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Authors: Michelle O'Leary
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mind with shattering ease, all with a light touch and a quick taste of her mouth.
She’s playing a game with you
he tried to tell his painfully aroused self. Just another kind of mind game—but she’d smelled like a dream and tasted like hot honey…
He groaned and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes hard enough to cause silent sunbursts to float across his vision, trying to breathe through the pounding heat in his veins. With an inarticulate snarl, he stalked out of the cargo bay and down the hall, entering his quarters and pacing the room like a wild cat in a cage, restless and desperate for freedom.
His life hadn’t made sense since they’d gotten him out of cryo on that ship. Prison had been simple. Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest by pure animal instinct. But his whole world had shifted radically when he’d met Kate and the kid. Kate had hated and feared him, always jumping when he moved and watching him with a frantic kind of wariness. Yet she’d picked up a weapon and followed him when he went after the crazy. And she’d thrown herself in front of him when they were cornered, taking his hit.
Then there was the kid, who’d never feared him and from the beginning trusted him with her life. She’d followed him everywhere, watching him with those big eyes wide with hero worship and slipping steadily under his skin.
He didn’t believe in selfless acts. He could convince himself that Kate had taken his hit to protect her sister by protecting the man most likely to kill the crazy. He could believe that the kid latched onto him as her best chance of survival. What he could not wrap his mind around was that the woman down the hall had put her life and career in jeopardy to save him, just because she’d wanted a partner and a lover.
It didn’t make any goddamned sense.
It didn’t occur to him that she might have feelings for him, an escaped convict and a man who’d been lifeless until his world had collided with three others.
When he finally did sleep, it was on the floor across the doorway.
Chapter 7
The proximity alarm made for a horrible wake up call. Mea rolled out of bed as the ship rocked, blinking hard to clear her bleary vision. Yanking on a bodysuit, she took a second to slap a stim patch on her arm, hoping the artificial energy boost would take the place of her lost hours of sleep.
Plunging out into the hallway, she nearly bowled Regan over.
“What’s happening?” the girl cried, thin face pale and eyes wide.
Mea wished she could sooth her but there was no time. “Bragan,” was all she said over her shoulder before darting up the hall to the control room. Stone and Warren were already there.
“He’s taking shots at us!” Warren blurted, his expression shocked and indignant.
Mea ruffled his hair with a smirk. “Well, evade him then.”
She activated the screen and smiled cheerily when Bragan’s snarling face appeared. “Morning! You seem a little cranky. Wrong side of the bed?”
“Stupid bitch! You fucked with the wrong hunter! Stand to—I’m boarding.”
“Without permission?” She widened her eyes in feigned shock. “Bragan, you know the rules against that.”
He didn’t take it well. “Give me my fucking target!” he roared into the screen, face brick red and spittle flying.
She shut off the screen without a word.
Warren stared at her with wide eyes. “He’s lost it.”
“Yeah, he really has.” Another shot rocked the ship. “Evade for a little while longer then let him get a hit on us.”
“What?” Warren was busy maneuvering the ship, but his tone implied that she’d lost it, too.
“Close to the power cells but not a direct hit. Then cut power and drift. I want him to think he got us.”
“Lure him in?”
“Something like that.”
Looking over her shoulder, she was pleased to see that Regan had already strapped herself into a seat. She winked, receiving a small, tense smile in return. Moving to the wall, she keyed
She’s playing a game with you
he tried to tell his painfully aroused self. Just another kind of mind game—but she’d smelled like a dream and tasted like hot honey…
He groaned and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes hard enough to cause silent sunbursts to float across his vision, trying to breathe through the pounding heat in his veins. With an inarticulate snarl, he stalked out of the cargo bay and down the hall, entering his quarters and pacing the room like a wild cat in a cage, restless and desperate for freedom.
His life hadn’t made sense since they’d gotten him out of cryo on that ship. Prison had been simple. Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest by pure animal instinct. But his whole world had shifted radically when he’d met Kate and the kid. Kate had hated and feared him, always jumping when he moved and watching him with a frantic kind of wariness. Yet she’d picked up a weapon and followed him when he went after the crazy. And she’d thrown herself in front of him when they were cornered, taking his hit.
Then there was the kid, who’d never feared him and from the beginning trusted him with her life. She’d followed him everywhere, watching him with those big eyes wide with hero worship and slipping steadily under his skin.
He didn’t believe in selfless acts. He could convince himself that Kate had taken his hit to protect her sister by protecting the man most likely to kill the crazy. He could believe that the kid latched onto him as her best chance of survival. What he could not wrap his mind around was that the woman down the hall had put her life and career in jeopardy to save him, just because she’d wanted a partner and a lover.
It didn’t make any goddamned sense.
It didn’t occur to him that she might have feelings for him, an escaped convict and a man who’d been lifeless until his world had collided with three others.
When he finally did sleep, it was on the floor across the doorway.
Chapter 7
The proximity alarm made for a horrible wake up call. Mea rolled out of bed as the ship rocked, blinking hard to clear her bleary vision. Yanking on a bodysuit, she took a second to slap a stim patch on her arm, hoping the artificial energy boost would take the place of her lost hours of sleep.
Plunging out into the hallway, she nearly bowled Regan over.
“What’s happening?” the girl cried, thin face pale and eyes wide.
Mea wished she could sooth her but there was no time. “Bragan,” was all she said over her shoulder before darting up the hall to the control room. Stone and Warren were already there.
“He’s taking shots at us!” Warren blurted, his expression shocked and indignant.
Mea ruffled his hair with a smirk. “Well, evade him then.”
She activated the screen and smiled cheerily when Bragan’s snarling face appeared. “Morning! You seem a little cranky. Wrong side of the bed?”
“Stupid bitch! You fucked with the wrong hunter! Stand to—I’m boarding.”
“Without permission?” She widened her eyes in feigned shock. “Bragan, you know the rules against that.”
He didn’t take it well. “Give me my fucking target!” he roared into the screen, face brick red and spittle flying.
She shut off the screen without a word.
Warren stared at her with wide eyes. “He’s lost it.”
“Yeah, he really has.” Another shot rocked the ship. “Evade for a little while longer then let him get a hit on us.”
“What?” Warren was busy maneuvering the ship, but his tone implied that she’d lost it, too.
“Close to the power cells but not a direct hit. Then cut power and drift. I want him to think he got us.”
“Lure him in?”
“Something like that.”
Looking over her shoulder, she was pleased to see that Regan had already strapped herself into a seat. She winked, receiving a small, tense smile in return. Moving to the wall, she keyed
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