Alien Revealed Read Online Free Page B

back into her room and sat down on the bed with a sigh of relief.
    She ran her finger over the tocuh seal on the pouch and quickly flipped through the contents until she found what she was looking for. Her stomach rumbled again. Gripping the plastic packet, she looked up at a small sound. Major David Brown leaned against the door frame in the entrance to her room. His muscular arms crossed over his chest, and he stared unsmiling at her, his dark blue eyes appearing black in the dim night-lights.
    Alinna sucked in a breath, her heart seeming to skip its regular beat. Startled, she blurted the first thing she could think of. “Do you have any idea how bad the food is here?”
    “Is that what you’ve got there, a little snack?” He stepped closer to the bed.
    She gripped the emergency pouch a little tighter to her body as her mind raced through the list of its contents. Exactly what had she stuffed in there the last time she’d updated the boring Confederacy-issued contents? She couldn’t remember. She set the pouch aside, pretending disinterest, and peeled the wrapper off the nutria-bar she had located before the major’s unexpected arrival. “It isn’t much, but it’s a lot better than what they served for supper.”
    Major Brown’s eyes never left hers, but as she took a bite of the dried snack, a small smile caught at the corners of his mouth. “I have to admit that the slop they serve here in the medlab is the worst I’ve ever experienced. No flavorings, and nothing to chew.”
    Alinna shivered again. Her feet were cold from the touch of the bare floors, but it was his proximity that caused her reaction. She turned, swung her legs up onto the bed and moved the emergency pouch to the bedside table on the opposite side of the room from the curious officer. He watched her every move, and she noted with interest that his eyes lingered longer on her legs than on the emergency pouch. She pulled the cover up over her feet.
    “Can I help you with something?”
    “No.” He moved closer, reached for the pitcher of water the medtech had left on the suspended bedtable. He poured her a drink and offered it to her.
    “Thank you.” She immediately took a sip, relieved at the distraction. It was clear he suspected her of something, or at the very least distrusted her. This could be a result of her cover position—her research had revealed that psychtechs were not always welcomed in the military forces.
    “Unless there is something you’d like to tell me about your real mission here.”
    Alinna choked on the water. He knows! “Excuse me?”
    Major Brown reached out for her hands, steadying the glass of water threatening to spill in her shaking grip. His skin felt cool to the touch, much cooler than Inarrii skin, and rougher, the texture mesmerizing. Tiny golden hairs caught the light on the pale skin of his forearms. His glare softened as he looked into her eyes. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, Dr. MacPherson , but something isn’t right. I can’t risk the upcoming mission when I don’t have everyone using the same playbook.” He looked deeper into her eyes, looked straight into her Lin’thal. “I don’t know what you’ve got yourself involved in, but if you’ll tell me, I’ll help you as best I can.”
    “I’m not involved in anything, but I am very tired.” She pulled away from his touch and set the glass of water down near her emergency pouch. Hardening the tone of her voice, she added a slight empathic push to her words. “I would like to rest now.”
    A muscle jumped along the major’s jaw line. A wave of resentment rolled from his psyche, but he turned away and headed for the door. She sagged back against the raised mattress of her bed in relief, until he glanced back at her. A shadow from the doorway fell across his face, but she didn’t need to see him to recognize his intent.
    “I’ll see you in the morning then, Doctor. ”
    She recognized his emotional focus. Like a wild game