Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) (8 page)

“What if Pogue and the others tell?” she asked.

He doubted they’d even be given a chance to scream for mercy.
225 and his pack were more feral than
tigos
. But he
also knew that, despite the way those soldier bastards had deserted her, she
wouldn’t like to hear his answer. So he went with a distraction. “You trying to
renege on our deal?”

“What? No.” She looked adorably confused, and a little angry.
He preferred it to the scared look of a moment before.

He swiveled her around before she could protest, drawing her
up against the full length of his body, letting her feel the hard press of his
thickening dick against her ass. “You sure about that?” His mouth skimmed the
length of her neck. God, he loved the way she smelled. “Because I might have
been exaggerating about the pain, but not the rest. It’s payment time and I
want you on all fours. Now.”

Chapter Eight

At Convict’s urging, Bella sank to her knees. He followed
right behind, his hard body brooking no argument.

Confusion swirled within. On edge, uncertain, her mind
whirled. Dragath25 might be her future forever. She might never see her sister
and brother again.

But she didn’t want to think of that. Or of her colleagues
who’d died on that shuttle. Or of the fate of the search and rescue team she
couldn’t help. For just a few minutes she didn’t want to think of anything but
how good it felt to be in Convict’s powerful arms. How the sound of his voice,
low and husky and commanding, made her skin hot and her pussy wet.

A low moan slipped from her as his callused hands slid
beneath her shirt to play with her breasts, tugging her nipples, making her
shiver. Her body arched into his touch.

Then his palm was against her back, pressing her forward
until she was on all fours, her elbows in the dirt, her ass lifted. Just as he’d
said she would be.

Air shivered across her lower body as he slid her pants down
and off. And for a second, she was alone, waiting, and then his hands glided up
her thighs to cover her ass, raising gooseflesh.

Truth be told, she liked this position. Liked the
vulnerability. The fact that she didn’t know what part of her he’d touch next.
Still, she started when a warm soft tongue licked the length of her, making her
shudder, her body tingled with pleasure.

“Oh, God.” Every nerve sprung alive. “That feels so good.”

He gave a low chuckle against her pussy, eating her out,
devouring her as if she was the sweetest cream. And with every lick, with every
rasp of his tongue against her swollen bundle of nerves, he wound her tighter
and tighter. Her legs spreading wide as she bucked against him. Desperate to
come and wanting to ride the ecstasy forever.

Then he slid two fingers inside her, and there was no choice.
She splintered apart, wave after wave of pleasure crashing through her as she
came and came and came.

She was still coming, her breath a frantic pant, as he
grabbed her hips and held her in place, working his cock deep into her slick
pussy, inch by inch, until his balls were pressed against her ass and he loomed
above her.

“You like that?’

“Yes.”

His fingers found her clit, claiming, playing. “Things don’t
seem so bad right now, do they, fighter girl?” His hand stilled. “Do they?”

He actually wanted an answer?

“No,” she gasped, rocking back against him. The stroke of his
hand making her desperate for a second release. For more oblivion. “They’re
good. Very, very good.”

“Exactly.” His finger skimmed over her clit and upward through
her folds to finger her tight rosebud. “We can do whatever we want here.
However we want.” His finger pressed at the tight hole, demanding entrance.

She let out an involuntary moan. The foreign touch making her
burn. The discomfort of being stretched leaving her no choice but to be in the
present, to surrender to the here and now of his touch.

“Pain and pleasure.” His voice was a dark rasp against her
ear. “That’s how you know you’re alive, fighter girl. That’s how you know
you’ve got something left to give.”

It was as if he saw to the heart of her struggle.

Her breath devolved to shallow pants as he worked in deeper
until she could feel his knuckle against her ass. White hot pleasure rocketed
through her as his other hand worked her clit, his fingers driving in and out
in tandem with his cock, filling her, taking her over, making her feel alive,
more in touch with herself—with the moment—than she’d ever been.

“Come with me,” he demanded—and she did. Beyond all burdens.
Beyond pain or worry to sheer, white-hot bliss. Her fingers clawing at the dirt
as the shattering orgasm ripped through her. Their slick bodies cleaving together
as wave after wave of pleasure hurtled them both over the edge.

Spent, her knees gave out, and she would have buckled to the
ground if not for Convict. Catching her, he pulled her up so that she rested
against his chest, a sated rag doll, her breathing still coming hard and fast,
her body alive with blissful aftershocks. All the while, he thrust slowly
inside her, his movement almost gentle now.

She turned and smiled back at him.

And was amazed to see his eyes crinkle and his lips turn
upward as he returned the grin. That look of wonder back in his gaze.

Comprehension crashed over her. Sure, they’d fucked like
animals, but there’d still been something redemptive, something hopeful in
their joining. Brutal. Fierce. But honest. Exciting. Real.

Ava and Winthrop might not understand, but she didn’t care.
It wasn’t even about the deal anymore. It was about her and Convict. About the
way he made her feel.

She wasn’t giving up on getting off this planet and back to
her family, but she was beginning to realize there were lessons to be learned
in the meantime.

All her life, all she’d done was try to endure. But, here,
where she’d least expected, she’d glimpsed another way. Maybe her stay on
Dragath25 didn’t have to be as bleak as she’d imagined. Maybe it didn’t have to
be only about survival. Maybe there was room for joy and pleasure, too.

 
“Convict?” She waited
until his gaze found hers. “I’m glad it was you who got to that crash site
first.”

He sucked in a breath.

She was still waiting for a response when a shrill whistle
rent the air.

*****

“Wait.” Convict’s arm around her belly stopped her in her
tracks.

She’d fumbled into her pants and immediately started running
back toward camp at the sound of the alarm.

“Ava and Winthrop are in danger.” She strained against his
hold. “I have to help.”

“Just slow down.” He pulled her against him as if she weighed
nothing. “We need to see what’s down there.”

“But if it’s a
tigos
….”

“They’re already dead.” He pushed her up against a rock.
“Stay here. I’ll come for you as soon as it’s safe.”

“No way. I can help. I—”

“No argument.”

She ground her teeth in frustration. “Fine. But if you take
too long, if I think you’re in trouble, I’m coming.”

He shot her an annoyed look, but he didn’t stay to debate.
Instead, he wedged his pack in a small crevice above her head, smeared dirt
from a nearby rock on his face and chest, and took off at a run.

She held her breath, listening for any sound, but everything
was silent, no clues offered as to what he and the others faced below. She
kicked the dirt, counted back from one hundred, and was already deciding she’d
wait only one minute more when….

He appeared, his expression ominous. “It’s that soldier
bastard and some of his men.”

Relief sent her staggering back against the rock. “That’s not
so bad then.”

Now wasn’t the time to hold a grudge. Pogue and his fellow
soldiers had guns. And combat knowledge. With them around, chances for survival
had just increased. Plus, they might not be entirely reliable, but they were
familiar. She could use a little bit of that right now.

“I don’t know,” said Convict. “None of them look too happy.”

It was her turn to frown. “There was little love lost between
the scientists and the soldiers even before the crash. I bet Winthrop ripped
Pogue a new one for leaving us.” She chewed on her lip, thinking. “What do you
think?”

“I think I’d rather ignore the summons.” He covered her mouth
when she started to protest. “But I know you’re only going to badger me until
we see what’s up. So we’ll go down. But you stay behind me the whole time. If I
tell you to run, you do exactly that. No argument. No hesitation. Understood?”

She nodded. He hadn’t taken his hand away so there was really
no choice.

Plus, that same dread that had
roiled
around in her gut right before the shuttle crash was back. Still, she had to
go. These were her colleagues. They needed to be warned about 225 and the
jamming device.

“Let’s go.”

Pogue and his fellow soldiers sighted them before they were
halfway down the ridge, their guns training on Convict without hesitation. It
was tempting to step out from behind him and shout that neither she nor Convict
was a threat, but she didn’t. For all she knew, she might have the opposite
effect of stirring things up.

The second Convict’s boot touched flat ground, the tension in
the air ramped up another hundred degrees. Interestingly, there were only seven
other soldiers with Pogue now, down from the ten who’d survived the crash. Were
they creeping up from behind to surround them? Or off somewhere else? She
didn’t even want to contemplate the third alternative.

“Cadet West, come out nice and slow.” Officer Pogue, his
chest puffed with smug self-importance, pointed his gun straight at Convict’s
head. Convict’s spear lay broken in half at Pogue’s feet. “This scumbag can’t
hurt you anymore.”

Winthrop had obviously been talking—and not in a way that
would earn Convict any sympathy.

“I’m fine,” she assured.

“The soldiers are here to protect us, Bella. You’re safe
now.” Winthrop peered out from behind Pogue, the whistle alarm Convict had
given her gripped tightly in his hand. “And this one is about to learn what
happens to those who ignore Council protocol.”

Apparently, Winthrop had decided to overlook both Pogue’s
desertion and her defiant parting shot, but not Convict’s disrespect.

“I really am fine.” She stayed where she was. It didn’t
escape her notice that she might be the only thing preventing Pogue and the
others from opening fire. “This man”—she preferred not to call him Convict just
then for obvious reasons—“wasn’t hurting me. He’s
never
hurt me. He’s one of the good guys.”

Was it her imagination or did Convict nearly stumble?

“You don’t need to pretend or feed his ego anymore,” insisted
Pogue. “We’re here now.”

“He saved us from a dust storm and a vicious beast. He kept
us sheltered from the other prisoners on the planet. He gave us water and food
and kept us alive. You need to lower your weapons.”

Their weapons stayed up.

It probably didn’t help that Convict, with that dirt for camouflage,
looked more like a wild creature than a man.

“This is bullshit. The guy’s no savior. Come out from behind
him.” Pogue’s scowl was deeper than before. “Then we’ll lower our weapons.”

She got the distinct sense Pogue didn’t like her refusal to
let him play hero.

“I’m telling you the truth. This man is on our side. But
there are a group of prisoners who run this planet who aren’t. They’re the ones
who brought down our ship.” She ignored the skeptical stares of Pogue and his
men. “They’re planning to do the same to the rescue shuttle coming for us. We
have to find a way to stop them.”

“Your captor’s been telling you lies.” Pogue’s grip on his
gun tightened. “Don’t let him manipulate you into trusting him.”

“Bella, come over here,” coaxed Winthrop, “and we’ll gladly
talk about your concerns.”

“Convict?” she prodded at a whisper. “Any good ideas?”

“Just stay where you are.” His voice was low, his breathing
steady. “It won’t be long now.”

Won’t be long now?
He made no sense.

Realizing it was up to her, she shifted tactics. “Cadet
Davies, Dr. Winthrop, you know he saved both your lives. Tell them.”

Winthrop’s mouth flat lined. She’d get no help there.

Ava looked far more torn. “Did he hurt you? He said…he said
there’d be pain.”

Damn Convict and his stupid anger.

“No, he didn’t hurt me, Ava.” She deliberately used her
colleague’s first name. “I swear it. This time was no different than the other
times. He made me feel good.”

Convict’s low chuckle surprised—and irritated—her. Of all the
times to find something to laugh about. She pinched his waist, or tried to. He
was so hard there was very little to hold onto.

“I’m trying to fix things,” she whispered in exasperation.

“Which I appreciate. But bragging about my prowess is only
pissing Winthrop and Pogue off more.”

She dared a quick peek. Convict was right. Both men looked
downright murderous.

“You send her out right now,” shouted Winthrop, “or they’re
going to shift their guns from stun to kill.”

“He saved your life,” she yelled right back.

“I’m curious about something.” Convict’s calm words were more
arresting than any shout. “How’d you find us? I thought I covered our tracks
fairly well.”

The crazy man acted as if he hadn’t even heard Winthrop’s
threat.

Pogue looked annoyed. “We didn’t need to follow any tracks.
Dr. Winthrop has a tracking device imbedded in his skin for the rescue team to
lock on. It keeps working as long as he’s alive. All we needed to do was follow
that and here you are.”

No wonder Pogue had returned. He hadn’t had a change of heart
or been concerned about their wellbeing. He’d realized Winthrop had survived
and come back to be near the Doctor so he’d be rescued, too.

“Is that standard procedure?” Convict sounded only remotely
curious.

She and Ava exchanged a look. They both knew it wasn’t.
Usually, the tracking device was on the ship. Emergency training drills
stressed the need for survivors to stay near the ship specifically so the
rescue team could find them near the crash-site. Of course, Winthrop’s family was
very high up among the Council elite so perhaps that had triggered the change
in policy.

“What does it matter?” Winthrop looked almost uncomfortable.
“I have one. They found us. And you’re not in charge,
Convict
. I am. Council protocol remains in effect even on this
hellhole.” His lip curled upward. “Bella, come out now or you could both get
hurt.”

Indecision whispered through her. She didn’t want Convict
hurt. “Maybe I should go?”