They’d become friends when Brady had come to him in need of weapons. An ambush had caught both of them off guard, but after fighting next to each other, they’d formed a fast friendship. He stood about the same height as Brady but outweighed him by at least fifty pounds, all muscle. He’d grown up with money and rejected it and the role his family had wanted him to play. Something they had in common.
But Hunter had actually been a true bastard by birth, the product of a high-ranking British aristocrat and his middle-class black mistress. His father’s aristocratic bone structure with John’s mocha-colored skin, not to mention his dark, brooding presence, made him a favorite of many females of any species.
“Looking for Sterling. Have you seen him?”
Hunter glanced at Libby, who was now leaning against the counter of the makeshift kitchen. The understanding light in the other man’s gaze told Brady his friend knew exactly who Libby was.
“About three months ago, he and that friend of his…Dracon…came looking for men to help them on some stupid quest.”
“Stupid quest?” Libby asked. Her voice was calm but Brady could feel the underlying tension in her query. “Did it have anything to do with the legend of the Snake King?”
John nodded. “Yeah. Bought a few men and then they left the next day. Haven’t seen him or the men since.”
Libby sighed and her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the news had added another five pounds to her load. Anger sparked in his stomach. Dammit. The woman shouldn’t have to chase after her father like he was a five-year-old. When he got a hold of Sterling, he was going to give him a good thrashing. Libby should be off living her own life, pursuing her career or having babies.
That thought almost knocked him on his ass. He’d never asked if she’d had children, but he knew Libby, and she would never leave her children behind, even for Sterling. Libby and babies? Where the fuck was his head? Wasn’t like he wanted anything to do with kids. His childhood was screwed up beyond anything by the time he ran away and he knew he wasn’t father material. And just why the fuck was he thinking about it now?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and moved on to safer subjects.
“Have you seen three, four men show up here in the last thirty minutes?”
“Yeah. They came in, loaded to the teeth. They rented a couple rooms.”
Shit. He should have known. They could trek on to the next outpost but it would get dicey traveling at night. He looked at Libby, who looked like she was ready to pass out. “Got another room for the two of us? Preferably not close to our friends?”
Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. “One room?”
“Yes, one room. What the hell is your problem?”
“Brady, calm down,” Libby said, embarrassment threading her voice. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“No.”
John threw him a measured look and then smiled at Libby. She smiled in response and Brady wanted to smack both of them.
“I’m John Hunter. Owner of this fine establishment. And you are Liberty Wainwright. Very nice to meet you.” He offered his hand to shake and Libby, stupid woman that she was, did just that. But John placed his other hand on top of hers. “I read your article about the new data retrieval machine you helped create. It was truly fascinating.”
Even in the dim light, he could see her face flush under Hunter’s attention. Irritation crept up Brady’s spine.
“I thought that after you have had some time to refresh yourself, you could join me for a discussion on it.” John’s voice was low, coaxing and made Brady want to wrap his fingers around the man’s neck.
Libby, instead of noticing what a player the other man was, giggled. Actually giggled like a fifteen-year-old with a crush.
“Well, that would be—”
Before it could go any further, he stepped forward and grabbed Libby’s hand. He wrenched it away from John. She shot him a withering look, then turned back to John.
“I would love to, but it’s been a very long day and I just want to get to bed.” She was rubbing her palms and she winced.
“Did you do something to your hand?” John’s voice had turned so freaking solicitous, Brady wouldn’t be surprised if he announced he was running for a position on the Absidianian Ruling Council.
“I think I have a cut or two.”
He stepped forward to take her hand again but Brady stopped him. “Just show us to our room; I think we can handle it from there.”
The amused look on Hunter’s face told Brady he’d just been fucking with him. “Sure.”
Minutes later, they followed John down a dimly lit hall to their room. He unlocked it, then stepped aside.
“Thank you so much for the help tonight, Mr. Hunter.”
John’s teeth flashed bright in the dark corner. “Just Hunter, Ms. Wainwright.”
She nodded, then went into the room. Before following, Brady caught Hunter’s attention. “Let me know if those men leave before morning.”
“Will do, Saint.” Without another word, John strode back in the direction of the kitchen.
Brady made sure the door was secured and then turned to survey the room. This was only the second time he’d stopped in on Hunter since he’d exiled himself to this godforsaken planet. This was a much better room. It included a private bath, a couple of bedside tables and one big-ass bed. He guessed he would forgive Hunter this time.
Libby sat down on the side of the bed, dropping her pack on the floor. Knowing her hands needed attention, he set his pack on one of the tables and looked for some antibiotic strips.
He squatted in front of her and took a look at her hands. They weren’t that bad, just a few minor scrapes, but this place had all kinds of weird plants that caused allergic reactions in some humans. She didn’t say a word as he opened the strips and applied them to her hands.
“So, you want to tell me what those men said that scared you shitless?”
Her head swung up and her eyes were wide with something akin to panic.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“They said something, you looked like every drop of blood in your face drained in one second. There’s information you’re holding back, lass, and that won’t help the situation.”
She sighed. “Emerald Project.”
He was finished with her hands, so he sat on the bed next to her. “Go on.”
“This was something that Tony and I ended up getting divorced over.”
“You divorced your husband over work?” He didn’t even try to hide the sarcasm in his voice. And why wouldn’t she? She’d left him high and dry when she’d decided their way of working just didn’t gel.
“Not just that.” She licked her lips and looked at the floor. “I have no idea what the project is but it was top secret and was draining a lot of money from the company. It’s been around for years. I was working on a plan to do an excavation in the Eruidite quadrant. I got the money, started making solid plans, hired people, got the visas. Then the whole thing was scrapped for the Emerald Project.”
“What is it?”
“That was my question. I’d worked there for three years and never heard of it, so I asked Tony. At first he played dumb. Then he got downright nasty. I figured out later that, whatever it was, it was illegal.”
“Why would you immediately think that?” And just why the hell had she been married to him if she didn’t trust him?
“Before taking over the reins, Tony had often said that his father had his hands in a lot of pots.” Brady snorted. She shot him a repressive look but continued. “When he moved into the job, he…changed.”
“How?”
“Worked all the time and he became agitated at the simplest things.” She shrugged one shoulder. The move was listless, almost resigned. “After that, our marriage went downhill. When he refused to tell me what the project was about, I left. And that’s all I know.”
“Well, these men must know your husband.”
“My ex-husband
.” She gnawed on her thumbnail, a gesture of nervousness she had fought years to repress. If she was resorting to it, she was genuinely worried. “I’ve got to use some skin purifier and get into some different clothes.”
He smiled. “I doubt Hunter has any and you might want to save yours for when we are out. All John has is the old fashioned water shower.”
Libby’s eyes widened. “Wow. Really? A shower with water?”
“He’s a throwback, plus, thanks to the treaties protecting Dranerick, they have a good supply of fresh underground spring water.”
“Well, then…I’ll take a shower, clean up.”
He nodded and watched her grab her pack and head off to the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, he thought about everything. Sterling, the ambush, her ex. Something was linking it all together, and he would bet that one way or another, it was going to become one big clusterfuck before it was over.
He worried his lower lip and almost bit it when he heard the water start. Just the thought of Libby naked, the water sluicing over her body, dripping from her nipples…
Groaning at the image in his head, he tried to convince his body to ignore it. But once it was there, it was no good. His blood was already heating at the thought of slipping into the shower behind her, stroking her wet skin…
Damn, he was hard as a pike. It was either join her or wait until she came out. The temptation was too great and, knowing that John would be alert to any problems, Brady decided to take advantage of this one night they would have uninterrupted. He walked to the door and tested the knob. It turned easily and Brady took that as a good sign.
* * * * *
Libby massaged her head as she lathered her hair, hoping to get rid of the sticks and debris that had become tangled in it in their travels. She remembered now why she’d always kept her hair short while she’d worked the field. But, who could complain when you had the benefit of a water shower.
She added another dose of hair cleaner and massaged her scalp. It had been at least three or four years since she’d had the luxury of enjoying an all-water shower. With the spare resources now on Earth, such things were a luxury, too expensive for the regular person.
Water was scarce there and on many of the planets closer to Earth. Thanks to companies like the Freemont, many of whom took advantage of the slow-moving Earth courts to pass laws to protect the resources, much of the surrounding solar systems had been stripped. Denerick was different thanks to their laws to preserve their rainforests. The leaders of the Quantanz Sector wanted to ensure what happened to Earth in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century did not happen here.
The hot water relaxed her muscles but not her mind. It was jumping from one thing to another and she really didn’t know if she’d ever get anything straight. She knew her ex was involved in this someway… but how? It wasn’t helping to have Brady around, tempting her at every turn. When he’d shown the slightest of possessive feelings, she’d felt an undeniable thrill. Which was not good. She was her own woman. She didn’t need a man to be complete and happy.
Of course, there’d been a time she’d been happy to give it all away, her freedom… her independence, to be near Brady. She’d always been the one to walk the straight and narrow but she was so in love, she started to bend her ethics. There were times she forgot to be their keeper. Times when the cloak of responsibility would slip away and she could act her age. Brady had always been there for them, reveled in them, and encouraged her acting out.
“Libby, for once in your life, do you think you could forget the rules?”
Brady was frowning at her again. He always did when she pointed out what he wanted to do was slightly illegal. And it was happening more and more these days.
“Forgetting the rules could land you in confinement. You know how the Obiscian are about their segregation laws. And we are not allowed to drink here. There are laws forbidding it.”
He crossed his arms and stared at her. Those blue eyes sparked with defiance and his frown deepened. It should piss her off that he was even thinking of doing this. Breaking into a store to grab a bottle of wine, in a sector of town they were forbidden to be in. But all she could feel were the telltale signs of excitement heating her blood. Her pulse accelerated, her nipples hardened. Dammit, there was something really wrong with her if she got off on this kind of thing. She was not a thrillseeker.
“Come on, Libby, live a little.”
She ground her teeth at her father’s familiar saying.
“I live. I live to pick up the mess you and my father leave behind.”
He rolled his eyes. “I think you’re afraid.”
“That’s not going to work this time, Brady.”
“Really?” He quirked one eyebrow and his full lips turned up into a seductive smile. “Maybe you’re right. You’re not afraid.”
She nodded but she knew better than to trust his placating tone.
“I mean, all we’d be doing is sneaking into town, grabbing a bottle of wine. Nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid. I’m smart.” But with each sentence, he was chipping away at her resistance. She could feel it slipping out of her grasp.
“Smart? You’re sure that. Of course, you’d have to be pretty intelligent to figure out that you couldn’t do it.”
“What?”
“You can’t do it. I mean, I know I could get in there and out without being detected. You must know that you’d be the liability.”
Even though she knew what he was doing, it was hard not to rise to the bait.
“I can do it. I just don’t want to.”
He chuckled as he began to walk around her. “Of course you can. I mean, I know that I can do it, get out free, but you must think that you’re lacking in some way.”
Indignation had her talking before she could think. “I can do it.”
“No, Libby, I think you should stay behind. Don’t want to be a liability to me, get me in trouble.”
Her anger soared. She knew what he was doing. Knew it all by heart because it worked all the time but Libby couldn’t stop her mouth. “Shut the hell up and let’s go.”
An hour later, with the militia on their tail, Brady led her down a series of alleys until they knew they had made it out without being identified.
Both of them were laughing so hard that they could barely breathe. Brady lifted her with one arm; his hand held the cheap bottle of wine they’d set out to get and he smacked her on the lips.
She laughed louder, thinking she’d never felt that free.
The bathroom door opening brought her back to the present. Brady opened the stall door and stuck his head into the shower, then pulled the door open. Her breath stalled in her lungs when she saw him. Lost in the memories of their past, she’d forgotten just how potent he was in the flesh. Especially when he was naked.
She glanced down at his erection and felt her nipples tighten, already aching for his touch. Her pulse drummed in her head, her body already quickening for him.
One side of his mouth curled up and his gaze traveled from her head down to her toes. By the time he returned to her face, her nipples were hard and his eyes had darkened with intent.
“Got room for one more?”
Chapter Seven
The moment he stepped into the bathroom, the clean, fresh scent of Libby clogged Brady’s senses. In the thick mist of fog, he could see her body outlined on the shower-stall door. Need crawled through him. But this was sharper, more powerful than just his usual sexual urges.
It had always been that way with Libby. There were plenty of times he’d cursed the affliction that drove him to possess her. It was heaven and hell. The two sides of his affliction both repelled and attracted him. Knowing that they were never going to settle their differences didn’t matter. He pulled off his clothes, dropping them on the floor beside hers.
Anticipation skated along his nerves and sent another rush of blood to his cock. He glanced down, smiling wryly at his erection. Hard and alr
eady aching to have her, he should be embarrassed by how much he wanted her… needed her. It wasn’t an option to lust after her. It was a primal urge that drove him. Something in him knew that whenever she was near, he had to have her or go mental, especially from the lack of blood in his brain.
He grabbed the door and opened it. His breath caught in his throat. Damn, she was beautiful. He pulled the door open all the way. She glanced at his raging erection and he felt it like a lick. Knowing that her sexual appetite marched along with his made it all that much harder to resist her.
A lot of people looked at Libby and saw the archeology nerd. Her hair was a tangle of wet tresses and suds, reaching halfway down her back. She turned to face him. His heart about leapt out of his chest as his gaze traveled down her body. Water dripped from her nipples, making his mouth go dry.
He continued his perusal, taking in the soap still clinging to her rounded stomach, her bare pussy and her long, sleek legs. Knowing what they felt like wrapped around his waist made him feel lightheaded. His pulse soared. By the time he reached her feet, his balls ached with want. Catching her gaze, he smiled, although even that hurt.
“Got room for one more?” His voice was thick with desire. Jesus, if he didn’t have her soon, he’d probably come just looking at her. And what other woman did that to him? Only Libby made him feel like an eighteen-year-old, ready to burst at the slightest provocation.
She swallowed, then nodded. Turning her back to him, she stepped forward to give him room. After closing the door, he reached around her and grabbed the bottle of soap. He squirted some on his hand and rubbed his hands together after dropping the bottle on the floor behind him. The herbal scent of her favorite skin purifier was as familiar as the woman in front of him.
He stepped closer. His dick brushed against her wet skin. He closed his eyes and groaned. Just that one touch shot straight to his balls. Capturing her hips, he held her still as he pressed his body against hers.
Brady slid his hands to her tits, her slick skin and his soapy hands making it easy.
“I already finished washing, Brady.” Her voice was husky with a touch of humor.
Seducing the Saint Page 5
