by Nina Croft
Could she do it?
He stood there, slanting her his lop-sided grin, and the muscles in her belly tightened. His clothes were soaked, clinging to the strong lines of his body, his hair damp, his skin gleaming with a fine sheen of moisture.
She holstered her pistol. “I just wanted to know what’s going on.”
“I’m fixing the cooling system—you want to help?”
She gritted her teeth. “I meant up there, with the space cruiser.”
“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about.”
His eyes gleamed with amusement, and she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. He was trying to wind her up, and she wasn’t going to let him see he was succeeding. She curved her lips into the semblance of a smile. “That’s sweet of you, but it’s my brother’s life at stake here. I can’t help but worry.”
“Hmm, for a moment, I’d actually forgotten about your brother. How remiss of me.” He stepped to the side and gestured into the room behind him. “Why don’t you come inside, and I can set your mind at rest while I work.”
Skylar peered past him into the steam-filled room.
“I can’t stop right now,” Rico said as she hesitated. “The Trog’s threatening to jump ship if I don’t fix this fast.”
The thick, wet heat enveloped her as soon as she stepped into the room. The door slid shut behind her, and immediately sweat oozed from her pores. Breathing in the hot heavy air, she felt as though she was drowning, and she took quick, shallow breaths until she was sure she could get enough oxygen into her lungs.
The room was small, a large cylinder in the center, steam hissing from the seals around the base. Rico stood with his back to her, tapping into a console, and the muscles shifted beneath his skin-tight clothing. Even from behind, he was quite the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, with broad shoulders, lean hips, and long, muscular legs.
After working for a minute, he swore under his breath and banged his fist down hard. “There, that should do it. Give it a few minutes to reset, and we can get out of here.”
He swung round to face her, leaning against the counter, his arms folded across his chest. His skin was slick with steam or sweat, his thick lashes spiky with moisture. Her gaze dropped to where the shirt clung to the hard muscles of his chest. She could see the outline of his nipples beneath the damp silk.
She swallowed and looked away before her gaze could drop lower. Instead, she focused on a large red button on the wall beside him. “What does that do?” she asked.
“Sets off the emergency cooling system.”
“Isn’t this an emergency?”
“Not yet.”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Can’t you press it anyway?”
He shuddered. “I’d really rather not. Now, what did you want to know?”
She licked the moisture from her lips and saw his eyes follow the movement. She hadn’t thought it could get any hotter in here, but the temperature shot up. She forced herself to concentrate. She needed answers. Though if Rico suspected her of something, he was hiding it well.
“Do we need to call off the rescue?”
Surprise flashed across his face. “Why would you think that?”
She frowned. “That space cruiser—”
“—was nothing to do with you or the rescue,” he interrupted. “Just someone who reckons I owe them. That’s how I knew they wouldn’t shoot. This guy doesn’t want me dead. Well not yet. He wants me to pay him back—then he wants me dead.”
“Wasn’t it a Collective ship?”
“Yeah, but this guy has friends in high places.”
“So why didn’t they board us?”
He shrugged. “I guess he’s letting me know he’s found us, but don’t worry, this baby—” he patted the ship’s wall “—has some fancy maneuvers in her. We’ll shake them off.”
There was something not quite right here, but Skylar couldn’t work out what. Maybe the heat was getting to her, or the fact that Rico suddenly seemed much closer. She took a step back and looked around her—the thick haze of steam appeared to have dispersed a little.
“Is it done yet? Can we get out of here,” she said.
“Not yet.” He moved closer again and stroked her cheek. “Are you feeling okay?” Curling his hand around her throat, he cupped the back of her skull, massaging her scalp with his fingers. “Did you bang your head when you fell?”
“No. I bruised my hip, that’s all.” At the memory, her anger surged. “What in the name of Meridian were you doing? You could have killed us all.”
“I did tell you to strap yourself in.”
“Yeah, right, and that would really have helped if they’d zapped us into tiny little pieces.”
He laughed softly, and his hand slid down her body, to rest against her hip, rubbing the sore spot gently. “You want me to kiss it better?”
At his words, the muscles in her belly clenched. She had a flashback to the feel of his mouth on her, his dark head between her thighs. Her legs clamped together, and she almost came from the memory.
She needed to get her mind off sex. She couldn’t allow herself to relax around him. Closing her eyes, she ran a quick, calming mantra through her mind. When she had her unruly body under control, she brushed his hand away and stiffened her spine.
If she was sensible she’d leave right now, but this might be the last time she would see him alone, and there was something she’d wanted to ask him, a few things actually.
He was the oldest person she had ever heard of, yet he didn’t seem like the other long-lifers she had met. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask. I might not answer.”
“Do you like living forever?”
He slanted her a smile. “Well so far, I’ve always preferred it to the alternative.”
“But don’t you get bored?”
“No, I’ve never gotten bored. There’s a whole universe out there waiting to be explored.” He grinned. “Besides, I’ve learned to keep myself entertained.”
She decided not to pursue that. “So, did you choose to become what you are?”
“A vampire?”
“Yes, did you choose it because of the immortality.”
He shook his head.
“So why?”
For a minute, she thought he wouldn’t answer, and then he shrugged. “I was married once. She was killed, and I wanted revenge.”
His voice was expressionless, and Skylar had no clue what he was thinking. “What happened?”
“The Church—the Inquisition, to be precise—took her. They accused her of being a witch—”
“A witch?”
“She was a healer. The Church didn’t care that she helped people. They came for her when I was away. By the time I returned, she was dead. Tortured and burned at the stake.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be—it was a long time ago. Afterward, I went hunting for the darkness. If you look hard enough, you’ll always find it. You could say I sold my soul for revenge, but I had that many times over, so the bargain was good.”
The thought of Rico married made her feel uneasy, and the next question slipped out before she could stop it. “Did you love her?”
He shrugged. “It was a marriage arranged by our families, but I came to care for her.”
. . .
Her skin glowed with moisture, her hair slick against her scalp, her eyes huge and shadowed by the death of someone she had never known. A death that had happened so many centuries ago.
A wave of unexpected tenderness rose inside him. For some reason, Skylar pulled at emotions he’d thought he’d lost. Perhaps emotions he had never had before.
In view of what he suspected, it wasn’t wise to care for her.
But, dios, she had him tied in knots.
The material of her jumpsuit molded to her full breasts and slender legs. He breathed in and caught the lingering scent of her arousal on the warm air. She wanted him, and at t
he knowledge, his own body responded, heat coiling in his belly. He allowed his hunger to rise, pushing the doubts from his mind.
Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear. “Enough questions. You still owe me an orgasm.”
Her eyes widened, and he took advantage of her shock, slipping a hand between their bodies, between her thighs, feeling her tremble against him. He saw the moment she gave up the fight, all the tension draining away.
Pressing upwards with his fingers, he rubbed her core, and she moaned low in her throat. She was already poised on the edge, and she came quickly—her whole body shuddering with pleasure, a small scream escaping her throat.
He waited for the tremors to stop then kissed her lightly on the lips. “Two orgasms,” he murmured.
She raised her head. Her eyes half-closed, her face flushed. “And I always pay my debts.”
She dropped to her knees in front of him. He’d been hard since the moment she walked in the room. Now he throbbed with need.
He held himself still as her light fingers traced over the length of his erection. Her fingers fumbled on the fastening of his pants, but at last she peeled open the damp material and his cock sprang free.
She sat back on her heels for a moment staring at him. Her tongue came out, licked her lips, and he groaned. He couldn’t help himself. Reaching for her, he stroked his hand over one shoulder, cupping the back of her head in his palm, pulling her closer. Her warm breath teased across the sensitive tip, and it jerked toward her. Beneath her lashes, her hot gaze caught his as the blood pounded through his veins, pulsated in his cock.
Then she licked him.
He closed his eyes, rested his back against the wall as she explored him with her velvety tongue. Her touch was tentative at first. Rico was used to whores whose practiced mouths knew exactly what to do, but he found this far more erotic. She kissed the tip, and his hips pushed against her. She ran her tongue around the rim, and he bit back another groan.
Finally, she took him in her mouth. He opened his eyes and stared down the line of his body to watch as her red, full lips encircled his cock. His fingers tightened in her hair, pressing her closer, and she sucked harder.
He forced his hand to relax, stroked her hair, her throat, anywhere he could touch as he continued to thrust leisurely into that hot, wet mouth. The pleasure built inside him. He was so close now, his breath coming in short sharp pants. She cupped his balls with her hand, squeezed, and he exploded.
Pleasure shot through his balls, up his shaft, melted his spine. His back arched and he came. For long moments, he pumped into her mouth, unable to stop. Finally, she drew back, her tongue snaking out to lick her full lower lip. “Umm.”
“Umm?”
“You taste…” She licked her lips again and a tremor of residual pleasure shot through him, jerking his hips. “…delicious.”
At the word, another hunger rose, and his gums ached with the need to taste her. “Come here.” He tugged her to her feet, pulling her close against him. Everything was hot and wet. He kissed her mouth, her cheeks, burrowed his face in the curve of her throat, licking the moist skin, finding the point where the blood flowed close to the surface, touching his tongue to the pulse. She wasn’t fighting him off now, and he knew he could have her. His hunger rose as his fangs grazed the tender flesh. It had been days since he had fed, but still he couldn’t bring himself to make the final move.
If he tasted her, what would he discover?
Right now, he only suspected what she was. If he knew for sure, would he have to put a stop to this charade? Put a stop to Skylar? And even if he did prove she was a liar, it wouldn’t explain what she was really up to. He doubted he could make her talk, and he wanted to know.
Actually, he wanted her to tell him of her own free will, and for that he needed more time.
When he didn’t move, she wriggled against him. His hunger roared, straining against the fierce hold he had on his control. If she moved again, he knew he would lose it, take her. And then she ground her hips into him, and his control slipped away. There was only one sure way he could stop himself now. He stared at the red button on the wall beside him.
Dios, he hated cold water.
He shifted Skylar so he held her in one arm, and taking a deep breath, he slammed his other hand onto the button.
The effect was instantaneous.
Skylar screamed, and this time it wasn’t from pleasure.
Chapter Ten
“Security is going to be much lower going in,” Tannis said. “They’re not going to think anyone would risk attacking a heavily armed ship for a few supplies. So we hit before they reach Trakis One.”
The whole crew had gathered to go over the final plan. Skylar rested her back against the wall, arms crossed, as she watched Rico out of the corner of her eye. A shiver ran through her. Twenty-four hours had passed, and she still felt frozen to the bone.
She was certain he’d done it on purpose, despite his protestations of innocence.
What she didn’t understand was why.
She’d given in. She would have let him do anything, but instead of doing the obvious, he’d pressed that stupid button and nearly froze them both to death.
“So, Skylar goes ahead,” Rico continued. “It’s an all-male crew, so she dresses in that skimpy outfit and sends out a distress signal. They’re going to be suspicious but with a bit of luck they should only go to a code-yellow alert. We can work with that.”
“What if they go to a code red?” Skylar asked.
“They go to a code red and we’re fucked.” He grinned. “Well, actually, at that point it’s just you that’s fucked, because we’ll be out of there.”
“Great plan so far.”
“But we don’t think they will,” Tannis added quickly. “Once you’re on board, your job is to see that they do not go to red. Stop them anyway you like, just make sure it doesn’t escalate when we come on board, and if possible switch off the yellow. You also need to cut their external shielding so we can board. If you can do that from the control panel—great. If not, Janey’s got something that should help you.”
Janey was sitting a little apart from the group, her perfectly manicured fingertips gliding over a hologram screen in front of her. Engrossed, she seemed unaware that everyone had turned to look at her.
“Janey?”
She glanced up with an irritated frown as Tannis spoke her name. “Yes?”
“That ‘thing’ you have for Skylar. Can you give her a quick rundown?”
Janey’s expression brightened. “You’re going to love this. I’ve been working on it all night.”
She held up a disc, so small Skylar had to move in closer to see. About the size of her smallest fingertip, and paper-thin, it didn’t look particularly impressive. “What is it?”
“A radio wave emitter, and get this—it’s triggered by a medical scanner. Which fits in great with your cover story. You tell them you think you were hurt when your ship was attacked and get them to scan you. If you time it right, it will knock out the shields and the alarms long enough for Rico and Tannis to board.”
“Where does it go?”
“That’s the clever part—I’ll slip it under your skin,” she patted her rib cage just below her left breast, “right here.”
“Lovely,” Skylar muttered, but she was impressed. She was starting to believe they could make this work. “Will we have the ship’s codes?”
“I’m hoping so.” Janey waved at the screen. “I’m working on them now.”
“Good.” Skylar turned back to Rico and Tannis. “So, I keep them contained. You board, we persuade the crew to cooperate, or we put them out of action. We go in to Trakis One on the transport ship, pretend we’re them, drop off the supplies, pick up my little brother, and we’re out of there before they realize anything is going on.” She frowned. “You know, it all sounds a little too easy.”
“Well, the going in is going to be the tricky part,” Tannis said. “Rico has to get us
past that black hole. That’s what keeps them safe. Also, my guess is they’ve gotten sloppy. This whole ‘impossible to break out of’ crap has gone to their heads. That should work in our favor. So—any questions?” she asked. “No? Well then, I suggest those of you not on watch get some sleep. It’s a big day tomorrow.”
Rico strolled across to where Skylar lounged against the wall. “Sweetheart, how about you and me go somewhere quiet, have a drink?”
She didn’t move, just examined him, one lip curled in what she hoped was a disdainful sneer.
“Hey, I said it was an accident. My hand slipped.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Come on. Don’t be like that. After all, this time tomorrow, we might all be sucked into a black hole.”
He flattened his palms on the wall on either side of her head; she could smell the musky male scent of him, feel the whisper of his breath against her cheek. “Do you really want to die not knowing how it could be between us?” His voice had sunk to that low, husky drawl that sent prickles racing across her skin. “I thought you always paid your debts, Skylar? You’re still one up on me, remember.”
Yes, she did, and at the memory of his agile fingers working on her body, a fire burst into life inside her, banishing the last of the cold.
He leaned a little closer. “What if I promise no biting—just good, old-fashioned sex?”
His words conjured an image of him on top of her, inside her, and the fire threatened to rage out of control. She swallowed, bit her lower lip, and slowly unfolded her arms from her chest. Reached up to...
“Skylar, are you coming?”
Skylar jumped. The voice came from behind Rico, and she glanced over his shoulder. Daisy stood in the entrance watching them, amusement gleaming in her emerald eyes. “You said you wanted to see the navigation room.”
Skylar’s tongue flicked out to moisten her dry lips. Her gaze lingered on Rico’s hooded eyes for a moment, and then she nodded.
“I do.” The words came out as a squeak, and she cleared her throat. “I do. Yes, I definitely want to see the navigation room.”