kitchen. She'd found a shirt of his. It hung down to her knees. Bruised lips, mussed hair, hell she looked damn good. A man should always wake up to a sight like that.
Jase cleared this throat. "I got some food ready. Plates are in the cabinet behind you." Please don't let her be the perky, chatty, morning type.
She nodded and got out the dishes. Food on the table, they both sat and dug in. She took about one bite for every three of his but as long as she ate he figured it was good. He'd heard girls ate less anyways.
For several minutes he relaxed and enjoyed the whole set up. Halfway decent food, steady veins in the mine, a good night's sleep, lots of great sex and more to come. He'd never had so much. Hell, he should have ordered the matchmaking service months ago.
Of course, this one wouldn't stay. Little Princess didn't expect to end up with a roughneck like him. Still he had her for the month. Don't spoil things now thinking about later.
She finally cleared her throat. "Why are you here?"
"What?"
"Why are you here mining by yourself?"
He shrugged. "Well, with the droids and the equipment, you don't need more than one person to run things. UFXP fronts the equipment and all the supplies and you pay them back out of your share of the profits on the crystals. The split on the crystals is sixty - forty. So it takes a while to pay off all the loans. But if you can stick it out seven years, you'll end up filthy rich. Enough to buy an estate on any planet you want, make investments, whatever."
"Do most miners stick it out the full seven years?"
"No, most don't. Can't take the isolation, I guess. I figure I'll make it. I'm used to being on my own."
He looked her over as she tugged on a loose curl.
"That's why the UFXP started up this match-making deal. Too many miners were quitting. What I’ve heard through the spacenet chatter, most all the women who've signed up are whores looking to 'retire'."
He took the curl she'd been playing with and wrapped around his own finger.
"You're no whore."
"No." Danae didn't look at him. Just ran her tongue over her bruised lips.
His chuckle rumbled out of his chest. "You're the first woman I've ever had who wasn't. So why are YOU here?"
She ducked her head down. "It's complicated."
"I'll bet. You on the run?"
She didn't answer, just hunched her shoulders.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, this is a good place to hide, as long as you weren't dumb enough to use your real id."
"I got some fake id. It took all the money I had. The only way I could get off planet in a hurry was to either sign up for a brothel ship or with the match-makers."
"You made a good choice. You wouldn't have lasted a week on a brothel ship. Don't worry, you can always get on the supply ship when it comes around next month. Tell them you'd like to try someone else. With your looks, they'll probably send you to half a dozen men before they give up on you. That'll give you time for your trail to cool off - and to think of something else."
He noticed she didn't argue with him about leaving. Well he already knew she'd go. Jase stood and give himself a good stretch. "I'm off."
"Do you want me to help?"
"Hell no, you'd just get hurt." It suddenly dawned on him he had no idea how she could pass the time while he was working.
"Look, you can play around on the computer all you like, as long as you don't break the damn thing. There's nothing outside but dirt and rocks. So if you want to take a walk it's safe enough. But take some water and a locater so you don't get lost."
He tossed a spare locater on the table. "Here you go. I'll be back when it gets dark. Make sure you're back inside by then." Jase headed for the door.
"You didn't ask why I'm running."
"I figure maybe you did some minor shit and pissed off someone important. Or maybe somebody framed you for something big. I do know you didn't kill anybody. So it don't make no difference to me."
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"
He
Jase cleared this throat. "I got some food ready. Plates are in the cabinet behind you." Please don't let her be the perky, chatty, morning type.
She nodded and got out the dishes. Food on the table, they both sat and dug in. She took about one bite for every three of his but as long as she ate he figured it was good. He'd heard girls ate less anyways.
For several minutes he relaxed and enjoyed the whole set up. Halfway decent food, steady veins in the mine, a good night's sleep, lots of great sex and more to come. He'd never had so much. Hell, he should have ordered the matchmaking service months ago.
Of course, this one wouldn't stay. Little Princess didn't expect to end up with a roughneck like him. Still he had her for the month. Don't spoil things now thinking about later.
She finally cleared her throat. "Why are you here?"
"What?"
"Why are you here mining by yourself?"
He shrugged. "Well, with the droids and the equipment, you don't need more than one person to run things. UFXP fronts the equipment and all the supplies and you pay them back out of your share of the profits on the crystals. The split on the crystals is sixty - forty. So it takes a while to pay off all the loans. But if you can stick it out seven years, you'll end up filthy rich. Enough to buy an estate on any planet you want, make investments, whatever."
"Do most miners stick it out the full seven years?"
"No, most don't. Can't take the isolation, I guess. I figure I'll make it. I'm used to being on my own."
He looked her over as she tugged on a loose curl.
"That's why the UFXP started up this match-making deal. Too many miners were quitting. What I’ve heard through the spacenet chatter, most all the women who've signed up are whores looking to 'retire'."
He took the curl she'd been playing with and wrapped around his own finger.
"You're no whore."
"No." Danae didn't look at him. Just ran her tongue over her bruised lips.
His chuckle rumbled out of his chest. "You're the first woman I've ever had who wasn't. So why are YOU here?"
She ducked her head down. "It's complicated."
"I'll bet. You on the run?"
She didn't answer, just hunched her shoulders.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, this is a good place to hide, as long as you weren't dumb enough to use your real id."
"I got some fake id. It took all the money I had. The only way I could get off planet in a hurry was to either sign up for a brothel ship or with the match-makers."
"You made a good choice. You wouldn't have lasted a week on a brothel ship. Don't worry, you can always get on the supply ship when it comes around next month. Tell them you'd like to try someone else. With your looks, they'll probably send you to half a dozen men before they give up on you. That'll give you time for your trail to cool off - and to think of something else."
He noticed she didn't argue with him about leaving. Well he already knew she'd go. Jase stood and give himself a good stretch. "I'm off."
"Do you want me to help?"
"Hell no, you'd just get hurt." It suddenly dawned on him he had no idea how she could pass the time while he was working.
"Look, you can play around on the computer all you like, as long as you don't break the damn thing. There's nothing outside but dirt and rocks. So if you want to take a walk it's safe enough. But take some water and a locater so you don't get lost."
He tossed a spare locater on the table. "Here you go. I'll be back when it gets dark. Make sure you're back inside by then." Jase headed for the door.
"You didn't ask why I'm running."
"I figure maybe you did some minor shit and pissed off someone important. Or maybe somebody framed you for something big. I do know you didn't kill anybody. So it don't make no difference to me."
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"
He
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