Bianca D'Arc Read Online Free PDF Page A

it’s not always the safest place for a woman
alone. For anyone alone, for that matter.”
    “I figured that out the first night,” she
agreed. “There was a shady character shadowing me through the
transit tubes, but I managed to shake him somewhere around the
first ring. Still, I learned my lesson and started ordering
securecarts the very next day.”
    “Good thinking. And good call on that other
matter too.”
    His vague wording alerted her to the fact
that he didn’t want to talk openly about her suspicions in the bar
area. She understood. For all they knew, someone could have slid a
surveillance device in there during the past few hours. The bots
were programmed to search out and neutralize any such devices
during every cleaning cycle, but they hadn’t had a chance to make
the rounds yet tonight. Until they did, the bar wasn’t necessarily
secure.
    She nodded again, meeting his gaze while they
worked at stacking glasses. “Thanks.”
    Message received and understood.
    “Why don’t you knock off if your cart is
here? I can take care of the rest of this. There’s not much to do
anyway.” Chip stepped away, heading around the bar, encouraging her
to follow.
    “Are you sure?”
    Fine lines crinkled around his eyes when he
smiled. His was a weathered face that had spent a lot of time on
the surface of planets with strong suns. At least that was her
romantic vision of why he had faint squint lines around his
sparkling blue eyes.
    “You’ve already done more than anyone else
would have to keep this bar running. I can’t thank you enough. From
now on, you’ll draw a fair salary and I’ll pick up the tab for the
securecarts too.” He walked beside her through the maze of tables
and scurrying bots, ushering her politely to the door.
    “That’s too much.” She tried to object, but
he shook his head as he opened the front door and let her precede
him outside into the station corridor.
    “Don’t argue,” he replied gently. “It’s more
than fair and I’m glad to do it.”
    She had expected him to leave her at the
door. He could watch her enter the cart a few yards away from
there. Instead, he escorted her right to the cart station and
waited while she palmed the ident screen and the hatch clicked
open. Once she sat down inside the cart and closed the door, it
would lock shut until it delivered her to her destination. It was
one of the safest conveyances on the station. And one of the most
expensive. The only thing more costly would be an armed guard.
    Chip handed her into the cart and waited
while she buckled the harness that would keep her safe should there
be some unexpected problem on her journey across the station. The
way he watched the shoulder strap tighten between her breasts made
her breathless. His gaze shot to hers and he leaned in slowly. Was
he going to kiss her?
    Oh, dear Lady, she thought as he leaned in
close, it sure felt like he was going to kiss her. And she wanted
it bad. Really bad.
    But his hands went to her waist and tugged
the supplementary straps out from either side of the cart’s seat.
He buckled them across her lap and pulled them tight. Only then did
he move back, out of her personal space.
    Damn. She was breathing hard and all he’d
done was tuck her in like a child in a safety seat.
    “You can never be too careful,” he whispered
near her ear before he stood clear of the cart’s hatch. “We’ll talk
more in the morning, beautiful.”
    She was speechless at the intimate tone of
his voice and the fact that he’d called her beautiful. Her husband
had called her that on rare occasions and she hadn’t heard it from
any man since he’d died. It did funny things to her heart—painful,
wistful, hopeful things.
    All she could do was nod as Chip closed the
hatch and waited to hear it click locked. She could see him through
the transparent dome that could be set to opaque if the occupant
desired privacy. She held his gaze as the cart trundled away down
the wide corridor, and