Rebel Souls (12 page)

“You can’t do that. You have a contract to serve out.”

“Unless there’s a religious conflict. Consider this notification of that conflict.” The screen went black.

That sonofabitch seduced my officer
. He’d refused to believe it until he’d spoken to her. Seth growled and threw his com across the room. For three weeks, things went smoothly but no evidence. Just as he thought they were getting somewhere, that she might catch him in a meeting with a smuggler, her
backup
reported she’d followed the Rebel leader into the club, only to come out hours later, wrapped around him like spray-on clothing.

Missionary indeed
. The pair climbed into a shuttle and ditched the tail he’d set after them. Emery hadn’t answered her com and shortly after, her tracking device had been found inside an inactivated rubbish disintegrator.

Then, when he didn’t think he could get anymore pissed, a message had come across his com. And what would that religious conflict be? Seth frowned.

Ava couldn’t be aware of her fiancé picking up random women off the street, or she’d have dumped him long before. Frost didn’t seem like the kind of woman who would put up with it. And even if she was okay with it, Seth wasn’t. Brodie’s cheating was disrespectful to Ava, and he intended to show her she could do much better. As for his tech officer, she had a lot to answer for once he located her, if he located her. How had Brodie turned her against him? Could Brodie Mark really hold that kind of power?

“Find them!” Seth strode from the deck, exiting his ship. He stormed down the ramp, headed across the docks and toward Captain Frost’s ship. Brodie had given up his claim to Ava the moment he’d run off with Emery. For three fucking weeks, he’d respected the Rebel’s claim, had been the gentleman and conceded. But that was then, this was now. The bastard didn’t deserve her, and he intended to make sure she didn’t sink any deeper into Brodie’s world.

And maybe a little of his motivation came from his need to have her to himself, something he’d ignored, regardless the multiple nights he’d tried to get her out of his head by jacking off, doing anything to not infringe on another man’s territory. He’d respected the asshole’s claim, kept his distance, even though every single cell in his body screamed for him to do otherwise. She’d been all he could think about.

Since he’d met her, he’d been drawn to her, and he knew he’d only needed a small excuse to sway his conscious. Whatever Brodie had done or said to convince his tech officer to leave the Fleet, had also given him the open door he’d wanted. No more backing off. No more standing down. Ava was his now.

Chapter Nine

Seth slammed his hand into the gel pad, releasing the lock to the hanger that housed Ava’s ship. The steel blast door slid open and Ava whipped around, her back to an engine compartment where she’d been working. A smudge of something black streaked across one cheek, and her hair hung loose around her shoulders. She wore a red thermal shirt, tan canvas pants, and black boots that stopped just above her knees, looking every bit the smuggler he’d fantasized about for days.

“What are you doing here, Captain Reynolds?”

There wasn’t a good answer for it. Plain and simple, he needed her, wanted her, and he’d be damned if he held back now. He strode up to her, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her into his arms.

Her fingers laced into his hair, and she tipped her face up to look him in the eyes. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes, my crew is on leave.” Her gaze traveled to the hanger doors. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He watched the way her lips formed the words but heard little of what she said. Need pounded through him and only one thing would relieve it. Gods, he wanted her. “No.” No, he shouldn’t be. No, he shouldn’t kiss her. No, he wasn’t thinking about duty tonight. He dipped his head and captured her mouth the way he’d wanted to for the last three weeks, backing her against the forward drive. He tore at her shirt and the buckle on her aviator’s pants, desperate to touch her bare flesh, be inside her. His hands grabbed her bottom, and he lifted her from her feet and pressed her against the side of her ship. She wrapped her legs around his waist. With a gasp, her mouth opened to him. He thrust his tongue in and savored her flavor, needing more, starved for her.

Ava was everything opposite to the law he upheld, all he stood against, but it didn’t have to be that way. It wasn’t too late. He ran his hands up her shirt, cupping the bare breasts underneath. The pads of his thumbs grazed her nipples, and she arched into him, growling low in her throat.

He pulled his mouth away. “I need you now.”

“Take me inside the
Avira
.” Heat blazed through her eyes. “Or take me here. I don’t care, as long as you take me.”

Seth swung her around and carried her up the ramp, hitting the lock for the latch with his elbow and opening the hatch. The moment they stepped through and the entrance sealed behind them, he set her on her feet, grabbed the bottom of her shirt and peeled it over her head. Her hands went to his belt as she walked backward, leading him toward her quarters. Seth followed, unable to resist the pull between them. Gods knew he’d tried, fought the attraction. He’d lost her once and wouldn’t let her go again, wouldn’t let anything stop him.

He was going to save her from this life. Never again would he back down. Fuck the Rebel leader and his claim. He didn’t deserve her, and Seth intended show her the many reasons why. Tonight he’d love her as she’d never been loved, taste her, take her over and over, and when they were both sated, he’d wrap her in his arms and hold her through the night. Before the morning arrived, it would be clear to whom she belonged. “I’m not sharing you with him.”

“You don’t have to.” She stepped up to him and kissed him again. The tip of her tongue danced with his, and her palm released the lock to her quarters. They both staggered in, drunk with lust. Hands stroked bared skin, lips tasted salty flesh, hips ground together in a primitive dance thousands of years old.

Seth cradled her head as he lowered her to her bunk. Tonight he wasn’t making excuses about why he shouldn’t be here. All he wanted to do was love her. He captured a nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around the tip. “Get these clothes off me.” Ava bucked up and threw her head back, crying out.

She didn’t need to ask twice. He tugged her boots off and tossed them to the floor. His fingers hooked the waistband of her pants, sliding them over her hips and down her legs. Once free, he tossed them next to her boots.

The clasp on his trousers came next. He dropped them and kicked them to the side before he sank onto the mattress, between her thighs. Her naval stared into his face. A nip on the belly made her whimper, another and her legs came up on his shoulders. He eyed her pussy, remembering the way she’d devoured him with her mouth. Shooting a wicked smile in her direction, he lowered his mouth and lapped her between the bejeweled folds.

“Oh, fuck,” she cried out.

Encouraged by the response, he licked again. And again. And again until she squirmed under him, whimpering, gasping, thrashing. The sweet taste of her coated his tongue, filled his senses, and brought him deeper into her forbidden world. He’d discovered nothing tasted better than a woman turned on—a woman wet for him.

He reached up, spread her lips and sucked her clit between his teeth. The tiny gemstones buzzed. Ava’s hips launched off the bed. He grabbed her around the waist and pressed her back to the mattress, sucking harder. When she moaned, he thrust a finger inside her, followed by a second, and then his tongue.

Ava went wild. The more she screamed and thrashed, the more he intensified his effort, and the wilder she got. Licking, sucking, tasting, until her pussy throbbed around his tongue and cream dripped down his chin. Gods he could do this all day, but he needed more. His cock ached to be buried inside her. He kissed the inside of each thigh and crawled up her body to stare in her eyes. She panted under him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes glazed over, and the word
more
written all over her expression.

He cupped her face and kissed her, desire on his lips. Her taste—want lingered there. He wanted her to know he could taste what he did to her. She closed her eyes, indulging in the wickedness of the moment, kissing him with passion he’d never felt.

Seth used his knee to push her thighs apart and in one thrust, he filled her. Her tight channel gripped him; her slick flesh accepted him without resistance. He closed his eyes and groaned.

Gods, he could stay like this forever, buried inside her, holding her in his arms. He drew back and thrust slowly, no urgent need to finish, but only the desire to live in the moment, savor each touch, taste, and sound she made.

Her nails raked his back as he loved her. Her cries intensified. Lust coiled in his gut, drawing up tight in his balls. His muscles tightened and just as he thought he might be able to go longer, she orgasmed, spasming around him. Squeeze. Release. Squeeze.

Oh fuck, oh fuck
. His eyes rolled back and he thrust one last time, gripping her hips and holding her to him as his orgasm exploded inside her. The force of the climax rolled over him. Seth groaned, as wave after wave of pleasure washed through him like a storm, taking his breath, taking his control. He threw his head back and growled, sounding more animal than man, unable to leash his reaction.

As his orgasm ebbed to a throb, he sucked in a breath and opened his eyes. She stared back, not saying anything—not needing to. Nothing could describe what had occurred between them. The heat in her gaze, the look on her face, said it all. He leaned in and took her lips softly.
Forever mine
.

He’d fallen for her. Gods help him. He could never let her go. “I could get used to this.” And he meant it. No other woman would do.

***

Seth had fallen asleep an hour before, one leg thrown across her hip, his arms holding her back against his chest. She’d counted every beat of his heart, every breath, sinking deep into his embrace as though she could merge with him. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to sleep. She didn’t want the moment to slip away as she dreamed.

His scent lingered on her, the smell of sex clung in the air. The heat of his body warmed her through to her bones. Had she fallen in love? Could her heart speak the truth her mind didn’t want to hear? She’d known him only for a short time, but never had she counted the beats of Brodie’s heart, or shared her bunk for a night with him.  Nor had she felt a quickening in her soul the way she did when Seth made love to her, when he held her wrapped in his arms.

One last run. She’d make one last run with a hold full of Rebels, and then she’d retire to be with him. She didn’t owe Brodie anything. The price she’d paid to the Nexian Revolution had already cost her too much. It wouldn’t cost her anything more.

Two weeks before, she’d discovered her birth control had failed, that her Terran genetics had blessed her with two ovaries. Her physician had failed to inject both with nanites, not knowing the other existed, assuming she was all Nexian. She’d wanted to say something about the baby, but couldn’t. At first she’d been terrified, wasn’t sure how she’d explain to Legatus Reynolds he would be a father.

Then he’d walked into her hanger, hunger on his face. Even though he wasn’t Nexian, was against all she’d stood for, nothing had been clearer in that moment. He wanted her. She wanted him. She’d finish this one last mission, and then she could tell him, hope he was as happy as she was now.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in his embrace, finally knowing her place in the galaxy where she belonged. Yes, when she finished the run, she’d tell him about the baby.

***

The high-pitched sound of a laser shattered her dreams. Ava opened her eyes and surveyed the dim interior of her quarters. She’d turned in her sleep and faced Seth. His eyes had opened. She looked over his shoulder, to see Brodie behind him, laser pointed at his head.

“Get off my wife.” Brodie kicked him in the back with his boot, shoving Seth into her. “I’d told you I’d kill you if you touched her again.”

“So do it already,” Seth challenged him back.

“No, not in front of Ava.” He shoved with his boot again. “Get dressed, Ava. You’re coming with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Put the laser away, Brodie.” Brodie had never hesitated to kill before, but since he’d come back, he’d backed down from every encounter. Could he have had a change in heart, lost his taste for violence?

“Not this time.”

She’d take a chance that was what held him back. “If you kill him, you’ll make me your enemy. Is that what you want?”

Brodie’s gaze darted from her face to his laser. He must have decided she was serious, because he stepped back and holstered the weapon. “Get up. I’m kicking your ass.”

“By all means, if you think you got it in you.” Seth smiled and rolled off the bed to his feet. He swiped his pants off the floor and pulled them on. He no sooner buttoned them, and Brodie caught him with a mean cross to the jaw.

“That’s for fucking my wife.”

Seth staggered back and rubbed his jaw. “Cheap shot.” He threw a cross of his own, popping Brodie in the nose. “She’s not your wife.”

Blood trickled from his nostril. Brodie wiped it away with the back of his hand. “I’m going to take immense pleasure in this.” He charged, catching Seth around the waist, taking him to the floor. The entire ship shook with the impact.

“Stop it.” Ava yelped and jumped off the bed. She pulled a shirt over her head that dropped to mid-thigh. Brodie and Seth rolled across the floor, grappling for the top position. They hit a shelf that had been bolted to the wall to keep it secure during launches and landings, and knocked some of her trinkets off—baubles she’d kept from her shopping trip with the Regulator and hadn’t packed away for launch yet. The nick-knacks hit the floor with a crash, glass and gems scattered. Ava dodged out of the way as the pair rolled back across the floor.