silence. "It's not the same."

"Tell me why not."

Anger flickered in her eyes, bringing with it her spark. "Because none of this is real. My world-back there on Earth, that's real. That's where I have to live. I don't want to sit in a courtroom for hours, days, or weeks while Robert laughs at me for being a fool."

Zain willed himself not to smile as he dragged the fight from her. "So you can be a Warrior Programmer here but not on Earth?"

"I can do whatever the hell I want, and I don't need you telling me what's good for me," she snapped. Then she stood up. "And right now, I'm going..." She glanced around. "To the lav."

"Running again?"

She speared him with a stubborn glare. "You should know."

As Zain watched Lacey disappear into the lav, he did grin, wishing he could watch her tear Bob apart. He'd love to see that bastard suffer for all he'd taken away from her.

Then his smile faded. He never would see that though. Regardless of what happened tomorrow, he'd have to let Lacey go. She'd fight without him. That's what she needed to do.

He had a feeling that Bob was just one of many men who had tried to mold Lacey throughout her lifetime. Not one of them cared about who she really was, or the passions that flared so brightly from inside her. They'd missed her wit and her fierce spirit. They'd ignored her intelligence and her compassion. And they'd likely never been mesmerized by watching her in bed. Idiots. Wasn't there one man on Earth worthy of her?

Then the selfish part of him realized he didn't want that, either.

Only one man saw Lacey's true essence. Unfortunately, he was bound to hurt her, too. There was no way around it. Even if by some miracle they stopped InterGlax's operation, it wouldn't clear him of Crista's death. He could be a fugitive forever-not a life for a woman who deserved more than she thought possible. She needed a good mate, children, and a home, all the things that normal people shared. Zain wasn't qualified to give any of those.

He looked out the viewport at the moonrise and wondered what he could give her.

Chapter Twenty-two.

For the next twenty minutes, Lacey paced in the tiny lav. She was not running. She wasn't afraid of Robert and she didn't have to explain herself to anyone. She had goals and everything.

Her knee whacked the side of the sink and she bit back a profanity as she sat down and rubbed it. There just wasn't enough room in this stupid lav, that was the problem.

Her hand stilled on her knee. Muted images of herself reflected back from the metal walls and it occurred to her that she was hiding in a bathroom. Was this what her world had come down to? A small bit of space that she could call her own, that she could control? Where it was safe and quiet and she could protect her heart and her career and what was left of her self-confidence?

Outside that door, the worlds went on without her, whether or not she approved. People lived, loved, died. The whole damn universe was rolling along just fine. And she was holed up in a bathroom.

She blinked back the fears and listened to the silence of a non-life crisis. It was a little difficult to control her life when she wasn't part of it anymore. Playing it safe might be the smart thing to do but technically it wasn't living either.

What had she let Robert do to her? He'd made her afraid of everything. Bastard. Then she shook her head. No, it wasn't his fault. She was the one hiding. Bob was out having a ball with her money and her software while she stood by and let him. All because of fear and pride. Would it be so bad to let the world know she'd screwed up? Who would care? The rest of the universe was too busy living.

So what will it be, Lacey? Do you want to dance around the fire or sit petrified in a bathroom for the rest of your life?

Anger and resolve stole over her. Robert had humiliated her because she let him. The only thing worse than what he did to her was letting him get away with it. That was the true failure. It was time to dance. Even as she thought the words, she was filled with great sense of relief. The tantalizing promise of excitement coiled in her belly. It would be risky. She'd have to face Robert again in court and she could lose the case and even more money. It was a gamble that she didn't need to take. It was risk. She wouldn't be able to plot it on a spreadsheet or put it in a nice, neat New Year's resolution.

All her tomorrows opened before her with possibilities and the twinge of hope. If she lost, then so be it. She'd rather feel alive and lose than be dead and safe. She inhaled deeply, to feel the air in her lungs, hear the blood pump in her veins. Energy zinged her senses, suppressed for too long, restless and building by the second.

And she knew just where to use all that newfound energy. She got up, opened the door of the lav, and stepped out into the corridor. To her disappointment, the ship was empty.

"Zain requests your presence outside," Reene announced.

"Is it safe out there?" she asked, casting a quick look out the front viewport into the ominous darkness.

"All my perimeter alarms, scanners, and weapons are at fall capacity. I would also deduce that Bobzillas are not nocturnal since they have never attacked at night."

Risk, she reminded herself. Get used to it. She headed to the back. "If you say so."

"Evenin', Lacey."

She exited through the back hatch door. She stepped a few feet from the ship and stopped dead. Light breezes moved over warm sands and swirled around her legs. The distance mountain ridge framed the night sky undulating in hypnotic green waves. Wispy tendrils of green filigree blanketed the sky, gendy undulating and changing with ethereal grace. A fall, giant, reddish moon peeked above the rim of the basin, washing the harsh landscape in milky shadow. So big and so close, she nearly reached out a hand to touch it.

"I know it's not Earth, but it was the best I could do."

He stood a short distance away, silhouetted against the star-studded sky with his back to her. Then her heart stilled as she saw what he'd done. Wedged in the sand, two artificial light torches illuminated the blanket he'd spread out between them. A bin contained glasses and a bottle, and soft music was playing from somewhere nearby.

She lifted her gaze from the midnight picnic to his approaching form. Soft light warmed his dark features as he walked toward her wearing only dark pants that hugged his hips. He was bare-chested and barefooted.

"You did this for me?" she whispered when he was close enough to hear her.

A smile touched his lips. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Yes, she wanted to tell him. It was. "It's my first picnic."

His smile faded and he reached for her hand. "Then we'll make it a good one."

She let him lead her to the blanket where she settled in next to him and watched him fill two glasses. He handed one to her and lifted his.

"What do you want to drink to, Lacey?"

She said the first thing that popped into her head. "Life."

He frowned slightly. "Got a second choice? I don't know what tomorrow will bring."

"We have tonight," she said and touched her glass to his. "To rejoining the human race, Zain."

He hesitated before nodding. They drank, watching each other over their glasses. The liquid tasted full-bodied and pleasant in her mouth with a little buzz of a finish.

She lifted the glass to the light.

"Wine?"

"Something like that." Zain slid closer to her so they were both facing the moon and crossed his long legs. "I was keeping it for a special occasion."

"I'm drinking your private stock? I feel honored."

He chuckled. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather share my private stock with."

"Is that a sex joke?" she said, eyeing him.

"A Freudian one maybe." He looked at her then, his expression turning serious.

"But I didn't bring you out here to seduce you." "Oh," she replied, slightly deflated. This risk business was going to take some work. She drew in a long breath and stared into the swirling liquid.

"So you don't want to seduce me?"

He sipped his drink. "I didn't say that. I'm not an idiot. But this is your night, Lacey. Your call. Your chance to tell me what to do."

"Well, when you put it like that." She took a deep breath. Say it, Lacey. You've never been properly seduced. What are you afraid of? Risk.

"Seduce me." The words cut through the silence.

His head turned to her and she felt the heat of his gaze burn into her profile. It took all the courage she had to look at him. When she did, her breath caught at the fire there.

"What would Freud say about that?" he said.

She watched flames flicker in his eyes. "Freud was probably a lousy lover."

He set his glass down. "What about that speech? I had the distinct impression it was important."

She thought about the one she'd practiced. The one telling him that she wasn't really interested and that sex was a bad idea. But as she looked into his rugged face, she realized that it was too late. She was well past interested.

"It needs work," she said.

He nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Part of seduction is not knowing if it's going to work."

"I can play hard to get," she countered. Probably. If she really tried. She looked into his eyes. Maybe not. "Don't kiss me."

Zain gave her a sexy grin as he captured her chin with a finger while his other hand relieved her of the glass she still clutched. Her breath held as his lips skimmed hers, just barely, a soft brush caressing tender skin. Her body sighed down to her toes.

The seduction of Lacey Garrett had begun.

Warm fingers lingered over her face and neck. She closed her eyes and let her senses flow. No holding back. Firm lips nibbled ever so gently at her mouth and steamy breath stroked her cheek. No second guesses. No fears getting in the way.

"And don't touch me either," she managed.

His hands glided over her shoulders and along the sides of her rib cage before hooking under the bottom of her top. With excruciating patience, he rolled the fabric up over her breasts and arms. He tossed it aside, his eyes never leaving the skin he'd just exposed to the night air. Her belly quivered at his brazen captivation.

"Don't..." she started. His eyes met hers and she inhaled sharply. There were no words for the impact of his reverent gaze, nothing she could say to deny it. No excuse would reason away how much he wanted her.

Risk called with all its promises and dangers. There wasn't anything riskier than being seduced by the man who could take your heart and soul, but she could no more fold her hand than stop breathing. So she leaned back, braced herself with her hands and gave him the access he needed for a proper seduction. Air suspended midbreath, waiting for release as her body trembled in expectation.

The firm pads of his fingers traced a line across her collarbone down the center of her throat and his mouth followed. Her nipples hardened for him, ready for the loving they so desperately needed.

An uneven breath slipped from her lips when he obliged, flicking them with his tongue before capturing them whole. She moaned and arched her back, losing herself in Zain. Hands and mouth stroked dormant skin, awakening it. Hot breath fanned the fledging flames.

Zain leaned over her, supporting himself with one hand and using the other to trace the hollow of her back while his lips claimed her breasts. The dual ministrations split her singular concentration, dragging a shuddering breath from her lungs.