by Joanna Wylde
“Guards, in the cell,” he said. They did as they were told. “Giselle, keep your blaster on Josiah. He’s going to be our ticket out of here.”
She nodded, thankful he knew what to do next. He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for something, and then he spoke again.
“I know you’re watching us,” he said slowly and clearly. “So I’m going to say this one time only. We’re taking Josiah and we’re going to return to our ship. I want a shuttle ready and waiting for us. I want all the corridors between us and the hangar cleared. You have one minute.”
With that, he raised his blaster and shot at several small boxes mounted on the walls. She assumed they were sensors, although she hadn’t noticed them before to check.
Jerred turned to her, a smile spreading across his face. “Thank you,” he said, eyes softening. “Giselle, you constantly surprise me. I didn’t think we’d get out of this one.”
“You’re not out yet,” Josiah said dryly. “I think you may want to hold the celebration until after you escape. I wish to survive this little escapade of yours, so we should probably begin negotiations.”
“You have nothing to negotiate with,” Giselle said harshly, poking him with the blaster. “You do what we tell you.”
“No, that’s not quite good enough,” Josiah said. “If I believe there’s no way for me to get out of this situation alive, I have no motivation to work with you. Give me a reason to believe I’ll live.”
“We’ll let you go when we get to our ship,” Giselle said quickly. “I promise.”
“No,” Jerred said, leaning back against the wall. “We need to take him with us, at least for a while. Otherwise they’ll just shoot us as soon as we leave.”
“Bring an escape pod,” Josiah said softly. “You can put me in it and jettison it as soon as you’re out of our weapons range. They’ll come and get me.”
“Are you sure?” Giselle asked, snorting. “If it were me, I think I’d leave you to die.”
“It isn’t you,” Josiah said coolly. “These people need me and they know it. They’ll come and rescue me.”
“It’s a good plan,” Jerred said. “Of course, you have to trust me to let you go.”
“I do trust you,” Josiah said softly. “You need me and we both know it. You won’t kill me.”
“Maybe he won’t kill you, but I will,” Giselle said in a menacing voice. “This isn’t just about him, you know. You messed with me, too, and I’d like a little revenge.”
“We’ll spare your life,” Jerred said, holding up one hand to calm her. “We all have something to gain from making this work. Are you with us?”
Josiah nodded his head. “We’ll need to go back to the main corridor so I can give them orders,” he said. “You’ve taken care of all my spy sensors in here.”
“Lead on,” Jerred replied.
* * * * *
Their escape went smoothly. True to Josiah’s promise, his people cooperated. Nobody met them in the hallways and corridors as they made their way to the hangar. A shuttle, complete with escape pod, waited for them in one of the cargo holds. In less than half an hour they were headed away from the station as fast as Jerred’s ship could move.
It wasn’t fast enough for Giselle.
She sat in the living room with her blaster trained on Josiah. He watched her with a strange expression on his face, as if amused by her diligence. After all, he was tied up. Jerred had seen to that immediately. Still, she didn’t trust him not to have some sort of trick up his sleeve.
He didn’t try anything, though, and as soon as they were out of range, Jerred came down from the cockpit and freed him. He marched the man at blaster-point to the cargo hold, where he locked him into the survival pod. Seconds later it had been jettisoned, and they watched as Josiah fired the small navigational jets to turn back toward the station.
Jerred came to her and pulled her into his arms. For the first time in since they’d arrived, she let herself relax. Finally, she was safe again. She drew close to him, wrapping her arms around his back and simply leaning against him. There was a tingle of desire, of course. It seemed impossible to be around him without feeling something. There was something more, though, something deeper. Being with him felt right. Maybe it was only temporary, but as long as she had him, she planned to enjoy every minute of it.
Jenna made a chiming noise and announced an incoming message. Giselle looked to Jerred, confused, and he shook his head.
Holding hands, they made their way up to the bridge to listen to the message.
It was from Josiah.
“I’m hoping you get this, Jerred,” the man said. “I’m in this blasted pod now, and I’m not sure what kind of range the radio has. I just wanted to tell you to jettison those two blasters you took from my station. They’re no good, and I’d hate to have you die in a real fight because they don’t work. I’m assuming I won’t be seeing you for a while, so take care. Give my best to Nicolai, and remind him he owes me twice as much now. Oh, you might also want to tell him to find a new spy on my station. The old one is… indisposed, and I don’t think she’ll be feeding either of you any more information. Take care.”
Giselle looked at Jerred, puzzled. “What did he mean, the blasters aren’t any good?”
Jerred seemed amused, and started shaking his head. “The fraud,” he muttered. “He wanted to let us go—he just didn’t want his people to think he was going easy on us. The whole thing was a setup.”
“You mean he never needed any information from you?”
“I think he did at first,” Jerred said, looking thoughtful. “But not anymore, apparently. He found the spy on his own.”
“I didn’t tell him anything,” she said softly. He smiled at her, and cupped one hand along her chin.
“Well, among other things, you didn’t know anything to tell him,” he said. “But even if you had known, I wouldn’t doubt you. There’s not one woman in a thousand who would have had the courage to do what you did for me.”
She shrugged, feeling her face grow warm.
“Well, seeing as Josiah orchestrated the whole thing, I hardly think I have anything to be proud of. I did exactly what he planned.”
“Don’t be too sure about that,” Jerred said softly. “He probably had several other plans in mind. I doubt he expected you to attack him. I would imagine that I’d have been given the chance later on. You definitely took him off guard.”
She smiled, feeling some pleasure at the thought. “He certainly wasn’t faking it when he lost consciousness,” she said slowly. “I nearly choked him to death, I was so mad.”
“I thought his voice sounded a little raspy,” Jerred replied. “I can’t say that I’m unhappy about that. He plays with people, and I have no doubt that if he hadn’t found his traitor, he would have killed us. Just because he let us go doesn’t mean that he’s a nice man.”
“Oh, there’s no danger of that happening,” she muttered. “So now what?”
He pulled her close to him, kissing her lightly on the lips. She raised both hands to his shoulders, and then he leaned down and picked her up, striding down the hallway toward his cabin.
“I’ve decided to have my wicked way with you,” he muttered, a gleam of appreciation in his eyes. “Don’t bother fighting it, I won’t let you go.”
“Do you see me fighting?” she asked archly. “Walk faster.”
* * * * *
Josiah drifted in the pod, waiting for his people to come and get him. It would be another thirty minutes at least before they arrived. He’d waited to send for them, wanting to make sure that Jerred and Giselle had enough time to get away.
He wondered for the thousandth time if he was going soft. For so many years he’d had to fight for his survival, and he’d never hesitated to kill an enemy. Still, it was hard to think of Jerred as an enemy. They’d worked together for many years, exchanging information that benefited them both. He’d known Jerred was spying on him—known it for the past year at le
ast. But until now he hadn’t worried about it. He knew Jerred, and could predict what he’d do with the information he stole.
This time had been different, though. He’d known it if from the minute he’d seen his old friend. Something had changed for him, and now he knew what it was. Giselle. It was a pity, really, that he’d had to take them prisoner at all. Fortunately, his own people had ferreted the spy out, allowing him to set them free. Now he could say he got the information from Jerred, protecting his sources on the station.
He twisted in the small capsule, wishing he’d thought to have it stocked with a bottle of his favorite wine. The wait bored him, and he didn’t like thinking about Jerred and his new mate.
It reminded him just a bit too much of all that was missing in his life.
Chapter Eleven
Giselle leaned up on one arm to look down on Jerred. He slept the sleep of the totally exhausted. His lovemaking the night before had been fierce, as if he needed to pull her inside him and keep her there.
She understood; she felt the same way.
It still amazed her that they were alive and free again. There were so many unanswered questions about him that she longed to ask. It was a bit startling that even after all they’d been through, they still had no more than a temporary arrangement and that neither of them had any hold on the other. If what Josiah had said was true, they never would have anything more than a temporary arrangement.
The thought was almost too horrible to bear—yet she also knew with certainty that she wouldn’t go back. She was glad that Jerred had walked into Manya’s, and glad that he’d fixated on her. She wished things could have progressed more naturally than they had, but still, her life was better with him than without.
She leaned over and kissed his shoulder, enjoying his texture. She let her tongue steal out to lick him. He tasted salty, which made sense. He’d certainly sweated enough the night before.
He stirred and groaned as she rubbed her hands lightly over his chest. Little bumps popped up across his skin. She licked his nipple, lapping at it for moment before pulling away.
He turned toward her, pulling her into the circle of his arms. “I missed you,” he said softly, eyes still closed.
“When?” she asked, gigging. “I’ve been here all night.”
“I missed you while I was in that cell,” he said, his voice serious. “I can’t believe how lonely and sad I was when I couldn’t be with you. I thought I’d never see you again.”
She turned in his arms until her back was against his chest, and then snuggled down into his warmth.
“I felt the same way,” she said softly. “I wouldn’t have left there without you. I couldn’t even imagine it.”
“You should have,” he said. “But I’m selfish enough to be glad that you didn’t.”
They lay quietly together for several minutes, neither speaking. She felt the length of his morning erection against her butt, and for some reason it comforted her. He was all hers, at least for now, and she intended to enjoy every minute of it.
She lifted her leg and rubbed it over the top of his. Her foot twisted so she could caress the back of his calf, and he pressed against her insistently.
His hand stole down her body to the crevice between her legs. He found the little bud of sensation between her legs and pressed against it softly with one finger.
She sighed. “I love it when you do that,” she said. “Don’t stop.”
In answer, he rubbed the tip of one finger back and forth against her as he nuzzled the back of her neck. Whispers of sensation crawled down along her spine. His hips started to press rhythmically against her butt, the length of his cock rubbing back and forth between her cheeks. She tightened them and he gave a sigh of pleasure. His fingers dropped from her clit to the opening between her legs and he slid two fingers inside.
She shivered. They went in easily enough, she was drowning in moisture.
“Are you ready for me?” he whispered in her ear. She nodded, not wanting to speak.
He lifted her leg ever so gently, then she felt the head of his penis poised at her opening. He nudged it just a little, just enough to stretch her, then his fingers returned to their slow massage of her clit. That light pressure against her slit was strange, but incredibly tantalizing. She pushed back against him a bit; she wanted more. Instead he held her there, nudging at her without penetrating. Shivers ran through her and the pressure within, already high, grew higher. His fingers started to move faster as he whispered little kisses against the back of her neck.
She pushed back at him again, wanting to feel the slow stretching that came with penetration. He refused to move, although his fingers changed their stroke. Now he ran the rough tips up and down the length of her enlarged clit, each brush sending shudders through her. She was close, but it wasn’t quite enough.
“I need more,” she whispered, “And harder.”
In answer, he pressed hard with his fingers and moved slightly faster. Still, it wasn’t enough. She squirmed against him—this was nothing more than torture disguised as foreplay. She wanted him inside her body, needed him to fuck her. Instead, he simply toyed with her.
The first small shudder moved through her. Still, he wouldn’t give her more. She flirted with the edges of her orgasm, unable to reach it. Not unless he moved faster.
“Jerred,” she muttered. “I swear I’m going to die if you don’t fuck me right now.”
His laughter washed over her, the warmth of his breath wreaking havoc with her skin.
“Giselle, I love how you talk,” he said. “I never have to play games with you, I always know what you’re thinking.”
With that, he flattened his hand across her pubic bone and thrust into her abruptly. He slid all the way home, filling her so suddenly that she thought she might explode. At the same time, his finger pressed against her clit. Hard. It was enough. She shot over the edge with a shudder, internal muscles squeezing him so tightly it must have been painful. Stars exploded behind her eyes. She felt him continuing to thrusting into her; felt the pressure against her clit, his lips on her neck. All of it seemed to happen at a distance, though. For one shining moment she simply hovered in space, marveling at the gift she’d been given.
In that instant, she knew she loved Jerred. Loved him with her whole heart, her entire being. She fell back toward reality. He was moving in her quickly now, and his breathing had become harsh. As if he could read her mind, he squeezed her tight with his entire body, as if to reassure her that he was still there, still thinking of her.
Her clit, still incredibly swollen from the first orgasm, responded to his touch again. He rubbed it back and forth, instinctively finding the right motion to drive her wild. Pleasure sang through her veins and she whimpered. His arms grew tighter, and she felt him growing even harder within her body. He was close; she knew it. Still, he held himself off and continued to move with her. He was waiting for her to come again, she realized.
He squeezed her once more, this time shifting so his hips were tilted even further into her, allowing him to hit a new spot within her body. The head of his cock rubbed over it once, twice. The third time she convulsed in his arms, the orgasm so sudden and hard that it surprised her. Every muscle in her body clenched, including those within. He gasped something in her ear, and then he exploded into her body. Hot jets of his seed filled her. His hips pumped, spurting his fluid deep within, and then he was finished, and they grew still. After a long silence, he nuzzled the back of her neck once more, then dropped little kisses along it until his lips reached her ear.
“Good morning,” he whispered.
* * * * *
Jerred smiled as he expertly flipped the rounded circles of batter sizzling in the pan. The small cakes, fried and drizzled with sweet, sugary syrup, had always been one of his favorite breakfast foods. A memory of his childhood home sprang to mind. They had had a cook, of course. His parents had been too busy to prepare meals, and they had never quite understood why he like
d to spend so much of his time in the kitchen. Still, they had never discouraged him from cooking.
He remembered the first time he’d fixed breakfast all by him himself. Or rather, all by himself with the supervision of the cook and the assistance of two smiling kitchen maids. They’d carefully followed his directions, “helping” him pour out the batter, reminding him when to pull each dish out of the oven. Under their direction, he’d carefully laid out each dish, added sprigs of sweet, fresh herbs, and popped them into the stasis boxes with the kind of flourish only a six-year-old boy could pull off. When he’d gone into the breakfast room and seen all the food he’d prepared laid out for the family, he had stood tall. His parents had been so proud of him, their oldest son. His father had gone so far as to remind him that all they had would be his some day, provided he married.
His hand stilled, and the memory turned sour. He could only marry if he had a life mate.
He allowed himself to think of Giselle for a moment, toying with the thought of her as his life mate. He could take her back to Saurellia, introduce her to his family.
They could have children together.
Of course, such a thing was unthinkable. Sure, there had been one or two lucky men who had found their life mates outside of Saurellia, but for every one of them there were millions who hadn’t. And as much as he liked Giselle, he couldn’t imagine that she might be his life mate. She didn’t fit the profile.
For one thing, she was too independent. Life mates had to make decisions together, live together, and build a future together. She hardly seemed interested in that. He thought about the way her eyes lit up when she talked about rebuilding her business. She wanted to have a bar—she didn’t want to help him manage his family estate. He pictured her and his mother together and winced.
They were from two different worlds. Both wonderful in their own way, but what could they possibly have in common? They’re both kind, decent women who seem to care for you, an insidious voice whispered from within. They would find common ground, given a chance.
