Renegades

by Joanne Sexton

  “What? I want to see you do it.”

  His only answer was a raised eyebrow. She waited. With a sigh, he picked up the largest weapon from the ground. He glanced at her and she urged him to go ahead.

  Mackenzie watched his face as it set in concentration. His expression was hard yet appealing all the same. Why did he affect her so much?

  He took a similar stance to the one he’d instructed her to use before unloading on the target. Her gaze remained on him. She didn’t turn her eyes to the target until he lowered his weapon to the ground. For a reason she couldn’t quite fathom, watching him fire his weapon thrilled her. The urge to kiss him again overwhelmed her.

  Tearing her eyes from his strong arms, she turned towards the target again. The only difference from before he placed it up was a large hole in the centre of the circle, in the bullseye.

  “How did you manage to shoot in the same spot and in such quick succession?”

  “Practice.”

  “That’s amazing.” She stepped towards him, but he stepped away.

  “Mackenzie, there is nothing amazing about how I learnt to shoot so well.”

  “Didn’t you just say practice? Didn’t you learn to shoot here?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Does that mean …”

  “Have I shot people?” His tone was hard. “What do you think? Besides, you asked me this already.” With his brow furrowed, he turned away.

  Mackenzie stepped forward and ran her hand up his arm. He flinched, but didn’t pull away. His troubled face stared at hers.

  “I don’t think any less of you because of it. You’ve done what you needed to. What Cody has done is far worse and I don’t hate him.”

  “Cody is your brother.”

  “Yes, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be repulsed by what he’s done. Ryan, I still want to stay.”

  “You’re far too nice.” His pained eyes bored into hers, searching her soul. His jaw clenched. “You shouldn’t be here with me.”

  “You want me to leave?”

  “No, but I don’t think you realise how dangerous it is to be around me.”

  “I don’t care, Ryan. I don’t want to go back to the way it was before.”

  “What are you doing to me?” he said. His arm circled her waist and he brushed his other hand over her hair.

  Her breath caught as his face lowered to hers. “The same thing you’re doing to me.” She brought her hands up to his face.

  “We need to go below.”

  He took a step back before going to collect the weapons to load them back into the shed. When he returned, Ryan took her hand and led her towards the entrance. After sending her down the ladder first, he followed behind her.

  Grabbing her hand at the bottom, he towed her along through the tunnels and back to his quarters.

  15

  Passion

  After closing the door behind them, he eased her against it. Placing his hands flat against the door on either side of her head, he captured her between his arms. His face came down so their lips almost touched.

  “I still don’t know if I can trust you,” he said in a quiet husky voice.

  “I could say the same thing about you,” she whispered.

  His mouth captured hers urgently but with a tenderness that surprised her. Mackenzie wrapped her arms around his waist and dragged him closer to her as she deepened the kiss. It caused her to moan low in her throat. His lips and body pressed against her set her skin on fire. His rugged beauty sent her desire into a whirlwind. She wanted more. She wanted everything.

  Without control, she moaned into his mouth again. This brought his hands from the door to surround her, lift her up and wrench her tighter against his body. He carried her to his room and brought her with him as he lay on the bed. Still holding her firm against him, he rolled her over so she lay beside him, and explored her body with one hand while the other held her close.

  Dizziness assaulted her, her head swirled, her breath lost in his mouth. Another moan escaped, giving her consent for him to take their pleasure further. His hand dived into her jeans, which, until that moment, she hadn’t realised he’d loosened.

  His hand came down to rest between her thighs while they fed ravenously on each other's mouths. As he went to caress her, she opened her eyes and pulled her head back slightly, breaking their kiss.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Neither do I. Follow your instincts.”

  Mackenzie gazed into eyes dark with desire. She ran her finger along the scar on his jaw line before sweeping back the hair creeping down his forehead.

  “We won’t do anything you don’t want to do,” he said, his eyes searching her face for answers.

  His apprehensive expression caused her to giggle.

  “I want this,” she said.

  Bringing her lips back to his she sent her desire into overdrive. His hand began to caress between her legs and the feeling from the night before oozed through her. She groaned as pleasure tingled her skin.

  Mackenzie wanted to feel his skin, his body next to hers, so she tugged at his t-shirt. He sat up, she followed and he helped her remove it.

  As he went to do the same with hers, she shook her head and confusion rutted his brow.

  She hopped off the bed and then slowly eased off each item of clothing, enjoying his expression as her nakedness was revealed piece by piece, the intensity in his eyes increasing with each item. When she knelt on the bed before him, his hands became a frenzy of movement as he touched every part of her. He pressed her naked chest to his and the sensation caused her nipples to harden and her desire to almost burst through her skin.

  With haste, he removed the remainder of his clothes, eased her back and pressed their nakedness together. Their bodies flush against each other, fitting together as though they were always meant to. He kissed her face, her neck, and her shoulders before capturing one nipple then the other in his mouth. The new sensation caused her body to arch and she begged him for release. He caressed her inner thighs before he eased his fingers inside her and stroked out her first powerful climax.

  “Oh, Ryan,” she breathed. “Please, I want more.”

  As the last wave wracked her body, he slipped inside her and she cried out. Although she was ready for him, the first few slow and deliberate movements caused a slight discomfort until she adapted to him.

  When she gazed into his face, she found a stunned excitement of feeling a woman for the first time. A groan fell from her lips Watching his face as he experienced the same new sensations as her, as they reached the peak together, satisfied her in ways she never considered possible. It was almost as exciting and pleasurable as the orgasm that washed over her.

  “That was amazing,” he whispered to her as they lay side by side, limbs entangled.

  “Yes, it was.”

  Mackenzie ran her fingers over his lean chest and down his taut stomach before stroking him lower with gentle caresses. His groan bounced off the dirt walls. His kiss was tender laced with passion when he sought her lips.

  “You keep doing that and we’ll be doing it again,” he whispered as he ran his lips down her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

  Urgent for him again, she increased the tempo. “That was my intention.”

  Through a sleepy haze, she heard her name and felt warm breath on her neck and ear. She became aware of her nakedness, strong sinewy arms wrapped around her, and a hard body nestled behind her. Memories flashed through her mind and she blushed. After blinking a few times, she turned to Ryan. He smiled and she returned it feeling shy.

  “Hey,” he said, his smile still present and contented.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Did you still want to get your things?” He ran an indolent hand up and down her body sending tingles through her.

  “Yes.”

  “Then we should get up, it’s dark out. Now would be the best time to go.”

  “O
kay,” she said and sat up.

  He followed suit before pushing her hair behind her ears in his gentle way. “Are you all right … I mean …” His smile became a frown.

  “I'm more than all right. I don’t have any regrets.”

  “I didn’t hurt you?”

  “No.”

  Her hand came up to cup his face and then she found his lips to kiss away his concerns.

  His smile returned. “Good, we’d better go now or we never will.”

  16

  Doubt

  The waiting was killing him. What was taking her so long? As the hour grew later so did the danger of running into rogue gangs when they surfaced from wherever it was they crawled out from. They might be fighting for the same thing, but they most certainly weren’t on the same side as far as he was concerned. Some of the things the gangs did were no better than the GAP.

  A half hour had passed since Mackenzie entered Cherrywood Estate and Ryan started to believe she wasn’t going to return.

  After an eventless trip from the desert to the streets of Artinean, they arrived at Cherrywood to discover Cody at her house. Mackenzie wanted to go in straight away and talk with her brother, but he managed to talk her around. Cody would not listen to reason and Ryan dreaded to think of what he would do to obtain information from her. So, he asked her to wait, stating Cody would try to make her stay. This convinced her.

  A smile touched his lips as he thought about their afternoon together, and desire surged through his veins. His mind became filled with her. The soft contours of her body. The golden colour of her skin. Her hazel eyes overflowing with desire.

  He reluctantly pushed those thoughts aside. They still had to return to the compound and he needed to be alert. If Mackenzie ever returned, that is. Doubt and fear gnawed at him; maybe she wouldn’t come back. Perhaps he would be captured at any moment as she alerted Cody to his whereabouts.

  Was he wrong to put his trust in her? Was it wrong to allow her to capture his heart and lower his defences? He cursed and resumed his pacing, his chest tight and his stomach in knots.

  When Mackenzie entered the house, she found Ryder watching a movie in the living room. Noises coming from the kitchen, clattering of plates and glasses, indicated Astor was burning up her nervous energy by tiding up. An unnecessary chore in their house, but it had always been Astor’s way when something troubled her. Guilt ate at her as she approached Ryder.

  She placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped and swung around. He stared for a moment with eyebrows raised before leaping out of his seat and running around to hug her. A surprised smile tug at her lips, Ryder rarely showed any form of affection.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes, didn’t you get my message?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t know if it was you.”

  “Who else would it be?”

  He shrugged.

  “What is it, Ryder?”

  “Cody said you were being held by the renegades against your will. We were worried about you.”

  “I wouldn’t believe anything Cody says.”

  “Yeah, you said that. I’ve always known things aren’t as he says.”

  With casual ease, he leant against the back of the couch. A grimace flashed across his handsome features.

  “How could you know?”

  “I don’t exactly, but the Cody you see and the one I do are different. He makes sure of that.” Ryder paused. His eyes studied the different clothes and her expression. “What’s going on, Mac?”

  “I’m going back.”

  His startled expression and rising of his eyebrows again brought another quick smile to her lips.

  “Why?”

  “Mackenzie?” Astor’s questioning voice preceded her entrance into the room. She gasped when she spotted her daughter. “Are you all right? Where have you been?”

  Astor rushed over and wrapped her into a tight hug. Still holding tight, her mother ran a hand over Mackenzie’s hair and took her turn at scrutinising her.

  “I’m okay.”

  Mackenzie averted her eyes. She knew her mother would be able to read what would certainly be showing in them. Breaking it slowly with Astor would be the only way. She could be prone to hysterics.

  “It’s a long story.”

  Astor waited, staring, urging her to elaborate.

  “I’m not really sure how to …”

  “Out with it, Mackenzie. You’ve been gone for days. We hear no word from you. I've been worried sick. I hope you have a good explanation. Cody told us you had been captured by rebels, but I didn’t want to believe this because then I thought …”

  Mackenzie turned to Ryder with a questioning look. He’d obviously failed to tell Astor she was alive and well.

  “I was captured.”

  Astor gasped and concern filled her eyes. She was imagining the worst.

  “They didn’t hurt me, on the contrary, they were … nice. In fact, they let me send a message to Ryder, didn’t he tell you?” she asked, glaring at her brother.

  “No, he didn’t tell me.” Astor then sent him her own glare. “Nice? What are you talking about? The stories we’ve heard … Cody said …”

  “Cody is a liar.”

  “Mackenzie!”

  “Well, he is, Mum. Anyway, I’m not staying.”

  “What do you mean you’re not staying? Where are you going?” She frowned, disapproving and confused expressions flashing across her face.

  “I'm going back.”

  Astor shook her head, her mouth open in disbelief.

  “Wish I could leave,” mumbled Ryder.

  Astor and Mackenzie both glared at him again.

  “What? At least then I wouldn’t have to join the GAP.”

  “Mackenzie, what are you … why?” Astor furrowed her brow again and searched Mackenzie's face for clues.

  How did she explain without increasing Astor’s already obvious distress? “Things are not what they seem and I want to help in the fight against the government.”

  Astor gasped again and Ryder snorted. They all stood rooted to the spot staring at each other. Mackenzie glared at Ryder while he smirked. Their mother’s expression remained stunned.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” Astor said.

  “I know you don’t understand, Mum, but this is what I want. I’ve come to collect some of my stuff.”

  “What did they do to you?”

  Mackenzie sighed. Astor would want, and deserved, an explanation.

  “Mum, sit down and I’ll explain.”

  She began from the alleyway and brought them up to speed, omitting the details of her afternoon with Ryan - best not to freak her mother out too much.

  “Mackenzie, how can this be true?”

  Tears welled in her eyes and guilt shot a lump into Mackenzie's throat. She swallowed it down and bit back the tears.

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.” Mackenzie lowered her eyes as remorse overwhelmed her.

  “It explains a lot.” Astor took Mackenzie’s hands, which lifted her eyes from her lap. “You do what you need to do.”

  “What?” Ryder said, mirroring Mackenzie’s astonishment.

  “I think I’ve always known the truth, but never wanted to see it,” Astor said.

  Relief compelled Mackenzie to throw her arms around her mother. Knowing Astor wouldn’t be disappointed in her lightened her burdened heart.

  “This doesn’t mean I won’t be worried about you. I hope you’ll be safe, but I understand your need to follow what you think is the right path. I want this war to end. I’m tired of conforming and being scared. Maybe this could help make Cody see sense.”

  “Can I go too?” Ryder asked, switching his gaze from his mother to Mackenzie and back again.

  “No!” they answered together.

  Footsteps sounded behind him as he completed maybe his hundredth lap down one side of the estate. His weapon was out and raised before he turned around.
>
  Mackenzie jumped back, her smile dropping as she gasped.

  “Sorry,” he said. He put his weapon back in the holster. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s habit.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Her smile returned and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to kiss her. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

  His blurted words sent blood to his cheeks and he was relived the darkness hid his embarrassment. He couldn’t recall ever blushing before.

  “It took me a little while to explain it to my family.”

  Her smile held his gaze even as his shyness urged him to look away. He lifted a hand to caress her beautiful face as his heart brimmed over with emotion. Love?

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  The urge to feel her lips against his smothered his need to be wary of their surroundings. Leaving his hand on her face, he pulled her close with the other and kissed her. The soft moaning in her throat almost sent him to the ground with her in his arms, to take from her what he craved.

  “We’d better go back,” he whispered.

  Bending down to retrieve the bag she dropped, he took her hand and they set off.

  They found Simmo pacing Ryan’s quarters when they returned. His creased brow indicated he mulled over something significant. He stopped pacing when they entered, and his excited eyes met theirs.

  “About time you showed up. Where have you been?”

  “Collecting Mackenzie’s stuff. What’s up?”

  Simmo bridged the distance in two long strides. His penetrating gaze went from Mackenzie to Ryan. “Why does she need her stuff?”

  “I’m staying here,” she said.

  Ryan squeezed her hand. It would be better coming from him. Simmo wouldn’t take Mackenzie’s voluntary presence too well. He found the ability to trust even harder than Ryan. Simmo’s eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a tight line.

  “I know you’re staying here. You’re our hostage. Right, Captain?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Simmo’s narrowed eyes flicked to Mackenzie before dropping to their clasped hands. When his eyes returned to Ryan, they were filled with disbelief. His mouth hung open, stupefied.