Garnets or Bust (2 page)

watching? Could she strike a deal with him? There were enough riches for both of

them.

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Although with his family, he didn’t need riches, something she’d been all too aware

of at school. He’d been a frequent customer at the bar where she’d worked, spending

more credits in a night that she’d earn in a month. A year.

Money couldn’t motivate Daaron Von Saur’rel.

He pointed with the tip of his blaster toward her tent.

“It looked to me earlier like you’d found something,” he said. “I’m assuming

garnets?”

“How did you know?” she asked. “I sorted through thousands of planetary surveys

to find them, records that nobody had accessed for generations. They’re mine.”

“I can’t let you keep them,” he said, and for one second she could have sworn there

was compassion in his eyes. “You don’t want me to explain all the reasons why, trust

me.”

She nodded toward the blaster.

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked. “Because unless you plan to do it, get out of

my campsite. I don’t want you here, and I won’t let you get in the way of my plans. You

may not have ever had to do anything more important than find exactly the right suit

for an Imperial ball, but I have commitments. To my mother. She sacrificed everything

to give me my education, and this is my chance to pay her back. Surely you can

understand that?”

He nodded his head, surprising her.

“Actually, I can.”

He leaned one hip against her camp table, ignoring the careful piles of flimsies he

crushed. She gritted her teeth—same old Daaron, oblivious to other people’s hard work.

She stood slowly, eyeing the blaster as she set down her glass. Then she took a careful

step toward him.

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Joanna Wylde

“Please don’t touch my papers,” she said, doing her best to maintain her dignity.

She remembered him leaning that same way against her lab bench at university,

tempting her with delights she couldn’t allow herself to contemplate.

Daughters of bond servants can’t afford relationships with aristocrats, not if they want to

stay honorable.
And Tessa was always honorable. Honor was the only inheritance her

mother had given her, despite the fact that most nobles thought honor belonged to them

alone. Stupid aristocrats with their duels. Daaron had fought three of them during those

two years they’d studied together. Each time she’d been terrified for his life. But Daaron

simply laughed at danger. To him, life was nothing more than a game. Still, she

wondered if playing on the ancient aristocratic code might work in this circumstance…

“I found this claim fairly, using open records and my own intellect,” she said,

walking toward him slowly and steadily. “When I sunk those core samples, I staked a

claim that will hold up in Imperial court. You need to leave or you’ll be dishonoring

me, not to mention opening yourself up to liability.”

He laughed, relaxing his grip on the blaster.

“I don’t give a damn about your claim,” he said. “And to be honest, honor doesn’t

come into it. The Code wasn’t written for people like you. The Imperial officials would

laugh in your face if you challenged me.”

Tessa froze. She’d always known he considered her inferior, but he’d never spoken

so baldly. It hurt more than she’d realized.

“But this isn’t about the garnets,” he continued. “I don’t give a damn about money.

I have more than I need. This is more important than money, more important than our

pathetic little lives put together. If you discover a new source of cerulean star garnets

this planet will be crawling with speculators. Even worse, a consortium will eventually

come in and strip mine. I can’t allow that to happen.”

“Why do you care?” she asked, genuinely puzzled. “We’re in the middle of

nowhere, I don’t even understand why anybody settled here. It’s not an environmental

preserve, not even ecologically unique. I checked. There is nothing special about this

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planet, it’s not even very good for farming, Goddess help those poor settlers who are

trying. The spaceport looks like it might shut down any day from lack of use. Why are

you determined to destroy this for me?”

“Come here and I’ll tell you,” he said. His eyes bore into hers, and for a moment she

froze, mesmerized. What was it about him that called to her? Sure, he was handsome

and sexy. He had power. But Daaron Von Saur’rel stood forever beyond her reach. Only

a fool would hope for anything from him.

“Come here and kiss me,” he said, voice hoarse. She licked her lips nervously,

drawing his eyes. Their heat burned her. He flicked off the blaster and put it in the

holster hanging low on a belt across his hips.

Tessa stepped closer. She wanted to be near him, wanted to smell his scent.

He leaned his head down and sniffed at her neck, giving a low groan.

“So sweet,” he whispered, the breath of air touching her skin and sending ripples of

sensation through her body. “Let me taste you, Tess.”

She nodded her head, incapable of disagreeing.

He reached a hand around her neck, gripping her braids loosely and pulling her in

for the kiss. His mouth opened over hers and she sank back into his touch.
Finally
. She’d

wanted him so many times, had come close to doing this more than once. Each time

she’d held back, knowing they could never be together. But now…this might be her last

chance to get rid of him. She’d manipulate him, use her body to convince him to leave

her alone.

It was bullshit. Tessa knew that. She kissed him because she wanted to, because

he’d caught her off guard, threatening her shiny new future. If she was to lose

everything, then couldn’t she at least have a little fun first?

She opened her mouth to Daaron, allowing his tongue to steal inside and caress her.

His lips were far softer than she’d ever imagined, the kiss gentle although far from

sweet. Heat spilled from his mouth to hers. What would it feel like to take more of him

into her body? They stood apart, touching where they kissed, but she’d seen that

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Joanna Wylde

shocking erection earlier. He wanted her for more than kissing. Her tightening nipples

and the tingles of sensation running between her legs told her she wanted more too.

Something tugged at her head, breaking the flow of the kiss. She tried to ignore it,

tried to throw herself back into the flow of that gentle, beautiful caress. But the tugging

continued, pulling at her and hurting. Suddenly her head felt incredibly light, and she

pulled away from him with a cry of betrayal.

He looked down at her, his face a mixture of triumph and something else. In one

hand he held a knife. Her braids dangled from the other.

“Daaron, what have you done?”

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Garnets or Bust

“You’re
mine
now,” Daaron said, savoring the words. How many times had he

imagined taking her? The fantasy was nothing compared to the satisfaction he felt now.

Confusion filled her face and he almost felt pity. This was supposed to be a special

moment in Tessa’s life, he thought. A woman from the Warrens should have her braids

shorn during a marriage ceremony, the knife wielded by a man who loved her.

“You can’t possibly understand what you just did,” she replied, eyes searching his,

panicky. “I can’t lose my braids, Daaron. They’ll think I’m a whore without my braids.

My mother…”

“She’ll think you’re a married woman,” he said, voice harsh. “She’ll think you’re
my

woman. You belong to me body and soul. I own you. The custom seems primitive to

me, but it serves a ‘valuable purpose’ for your people, remember?”

“This isn’t a game,” she replied, her voice tight with anger. “You get to go back to

your life and laugh with your rich friends over the stupid little Warrens girl you

‘married’, but nobody else will have me now.”

“I wouldn’t want them to,” he replied. “I won’t tolerate infidelity. You’re mine and

I’m keeping you, Tessa. Accept reality, darling, it will be easier for both of us.”

She shook her head, and the pounding frustration he’d felt for so many years

threatened to overwhelm him. He’d wanted her for years, held back because he knew

she couldn’t fuck him without risking everything she held dear. But she’d lost that life

the moment she’d found the garnets, even if she didn’t understand it yet. Women of her

class were chaste before marriage, or so she insisted. About time to turn that archaic

morality in his favor.

“Do you deny that we’re married by the laws and customs of your class?” he asked

her, grasping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye.

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Joanna Wylde

“No,” she whispered. “I can’t be married to you, Daaron.”

“Too late,” he replied. “And you have to obey me, don’t you?”

She tried to shake her head, but he held her chin firm.

“What would your mother say?” he asked. She whimpered, and he knew he would

win.

“She would say you’re my husband and I have to obey,” Tessa whispered, voice

breaking “This isn’t what I wanted, Daaron. Why did you do this to me?”

He could explain, but the more she knew, the greater her danger. And her attitude

frustrated him, made him angry. Was marrying him truly such a horrible fate? Women

had been chasing him his entire life, begging him for attention. Why wasn’t he good

enough for this one? Years of denial, combined with the loss of his own freedom, welled

up inside. Anger grew. He’d done his part and married her, honoring her ridiculous

customs, trading his freedom for her survival. He’d take care of her the rest of her life.

She had nothing to fear. Why wouldn’t she give in to him now?

“I have more money than you can imagine,” he said tightly. “I own this entire star

system. You’ll be more than adequately provided for. The least you can do is show me a

little gratitude.”

“How dare you? I had my own plans, my own dreams. I’ve worked hard to get to

this point and you think it’s all right to just take over my life? I can’t be bought. I

thought I already taught you that.”

“I know you can’t be bought, we covered that a long time ago,” he replied. Her

smell, that faint waft of flowers and woman, tickled his nose, clouding his ability to

think. He didn’t need to talk. He needed to fuck.

“Tessa, I didn’t want to do this to you, believe it or not. You don’t think I could

have taken you at university? My friends laughed at me when you turned me down,

none of them could understand why I didn’t just spirit you away in the night and keep

you prisoner on my yacht. Men like me do not have to get permission from women like

you. But I admired your work ethic, admired the way you stood up to me. I loved the

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Garnets or Bust

way you were honest with me, when even the professors groveled at my feet. You were

the only one who stood up to me. I didn’t want to do this to you, but we’re out of

choices. Now you’ll damned well live with the consequences.”

With that, he closed the space between them, pulling her against his body

forcefully. He channeled all his frustration, anger and longing he’d felt over the years

and kissed her. Hard.

Daaron’s lips took hers, demanding she open for him. Tessa tried to fight him off,

but he held her tight with one arm, pinning her as his other hand dug into the shorn

remains of her hair. With one swipe of his knife he’d married her, by the Goddess, and

now he was going to have her. His cock swelled, glorying in the feel of her against his

body. She gave a muffled whimper, the sound of a woman conquered.

He thrust one knee between her legs, pushing them apart and throwing her off

balance. In an instant she went from fighting to clinging to him for support. He took

advantage of the moment to reach down and grab her ass, lifting her up and wrapping

her legs around his waist. Carrying her, he strode purposefully toward her tent.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked, gripping him tightly as they

lurched across the campsite.

“Taking you to bed,” he replied. “No marriage is legal unless it’s consummated.”

“You’re insane. This isn’t a real marriage.”

“You’d better hope it is,” he replied, his voice grim. “Marrying me is the only thing

that will keep you alive. Wives can’t testify against their husbands according to

Imperial code.”

“Testify? Daaron, you’re insane. I don’t know what kind of terrible secret you think

I know, but I don’t give a damn about you or your life. I just want to leave with my

garnets.”

They reached the tent, Daaron shouldering his way in and Tessa clutching him as

they lurched to a stop. She tried to push him away again, but he wrapped a hard arm

around her waist and gripped the back of her head one more time. This time his kiss

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was long and slow, pouring out all the heat and frustration he’d built up over the years.

She tasted better than his most fevered dreams. Finally he pulled away, allowing her to

slide down his body. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he shushed her, putting

one finger across her lips.