“I’m good with guns too.”
“Smart mouth.”
Kim followed him as he marched down the passageway. She couldn’t help but admire the man’s impeccable ship. Not a dust bunny in sight. Hers had probably mutated into another life-form and acquired speech by now.
They squeezed into the narrow airlock, Kim trying to ignore her pussy’s demanding little jabs of excitement at the close proximity, and worked her jaw as pressure was being equalized. Both her ears popped at once. She cringed.
After the hatch opened, they walked down the length of a large bay, passed another hatch then took a left turn down a tunnel. Everything was in steel. Probably reinforced too. Kim agreed with the man’s design. She would love a place like this where she could design and test all her toys. Instead, she’d had to subcontract to the nth degree, all through anonymous sources, never hire the same crew twice, rent an abandoned factory, change every month so people wouldn’t track her down. Hell. In the end, the ship had become her office, lab and showroom.
The air was much warmer as the doors slid into the wall. Kim stepped through and stood in mute awe.
“Make yourself at home.”
A large, circular building with a mezzanine on one half and walls and ceiling made entirely of huge honeycomb sections of clear thermoplastic. She felt like she was inside a giant fishbowl with a metal bottom.
Titan came behind her and slipped the restraints off one of her wrists. Before she could even think of kicking his ass and getting the hell out of there, he turned, punched a code on the access panel and the doors closed with finality. A lot of it.
Without even checking behind him, Titan slipped his gun back in the holster at his waist and removed his jacket, which he carefully placed on a metallic chair.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he circled a gleaming black counter, depositing her decoder. His place looked like those of fashion vids. She’d always wanted a house like this. Clean, shiny and…
It’s a prison. A prison, remember that.
She craned her neck so she could catch a glimpse of her decoder’s faceplate and see what was going on with her ship. That she orbited the asteroid on her own indicated he’d probably programmed her, but still, Kim wanted to be sure.
Kim clutched the bag in front of her as she approached the counter. “Okay, explain this. You wanted to blow me out of the sky just a few standard hours ago. And now you’re inviting me for supper?”
“Would you prefer I blow you out of the sky?”
I’d rather you eat me four times a day.
Kim shook her head. No time for this.
“Plans change, baby,” is all he said.
Titan turned his back on her and dug around under the counter. He produced two meal-in-a-minute pouches and threw them in the warmer. He stared at the glow behind the glass door for the entire two minutes while Kim rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. When the machine binged, Titan retrieved the pouches, no thongs or any other form of protection against the heat, and slapped them on the counter.
“Eat.”
“Tell me what you did to my ship then I’ll eat.”
He shook his head. “Stubborn too. I just programmed it so it’d keep orbiting. I figured with that thing—” he pointed at her decoder “—you could remote-control it to land later on.”
“My ship isn’t an ‘it’, it’s a ‘she’.”
A snort answered her.
Kim started eating, occasionally throwing him a venomous look, just in case he got any ideas she was going to play nice for him. Jerk. Bully. Jackass.
After a while, she just watched him for the sheer pleasure of looking at the way his mouth worked around the noodles, how glistening they’d become, so inviting…
Damn brute! She was still chewing when he took the pouch from her and pointed to a five feet wide steel cylinder near the middle of the room. “Bathroom is there.”
How did he know she needed to go?
“You’ve been tapping your foot for a full five minutes. It’s driving me crazy.”
Kim meant to go but he stopped her with a hand over her arm. “Boots off.”
Oh for crying out loud.
After kicking them off, Kim stomped to the bathroom, fiddled with the unfamiliar design of the door then slid it inside. All stainless steel interior as well, even the toilet. She noticed the seat was up. With a snort, she slid the door, used the bathroom and was washing her hands when Titan opened the door and walked right in.
“Like, hey, wait your turn—”
The rest remained lodged in her throat when, after seizing her by the empty cuff, he tugged her to the shower stall.
“Hey, whoa, would you!”
Kim pulled against him, dug her heels in but Titan used the many pounds he had over her and lifted her clear off the floor. With one arm.
“I want to have a nice, quiet shower but can’t trust you to play nice. So you’ll go before me and wait until I’m done.”
Cursing now, she struggled and kicked, landing a few good ones but barely managed to unbalance him. With a snarl, he pushed her inside, stretched her arm over her head and locked the cuff to the showerhead.
“Do I need to baby-sit you?” He looked as though he wanted to very much.
With her free hand, Kim made a rude gesture. He just grinned. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Wait here.”
“Like I have anywhere else to go!” she yelled at his back. “Goddamn piece of space debris.”
She tugged against the showerhead, even planted both feet on the wall for added support. The thing didn’t even rattle.
Titan came back with a towel and a new bar of soap, which he unwrapped, put on the floor and slid her way. For no better reason than to piss him off, Kim kicked it back toward him. Return to sender. “You’re a numbers kind of guy, right? Then add this—fuck you plus fuck you.”
Slowly, he pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head. “Woman, I’m about to lose it. I suggest you shut up and do as I say.”
“Oh is your head hurting?” Kim sneered. “Come here and I’ll rub it all nice for you.”
He kicked the bar of soap back at her, left a white mark on his shiny black shoe. A scowl creased his brow when he noticed the blemish. The gray eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re annoying me, baby. You don’t want me annoyed.”
Before she could vent her frustration—and hell knew she had just the thing to say—he fisted a large chrome knob on the wall. At once, powerful jets of water hit her over the head.
With a yelp, she plastered herself against the wall to avoid the glacial, hammer-hard jets. Quite unsuccessfully. She caught him smirking triumphantly. “Argh!”
Letting all her weight bear down on her arm, she tried again to pry the showerhead off the wall.
“Stop that.”
She ignored him and resumed her enthusiastic tugs.
A step closer, Titan put two very large fists on his hips. “You’re wasting water. Come on.”
“How the hell am I supposed to take a shower with my clothes on!”
He shrugged. “Not my problem. Just slip the soap in or something.”
Cold water made her feet want to bunch into fists. She hissed through clenched teeth. Man, she hated his guts, hated them with a passion. “You might as well turn it off. I’m not some pet you get to give a bath to.”
“We just fucked like rabbits, don’t you want a shower?” he demanded with his face up, like he was talking to the ceiling. His eyes were hard when he looked back down. “You’re getting a shower if I have to come in there myself. And don’t make me ruin my suit.”
The menace in his tone forced her to stare at him a while longer. He was joking, wasn’t he? Fear and trepidation tightened her throat. A near obsessive urge to tug against the restraint overwhelmed her and she hung on the manacle again.
Kim watched him unbutton his shirt, let it slide back over his shoulders then bend down and take his shoes, socks and gun holsters off. The guns followed
, each one deposited gently in a neat row. He slipped off his belt, rolled it then after some apparent hesitation, the pinstriped, pricey-looking dress pants as well, which he folded neatly in half and placed on the toilet.
He really was coming in with her.
Wearing only black boxer briefs, Titan marched into the large stainless steel stall, his hands out wide on either side of him like he meant to tackle some very dangerous beast. Muscles banded over his pectorals, swelled and rippled down his partitioned, perfectly symmetrical belly. Dark hair created a fine line that disappeared into his briefs. Back up to his face, Kim’s gaze settled on his strong jaw and the way his chin stuck out defiantly.
He looked positively fuming. And totally yummy.
A jolt of excitement shot up between her legs, tightened her pussy, a shameful reminder just how much she’d enjoyed the man’s skill and how she was hoping for more to come. But this time, maybe he’d just beat the shit out of her and forcibly wash her.
“Last chance,” he said, both hands clenching and unclenching. “Don’t make me come in there.”
With a snarled curse, Kim aimed a kick at him. He parried with a forearm and walked inside her reach right away so he wouldn’t be the recipient of her vicious feet. She wasn’t a martial arts expert but she could kick a man where it counted with the best of them!
His weight against her forced Kim back against the wall with a loud humph. Purple braids tangled on her arm when he spun her around and plastered himself against her back.
“Now get the goddamn soap and start scrubbing.” His mouth almost touched her ear. His muscled chest felt hot and hard against her back.
When she tried to move her legs and instead ended up rubbing her butt against him, Kim felt the change in his demeanor. How she hated herself for even thinking about sex when she was tied to a fucking pipe in some guy’s bathroom. But the thought had registered and that was that.
Rich, Kim, very rich.
The worst part of all, she was starting to enjoy every second of it, every tingle of the fear-excitement stiffening her nipples, squeezing at her sex, every subtle shift in his body as he relaxed his hold on her wrist while his other hand slowly landed on her hip.
“You’re just a mind screw on feet, aren’t you, Ballistic Kim?” he murmured in her ear. Water drummed on her skull, still cold but she was past caring.
She was past caring about a lot of things.
How could the little purple-haired, pocket rocket cause so much chaos in his pants? Titan could still taste her on his tongue, yet he wanted her again. As he pressed against her lithe form, molded her to him, cradled her fine, firm butt against his crotch, Titan understood well how Drokesh could want her back. How any man would want her, period. And he was a man.
When she tilted her pelvis outward ever so slightly, a shock of lust made him close his eyes. Cold water was hitting him like hail, he should be able to control his rising temperature, no? One would think so. But no. Instead, he felt his skin reach a fever point, his lips begin to tingle at the memory of hers, of her cunt. And he wanted it again. All of her.
“Tell you what,” he said against her ear. “We don’t have to act like enemies.”
Yeah, when I was the first one with my gun out. Was this his brain talking or his dick? Sometimes, he couldn’t tell the difference.
Kim shrugged. “You got all huffy first, don’t tell me we’re acting like enemies.”
“Okay, so how about we stick to business? Would that be all right?”
“What business?”
“The fun kind,” Titan replied as he gave a squeeze to her hip. “A guy and a girl together in the shower. We both want this. No drama, no mind games. Okay?”
She turned her head back a little so she could look at him. A half smile played on her lips. “I guess we could.”
“Not war, just friendly competition. Right?”
“Right.”
You remind her of that when you sell her out to Drokesh in a few hours.
And it was pure shock to him that lying to Ballistic Kim left such a sour aftertaste in his mouth. What was that about? He’d lied all his life. Why should it be different? Drokesh had a right to come take her back. What did Titan care if she hadn’t kept her end of the bargain with her boss? She was a big girl, made her decisions and now had to live with them. Like they all did. Like Titan would when the Yithian left with her.
His fingers curled in as he raked them up her thigh, over her hip, before going down again, but this time straight over her cheeks then deep between them until he cupped her mons from behind. The latex squeaked deliciously when he pulled her up against his erection. Water was magic with a latex suit. It beaded temptingly on her shoulders and back. Titan pulled away so he could watch her from behind, that smooth curve of her lower back where the ends of her purple braids rested, the tightly enclosed cheeks and thighs. All so shiny, so damn mouthwatering.
Titan blinked water out of his eyes, pressed his lips hard as he clutched at the last shreds of resolve. She was one of Drokesh’s employees. The Yithian wouldn’t want Titan to mess with her. He knew exactly how that felt. He too didn’t want anyone else to mess with Kim. Hell, he didn’t even want anyone else to be near her. But that was his own demon and he’d have to deal with it eventually.
After she leaned her forehead against the stainless steel wall, Kim reached up over her shoulder and let her fingers graze lightly along his shaved scalp, down the nape of his neck where she dug her nails in. Tingles tightened outward in her fingers’ wake. Screw it. He wanted her now.
Titan snaked his hand under her raised arm and located the zipper, which he drew down slowly. The sound alone was enough to cause a heart attack.
For fuck’s sake, he couldn’t keep her tied to the shower. Even he wouldn’t do that. The Yithian manacle gleamed like a silver snake. Could he? Should he?
“I’ll be back. Don’t move.”
The look she gave him could have melted titanium plating.
After fishing around in his pants pocket, he pulled the tiny key and put it between his teeth.
“Look at me,” he said through clenched teeth as he adjusted the water temperature before joining her back under the water jets. Ahh. Much better.
She did, twisting around, her arm high over her head. What skin he could see on her arm looked red and raw. A stitch of shame poked him.
Her gaze settled on the key in his mouth. Those shimmering lips of hers twitched at the corners.
“Do you want it?”
A simple nod.
“Then take it.”
She went to move but he pulled his chin away. His eyes hard, he said, “If you try anything stupid—trying to kill me would be a good example—I’ll tie you down in a way that won’t be very glamorous. Get me?”
“Nothing stupid. Got you.”
But instead of taking the key, which he would’ve thought was more urgent than anything else, Kim raised herself on the tip of her toes and angled her face up at his. Her gaze on his, she drew near, very near, until her lips touched his then, showing amazing skill and accuracy, she clamped her mouth to his and retrieved the key with her tongue. When she backed a step, it was between her teeth, gleaming mischievously.
“Oh I think we’re going to have a lot of fun, you and I,” Titan said. Had it had hands, his dick would’ve clapped them enthusiastically.
Chapter Four
Kim quivered with excitement as she let the silvery cord fall to the floor, the key still inside its tiny lock.
For some reason she’d rather not examine right then, Kim wanted to impress Titan, to blow his mind with her body, the way she moved, with the things she’d do to herself and to him. She wanted this to last. For once, Kim wanted her man to feel special, not like a notch on her belt. Entertaining, teasing…she realized she could be, had been both these things, but the way Titan responded to her simplest moves—even those she wasn’t trying to make special—felt so good to her.
While she’d been with h
im in the cargo hold, there hadn’t been anything else worth a damn. And even if it had ended rather poorly—nice word for him playing the dirtiest trick on her—she was willing to test it all over again because she could tell he did as well. How weird was that? Mind screw on feet. How right he’d been.
Titan stood back a little when she turned to him and finished the job of pulling her zipper all the way down. His gaze settled on her chest, which he’d hugged and caressed and licked but not seen. Looking down at her herself, she snaked one index finger in the opening and parted it by an inch or so. The purple lace bra came into view.
“I knew it’d be some crazy color,” he commented before drawing near and letting his thumb run from her throat to between her breasts. Water seeped into her suit and made her shiver. The nipples showed particularly well.
Using both hands, Titan tugged the suit on either side of her chest and hooked it under her breasts, raising them up high. His gaze felt like acid as he raked it across from one breast to the other.
“Pull it down,” he said while his index finger traced the contour of the cup. Through the lace, her nipple pointed sharply out.
Kim grinned sideways. “You do it.”
A muscle twitched along his wide jaw. Titan dug four fingers inside the cup and pulled down. Water flowed in rivulets on either side of her nipple. If he stared any harder, he’d poke holes in her hide.
“You like them?” she asked, knowing she was teasing the man mercilessly. She lightly rested a hand over her breast and squeezed.
“I love them.”
He bent and retrieved the soap. After he lathered his hands profusely, he dropped it back on the floor. Smells of clean and fresh reached her. She took a deep whiff. A sigh escaped her when he cupped her exposed breast in both his hands and massaged it from base to tip, sometimes going in circles, other times cradling it in his big palms. It felt as though each hand fought the other for access to her flesh. The roseate point tightened under his skillful fingers. And when he rolled it hard, Kim gasped.
“You like when men take their time with these?”
She nodded.
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