Taking Liberty

by Jodi Redford

  “I know how to hold my own when a repo job goes shaky.” She slid him a sidelong glance that screamed don’t-fuck-with-me. “I graduated top honors at the space ranger academy, and trust me, they taught me how to properly kick butt.”

  A strangled choke clogged in his throat. “You’re also a cop?” Nervous sweat slid down his neck. Karma is one vicious bitch.

  “No.”

  Up until then, he didn’t realize one word could carry so much unhappiness. “I don’t get it. Why go through the hassle of ranger academy if you had no intention of becoming a cop?”

  She lowered her eyes, waited several beats before answering. “My parents helped me see the wisdom in joining the repo agency instead.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my great-great-grandfather was the one who started the agency.”

  Family responsibility. Yeah, sometimes it could be a real bitch. “Well, that sucks.” Not for him, certainly, but he felt for her plight.

  Rini blinked, temporarily dismantling her cool mask of indifference. “Pardon?”

  “Babe, you don’t need to hide the fact you’re pissed about getting roped into a job you never wanted.” Shit, not that I know anything about unwanted jobs.

  She pinned him with a look that threatened to blister his skin. “I’m not pissed. And I love being an agent.”

  He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Why are we even talking about this?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. To fill some dead air during the twenty-minute flight staring us down?”

  Crossing her arms, she snapped her mouth shut with enough force her teeth clinked. She shifted in her seat and grimaced. Digging next to her hip, she pulled out a fork. Gripping its steel handle between her fingers, she eyed the utensil with the same disgust most people would treat a dead rodent. “You really should consider firing your maid.”

  He reached out and plucked the fork from her. “What do you know—I’ve been looking all over for this.”

  Shaking off a shudder, she popped a bottle from one of the million pockets stitched into her pants and squeezed several drops of the clear liquid into her palms.

  The harsh antiseptic stench of germ killer assailed his nostrils. “Do you always make a habit of carrying a medicine cabinet on you?”

  She rubbed her hands briskly, slathering the liquid into her skin. “When you’re faced with repo’ing ships that haven’t seen a decent cleaning in a decade—like the majority of cases I’m assigned—you learn to be creative.”

  He glanced down at the crumpled wrappers littering the floor. “My brother is mostly to blame for this mess. He takes his job as the slob in the family serious.” Unfortunately, it was the only thing Chase took seriously.

  “You and your brother have a strange relationship, don’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  She swept her hair to the side and stared at him. “Well, you don’t seem to like him much.”

  “I like him fine.” Most of the time. Like when Chase wasn’t drunk off his ass or missing a shipment drop after deciding he’d rather chase some tail.

  “Uh-huh.”

  He didn’t like the assessing glint in Rini’s eyes. It prodded the dark corners of his soul, making him feel naked and exposed. Hilarious, considering she’d seen him with his Johnson waving free and proud. He returned his attention to the controls and expelled a relieved breath when he noted that they were less than ten minutes from Zondoroc. Soon enough, she’d get her damn money and get the hell off his ship.

  Chapter Three

  The instant the star cruiser taxied to a halt and the thrusters fired down, Lucus bolted from his seat.

  Rini shook her head. And I thought I was high strung. Yanking off her harness, she stood and stretched her arms over her head, working the kinks from her neck and upper spine. “Where did you say the supply dock is?”

  He shot a look over his shoulder. “Jesus, obsessive much?”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “I told you I was going to fix the light.”

  His arm gave an impatient wave. “The dock’s in the rear of the ship, near the back bay. I won’t be long.” He said the last part with a heavy dose of warning.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not planning to take off without you.” That was the problem. She should never have allowed her emotions to get in the way of doing her job. If her coworkers found out, they’d ridicule her for giving Lucus a break. If her parents found out, they’d insist on re-stationing her in the administration department—the one place she’d fought tooth and nail to get away from. She’d rather spend a lifetime in a dingy prison cell than another single day behind a desk with a mile-high stack of brain-deadening paperwork staring her down.

  So why had she risked everything for someone she didn’t even know? His eyes. One faint glimpse at the desperation in Lucus’s expression and her heart had twisted.

  She knew what it felt like to be desperate. Trapped by circumstance, trapped by responsibility.

  Trapped by my own stupidity.

  Pushing away her morose thoughts, she strode from the bridge. The steel flooring pinged beneath her boot heels, a lonely echo. She followed the snaking, overhead fluorescent cage lights towards the back of the ship and entered the supply dock. A metal shelving unit housed several spares of interior and exterior lights. Grabbing the box she needed, she swiveled, scanning for an available hover ladder. When a thorough search produced no ladder, she tucked the bulb box under her arm and ventured into the cargo bay. The rotten stench threatened to make her gag. Covering her nose, she journeyed deeper into the room, surveying the stacked cartons.

  She spotted the hover ladder strapped to the side wall. “There you are.” Weaving a path around the pallets proved treacherous. She banged her knee at least three times and scraped her elbow twice. Wincing, she rubbed the jagged scratch on her arm.

  A large carton blocked her access to the hover ladder. Tightly wedged pallets on either side of the crate squelched the idea of wiggling around it. She set the running light on the corner of the pallet and pushed down on the crate’s lid, checking for stability. “Seems solid enough. Here’s hoping I don’t break my neck.” Swinging her leg, she clambered on top of the carton. Balancing on her knees, she fumbled with the lower strap cradling the ladder. Grunts and swear words streamed forth in a steady rush before she finally freed two of the snaps. The ladder canted away from the wall with a groan, breaking through the remaining snaps.

  “Oh shit.” Rini scrabbled to catch the toppling ladder in time. The bulky contraption proved heavier than she’d anticipated and crashed into the crate’s lid, splitting it down the middle. She and the ladder tumbled inside. Her cheek smacked into the hard edge of a metal rung. Beneath her, the contents of the crate squished, releasing a ripe, fishy odor.

  “Oh man, Granger is so going to kill me.” Moaning, she shoved onto her elbows and risked a peek at the damages. She was surrounded by bags of black caviar. Correction—bags of banned black caviar. Thanks to overfishing and pollution, not to mention the continual evaporation of oceans thanks to solar warming, harvest of Sturgeon roe had been illegal for at least a century.

  Picking up one of the demolished bags, she stared at it disbelievingly. “What is he doing with these?” Duh, like she needed to have a detailed picture drawn. Plopping the bag down, she grasped the sides of the crate and swung her leg over the side. Wiping the caviar ooze from the knees of her pants, she grabbed the ladder and running light.

  As soon as Lucus returned, he’d have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

  Lucus secured the boxes of truffles on the hover cart and scrounged inside his pocket for his wallet. “Any discount tonight, Tarik?”

  The native Zondorocian waggled his foot-long ears. Bushy gray brows slashed low, forming a perfect V over his enormous snout and wide-set eyes.

  “Well damn.” Curving his mouth into a grin, Lucus counted out the necessary bills. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

  Tarik snat
ched the money with another animated ear jiggle.

  “Hey, no cause for name calling.” Lucus shook his wallet at Tarik before repocketing the worn and scuffed scrap of leather. “And for your information, I’m considered good-looking by earthling standards.”

  After a colorfully rude comeback, Tarik stomped into his wind-battered canvas tent—one of dozens erected in the all-night trade market. Shaking his head at the surly Zondorocian, Lucus strode towards the air strip where he’d parked his ship. The headlights on the hover cart puttering close behind him slashed through the night, periodically illuminating the swarm of sand gnats intent on dive bombing both he and the truffles. Slapping the pesky air invaders away, he scuffed along the desert’s heat-baked terrain. Up ahead, the exterior lights glowed on the Liberty. His steps slowed when he spied Rini’s stretched, lithe form silhouetted against the massive wing.

  She was tinkering with the stupid running light. He’d never known someone so determined. So single-minded.

  So annoying.

  “But she does have a damn fine ass.” His gaze drifted past her tailbone and he licked his lips, imagining his tongue exploring the cute little dimples he’d noticed earlier nestled at the base of her spine. Desire pulsed in his dick and he groaned. Shit. This was what happened when he went too long without sex. The horndog in him started salivating over the last woman he should be sniffing after.

  “You’d think I would have learned my lesson on that one.” Scowling, he kicked away a loose stone blocking his path and crossed the final yards to the ship. He pulled up short next to the debarking ramp. Rather than hassle with the cargo doors, he’d stow the truffles up by the bridge.

  “We need to talk.”

  Sending the hover cart up the ramp ahead of him, he glanced towards Rini. She piloted the ladder beneath the wing. If the mulish set of her chin didn’t clue him in to the argument on the horizon, the stiff hands planted on her hips sure as shit did. He rubbed the back of his skull, willing his headache to find someone else to torture. “Can we do it on the way to Aquatica? We’re still on a tight schedule.”

  “Why in the universe would you jeopardize your pilot license and your ship to smuggle caviar?”

  The pit of his stomach dropped. He stared at her, the eerie drone of desert insects providing a tense backdrop. Just as quick as the cold dread spread through his limbs, it was replaced by sizzling anger. “Who gave you the right to snoop in my cargo?”

  “I wasn’t snooping.” She stepped off the rung and stalked towards him. “I found the crate on accident, during my search for the ladder.”

  Son of a bitch. Why didn’t he just fix the damn light himself? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Pivoting, he grasped the debarking rail and trudged up the ramp.

  “I’m not finished with you yet.”

  “Yeah, babe, I figured as much. But you’ll have to do it inside. Like I said, we’re running late.” Without waiting for her inevitable complaint, he ducked inside the ship and grabbed the top box of truffles. Ignoring the staccato beat of footsteps trailing him, he stashed the box behind the pilot’s seat. Turning, he almost collided with Rini when she shoved the second carton of truffles against his chest.

  Her gaze bore into him, accusing and slightly hurt. The expression baffled him. What the hell did she have to feel hurt about? She was the one who’d decided to paw through his cargo—someplace she had no business being. If anyone should be moping around with a look of betrayal, it should be him, damn it.

  Dropping the truffle carton atop the other, he pushed past her and went to seal off the debarking station. His jaw locked in a rigid line when he noticed she’d already beaten him to it. Where did she get off performing his preflight duties? A repo contract didn’t give her jurisdiction to act like she fucking owned his ship.

  Rini sidestepped him and reached for the hover ladder.

  His patience—thin as a monofilament fiber—snapped. “Leave it.”

  She straightened, a frown pinching tight above the ridge of her brow. “But the ladder needs to be secured.”

  “What needs to be secured is your ass. In the seat.”

  Her eyes gleamed with defiance. Growling beneath his breath, he grabbed her arm. An instant later, he found himself flat on his back, her boot digging into his sternum. It took several seconds to chase down his breath.

  With her heel planted firmly in place, she leaned over him, her eyebrows smugly arched. “It’s extremely rude to touch someone without being invited. Might want to remember that.”

  “Well, since you’ve already corrected me for the oversight by cracking my spine, I might as well make it worth my while.”

  “I didn’t crack your—”

  Before she finished spitting out the denial, he grasped the leg pinning him and tugged. Hard. She toppled, sprawling across his chest with an “Oof.” Her shocked gasp puffed against his face. Gripping the back of her neck, he dragged her in for an angry kiss that finally managed to shut her up. She attempted to jerk back, but he clamped his hand against the base of her skull and captured her bottom lip between his teeth.

  He’d intended the kiss as punishment, never realizing he’d become the victim of his own dirty game when a soft moan spilled from her mouth. The sound wrapped around his cock like silken fingers. Coaxing. Teasing.

  Groaning, he let her lip slip free of his teeth and he licked along the seam, easing the sting. Her eyes stared into his, so close he could easily detect the darker specks of blue in her irises. He eased his hold on her scalp, the soft, cool strands of her hair sifting between his fingers. Angling his head for a better approach, he delved his tongue between her lips. Her tongue retreated. Not far, once he captured it and sucked it into willing submission. She tasted like cinnamon and spice and everything sinful. Everything he should be running screaming from. So why the hell were his hands traveling the slope of Rini’s neck and feathering past her shoulders to her breasts?

  Her nails bit through the thin cotton of his shirt, sinking in just above the waistband of his pants. If she inched a little lower…

  Rini shifted her mouth away, earning his frustration. She nibbled on her bottom lip.

  “Baby, don’t. That’s my job.” Chuckling, he curled his fingers around her chin, drawing her closer.

  She wrenched away from him before his mouth could reclaim its prize. Pushing to her feet, she glared at him, her chest heaving. “You’re unbelievable.”

  Why did he have the feeling her words weren’t intended as a compliment to his kissing skills? “Why? What did I do?”

  “Don’t try to play the innocent. You don’t wear the role well.”

  He lurched to a sitting position. “Mind clueing me in on what the hell you’re blabbering about? I seem to have left my female outrage decoder at home.”

  “You kissed me.” She hissed the accusation.

  “Yeah, I’m with you so far.”

  “Are you going to deny you did it to sidetrack me?”

  He didn’t immediately answer. Apparently that was the wrong tack to take. She spun away and stalked into the bridge. Planting his hands on the steel flooring, he hefted to his feet. He arched his back and winced, massaging the tender—and likely bruised—base of his spine. “Babe, if I thought a kiss would sidetrack you, don’t you think I would have done it before we left Warddok Ten?”

  “I don’t know,” she shot over her stiff shoulder. “Maybe you’re not real quick on the uptake.”

  Moving like a hundred-pound weakling who’d just gone twenty rounds with the intergalactic sumo-wrestling champion, Lucus staggered towards his seat. He’d learned his lesson. His mother hadn’t raised a dunderhead who didn’t know the drill. Okay, maybe she’d raised one dunderhead. Regardless, no matter how delectable Rini was, his lips would keep a ten-foot radius from her at all times. He was too attached to his dick to risk anything closer.

  He plopped into the pilot’s seat and bit his tongue to keep from whimpering in agony when his sore tailbone hit the hard ridge of the metal seat s
upport. Looking across at Rini, he met her cocky expression. Okay, so she knew how to make a grown man cry like a baby who’d lost his pacifier. Didn’t mean she needed to gloat.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, never been better.” He squeezed the words between clenched teeth.

  “Look, I’m sorry if I hurt you. Are you still able to fly, or do you want me to take over?”

  Why didn’t she just chop his balls off and be done with it? “Sweetheart, it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a hundred and ten pound woman to put me in traction.”

  A cute pink blushed her cheeks. “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m closer to one thirty.”

  Well hell, at least he didn’t overestimate her weight. Maybe it’d put her in a good mood and she’d go easy on him.

  “So why are you smuggling caviar?”

  Then again, maybe not.

  “I prefer calling it a goodwill offering.” He powered up the Liberty and took off. At this rate, it’d be a damned miracle if they reached Aquatica by dawn. The star cruiser hit a rough air pocket and he coasted higher to combat the turbulence. From the corner of his eye, he caught the tell-me-another-bullshit-story expression darkening Rini’s face. He didn’t owe her any explanations, and what he did with his ship was no concern of hers.

  So why did it feel like a boulder sat dead center on his chest when she dropped her gaze to the hands clasped in her lap? Her disappointment poked his conscience. Damn it, he wasn’t a bad guy. “Sometimes you have to do unpleasant things in the name of survival. But I’m guessing you’ve never had that problem, princess.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He glanced at her, cataloging the giveaway details. Expensive haircut. Small yet tasteful diamond studs tucked in her earlobes. When you’ve been burned once by the social elite, you know what to look for. “You come from money.”

  She stiffened. “Whatever you’re implying, you’re wrong.”

  “Am I? I’m guessing it took a shitload of capital to start up the UGG’s repo agency. Your family must be swimming in cash.”