by Kim Knox
Ramius twitched a smile and turned her chair to face the horde. Her heartbeat ramped. The whine of primed weapons filled the sudden silence, the men statues of muscle and black armour. She stared at too many guns.
Shit. They were so very, very dead.
“Your loyal Jovian troops, Governor Chance.”
She risked a glance at Ramius. He looked serious. What the hell was he talking about? But she didn’t voice that question. Instead, she let her years of training settle her face into a relaxed mask. She’d always been a good liar. They wouldn’t believe his audacity, but if it kept them breathing for a few more minutes, then she’d play the game. “Interesting inauguration ceremony.”
A battalion commander, from the insignia on his dark green uniform, strode forward. His name gleamed: J-C Armand. West’s most senior soldier. He pulled his helmet free and revealed the usual grim face. Chance had to wonder if they were all related…and that thought eased a part of the tension gripping her.
Her head tilted and a sharp little smile pulled at her mouth. “Battalion Commander Armand, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure?” Her chair creaked as Ramius’ fingers tightened in the soft leather. Was that a hint of annoyance? Her smile deepened. “I’m your new outer governor, Melissa Chance.”
A muscle jumped in the commander’s lean cheek, his fingers tightening around the helmet held at his hip. He regained his composure. “Where is Outer Governor West? Produce him and you might come out of this alive.”
“West is dead. Killed by her.”
What the hell was Ramius doing? Saying she’d killed the governor? Yes, and there was the ripple of movement that had men sharpening their aim on her, waiting for the order to fire. Ramius ignored them. Good for him. Shitty for her.
“And Ms. Chance here is therefore his successor.” Ramius paused, his voice calm and reasonable while her heart pounded and sweat stuck her shirt to her spine. “There is precedent. Set by Ishaan West himself, I believe.”
The commander snorted and shook his head. “She’s a convicted thief.”
Chance took a hard grip of her fear. “Perfect qualifications.”
Armand frowned. For endless seconds, he stared at her and she held his dark gaze, hoping her terror wasn’t bright in her eyes. She kept her breathing even, the now dull edge of pain in her neck giving her a rhythm. And then Armand straightened his shoulders, expelling a slow breath. A fist closed around Chance’s heart and she tried not to let the panic swamp her. He was going to give the order to fire.
She lifted her chin. She’d found the strength to remain still when West wanted to cut her throat. Now, she would find that strength again…but not before she looked at Ramius. Chance held his gaze, wanting to say that she’d regret not getting the time they’d promised each other, the opportunity to— Fuck it, no. She was going to die. Time to stop being afraid of, of… She couldn’t say it, couldn’t admit it. Fear choked her. The words burned, desperate, on her tongue, in her mind, but it had always been too dangerous.
His green eyes narrowed. Her chest tightened, but his voice didn’t slide into her mind and whisper the words she ached for, the ones she would never, could never say.
Her chest tight, Chance turned her attention back to the battalion commander. Anger lined her voice. “What are you waiting for?”
Armand nodded, something quick, efficient, and Chance sucked in a breath, readying herself…until she realised he hadn’t moved. If he gave the order to fire, he’d cut himself in half. A wry smile lifted his lips and his shrewd dark eyes fixed on her. “I am awaiting your orders.” He saluted, snapping his booted heels to attention. “Outer Governor Chance.”
Her jaw wanted to fall and let her gape like an idiot. He’d just ratified her position in charge of the Jovian colonies. What the fuck—?
“A private meeting with you and your senior officers.” Ramius’ smooth voice broke through her disbelief. “In the meantime, have trusted officers visit department heads to reassure them of a smooth transfer of authority.”
Armand saluted again. His eyes glazed briefly as his implant transmitted Ramius’ orders. The grating whine of the surrounding men’s weapons eased down to silence and as one they stood to attention.
Chance swallowed the nervous need to giggle. The whole situation had slid from the terrifying to the completely bizarre. Had Ramius known? Had he sensed something from Armand? A willingness to support her rule? She almost laughed out loud then. Ramius had made her the Jovian outer governor. What the hell was he thinking? Had the psych reports about him been right all along and he really was insane?
“Anything else?” Armand focused on her as his troops turned and marched over the wreck of the double doors and into the reception area beyond.
All right, it was really happening…and she was in a shirt splattered and sticky with her own blood. “An escort to my apartments. I need to wash and change.” Chance pushed herself to her feet and found Ramius’ hand under her elbow. “Oh, and get rid of all those bloody suns.”
“Of course.” He waited for her as she walked towards him, her spine straight and Ramius’ strength under her arm. Armand waved his hand. “This way, please, Governor.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Why are you doing this, Armand? You could have shot us and taken the power for yourself.”
A brief smile pulled at his lips. “A governor not afraid to speak her mind. Refreshing.” He led them into the circular reception area, lined in gleaming white marble. Soldiers already stripped the walls of West’s reign, and it was a weight from her chest. Stopping at a perfectly smooth piece of stone, Armand focused and the veined marble shimmered and folded back on itself. The tech was impressive, and already her thief’s fingers were itching. Armand stepped through into a metal-lined lift.
The door unfolded, sealing them in. Chance knew they were moving from the activity flowing over the metal, but her body couldn’t feel it. She could feel Ramius’ fingers warm and strong at her elbow. Sinking back against his chest, having his arms enfold her…the thought was bliss, and impossible. They had a charade to play.
“West was a monster.”
Her gaze snapped to the commander. “That’s a given.”
“You expect us to be a transitional power.” Ramius rested his hand on her shoulder, bleeding heat through the thin material of her shirt. His thumb traced small, slow circles against her shoulder blade and she almost gave in to a little sigh. “For how long?”
“Long enough.”
“And then I go into a long retirement? With that ship I flew in on—stop the ‘repairs’ on him right now, by the way—and a very healthy pension?”
Armand gave a soft laugh. “I think that can be arranged.” The lift stopped and the doors opened out onto a glass-roofed atrium lined with marble and yet more of West’s ambitious suns. Armand waved them out. “All locks have been recoded for your signatures.” He gave a smart salute and his dark eyes glittered with a wry humour. “You would like attendants to begin to strip here too?”
“Yes, please.”
Ramius urged her forward. “Arrange for a broadcast in one hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
The lift doors folded back and Chance let out a heavy breath. She stared back and found the lift doors melted into the stone. It was insane. Crazy. They were not dead. Her head swam, the bright sun tapestries falling to grey and her ears buzzing. Her fingers dropped away from the pad pressed against her neck. It fluttered free, but she didn’t try to catch it. How the fuck were they not dead?
“Chance?” Ramius’ voice sounded far away, hollow, and his fingers bit into her arm. “Chance?”
Chapter Thirteen
Her world tipped as he swung her up into his arms. The buzzing increased and the dizziness thickened. She fought it, fisting her fingers in Ramius’ jacket as he strode towards opening doors. She gritted her teeth. “I am not going to faint.”
Ramius grinned at her. “The excitement of your new position?”
She wi
lled herself to stick her tongue out at him. He laid her on a soft, padded surface, throwing cushions away behind him. He stroked back her hair, his warm, dry hand welcome against her clammy skin, and she let herself breathe. The spotty greyness faded and the intense white noise eased. Chance closed her eyes and the world didn’t drop away. “That was embarrassing.”
“Maybe.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and her eyes shot open. “And now you need to shower.”
Her gaze slid to him and she couldn’t help the little smirk that lifted her lips. “Are you offering me what I need, Ramius?”
He blinked, paused, and then a slow heat darkened his green eyes. “Maybe.” He stood waiting for her to sit up. He offered his hand, and her fingers slid into his. Her heart tightened as he pressed gently. He didn’t say anything else as he led her across the pale carpet of the circular room, artificial lights in the wall of glass mixing with the lights from the arms of the StarCluster far below.
The pale wall rippled back to reveal a bathroom lined in creamy-veined marble. A large, round bath sat in the middle of the room framed by a rich, smooth wood. The fresh hint of herbal soaps slid into her lungs. It was safe now. West was gone. She was the governor…and so she opened her implant, letting the tech of the room flow over her. Quality, the delicate streams easing into her brain almost had her sighing. With no effort, she requested a full bath. The decadence of it prickled her skin.
Ramius ran his fingers over the tabs of her shirt. “I gave you what you needed.”
“Gave?” Her mind still floated in the luxury of the room, the soothing sense of it easing through her mind. The fast flow of hot water lulled her, the scent of steam with a hint of apple drifting over the room. She smirked at him as he pushed the shirt from her shoulders. “So this is…?”
“You needed West dead as much as I did.”
The ease broke and a knot thickened in Chance’s stomach. “I don’t remember.”
Ramius’ eyes narrowed and the spark held there shortened her breath. Her shirt dropped to the floor in a puddle of stained cloth. “I will always give you what you need.” He stepped closer and the thick serge of his uniform brushed against her bare skin. Liquid heat sank into her belly. Ramius’ gaze fixed on her mouth and she resisted the aching need to wet her lips. He glanced up. “Though it may not always be what you want.”
She wanted him. Hell, she…cared…for him, but she didn’t need this, to rake over ancient history. “The past should be left alone.”
He traced a finger along her shoulder, light, sure. “You’re not listening to me…”
“Ramius.” She ground out his name. They had the future now. The past, that horror was no longer a problem for him or for her. “Let it go.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Chance blinked, and the sudden, unexpected pain in her chest had tears burning her eyes. She stared at him and her hands clenched into fists. “Of course it wasn’t. I was a child, I couldn’t—”
“Words you don’t believe,” he murmured. His hand cupped her shoulder before sliding hot and slow over her shoulder blade. “Your skill, the control you have over your implant, is incredible, and your family used you.” His head tilted and he seemed to look through her, beyond her into her past. He frowned and anger lit his eyes. “Put you in too many dangerous situations for their own benefit.”
Chance reacted on instinct, shoving him from her. She wrapped her arms around her bared breasts. She didn’t need this. Her family had loved her. She’d been the one to show them how clever she was, how she could slip and slide over and through any system. They’d loved her. And…and that got them killed.
“No.” Ramius gripped her, his fingers tight on her upper arms. “You were a child. They were adults.”
Chance gritted her teeth and shut her eyes against his words. It was buried history. She was very happy to leave it that way. She didn’t need to hear this. She didn’t.
“Yes, you do.”
“Get the fuck out of my head!”
“Haven’t you learned what I have to do?” His voice, hard, strong, broke through even as she ached to cover her ears. “I have to give you what you need.”
“So you keep bloody telling me. But I don’t need this!” She glared at him, anger charging hot and wild through her veins. “I need to get you naked. I need to fuck you.” She shrugged free of him again, stepping back until her heels hit the curve of the marbled wall and she winced. “Those are my needs. Not raking over a very dead past.”
Ramius tugged at his jacket and he dropped it to the floor. His boots rang dull against the marble tiles, coming closer, slow, inexorable, and her heart thudded. “You need more than that.”
She scrubbed at her face. “Are you always this bloody annoying?”
“Do I have to say it?”
Chance groaned. “What?”
“You need me to act this way.”
She cursed, long and fluid, and a wry smile pulled at his mouth. Chance glared at him. “And you like acting this way.”
“Oh, yes.”
He planted his hands either side of her shoulders. Heat burned in his green eyes and she wanted nothing more to find his mouth and lose herself in him. Let him have the control she had given him on the Vitesse. What he wanted now… Her mind shied away from it. The past, burned under layers, a hot molten mass that would consume her. She couldn’t touch it. Couldn’t…
“So you want sex.” Ramius grinned at her, a predatory gleam in his eyes that peaked her nipples and pooled a sweet ache low in her belly. “I can do that. Fuck your mouth, your pussy, your arse. Eat you. Make you scream.”
Chance sucked in a quick breath. Yes, she wanted that. She did. And she ignored the other ache, the sour one, the one that screamed that there was more to them than sex.
His head dipped and his lips brushed her ear. “Is that all you want?”
Chance shivered and tried to force out the word burning on her tongue. Instead, she said, “Yes.”
“Then turn around.”
His low growl tightened her belly. “I thought…”
“That it would be like it was on the Vitesse?”
Ramius pulled back and light washed over his face, creating stark shadows. Her heart beat hard and the urge to take his mouth fought with the growing belief that it was sour, wrong. That they deserved more…
His wicked smile made breathing difficult. “I don’t think so.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now, turn around.”
Chance closed her eyes and turned, bracing her hands on the cool marble. Ramius tugged at her trousers, yanking them down over her hips to pool at her ankles. She stepped out of them. Warm, damp air brushed against her exposed skin and she shivered. “I need to wash…”
“No.”
The soft brush of material mixed with her tight breaths and the pounding of her heart. She wanted him, wanted him buried in her, needed him to make her come. She needed that more than anything. With sex, she didn’t have to think. Chance glanced down, finding Ramius’ shirt and then trousers kicked to one side. Her fingers curled in, her knuckles pressing hard against the unforgiving marble.
His heavy hands dropped to her hips and she jumped, her body rioting with goose bumps. He covered her back, his skin hot, his cock teasing between the cheeks of her arse. Chance groaned and shifted against him.
“I’ll fuck you.” His lips brushed the shell of her ear, his low voice knotting her gut. “Fuck you hard up against a wall, take you.” He pushed his hand over her belly and up to her breast. He pinched her nipple and she gasped. “Take you like all the others.”
Pain lanced at his words. He wasn’t like the others. Damn him. “No.”
His knuckles brushed over her cleft, easing his cock against her wet flesh. “It’s what you want. What you always want. A pretty face, a hard body and…this.” His hips bucked and he buried himself, Chance gasping at the sudden, unexpected fullness. His fingers dug hard against her hip, pressed her breast. He nipped at her shoulder, the pleasu
re-pain scorching through her. “This is all you want, Chance. A body, a mouth, a dick.” He pulled back and pushed forward. Hard. His growl burned hot against her shoulder, and the surge of desire forced her to meet the increasing thrusts of his hips. Fire flickered under her damp skin, and she grabbed at the first pulse of her release, wanting it, desperate for it to take her, burn through her mind and wipe away all thought.
Ramius pressed his mouth to her ear, his breath hot, ragged. “I’m fucking you. Come for me. And I’ll bury my dick in your arse. You want that too.” The words seared over her skin and the ache, the teetering of her shaking, damp body on the edge of orgasm, made her desperate to find her release.
His hand teased over her mons before he slipped a hard finger against her clitoris.
Chance groaned, driving back against him, wanting him harder, deeper. The agony of her flesh gripped her, her thoughts wild, molten. “Damn it, Ramius!”
“What do you need?”
He was inexorable, unrelenting, and his question seared over her skin. But she would say anything. “I need you.”
“Why?”
“To make me come.”
“Wrong answer.” And he pinched her clitoris.
Chance cried out at the raw rush of pleasure tearing up through her flesh and she grabbed it, frantic to end the insanity gripping her, the need to come that had her shaking, pleading with him…but his control was absolute.
“We were about to die.” The words burned against her ear and she shut her eyes against them. “About to die and you couldn’t think it.” His choked voice stabbed at her. “Why?”
No. Her head dropped and she willed her mind to think only of the fierce thrust of his hips, his fingers, the press of his hot skin against hers, hard, fast. She would find her release, she would—
“I’ll say it.”
Panic gripped her. She wanted to break free of him, but he held her, stroked into her body with increasing force and speed. And she couldn’t deny how her screaming body responded to him, wanted him. The fierce slap of his slick flesh against hers, his power, yes, he was hers, utterly— “No.”