He finished the last page and quickly plugged his memory stick into the device, transferring the images before deleting them and tossing the reader aside. “Jadi, let’s go!” he urged in a loud whisper.
Jadi’s fingers on the keyboard tapped even faster until he abruptly stopped, yanked the memory stick from the console and tucked it into the bodice of his dress. “Done.”
Dagan stayed close behind Jadi as they left the office, making sure not to move too fast down the stairs so no one got suspicious. His heart was racing and his gun was a heavy lump against his spine.
No one even noticed them until they were through the door and passing by the guard station.
“Hey, hold it there!”
Shit, shit, shit. Dagan stilled, turning to face the guards, who had exited the small booth. He kept Jadi behind him, a sort of calm coming over him that he recognized as the willingness to die if duty required it. It was a feeling one got used to in the military services. “That’s not the way you speak to a lady, boys.” Best offense is a good defense, after all.
Then a warm hand brushed along his arm and he began cursing inwardly as Jadi, damn him, ignored the effort to protect him and instead sashayed carelessly toward the guards. “Don’t mind him, he’s a little pissy today. What can I do for you, fellas?” His voice was all seduction and coy charm and Christ, it worked because the two jackass guards were grinning like idiots.
“We were just wanting to offer to take you out for drinks, if you had the time. We, uh, we sure could use the company of a woman like yourself.”
Dagan muttered his annoyance under his breath, drawing a peevish glare from Jadi over his shoulder before he turned back to the guards.
“I’m afraid that’s just not possible. I’m all booked up, boys. But I tell you what—I’ll send my friend here back tomorrow and we’ll make a date, you two and I, how’s that? Both of you, huh? That sounds like fun.”
Dagan could really do without the image of Jadi sandwiched between those two lugs. He might lose his breakfast. He waited impatiently as Jadi flirted for a few more seconds before finally managing to disentangle himself from the two.
“That was disgusting.” Dagan glared as they moved as fast as they could without seeming like they were hurrying.
“Well, next time you be the girl and I’ll be the Neanderthal, how about that? Jerk.”
“Brat.”
Dagan hid a smile. He was starting to really enjoy this job.
Chapter Nine
“Have I mentioned how fucking hot you look as a woman?”
Jeret grinned and glanced over his shoulder as Dagan locked up the warehouse entry behind them. “I always knew you were a pig. Put on a tight skirt and too much makeup, add a gun and suddenly I’m your type of girl.” He dropped down into the nearest chair to yank off the boots. He was pretty sure whoever had designed them was a masochist.
Dagan grabbed the chair by the arms and spun it around to face him. Jeret’s breath hitched now that he was staring directly into those nearly jet-black eyes. “Jadikira, you’ve been my type of anything since the minute I saw you in that tavern.”
Jeret’s throat went dry and he told himself to keep that statement in context. Dagan meant sexually, that was all. Not anything anything. Letting his head spin in that direction was just asking for too much trouble. He was already knee-deep in more messes than he could count. He didn’t need to add hitching his heart to Dagan Nu’aim to his list of mistakes.
He smirked, leaning a bit farther back in the chair. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” He lifted one bare foot to nudge his toes against Dagan’s crotch and the hard bulge under his pants.
Dagan groaned at the touch and reached down to curl his hand over Jeret’s foot, holding the arch against his cock. “I bet I don’t.” He leaned in to kiss him hard and possessive.
It was the possessive that got to him, the same sort of fire that he’d recognized in Dagan’s eyes in Gren’s office. He’d thought at first it was some sort of righteous anger, like how dare Gren want to touch the prince. But that wasn’t it at all. When the kiss broke and their eyes met, Dagan’s burned with possessiveness in a way that made Jeret’s stomach clench. What was wrong with him, thinking a man being a possessive ape was sexy? But on Dagan, fuck, it really was.
“I’m not yours,” he whispered, fingers burrowing into Dagan’s hair.
Dagan’s expression was amused and unconcerned. “Who are you trying to convince, Highness? Me or you?”
Before Jeret could retort, Dagan was kissing him again and had pulled him out of the chair. Instead of heading for the ship, though, Dagan must have decided the couches were closer. A minute later they were tumbling back onto one, Jeret sprawled atop Dagan’s broad chest.
God, he kissed like the fucking devil. Jeret couldn’t breathe, let alone think, which he suspected might be Dagan’s plan. If so, it was working like a charm.
There was something incredibly wicked about the way Dagan’s hands felt on his newly bare thighs, sliding under the tight, too-short hem of the dress. He felt exposed in a way he never had before, and it was an unexpected turn-on to feel so accessible. Dagan encountered no obstacles as he slid his hands higher—until he reached the snug underwear designed to keep Jeret’s bits hidden away.
Dagan broke the kiss with a grin up at him. “Does it hurt?” His fingers slipped between Jeret’s thighs to stroke over the length of his tucked cock.
“Only when you turn me on.” He reached back to bat Dagan’s hand away. “Take them off first.”
He didn’t have to tell Dagan twice, the other man’s big hands making short work of the restrictive garment. Jeret let out a grateful groan when his cock was freed. “Thank God. I have no idea how people do this on a regular basis.”
Dagan lifted his head to graze Jeret’s jaw with his teeth. “I dunno, I’m starting to see the benefits of cross-dressing.” One hand slid up to squeeze Jeret’s fake breast.
Jeret laughed and pushed up, hands braced on Dagan’s broad chest. “You know that’s just stuffing, right?”
Dagan shrugged. “So? This isn’t.” His hand slid under Jeret’s skirt and wrapped around his cock. “You did good, Highness. Played the seductress really well, maybe too well.”
Jeret’s breath hitched as Dagan sat up abruptly, strong arms around him, stroking his cock under the dress. “Too well? How so?”
“I wanted to rip Gren’s head off. And those guards ogling you pissed me the fuck off.” He bent and nuzzled Jeret’s neck, breath hot and damp, sending shivers down his spine. “They don’t have the right.”
“And you do?” he asked, head tipped back and hips rocking into Dagan’s touch.
Dagan pressed an openmouthed kiss to his shoulder. “No. I know I don’t. I know I shouldn’t lay a finger on you.” He lifted his head and met Jeret’s eyes. “But I don’t fucking care. There’s only one person who can tell me to stop, Jadi, and that’s you.”
He shuddered, arms winding around Dagan’s neck. “Don’t. Don’t stop.”
Dagan didn’t. Instead he caught the hem of the barely there dress and peeled it up and off over Jeret’s head. A second later, the stuffed bra fell victim to Dagan’s fingers and Jeret laughed as the stuffing—he’d used some foam he’d found in the warehouse—dropped out. The laughter died half a second later when Dagan claimed his mouth in a kiss that took his breath away.
His head spun with chaotic feelings and thoughts, fears he wouldn’t name and wants he couldn’t pin down. He wanted to insist again that he didn’t belong to Dagan, but if he didn’t, then why did he enjoy the possessiveness so damn much? Why did the way Dagan took control and growled the way he had back at the office thrill him? Jeret had been so fucking tempted to climb the man then and there and do something stupid like fuck on the supervisor’s desk.
His
cock throbbed and he tore his mouth away, thinking Dagan would appreciate that thought. “I wanted to fuck you in the office.” He panted, fingers rough in Dagan’s spiky hair. “What would you have done if I’d climbed you like I wanted to?”
Dagan growled—God, that was so sexy—and cupped his ass in strong hands. “I’d have bent you over Gren’s desk and you’d have had a bit of trouble walking when we left that office.”
Jeret’s stomach flipped and he let out a shaky laugh. “I wish I’d done it, then.”
“Shit, me too.” Dagan grinned and took a quick, hard kiss from Jeret’s lips. “Even if it would probably have meant getting caught. It’d have been worth it. Maybe next time.”
Jeret laughed, rocking his hips. “So next time we’re in a life-or-death situation, I should be on the lookout for you to jump me like an oversexed teenager? Good to know, thanks for the warning.”
Dagan turned him abruptly, pressed against the back of the couch on his knees. Jeret’s whole body shivered in response as Dagan pressed against his back, pinning him there. He was caged and contained and for the first time in his life the feeling didn’t terrify him. It felt safe.
“You’re welcome. It might be the only warning you get, so pay attention.”
Dagan stripped out of his clothes and there was warm, hard muscle and the scratch of body hair against him, distracting and sending ripples of need through him. “You talk too much. Christ...”
Dagan urged Jeret’s knees apart on the couch, his lips scorching against the back of Jeret’s neck. “Then by all means, let me shut the fuck up.”
Oh God, and then he did. Not another word as Dagan worshipped him with his mouth. Not another word as Dagan took complete control—and Jeret let him. Not another word as the man he’d spent his teenage years wishing for a kiss from now, years later, brought him to the very edge of mind-bending orgasm. What was that saying Cookie had mentioned once?
Be careful what you wish for. Now Jeret knew what it meant.
* * *
Dagan tucked his hands behind his head, watching Jadi hunch over the mess of scans and several different tablets running various filtering programs Jadi had, no doubt, created himself. Because the young man never trusted anyone to do what he could do himself. Hell, from what Dagan had seen, Jadi just flat-out didn’t trust anyone, with the exception of perhaps Torin, Rain and Killian.
He didn’t used to be that way, before he’d left. But then, Dagan had changed a lot since then. He supposed it only made sense that Jadi had too, even if he didn’t like it. He’d loved the young man who’d been his prince, then his charge, and finally his friend.
“Why did you leave?”
The question caught Jadi off guard, his head lifting and he brushed back his hair. “What? You mean originally?”
“Yeah. What made you decide to throw your whole life away and just start over, as someone else?”
Jadi let out a breath, his expression thoughtful. He tucked one leg up against his chest, rested his chin on his knee, then shrugged. “To be honest, it wasn’t one specific thing. I’d daydreamed about disappearing for years. I had a dozen plans for how to do it. I guess I just got tired of waiting for the right time or the guts to follow through and took the plunge that day.”
Dagan leaned forward. “I don’t really mean specifically that day. I mean, were you really that unhappy? You had it all, or at least it seemed that way.” Disagreement flooded Jadi’s expression. How had Dagan not seen that unhappiness back then? Or, even worse, had he seen it and just chosen to ignore it out of duty to his position?
Jadi didn’t answer right away. Instead he set aside what he was working on and turned to stretch out on his stomach on the bunk they shared. Dagan half expected to have his questions shunned, but instead Jadi looked open. Vulnerable, even. Dagan shifted on to his side to face him, resisting the urge to pull him close.
“It seems selfish now, childish even, but at the time it didn’t. I wanted to go places, but my father was so worried his only son, his only heir, would stupidly off himself or something. I didn’t want to be a prince, Dagan, let alone a king. I still don’t. Why do I lose my rights before I’m even born?”
“But it’s your birthright, Jadi, and a great responsibility. This is your world, your people. Don’t you feel any responsibility for them?” He didn’t believe for a second that Jadi didn’t care what happened to Hadrian or her people.
“Of course I do. But I’m no more fit to lead a planet than a random man on the street. Hell, he might be a better choice.” Jadi sat up, then raked his hands through his hair. “I’ve been all over the galaxy, and I’ve seen all sorts of planets and governments. And they all suck in one way or another. I truly believe, though, that choosing who should lead based on who they were born to is a ridiculous way to run anything. It’s the genetic lottery—and trust me, Hadrian didn’t hit the jackpot with me.”
Dagan let out an indignant sound. “And leaving it to a traitor is a better option?”
“Believe me, I’m not saying I have the answers, but I am saying one way or another I am leaving this planet and I’m not looking back. I’ll do what I can to stop this mess from going any further, but I haven’t changed my mind. I’m not going to be king.”
And that was that. Dagan could almost hear the big fat period on the end of that sentence. In the end, whether Jadi stayed or not wasn’t part of Dagan’s job, his job was solely to bring Jadi home. What happened after that was incidental.
It didn’t feel incidental though. It felt important.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology caught Dagan off guard. “For what?”
Jadi shrugged one shoulder. “For ruining your life. I didn’t...I didn’t really think about what would happen to you when I ran off. Of course you’d be stripped of your job, your title, but they exiled you.”
Dagan sighed. “Not exactly. I mean, yes, to the first two, but the last...no one made me leave Hadrian. I chose to leave.”
“But why? You love it here. You always did. And your family is here.”
Dagan’s smile was sad. “That’s true. I don’t think you understand, though, how it felt when you disappeared, Jadi.” He met the young man’s eyes, and could tell even now Jadi didn’t realize the turmoil he’d caused. Dagan smiled a little. “I’d lost you. Not just for your father or the planet, but for myself as well. It never occurred to you that losing you, never knowing what had become of you... You never thought about how that might feel for the people you left behind? For me?”
Jadi’s eyes widened. “Dagan—”
Dagan cut him off. “Every day, Jadi. I wondered where you were, if you were alive, how you were surviving. God—” he let out a rough laugh, “—you were such a spoiled brat, I couldn’t imagine how you were supposed to survive out there, on your own. I guess I didn’t need to worry, did I? You were just fine.”
“Is that why you left?”
“Partly. I couldn’t look at your father, your uncle, hell, not even my own friends or the people on the street without thinking it was my fault you were gone, maybe even dead. And it just reminded me that I’d lost you too. I missed you, Jadikira. I loved you, didn’t you know that?” And God help him, that love was starting to take on another form now. The idea scared the shit out of him, he wasn’t too proud to admit. Because Jadi intended to up and run just like last time. And it would hurt a hell of a lot more now than it had then.
“I did know. And I loved you too. I loved you, I loved my father. It had nothing to do with not caring, Dagan. But if I’d come to you, you’d have stopped me, wouldn’t you? You’d have done your duty and stopped me from leaving.”
Dagan couldn’t deny it, though part of him wanted to. But deep down he knew Jadi was right. “Yes, I would have.”
“Exactly. I couldn’t take the chance. I couldn’t say goodbye, I
couldn’t tell you where I was or that I was okay. I couldn’t, because you would have used it against me.” He sighed. “I’m not even mad, Dagan, I’m just tired. Nothing’s changed. You’re still going to do your duty and I’m still going to have to disappear. So let’s not lie to ourselves or each other, okay?”
Before Dagan could respond one of the tablets pinged and they both sat up. “What is it?” he asked as Jadi reached for the small, portable console.
The prince’s fingers flew across the screen. “Not sure. I had this one set to cross-reference our list of potential suspects against the logbooks, see if anybody’s been spending an unexpected amount of time visiting the mines. We’ve got a hit.”
Dagan held out his hand and Jadi handed him the tablet. As soon as he saw the name, Dagan stiffened. “I already told you, it’s not your uncle.”
Jadi gestured to the tablet. “Then why has he been in and out of the mines more than half a dozen times in as many months?”
Dagan didn’t have an answer for that. It was right there, Leven Adar, but Dagan couldn’t reconcile the man he knew with a traitor. “Maybe someone’s posing as him.”
Jadi gave him an incredulous look. “Because my uncle is so hard to recognize? So unknown?”
So he had a point. Still... “He’s already next in line if you’re not in the running, Jadi.”
“Which makes him a prime suspect. We know the traitor’s been trying to keep me from being found. That’d suit my uncle just fine, wouldn’t it?” Jadi snatched back the tablet. “I wonder if he’d kill me for that crown. Just goes to show, you can’t trust anyone but yourself.”
Jadi’s words stung, but Dagan would be damned if he’d show it. Jadi had trusted him once. Not enough, though, and he supposed nothing had changed.
“I’m going to go check the perimeter.”
Sky Hunter Page 10