by Shona Husk
Keeping the disgust off her face, she cradled her hand as if it was truly injured, not just bruised. “I don’t understand. Don’t you want to raise awareness?”
He smiled, a cold grin that never reached his hooded eyes. “I have my own plans to raise awareness.” Then he stood and walked away.
Haliday hoped she’d bought Callen enough time. She hoped he’d been able to convince security that the Moon was in real danger. Part of her wanted to leave and hide in her cabin on the Lunar Bird, but if the Moon blew, that wouldn’t save her. She sat for a moment longer, not caring if people looked and wondered why she looked lost. Some would have seen the argument and assumed that was the cause.
After a while, she got up and went upstairs to watch the departures from the deck. This was where Callen had stood as she’d arrived. He hadn’t been watching for her though. He’d been watching for Noga. Now she was watching for Noga and Callen, yet hoping she saw neither.
Her stomach twisted as half a tric slid past and then another. Nothing. The first small ship left. She bit her lip. Another half-tric, then she’d go to her room—assuming she wasn’t a corpse floating in a cloud of space junk.
She was sure she’d been closer to death before. But today she was actually afraid. It caught in her blood, jagged and dangerous. She wasn’t going to die. Callen wouldn’t let that happen, even if he had to break the Moon’s rules. No, it was far more likely that he’d take off with her plex, her secret and the full bounty. Trust, she had to trust him. She flexed her fingers and forced a slow breath. She hated trusting people.
If he betrayed her, he’d better start counting every heartbeat, because it might be his last. Unlike her, he lived in the open, it wouldn’t be hard to track him down…she’d already made a start. She watched the clock. After another half-tric, she moved away from the deck. That the deck was still there was a good sign. Moon security must have taken Callen seriously. That or there had been no firemoss, he’d been a big fat liar and had used her to track Noga and claimed the chits.
She walked faster to the elevator. She wanted to go to his room and pound on his door, but he was on a different floor. Her next thought was to call security, but what reason did she have? She could accuse Callen of theft, but what would that serve?
He’d promised to contact her as soon as Noga was arrested.
But he hadn’t walked up to her on the deck.
The ads in the lift flickered silently around her. Not even the fine body of the Helvelet dancer lifted her spirits. This was what happened when she trusted people, men in particular. They were only good for the chits in their account. In that respect, Callen didn’t even rate. Yet just the thought of him was enough to send a shiver of heat through her body. As she left the elevator and walked toward her room, she imagined she could smell him. The heady scent of arousal pheromones.
That would be wishful thinking, and once she got back on blockers it would no longer matter. She would be immune. Unfeeling and un-aroused. The media had no idea how far from the truth their commentary on her love life was.
She swiped the card across the lock and her door swept open.
Callen lay on her bed, looking like the gryf that ate the jurlian, his lips curling at the corners. “I’ve got a few trics to kill before the APM arrives. Thought I’d pay you a visit.”
Chapter Six
So technically Callen hadn’t broken into to her room, he’d borrowed an all-access pass from the security guard on the lower level where Noga was now awaiting transportation on an APM ship.
As rooms went, this was pretty sweet and well above his standards. She had a view of the ice planet below. He’d checked out the room and the facilities while waiting for her. He’d expected her to be here, waiting for him.
With Moon security allowing him access to the dock, it had been easy enough to be waiting when Noga tried to get through. A few words and security had pulled Noga aside for a full search. Once in the private room, he’d started to sweat and Callen had let him suffer through the in-depth questions before stepping in and making the arrest. The information on their plexes hadn’t told the staff who Noga was, just that he needed to be slowed down and that bounty hunter Brax had jurisdiction.
Haliday’s tracker had meant that he was there, in the right place and able to put the cuffs on. While it wouldn’t bring back the team he’d lost on the Solar Bird or give him back his rank in the APM, it was enough to know that Noga Tindel wouldn’t ruin any more lives.
The door shut behind Haliday. “How did you get in?”
Callen sat up. That wasn’t quite the response he’d been hoping for. “What? You’re not happy to see me?”
“I thought you’d be on the first ship out with Noga.”
“He’s being held. There’s an APM ship nearby.” He looked at her and hoped he hadn’t misjudged her after being led astray by her enticing pheromones. “I called it in as the Kingfisher, the chits will go straight to your account. If you could arrange a transfer to mine as soon as possible, that would be appreciated.” He offered Haliday her plex.
She didn’t move any closer or give any sign he was welcome. His plans for killing a few trics in her bed before leaving began to evaporate.
“Why would you do that instead of claiming the scalp and keeping the chits for yourself?” She stared at him as if he were some weird previously unknown alien species.
Did that mean she wasn’t going to pay him? He was rather attached to both his eyes and all his internal organs.
“I’m a bounty hunter, not a prick.” He wanted her to trust him, to be willing to work with him again. But it was more than that. He knew it even as he denied it—and that wasn’t the pheromones doing his thinking and making his cock hard—he wanted a partner and not just for work.
She was everything he’d been running from his whole life. He’d spent years making sure he never had anything to lose only to find it meant he had nothing to live for. Haliday, on the other hand, lived every day and made sure it counted.
“Your cover is safe, the Kingfisher’s reputation is maintained, Noga is in custody and the Moon is still in one piece. It’s a good day’s work.” He smiled and hoped she’d agree.
Haliday nodded, then took a couple of steps toward him so she could take her plex out of his hand. “I’ll shift the chits as soon as I can.”
“We could do this again sometime.” He stood; he was close enough to touch her. Run his fingers down her arm, cup her cheek. One more step and he could kiss her.
She closed her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to look at him. “I can’t keep seeing you.”
He pulled his hand back before it touched her. “Why?”
“Because Haliday wouldn’t date you.”
Ah. He didn’t have enough chits in his bank account. “But if you weren’t Haliday?”
Her eyes opened, but she just looked sad and tired. “It’s who I am now. It’s who I have to be to stay safe.”
That was when he realized that every day was a struggle for her. That she never slept peacefully and her smiles were for everyone else not herself. He put his arms around her and drew her close. Her cheek pressed against his and even though her arms remained by her sides, her body relaxed and her breaths came in gulps as if she was fighting not to cry.
“You don’t know what it’s like.”
He stroked her back, his fingers brushing skin and silk. He didn’t know what it was to live constantly wondering if someone was hunting him down. “He hasn’t found you yet. I won’t let him find you.”
“You can’t stop him. If he ever worked it out…” Her words were soft against his skin.
“Let me help.” He wanted to keep her safe.
“You don’t fit Haliday’s image. No matter how much I want you, I can’t have you.” Her hands slid around his waist. “You should have left and not looked back.”
“Would that have made you happy?” It wouldn’t have made him happy, and now that he’d tasted it, he wasn’t about to let it go.
“No
, but I’ll be alive.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips.
It tasted like goodbye. She was right, he didn’t fit into her carefully constructed life, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to fit. “We could find a way.”
She laughed, but it was hollow. “What do you want to do? Meet up for scalps and sex?”
“That would be a start.” He paused and tried to think how to sell it to her, to himself. It wouldn’t be enough, but if that was all they could have… “I’ve got a few trics to waste; you’ve got this nice room, let’s make the most of it and work out the rest later.”
“You really do only think of two things.”
He shrugged and grinned. “I’m a guy.”
Then before she could argue, he kissed her, his fingers pushing through her short hair and cradling her head. He had a couple of trics to convince her to give them a chance. And he was going to make use of every milli-tric.
His touch made her skin tingle with anticipation. She didn’t want to be pushing him away, even though she knew she should. He wasn’t a rich businessman looking for a charity to improve his standing and give him a fat tax deduction.
Callen was far more dangerous. He’d slid into her heart—something which she’d thought she’d hardened and hidden long ago. She’d believed for so long she could trust no one, that no one would want her if they knew the truth, and in less than one Allied Standard Day, he’d melted her arguments and made them lies.
He was leaving in a few trics, so this was it. Why should she deny herself one last chance to feel truly alive? Her lips parted and she kissed him back, letting her tongue taste his lips. He nipped at her lip, and desire shimmered through her blood and pooled in her belly. The idea that maybe they could meet up on occasion, that maybe this wasn’t totally over, gave her heart reason to beat.
Her hands skimmed over the plane of his chest, then under his shirt. She was tugging it off before she could think things through. Just live in the moment. It was how she lived her life and yet somehow the moment had never included simple pleasure. It had taken a trip to Decadent Moon to make her realize that sex was more than just a tool to get men to part with their chits.
His fingers worked open her jacket and pushed it off. Lips met and hands got in the way as they tried to remove each other’s clothing as quickly as possible. She had nothing to hide and no reason to keep her clothes on and rush. They were alone. She slid off her shoes and shimmied out of her pants as she shoved his down over his hips. He toed off his shoes and kicked his pants out of the way.
For a moment, the only sound was their breathing as they quietly took in the sight of the other, both naked for the first time. He was far leaner and more muscled than her usual conquests, but then he had to be. His body wouldn’t have been out of place on stage on the Moon—although he probably wouldn’t take that as a compliment.
Her fingers traced the rough line of an old scar on his stomach. “You’ve got scars.” She hadn’t noticed before. But then she’d never paused to study him before.
“I’ve been shot as a cop. Barely made it off the Solar Bird. Had a few resist arrest. Goes with the jobs.” He kissed down her neck, breathing her in, tasting her pulse with a flick of his tongue as his hands slid over her skin and drew her close.
While he was away from her, she’d be wondering if he was still alive. The heat of his hard cock pressed against her belly, tempting her, but she wanted more than a rushed fuck. She ran her hands down his back, her fingers brushing the base of his spines. “Turn around.”
He did. What she saw shocked her. His spines had been cut at some point, the longest were barely the length of her little finger. “What happened?”
“The APM insists they be trimmed. Wouldn’t want them arcing up in battle and getting caught.”
Yet he’d joined anyway, sacrificing his spines, knowing it would take years for them to regrow. She ran her fingers down the edge of the row of spines. They lifted as her fingertips brushed the sensitive nerves. The spines had the power to cause pleasure and pain. “Did it hurt?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I was unconscious at the time.”
But the agony upon waking must have been terrible. She placed a kiss on his shoulder blade, her fingers tracing around the base of his spines in an endless pattern. The spines flexed and stood fully upright and his scent grew stronger, making her core slick and her belly ache with a need usually suppressed by blockers. Because she could, she ran her tongue over his skin and licked the base of a spine.
He shuddered but didn’t stop her slow exploration of his body. She smoothed her hands down his back, her thumbs brushing the spines. She noted the scar below his shoulder and one on the back of his hip that looked as if someone had taken a bite. And while she wanted to know, now wasn’t the time.
She placed her thumbs in the dimple above his buttocks and let her hands splay across his skin before sliding them around his waist and easing them lower, over the soft hair that led down to his cock. She wanted to press herself against his back, but that couldn’t happen.
While she’d wished she’d been born a male a few times, she was glad she hadn’t been. Spines and cocks that had a mind of their own—at least she could hide what she was feeling to a better degree, even if she wasn’t on blockers.
Although right now she was aware of their pheromones lacing the air like a drug designed to ensure they relaxed and had fun. She moved around him, her fingers trailing over his flesh. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm and her wrist. Her stomach tightened. He worked his way up her arm, lapping at her skin, teasing and tasting. His fingers brushed over a nipple. It was already peaked and aching, he teased the hard flesh, circling and pinching, each touch sending jolts to her clit until she was sure her slit was swollen and wet.
He dropped to his knees and gripped her butt. She gasped as his tongue flicked over her slit and then dipped in, past the lips and over the slick, swollen skin. He nudged her legs farther apart and she grabbed his shoulders as he found her clit and sucked. Her eyes closed as a wash of pleasure consumed her, not enough to take her over the edge, but close.
Her belly tightened with each stroke of his tongue, then he eased a finger into her core. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she couldn’t hold in the whimper of delight as a shudder raced through her body. She enjoyed what he did to her and the way she felt in his hands. The way he took the time to give her pleasure. Her blood heated. She wanted more than just his finger fucking her. Yet his mouth was doing such good things to her clit that she didn’t want it to stop. The tension pulled, but when she thought she was about to spiral out of control and melt into a puddle on the floor, he stopped. She drew in a shaky breath that tasted like sex. She needed him now.
Callen stood and she stepped back toward the bed. He followed, his eyes dark with lust. That she was about to have sex with him for the third time was a bit of a record for her. Usually it was once, maybe twice if they were nice. But she never went back for thirds, as that would’ve meant sharing too much about herself and she’d never wanted to give even a hint of the truth away before Callen. Yet she’d be quite happy to have him again and again.
Her calves hit the bed and she sat. His cock jutted toward her, thick and hard. Before she could second-guess herself, she reached out and ran her hand along the length of his shaft. Her tongue darted over her lip. She wanted to taste him the way he tasted her, but it wasn’t something she’d ever done out of pleasure. She glanced up at Callen—what was he expecting?
She fisted her hand around his cock and gave a firmer stroke, enjoying the silky hardness of his flesh.
He drew in a sharp breath. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” Just a little. If she changed her mind, it wouldn’t matter. She flicked her tongue over the dark, smooth head of his cock, tasting the pre-cum that slicked his skin. Salty and musky, only this time as she licked around the crown, more formed. She lapped it up, her hand working over his cock. A
ware that her touch was affecting him, his scent grew stronger, and with every breath, it filled her lungs and blood. The desire to have more of him consumed her. She ran her tongue along the length of his cock.
Callen groaned. “You’re killing me.”
She gave the head a final slow lick, her gaze locked with his as she did. Her slit was already slick from his attention. She needed to feel him in her, taking her over the edge she’d glimpsed but never crossed before him. Maybe next time she’d take him in her mouth. She caught herself. Would there be a next time?
She wanted to believe yes. But the galaxy was a vast place and the odds that their paths would cross again were slim. Plus it would be safer for both of them to walk away. The idea of never seeing him again almost crushed her heart.
Sweeping aside the idea, she moved back onto the bed. Callen followed as if he were stalking her. He caught her mouth and kissed her. Did he taste himself on her tongue? His cock brushed her inner thigh as he moved closer, her legs spreading for him. She needed him. Slowly, he sank into her slick, tight core. She trembled as the edge of climax crept closer.
But she didn’t want it like this. She wanted more, something that she’d never do with another person, just Callen. She broke the kiss and pushed him back. She didn’t have to use any force, just the touch of her palms on his chest was enough and he rocked back on his heels. Before he could speak, she turned around onto her hands and knees.
Nervous excitement fluttered in her chest. Never had she let a man take her from behind. Amongst the Phrials, it was a sign of submission and trust and…well…you only did that with someone you really liked or even loved. She might never get another chance with a man of her kind. Callen would understand the significance—but would he want her like this?
His hands traced her sides, over her hips and the curve of her butt. The skin down her back prickled as the tension spread. She couldn’t see him, her slit was exposed. For a moment, she almost changed her mind, she was too vulnerable. She’d gone too far.