Read Online Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) by Nina Croft - Free Book Online

waited for the rush of hatred to overcome him. After all, she was Church, and he ought to hate her as he hated the rest of her kind. But she obviously wasn’t too keen on them herself or she wouldn’t have run away.
    His lips curved at the memory of her discomfort. The sensation was strange. He didn’t smile a lot. A red flush had swept over her creamy skin as they’d teased her. Whether it had been from temper or embarrassment, he didn’t know. Probably both.
    He had a flashback to the feel of her lying beneath him, and heat coiled in the pit of his stomach. She’d felt feminine but delicate, small-boned and fragile. The sort of woman who needed protecting. Not his sort of woman. And no breasts. He liked breasts. If he needed sex, then the other redhead would be a much more sensible option. And she’d had breasts. But although he tried to picture her, he couldn’t really remember what she looked like.
    The cryo was obviously still messing with his head. He needed to forget about women and concentrate on what to do next. Not that he had many choices.
    Maybe he could try and get rid of the crew, but he couldn’t manage a ship the size of El Cazador alone. Or he could make a break for it. Take one of the shuttles perhaps. But why bother? Trakis Two was his only option, his only lead, so why not go there aboard El Cazador ? He chewed a mouthful of stew thoughtfully. At least the food was good. For now, this was probably his best bet for getting around. He’d regain his strength. Treat it like a holiday.
    And once he’d seen his contact, he could decide what his next move should be. It would be easy to ditch them on Trakis Two. Especially if he acted like he was cooperating now and they lowered their guard.
    Unfortunately, cooperation had never been a strong point of his, and he was a crap actor. Maybe he could get the women on his side at least. Maybe he shouldn’t limit himself to the redhead. From the way the women on this ship were acting around him—freaking out over a damn shirt, he reckoned he could have them all. Well, except Al — he really wasn’t going to allow himself to go there. From now on, she could keep out of his way.
    Getting to his feet, he stretched. He had a plan. If he could ignore the fact his butt hurt like hell, he might even feel optimistic.
    When he reached his quarters, the door to his cabin was open, and he could see Al, down on her hands and knees. So much for keeping out of his way.
    “What the fuck are you doing here?”
    She jumped, scrambled to her feet, and stood chewing on her lower lip. “I was cleaning…” She trailed off and gestured to the mess on the floor where the food had spilled earlier. “ And there are more clothes.” She pointed at a pile on the bed. “They should keep you going until we reach Trakis Two.”
    He strolled across the room, picked up a white shirt, and held it to his nose. “Did you pinch them from the vampire?”
    “No—they’re from the Trog—he’s the engineer but he doesn’t come out much, so he won’t even notice.” A smile flashed across her face. “Rico only wears black—I think he likes to match the ship.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    “I’ll just finish…”
    Crouching down again, she picked up the cloth she’d been using and bundled it into a bag. Her gaze kept flicking up to him as she worked. Her eyes were really quite amazing, the irises almost silver rimmed with black, and very expressive. How had she managed to hide what she was for so long? She must be one hell of a good actress. Shit, she might even be acting now—with those shy, little “I might be a virgin, but I’m willing to change that” glances she kept sending his way. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted uncomfortably. These pants were definitely too tight.
    Al straightened, wiping her hands up and down her thighs, and he bit back a groan. She still wore a baggy shirt, but the material was thin, almost transparent. Through it, he could clearly make