Aces Over Queen (The Drift Book 8)

by Susan Hayes

  “And he dosed you with them? Both of you?”

  “Not just us. All of our friends and family. When the corporations started moving against us, he decided to take a stand. And before you ask, yes, the authorities know. They’re not happy about it, but there’s nothing they can do, either,” Owen said.

  They’re like me. The thought resonated deep in her heart, strengthening the connection she already had to the two of them.

  Royan kissed the tip of her nose. “Sweetheart, stop thinking so much and answer the question. Does what we are bother you? Do you want us to stop?”

  “No, I don’t want us to stop. But, how’d you know I was thinking?”

  “Because Owen gets the same look on his face whenever he starts having too much fun. It’s funny. He thinks you’re just like me, but I’m starting to think you’re more like him.”

  Owen shook his head. “I don’t see it. All I see is a beautiful woman I want to make love to.”

  “I think I’m more like both of you than I would have thought possible.” It was the closest she could come to telling them the truth. “As for the medi-bots, it doesn’t bother me. As far as I’m concerned, that means you’re both healthy, strong, and have endurance to spare. My only concern is if I’m going to be able to keep up.”

  “We’ll take care of you, sweetheart.” Royan’s gaze moved to Owen. “Won’t we?”

  “Always.” Owen pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck, then raised his head and reached for Royan, pulling him in for a kiss, too.

  She was caught between them, and every move they made generated a delicious friction that had her libido in high-orbit in seconds. She writhed, grinding herself against them until Owen reached down, sliding a hand along her thigh to her knee, then lifting her leg up and back until it was draped over his. Royan hummed in approval, his hand sweeping over her stomach and mons before zeroing in on her exposed pussy. He pressed his fingers between her folds, not stopping until he found her clit.

  Pleasure zinged through her and she rocked her hips forward, only to moan and rock back again as Owen stopped kissing Royan and moved down the bed until the head of his cock slid between her thighs.

  “You ready for this, Tia?”

  She twisted her head to catch a glimpse of him and smiled. “I think I’ve been waiting for this since that first night. I could hear everything, you know.”

  “You could?”

  She nodded.

  “You should have joined us.” Royan kept working her clit as he talked.

  “It wasn’t the right time.”

  “But this is.” Owen pressed his cock against her entrance, and Royan shifted to guide him into her body. It was the most intimate, erotic experience of her life.

  “I’m starting to see the appeal of being a voyeur,” Royan said, his voice rough with desire.

  “Watching’s fun. Taking part is better, though.”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  She nodded, reaching down to wrap her fingers around the hard length of Royan’s cock. “It is.”

  He was on his knees in seconds, settling in front of her so his cock was only inches from her mouth. Owen surged into her, making her body sing with pleasure as her body gave way to his.

  She rose up on one elbow and leaned in to take the tip of Royan’s cock into her mouth while Owen started a slow rhythm of light thrusts that made her senses spin. She closed her eyes and let everything wash over her. Touch, taste, sound, all of it a feast for her senses.

  Royan’s fingers tangled in her hair, but it was more of a caress than an act of control. He kept his touch light, letting her dictate the pace. She opened her mouth and took him deeper, swirling her tongue along his thick shaft, learning the spots that made his breath catch.

  “So good,” Royan’s words ended on a groan.

  “Incredible. I never imagined…” Owen ran a hand from her breast to her pussy, slipping a finger inside her to toy with her clit.

  “You are better than any fantasy.” She thought the words were for Owen, but then Royan spoke again. “Both of you, are, but together, holy fraxx, I think we’ve found nirvana.”

  “Me, too.” Owen increased the tempo, his fingers working in time to his thrusts as he brought her to the teetering brink of orgasm.

  She fought to stay in control, riding each wave of pleasure without going over. Not until she’d brought the same pleasure to her two lovers. She flexed her inner walls around Owen’s cock with each thrust and reached out with her free hand to cup Royan’s balls, rolling them between her fingers as she worked his cock with her tongue.

  Royan groaned, his fingers tightening in her hair. He gasped her name, and she closed her lips around the base of his cock, hollowing her cheeks and pushing him over the edge.

  Owen’s steady thrusts faltered, the pace growing more frantic, his breathing ragged as he plunged into her from behind. He changed the angle of his fingers, and the added friction was enough to send her into orbit, joining Royan in bliss as they both came, followed by Owen a few thrusts later. He whispered her name as he came, his big body shuddering as he emptied himself inside of her.

  Breathless and limp, she flopped onto her back and let herself melt into the mattress while Owen and Royan stretched out beside her, their arms criss-crossing her body to hold onto each other as well as her. When the trip was over and they went their separate ways, she knew this moment was the one she’d cherish most of all. More than the laughter, acceptance, and even the sex, this was what she’d remember. The moment when she finally knew what it felt like to be part of something special.

  Owen had to agree with Royan. They had found nirvana, or the closest he’d ever come to it. He was adrift in a sea of bliss, and he planned on staying there as long as he could.

  “New plan. I’ll talk to Zura and see if we can add a few more runs to this trip. Like, a month’s worth. Sound good?” Royan asked.

  “I wish we could,” Tianna replied.

  “Me, too,” Owen said.

  “I’m serious, sweetheart. By now, your father knows you’re alive, and the rest of the galaxy has no idea where you are. I think you should stay with us while your father uses all that money and influence to figure who wants you dead and put a stop to it.”

  “I can’t hide out forever. I’ve got a job to do. My father is counting on me.” She looked up at them with an earnest expression he hadn’t seen before. “This is my chance to prove to him I’m worthy.”

  “If he can’t see what you’re worth, then your old man is a fool.” Royan looked incensed at the idea.

  “Parents aren’t always the best judge of their kid’s value. They’re too busy projecting their own expectations and hopes on them to notice anything else.” At least, that was Owen’s experience.

  “Truth,” Royan agreed.

  Tianna’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to argue, but whatever she started to say was drowned out by the sudden screech of an alarm.

  “Sprite! Shut off that fraxxing noise and tell me what’s happening.” Royan yelled over the din as all three of them scrambled off the bed.

  The noise cut out, leaving Owen’s ears ringing.

  “Enemy vessel detected. Emergency protocols engaged. Repeat. Enemy vessel detected.”

  “What enemy?” Owen didn’t bother dressing before heading for the door.

  “What protocols? When did we get protocols?” Royan demanded.

  “I’ll explain on the way. Move your ass. We need to get off this planet as fast as possible. Sprite, what enemy are we facing?”

  “An unknown vessel is currently approaching the far side of this planet.”

  “Transponder code?” he asked as he ran.

  “Counterfeit.”

  “How the fraxx do you know it’s counterfeit?” Royan asked.

  “Security officer Connors updated my programming.” The engines roared to life, making the deck beneath their feet vibrate.

  Royan shot him an irritated look. “Why is my ship
starting without me? Another protocol you forgot to mention?”

  “I might have tweaked a few things in case of emergency.”

  “We need to work on our communication. No more tinkering with my ship without telling me.” Royan dropped his naked ass into his seat at the controls and started hitting buttons.

  “Noted. Now, get us out of here. The other ship should be close enough that the planet will block their line of sight. We can see them, but they shouldn’t be able to see us.” He took his seat in the co-pilot’s chair and activated the ship’s weapons array.

  “We shouldn’t be able to see them, either. You’re piggybacking on the local satellite network, aren’t you?” Tianna asked.

  He glanced back to see her standing in the doorway, looking more eager than concerned. She’d managed to grab a shirt before leaving their quarters, too. His shirt, which was so big it hung to her knees, still somehow looked better on her than it had ever looked on him. He shook his head and forced himself to focus on the threat. “I don’t like blind spots. Sneaky bastards like these guys tend to use them to their advantage.”

  “Better hang on to something, sweetheart. We’re out of here.”

  Instead of bracing herself in the doorway, Tianna stepped onto the flight deck and slapped a button Owen had never noticed before. A second later, a panel slid back and a jump seat dropped into place behind the co-pilot’s chair. She was strapped in before either of them could do more than look at each other in surprise.

  “Why do both of you know more about my ship than I do?” Royan muttered as he piloted the Sun Sprite into the air.

  “Worry about that later, Roy-boy. We need to figure out how the hell they found us. You sure you blanked the Sprite’s transponder before they could ID us?” Owen asked.

  “Positive. If that’s the same ship, they didn’t find us by tracking the Sprite,” Royan said.

  “They only way to be sure it’s the same ship is to let them get close enough to shoot at us. I’m not big on that plan. Dying naked isn’t on the agenda for today.”

  “There are worse ways to go.” Royan’s fingers flew over the console. The FTL drives came on line, and streams of data filled the monitors. “We can make the jump to light speed soon. Give me three minutes, and we’ll be nothing but a memory.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but can’t you go any faster?”

  Royan just laughed. Owen finished checking over the weapons, confirmed the shields were active, and called up the captured images of the approaching ship. They’d been too far away for a visual last time, but thanks to the satellites, there should be at least a few decent pictures of –

  Fraxxing hell. It couldn’t be.

  He zoomed in on the photos, hoping like hell he was wrong. The hull was matte black, which would have made it impossible to see if they weren’t crossing in front of one of Taza’s moon in two of the images. The shape was right, and the oversized engines matched what he remembered, but that didn’t mean it was them. He parsed through several more images, looking for one detail that could disprove his fears. There. On the stern. A splash of white and red that stood out against the dark hull. He didn’t need to zoom in to know what it was. He’d met a lot of smugglers and pirates in his time, and only one of them had painted her version of the ancient skull and crossbones on her ship. “Fraxx.”

  “Problem?” Tianna asked.

  “You could say that. I think I know who’s chasing us.”

  “Great. When we get back to the Drift we can report them. Corp-Sec will make sure they don’t get within a lightyear of the station. Making final calculations now. Any sign of pursuit?”

  Owen checked his screens. “The planet is still shielding us, but not for long. They’ll have visual in less than sixty seconds.”

  “I only need twenty. Say goodbye to Taza 4, everyone. Next stop, Astek Station.”

  “How long until we get there?” Tianna asked.

  “Six and a half days. I’m going to max out the engines to make sure we get there ahead of those bastards.” Royan shot him a worried look. “Or are you going to tell me their ship is faster and we’re screwed?”

  Owen shook his head. “I haven’t seen that ship in a few years, so I can’t swear to it, but I believe the Sprite is faster. I do know that if that is who I think it is, they’ve got enough firepower to blast us to atoms from the far side of the system.”

  “Then it’s lucky for us that travelling at light speed makes it impossible to engage in ship-to-ship combat.” Royan tapped a command line on the screen in front of him, and the Sprite’s FTL drive activated, speeding them on their way. They’d made it.

  Everyone breathed a sign of relief, and for a second, the cockpit was quiet. It was the calm before the storm though, and they all knew it.

  Royan spun around in his chair to stare at him. “So, who is flying that other ship, and how do you know them?”

  Owen squared his shoulders and sighed. He’d been avoiding this conversation for years, always convincing himself that no one needed to know who he’d been before he came to the Drift. That was the point of starting over, wasn’t it? “Unless I misidentified the markings on her, the ship chasing us is the She Devil, and she belongs to a cold-hearted bitch named Sasha Valentine.”

  Royan’s eyes widened. “Valentine? The pirate family? Even my father was afraid of crossing paths with that crew. They’re ghosts.”

  “Ghosts would imply they’re dead, and as far as I know, that woman and her crazy family are very much alive. Well, some of them, anyway.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and looked from Royan to Tianna. He questioned the wisdom of what he was about to do. Confessions might be good for the soul, but they were usually hell on relationships.

  Royan reached out to touch his arm. “Let me guess. You were involved with one of them. You fell for another badass lunatic like me, and they died?”

  He sighed. If only it were that simple. “I should probably start by introducing myself properly. “My real name is Owen Valentine, and the cold-hearted bitch on the other ship is my mother.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Your mother is the one trying to kill me?” Confusion and betrayal hit, leaving Tianna off balance and angry. She’d trusted him. Fraxx, she’d slept with him. And now he was telling her that he was related to the ones who had blown up the Alacrity.

  “I believe so.”

  “And you’re just figuring out this now?” Her mind raced, trying to pull all the pieces of the puzzle into some kind of pattern. Her father had warned her not to trust anyone. She should have listened to him.

  “I haven’t spoken to any of my family in years. The last time I saw that ship it was raiding the shipping lanes on the far side of the galaxy.”

  “Can you prove that? Because right now, you’re the most obvious answer to the question of how the fraxx they found us.”

  “He didn’t do it,” Royan said.

  She knew she wasn’t being fair, or even rational, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I know him. Owen’s one of the good guys. Hell, he’s one of the best men I know.”

  “Which speaks more to the company you keep than my status as a good man,” Owen said.

  “Granted. But that doesn’t change the fact I trust you.”

  Owen smiled a little, and Tianna’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the hope in his eyes. That wasn’t the look of a man plotting to kill her. Fraxx, this was so confusing.

  “So, you’re not mad?” Owen asked, his question directed at Royan.

  Royan grinned. “Oh, I’m pissed, just not for the reason you think. Do you have any idea how many hot pirate fantasies I have running around my head? Fantasies I never thought I’d get to live out – until I find out I’ve already got a pirate sleeping in my bed? You better get some rest, Mr. Valentine, because tomorrow we start making my dirty dreams come true.”

  “That’s your priority right now? Se
x?” Tianna folded her arms over her chest and tried to stay focused on the problem and not the fact that both men were naked and talking about fantasies.

  “Sex is always a priority for me. Haven’t you been paying attention?”

  “Behave, lover. Tia’s right. We need to talk about this.”

  Tianna forced herself to take a deep breath. She was reacting, instead of thinking logically, and it wasn’t helping. “If it wasn’t you, then we need to figure out how they did find us.”

  “It wasn’t me. Believe me, if I had known they were coming we’d have skipped dinner and gotten to the fun part of the night a lot faster. I would also be wearing clothes right now.”

  “You still lied about who you are. You’re a criminal.”

  Royan scoffed. “And you’re not? How many laws has Astek broken over the years? How many cyborgs died in your so-called bloodless war?”

  “It wasn’t my war and Astek is not my company, it’s my father’s. If he’s made…mistakes, he’ll have to answer for them.”

  Royan got to his feet. “Mistakes? Why is it when the rich break the law, it’s a mistake, but when anyone else does it, they’re a criminal? I don’t know if you’ve taken a good look around the galaxy lately, but not everyone was born into comfort and security. Some of us had to make tough choices and do things we’re not proud of because the alternative was to starve.”

  The conversation was veering off course and she wasn’t sure how to get back on track, but she did know where to start – with an apology. “I’m sorry. That was a bad choice of words. I’m a little rattled right now what with Owen’s family out there, trying to kill me.”

  “Understandable.” Royan’s tone softened slightly, but his smile was still missing. “You know we’re not going to let anything happen to you, right?”

  “I…” She trailed off and thought about what he was asking. Did she trust them? Until Owen had told them about his connection to the other ship, she had trusted them completely. It wasn’t until then that she’d had her doubts. If he’d wanted her to keep trusting him, all he had to do was keep his secret.