Reckless Bounty (Intergalactic Justice Book 1)

by Marly Mathews

  “I understand that perfectly,” Red said, backing away from her, toward the spread of food that was laid out on a circular table in front of the four-poster king sized bed. “And because of this pre-conceived knowledge, I had my people clear The Excalibur for leaving The Emerald Star. I don’t feel like playing big brother anymore. It’s just not my style.”

  Samantha’s chest heaved up and down, and she didn’t miss his eyes trail down to her cleavage. She ground her teeth together and clenched her hands into fists. He was very close to getting a knuckle sandwich.

  “You set this all up on purpose! Why, you’re even worse than Devlin,” she accused. “I want you to swear to me that The Excalibur is in no imminent danger!”

  “At the moment, The Excalibur is quite safe. I assure you, I would not smear our relationship by doing something so backhanded as to hurt the ones that you care so deeply about. That my dear, is not in my nature,” Red murmured, pulling a chair out and gesturing for her to come over and sit herself in it.

  “In a minute, I’m going to show you what my true nature is. And let me tell you, you won’t like it one bit.” She braced herself and stared crossly over at him. “Now you expect to wine and dine me,” she assumed. “Oh, you’re a riot and a half. You have no idea who you are dealing with.”

  Samantha licked her lips at the tantalizing aroma that wafted over to her. “You are playing with my kind of fire, and you don’t want it to burn you.” Despite her better intentions, amethyst mist started to roll through the air. His eyes followed the smoke.

  He cleared his throat. “Perhaps, we should try to calm your nerves. I wouldn’t want you to do something you would later regret. Your hotheadedness under normal circumstances can’t be a good combination when mixed with those combustive abilities of yours.”

  “How do you know about my dark little secret? I suppose that Devlin told you,” she surmised.

  “On the contrary. I would have to be an idiot to not connect the dots, Samantha. You are a revered bounty hunter known for pulling off inconceivable feats of wonder.

  No ordinary human, let alone a female could withstand some of the rigorous hardships you’ve endured while on the hunt.”

  “I will ignore your female comment,” she whispered, her blood pressure rising. “Just keep what you think you know to yourself or I will throw caution to the wind and let my abilities do their worst to you.

  If I accidentally blew myself up taking you out, it would be worth it to secure your silence.”

  “You truly are a wonder. My lips are sealed… but heed my warning, if I know about your extraordinary talents, there are others who do as well. Besides, you have not really shoved Charlotte into a sealed closet have you?

  Anyone would be able to find out what she does easily enough. Since the two of you are identical twins, coming to the conclusion that you would share her talents isn’t that far of a stretch.”

  “She’s more talented than I am.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, Samantha, if it helps you sleep at night,” he sighed. “Now, could we please change our topic of conversation? I am finding our current subject, abhorrently tedious.”

  “You just sounded like Devlin, you know that?” she groaned. “What’s on those platters, there? I can’t say I don’t welcome the sight of food…”

  “Roasted chicken, rice, and vegetables,” The Red Falcon said enticingly.

  She groaned as if in agony, when she heard her stomach let out a desperate roar of hunger.

  Samantha walked toward the table, pulled out her own chair, and plunked her weary butt down onto it. She picked up her knife and fork, and waited until he had seated himself.

  “I trust that Tyler is being treated in a similar manner,” she concluded, spearing her tender chicken.

  “Certainly, though I do not think he was provided with the romantic ambiance or the scented candles.”

  This is just like something that Devlin would arrange for them. She chewed her large mouthful of food and let her eyes roam freely around the large quarters. She swallowed and rested her gaze on the Red Falcon.

  “I don’t suppose your blasted ship is equipped with showering facilities that have real water?” Samantha asked, feeling her breath lodge in her throat.

  “But, of course. I have only the best on my ships. I’m a pirate with a sense of distinction, you know,” Red replied, smiling as a radiant grin spread across her face.

  “Hot water,” she repeated, gingerly placing a foreign looking vegetable into her mouth.

  Man, she’d just died and gone to Heaven! The Excalibur’s sonic showers paled in comparison. It was much cheaper, and hell, it never ran out.

  “Yes.”

  She sighed again and nearly melted right in front of him. They spent the rest of the meal enjoying idle chitchat, as her mind kept wandering back to Devlin.

  How much did he hate her? Would he want to pick right up where they’d left off?

  She placed her questions aside and perused the Red Falcon with as much impatience as she had ever experienced. She wanted him out of her room so that she could strip down to nothing, and jump into the shower that seemed to beckon to her.

  She felt grubby, and she couldn’t wait to scrub all of the dirt off of her. From what she had been through that day, she wouldn’t be surprised if the grime had worked its way into her pores.

  But the Red Falcon still sat there looking supremely satisfied, and then she wrinkled her nose, when she remembered the grand bed that was thrust up against the furthest wall.

  Well, if he thought that they were going to enjoy a tumble in it, then he needed something long and sharp thrust up his backside. ‘Course she could always throw him on it, and then knock him out. She prepared herself for the worst, when he suddenly stood up and moved toward the bed.

  “Don’t get any disgusting ideas. Remember I just ate. You don’t want me to lose my cookies,” Samantha warned, jumping to her feet.

  Of course, being with a man like him wouldn’t disgust her as she felt quite certain he would be a good lover but she had to ditch him somehow!

  He smiled slowly down at her.

  “Do not fret, dearest Samantha. I told you that we only needed to keep up appearances. I have spent a sufficient amount of time with you. Devlin only needs to think that I have shagged you. He doesn’t need to know the details, nor does Devlin expect me to stay with you all night.

  After all, he and Lady Devlin didn’t even share the same room—his torch for you still burns brightly. How do you think I was able to get Tyler to seduce her so easily so he could gain the information that I sought?”

  She stared up at him wordlessly. He swiftly moved forward and tilted her chin up so she stared straight into his eyes.

  They reminded her of sapphires and they were almost the same shade as Devlin’s. Her wet mouth suddenly went inexplicably dry. Her hands started to glow. She clasped them tightly in her lap, praying he hadn’t seen that. She had to control herself.

  Jordan pressed his lips against her closed mouth, and then pulled away from her almost immediately.

  “Though I would have desired a much different reaction from you, I know when I am defeated.” With that he removed his hands from her.

  “What do you mean?” she asked. She considered his body language and decided that he was quite hot to trot for her.

  “Most women would be wet and willing by now, and they’d be melting in my arms. Yet here you stand unaffected by me. Which only means one thing,” Jordan said, standing just out of range of the door’s sensors.

  She still remained in the same place. Intrigued, she asked the question that he had baited with his announcement.

  “What does it mean?”

  His eyes lost all of their glitter and he looked as if he’d just lost his best friend.

  “It means you’re terribly in love with Devlin, and that you will never have enough room in your heart for anyone but him. The loss is mine, I assure you.”

  He moved in
to the doors sensors, and the door whooshed open. He glided out of the room, and for a split second Samantha wasn’t sure if she wanted him to go.

  Well, if Jordan were so sure of her heart’s affections for Devlin than why couldn’t she just come to terms with it?

  Samantha quickly undressed, and she allowed herself to focus her thoughts on the mystery at hand. She reached into the shower and activated the strong flow of hot water. She sighed with contentment and stepped into the pulsing shower.

  The water streamed across her back as she washed her hair. She thought back to the day and snorted realizing it had been the longest day in her whole life.

  She had faced everything, and yet here she stood with only a few scratches on the outside, and a whole lot more on the inside. She began humming, continuing her luxurious shower.

  Thick moist steam rose up around her.

  Oh, God she was in Heaven!

  Water trickled into the valley between her breasts, and she stopped humming, when a skittering noise caught her attention.

  On guard, she quickly turned around when she felt a presence behind her. She flung the door to the shower open, nearly hitting the man that stood naked in front of her. Samantha furrowed her brow, staring at him. She stood proudly in front of him, and didn’t mind one bit that he could see everything that she owned.

  He opened his arms, and she fell into them. They stumbled back into the running shower and slammed the door behind them.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he said between their hungry kisses. She didn’t want to talk, she only wanted to take advantage of the time they had together. “I knew you couldn’t be with Danny.”

  She sighed, relishing the feeling of being in his arms again. The hot water sprayed over both of them, wetting his dark hair. His blue eyes were filled with crackling passion.

  “I have longed to be back in your arms,” she said breathlessly.

  “Then, why didn’t you return to me? You only had to show up on my doorstep and we could have gone on as if nothing had ever happened between us. You know that.”

  “No more talk, Gabriel. Let’s just take the time we’ve been given.”

  They mashed their lips against each other again, kissing in a wildly passionate way. Her life with Tyler had never been like this they had lacked the soul shattering passion that she and Devlin shared.

  He lifted her so she was slammed back against the marble of the shower wall, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he drove into her. She sighed against his lips. Everything felt the way it was supposed to feel with him. They fit together like they’d been made for each other and he gave her pleasure that Tyler never could.

  He kissed her neck and she knew it would leave a mark on her but she didn’t care…she only cared for Devlin. He was her one weakness and no matter how much she wanted him—she had to deny it. She had to keep him safe and safe meant not being a part of her life.

  “I love you, Gabriel,” she murmured, as the pushed her toward her release.

  “And I adore you, Samantha. I love you more than life itself.”

  She clung to him, and hoped he would think the tears that ran down her cheeks was the water from the showerhead.

  He was her heart and every time she had to leave him, it was like ripping her own heart out. They had tonight and she would take full advantage of the time they’d been given.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Samantha woke up, stretching languidly out in the bed. She let out a sleepy, purring moan that started deep in her throat traveled up her windpipe and out her mouth. She curled against the warm form next to her and sighed deliciously, as she felt his feather light breath on the nape of her neck.

  He rested his lips against the middle of her neck, and softly kissed her sensitive spot. A rush flowed through her, and she purred like a kitten. His touch was pure bliss. It could take her to places she’d never imagined.

  The widest smile she’d smiled in ages formed across her lips, and she turned around in his arms. She stared up in adoration at him and felt reawakened desire surge through her. He brushed his lips lightly against hers, and she leaned in for more. Reaching her left hand up, she brushed it through his wayward hair. His blue eyes softened. She let out a dreamy sigh.

  With that, he hungrily kissed her mouth again, and she forgot the question that had lain on her lips. In his arms, she could forget the entire galaxy.

  He was her world—and she’d tossed him away.

  No other words had passed between them, save for the sweet nothings they had whispered to each other. She hadn’t wanted to spoil the moment by dredging up the past.

  What had occurred between them would never disappear. They just had to learn how to get past it. So far, she thought they’d done a pretty bang up job of pretending that it had never happened. They had a knack of doing that when they were together—they could ignore all of the bad words said between them and focus on the here and now.

  They had the entire future stretched out in front of them. But she couldn’t spend it with him. A short tryst between them was really the only viable option. He wouldn’t give up on going after Tyler and she couldn’t allow that.

  She knew he’d give his persecution of Tyler up if she agreed to spend the rest of her life with him, but she couldn’t bring herself to say those words. She couldn’t bring herself to put him into that kind of jeopardy.

  Devlin kissed her again, softer this time. The burning hunger diminished from his kiss.

  She frowned.

  Love shone in his eyes, basking her in a soothing warm glow. Her hand flattened against his muscled chest. It felt warm, and his steady heartbeat pulsed against her hand.

  “I’m sorry for all of the pain I caused you, Samantha, my love.” His voice was soft but held an age-old pain.

  She blinked.

  “Pain? What pain? You just gave me pleasure, which quickly transformed into bliss. I’m afraid I don’t follow what you’re trying to say. Besides, I was the one who caused you pain, Gabriel. I got in the way of my own happiness and I don’t know if I can ever come back from that.”

  “I don’t want to spoil the moment but you never should have married Tyler. You gave me up for that son of a bitch? That always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, that’s all behind us now. You won’t be going back to him…not if I have my way.”

  “I won’t let you hang him, Gabriel,” she said firmly.

  “I know…but let’s keep things fun and let you have the challenge and adventure of finding his murderer. We both know you enjoy the hunt and the longer you have to look, the longer I have you here with me.”

  His eyes clouded. Mists swirled within his emotion-packed gaze. She fell silent. A slight sigh escaped her before she could reign it back in.

  “I am sorry for all of the pain I caused you, Gabriel. Please believe that.”

  “I do believe you. But every moment you’re not with me, you cause me more pain. I don’t know why you accept me one minute and push me away the next. You confound me, Samantha, in ways that no other woman ever has.

  I never know what motivates you. You can’t be bought, you can’t be blackmailed. You won’t even give yourself over for Tyler. I don’t know how to keep you here with me!”

  “I am sorry, Gabriel but I’m not good for you.”

  “I disagree,” he growled.

  “I feared that my presence in your life could get you killed,” she said softly.

  “A New California gunslinger can’t frighten me, so why should I think that anything in my...in our life could?”

  “That and the fact that you, like, Tyler, wanted me to quit bounty hunting. Isn’t it ironic,” she laughed, “that’s why Tyler left me.”

  “You should divorce him as soon as possible so we can be wed. You know you were always my wife in heart, body and soul.”

  “It’s not that simple. I don’t want you to get embroiled in the kind of life I lead.”

  “I would face any danger for you so long as
you would stop pushing me away.”

  “Would you?” she asked, a delicious through racing through her.

  She couldn’t fall into the way he could hypnotize her with his dreamy blue eyes and beautiful voice.

  “I can deal with having a strong woman like you as my wife, Samantha. I wouldn’t stand in your way of finding your father’s killer, and if you insisted that you continue on your merry course as a bounty hunter, I wouldn’t stand in your way. I will give you anything you want, if only you would give me what I wanted. You would never make me feel like a lesser man.”

  “Of course. I know you wouldn’t feel like a lesser man with me as your wife. I know why you wanted me to quit the hunt—you feared I would end up like my father.” If she’d been anywhere else, she would have been sucked back into the void that traumatic experience had caused in her life. But she was in the safest place she knew.

  She was with her Gabriel.

  He closed his eyes, for the briefest of moments and then opened them again. “I never thought you’d meet the same end. I feared you’d meet your death when you found yourself in too tight of a jam. I felt helpless. I couldn’t stand not being able to foresee the future. I don’t want to be the one left behind and if that was the reason why you left me I will regret it to my dying day.

  We can’t think of how we nearly messed up our lives. We’ve found our way back to each other, Samantha. I won’t let you go, now that I have you in my arms again. We’ll get through this, I promise.” She lifted her hand from his chest and cupped it against his cheek. He need to shave. She smiled.

  He truly didn’t understand. He didn’t understand that no matter how much he tried to court her back into his arms, she would never stay. She wouldn’t be the reason for his death.

  Every time she had the nightmare where she got him killed it sobered her up and made her realize that their happiness was fleeting—it could never be a reality.

  He caught her hand, kissed it then held it gently. “I will never stop loving you, Samantha.”