Amos rubbed his hand over his face. “Yeah.”
“Talk to me.” A command but one laced with concern.
Amos studied his brother. Flynn was one tough son of a bitch, and if he weren’t Amos’s brother, he probably would have been a lot more edgy around him. As it was, he respected the hell out of the man. Flynn had pulled their ragtag family together after the explosion and practically willed them all to live. It had been Flynn who’d dealt with the mining officials and, quite frankly, scared them into paying the medical bills and handing over a payout that had gotten them their first ship.
Amos was just about to spill everything when a thought occurred to him. “I’m invoking the right of space salvage.”
Flynn’s one good eye widened and then narrowed. Garth rose from his chair and went to stand beside Flynn. “What have you done?” Garth teased. “Surely nothing bad or illegal. Not you.”
He was known as the “good” brother, the moral one. Yeah, he was about to blow that reputation out of the water. “I salvaged something. That means I can keep it.” That was the law of deep space. “I didn’t steal it. In fact, it fell right into my lap.”
Flynn continued to stare and said nothing. Garth wasn’t quite so restrained. “Well, what is it?”
Amos winced at referring to Angelina as an it, but he didn’t want to push his luck, not yet. Then Flynn exploded any idea Amos might have had about keeping her identity to himself.
“It’s not a something but a someone, isn’t it?” Flynn rubbed his hand over his short-cropped hair. “God almighty. First Kal, now you. What the fuck is going on?”
“We have a stowaway.”
Flynn bolted from his chair and stalked toward him. “Who is it? Where did they come from? What do they want?” He spun toward the security console and started checking every area.
“She’s in my room,” Amos told him.
Flynn stiffened and then slowly turned. “In your room?”
Amos nodded. “Asleep.”
“Asleep?” Flynn parroted. He blew out a breath. “I don’t know whether I should congratulate you or beat you within an inch of your life.”
Amos didn’t take the last threat too seriously. It wasn’t like the brothers hadn’t had their share of fights over the years. With four strong personalities confined to a relatively small space for long periods of time it was inevitable it would happen. But none of them had come close to seriously harming one another.
He hoped that trend continued.
Garth was grinning from ear to ear and gave him a thumbs-up behind Flynn’s back. But beneath the teasing exterior, Amos could see the worry in Garth’s eyes. He was as concerned as Flynn but didn’t show it outwardly.
Flynn took his chair once again and simply waited for an explanation. As he was head of their family and captain of the ship, Amos figured he deserved one.
“She stowed away on Oasis. I only found her a couple of hours ago.” So little time had passed, but everything in his life had changed. This morning, nothing would have shaken him in his belief that anyone would ever be as important as his brothers and their quest to find their sister. Now protecting Angelina was right there alongside those two other mainstays in his life.
Flynn’s frown deepened. “She’s been running around the ship for two days? And how the hell did she manage to get on the Abigail?”
“Don’t worry,” Amos told him. “I’ve already changed the security protocols so it doesn’t happen again.” He’d done that when he’d originally searched the ship to make certain Angelina was alone. It had only taken him a matter of seconds to reprogram the security system of the cargo bay.
“I want a full report,” Flynn told him.
“You’ll have one,” Amos promised.
“How did you find her?” Garth asked.
A smile tugged at the corners of Amos’s mouth. “She stole my bread.”
“She stole your what?” Garth looked confused for a moment and then grinned. “You were hiding some of that wheat bread you bought on Oasis, weren’t you?”
Amos nodded. “I had the last loaf put aside for lunch. After Rory and I finished work, she left to find Kal and I decided to eat. The loaf was gone. At first I’d thought you’d sneaked in and taken it.”
Garth slapped a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded. Not that you thought I was capable of such a thing but because I didn’t get any of the bread.”
“If you two jokers are done, I’d like to know what the hell happened.” Flynn leaned back in his chair, but Amos didn’t for a single moment assume that meant his brother was relaxed.
“I heard a noise and went looking. I found her hiding behind the small backup generator with about half of the loaf left.” Amos could still picture her wide eyes and pale face.
“Who is she, Amos?”
Amos sat forward and planted his elbows on his thighs. “I’m not sure I should tell you that just yet. Not until you’ve heard the rest of the story.”
Flynn swore. “You mean until you tell me her hard-luck tale. What does she need? Money? A free ride somewhere?”
Amos felt himself smiling in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “No, she wants me to have sex with her and drop her off at the nearest planet.”
The stunned silence was gratifying. It was nice to know his brothers were as taken off-guard as he was.
Flynn recovered first. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. She’s scared and desperate.”
“But her request doesn’t make any sense.” Garth was frowning now. “Why does she want you to have sex with her and then kick her off the ship at the nearest planet? I could understand it if she wanted to have sex in order to allow her to stay on the ship.”
“You mean the way you thought I did?” Rory sauntered into the room with Kal right behind her. Amos hadn’t heard the door opening and wondered how long they’d been there. He’d been too focused on Flynn’s reaction.
Kal wrapped his arm around his woman, keeping her tucked against his side. “No one would dare to think such a thing, would they?” It was a direct challenge.
Flynn exploded out of his chair and began to pace. “I knew this would happen. I told you having a woman on board was a bad idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Kal pulled Rory closer and kissed the top of her head. She leaned her head back and smiled up at him. Amos could see the love in both their eyes. Their relationship had happened quickly, but there was no denying the devotion they had toward each other.
“Get over it, Flynn. What’s done is done.” That it was Garth who was the voice of reason surprised Amos somewhat. His brother played the jokester so often it was sometimes hard to remember it was a façade and that there was an intelligent, caring soul beneath.
Flynn stopped pacing and pinned Amos with a steely glare. “Finish it.”
Amos shrugged. “Not much more to tell. Apparently, her uncle has kept her a virtual prisoner most of her life and has given her in marriage as part of a business agreement. She neither agreed to the deal nor was even asked.” He threw out another piece of info for them to chew on. “The prospective groom is on Gravas.”
“This is a clusterfuck.” Flynn threw himself back into his chair. “Those bastards never marry outside their own species, and purity is very important in their culture.” He nodded. “That’s why she wants you to fuck her. She’s a virgin.”
Amos clenched his fists at his brother’s crude reference, but he couldn’t really blame him for making it. It was essentially the truth, but it didn’t take into account the emotional connection he’d felt with Angelina.
“Well, did you do it?” Garth asked.
Amos should have known this question was coming. He huffed out a breath. “No. Sort of.” He didn’t want to talk about his sex life with his brothers.
Kal sat in his chair in front of the communication console and pushed a few buttons. The visual security was disabled in their quarters as they all liked their privacy, but Kal eas
ily bypassed that. The view from inside Amos’s bedroom came up on the big screen for all of them to see. Angelina was still sound asleep, still curled in a tiny ball. Her curves were hidden beneath the blankets with her glorious hair draped over it.
Garth sucked in a breath while Kal released a low whistle. Flynn sat still as a statue. “She’s very pretty,” Rory pointed out. “Her coloring is very unique.”
“She’s also naive in spite of the fact she’s courageous and extremely intelligent.” Amos wanted them to know she was a lot more than just a pretty face.
“Just who the hell is she, Amos?” Flynn had run out of patience. Amos could see it in the set of his brother’s jaw and the tension that thrummed through his body.
Flynn’s hands were wrapped around the arms of his chair, his newly repaired chair. He’d accidentally broken one of the arms a short time ago. Sometimes his brother forgot the strength in his robotic hand. Amos wondered if he was going to have to repair the chair yet again once he answered Flynn’s question.
“Angelina Astoferus.”
“Oh shit.” Kal shook his head.
“Who is Angelina Astoferus?” Rory asked. “Why is her name so familiar?”
Amos wasn’t surprised she recognized the name. Rory had grown up on a deep-space trader and had traveled extensively.
“The niece of an incredibly powerful businessman.” It was Flynn who answered her question. “What the hell were you thinking, Amos? We could end up blackballed by a lot of cargo shippers if we go up against Demarco Astoferus. It would be easy for him to apply pressure on them with the power he wields. You’re risking our livelihood and our lives and for what? A girl you barely know. I can’t allow that.”
The finality in Flynn’s words was like a knife to Amos’s gut. He slowly stood and faced his family. “Then I guess you’ll be letting Angelina and me off at the next available stop.”
Rory gasped while Kal and Garth swore. Flynn continued to stare at him with his one good eye, neither of them backing down an inch. The rest went silent.
“You’d leave us over this woman. You’d put the search for your sister on hold for this woman.” They weren’t questions but statements. Amos answered them anyway.
“Yes.” He couldn’t help his sister, but he could help Angelina. Beyond that, she’d touched something inside him, something he hadn’t even known existed—a yearning for more in his life. He wanted to be special to someone, like Kal was to Rory. He thought he could have that with Angelina.
Flynn rose and walked to the viewing window and peered out into the depths of space. Time seemed to stretch on forever. Amos kept one eye on his brother and the other on the viewing screen watching Angelina sleep. The others remained silent, awaiting Flynn’s decision.
Finally, Flynn turned around. “What else do you know?”
Not reading too much into his brother’s request, Amos laid it all out. He told them about her childhood and education, about how her uncle used her to aid him with his business and about the deal that had driven her to such desperate measures.
“She had to be scared to death,” Rory muttered. Amos knew Rory could relate to Angelina’s struggle having dealt with hardships in her own life.
“But she did it anyway. She took the risk.” Amos was awed by her bravery.
“And the uncle is planning on betraying the people of Gravas after the wedding?” Flynn asked for clarification.
Amos nodded. “Angelina says she has documents proving he plans to give their military strengths to the Ruling Council of the Gaia System.”
“This is going to be a fucking mess.” Flynn braced his feet apart and put his hands on his hips. “You.” He pointed at Amos with his robotic hand. “Aren’t going anywhere.”
A weight he hadn’t realized he was carrying fell from Amos’s shoulders. He nodded.
“We’re a fucking family,” Flynn stated. “We stay together no matter what the fuck happens.” His brother’s language always deteriorated when he got emotional. That he was swearing constantly told Amos just how upset his brother was.
“What’s your next move?” Garth asked him.
Amos smiled. “I guess I do what she asked of me. I have sex with her.”
Chapter Six
Angelina woke with a start, her heart pounding. She sat upright in bed and glanced around, uncertain where she was. Her gaze fell on the framed photo above the bed. When she recognized Amos everything inside her relaxed. She was in his cabin aboard the Abigail. She’d escaped her uncle … for now.
She wouldn’t allow herself to think about the problems that still lay ahead. For the moment, she was safe. Her uncle had no idea where she was or who she was with.
She reached out and plucked the photo off the shelf. It was an unusual keepsake as most people used digital images, which could be programmed to change frequently. It was Amos in the picture, but a much younger version, and he was standing with three other young men and a girl. She shivered when she recognized Flynn. He might have been barely a man when the photo was taken, but he was already scary as hell, and that was before the eyepatch. She assumed the other men were brothers, too. They all had that shock of white hair in the front.
The image had been taken outside, but there wasn’t much to distinguish the landscape. It was a barren and dirty place. She wondered where it was. The men were all good-looking in a rough sort of way, but the girl was beautiful. Her brothers surrounded her and stood like a protective barrier between her and the world.
Angelina wondered what it must feel like to be that loved. Where was the sister? Was she onboard the ship? Was she married?
Sighing, she put the photo back on the shelf just before the door slid open and Amos walked in. Her entire body shivered at his presence. There was a glint of determination in his eyes that made her nervous. She suddenly realized she was naked with the covers bunched at her waist.
She grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to her neck. Not that he hadn’t already seen every inch of her. Still, she wasn’t used to being so exposed, either physically or emotionally.
“You’re awake.” Amos came toward her, getting larger and more menacing with each step.
She nodded. “I just woke. I didn’t mean to doze off.” She could feel a hot blush rising over her cheeks. The man had given her the most amazing pleasure she’d ever known, and she’d fallen asleep immediately after.
A thought occurred to her. “Medically speaking, I’m not a virgin, but that might not be enough to nullify the marriage agreement, right?”
Amos sat on the side of the mattress and took her hand in his. “No, the Gravasian warrior might still consider you a virgin as long as you haven’t actually had intercourse. He won’t like that another man has intimate knowledge of your body, but it might not be enough to stop the deal from going through if both sides want it badly enough.”
Angelina sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
He chuckled and squeezed her fingers. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were pretty exhausted.”
The conversation was getting them nowhere. Angelina screwed up her courage and plunged forward. “What do we do now?” A thought occurred to her. “Are you here to have sex with me?” That would take care of her major worry.
Amos shook his head. “You’ve got a one-track mind. You want to be rid of your virginity more than any woman I’ve ever known.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. Did that mean he thought she was fast and loose? Some men liked those kinds of women while others didn’t. “It’s only because I’m on a bit of a deadline here.”
He lifted his hand and brushed his fingers across her cheekbone. Heat plunged downward making her nipples pucker and her pussy clench with need. A low throbbing began between her thighs.
She stared into his blue eyes, entranced by the simmering heat she saw in them. He wanted her. She might be inexperienced, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what lust looked like.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Amos rubbed his t
humb over her bottom lip.
She nodded, and her lips parted of their own accord. Her tongue grazed his thumb. He tasted warm and salty. His pupils dilated at the moment of contact.
He withdrew his hand and stood. “Then I guess I’ll give you what you want.”
She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. Then he started to unzip his flightsuit. Her stomach was queasy, partly in fear of what was to come and partly in anticipation. Her skin tingled and ached for his touch.
He shoved the flightsuit off and then took the time to remove his boots. Standing in front of her wearing only the battlesuit, he waited.
She didn’t know what to say, wasn’t even certain she could speak, so she simply released her grip on the blanket, letting it fall. His gaze zeroed in on her breasts, and his breathing quickened.
“Let me know if you change your mind at any time. I can always stop,” he assured her.
That was all fine and good in theory, but she’d read a lot about sex—everything she could get her hands on—and it had been her understanding that men didn’t stop once they’d started. Still, it was nice he was concerned about her. It made her feel warm inside. Not many people in her life had considered her wants and needs, not since her parents had died.
He unfastened the battlesuit and shoved it down his arms. His chest was just as magnificent as she remembered. Heavily muscled and broad. His biceps were hard and his waist lean.
Then he pushed the suit lower, giving her a glimpse of his cock for the first time. She was more than a little intimidated. His shaft was long and thick. The head was wider and darker than the rest. It jerked toward her as if it had a mind of its own. She swallowed hard and remembered that, as impossible as it seemed, he would fit. All the reading she’d done assured her of that.
He bent forward and shoved the battlesuit off. It was then she noticed that his left foot from the knee down wasn’t skin and bone but robotic. Her eyes flew to his. He was watching her.
“How? How did it happen?” She hurt for him. The pain he must have endured.
“Mining explosion a long time ago.” He held his hand up in front of him. “Took my pinky finger at the same time.”
Unexpected Angel Page 5
