Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance

by Michelle O'Leary

  Bending his head, he captured a tender nipple between his lips, softly nibbling while she whimpered in his ear. She again undulated against him, and he gasped at the pleasure that shot up his spine like lightning and then rolled out to his extremities and back like thunder.

  "Be still, sweetheart. I can't—"

  "Please,” she moaned, capturing his face between her hands and licking his bottom lip. “Oh, please...” Little tremors shivered through her and around his length, and he realized with a groan of primitive pleasure that she was as close to the edge as he.

  With a shudder, he captured her mouth with his and cupped her bottom, rocking against her. With a soft cry that vibrated into him, she clenched her thighs around his waist and began a rhythm that was guaranteed to render him mindless. The pleasure built with ruthless intensity, too swift and all encompassing for him to control, and his fingers dug into her soft flesh as he thrust into her.

  She tensed against him with a keening cry, her body bowing as his world splintered. Her cries followed him as he tumbled into a pounding pleasure so vast, it consumed him entirely, reshaping his universe until it was the only thing that mattered.

  When it finally released him enough to become aware of his surroundings, he realized that his arms were wrapped around her in too tight a hold. He loosened his grip, but couldn't find the will to let her go completely. She didn't seem to mind, her arms clutching him just as tightly as her breath burst against his ear in fast, hot gusts. He realized that he was also panting desperately for air, his heart thundering in an almost audible rhythm.

  In all his life, he'd never felt so completely, so wildly out of control, and at the same time, so completely at peace. It felt as though all the crumbled pieces of his life had just clicked into place, and the restraints around his soul had fallen away. The soft body pressing against him and around him felt like freedom, like hope, like home. He'd been trying for some time to deny that he was crazy in love with her, but he couldn't do that anymore. His need for her, a need which even now beat at the back of his throat and throbbed in his groin, made denial impossible.

  He moved against her and heard her groan in unison with him at the sweet torment on their sensitive flesh. She shivered in his arms, and he murmured against the cool skin of her shoulder, “Slicing will never be the same."

  Her breathless laughter made his eyes close with pleasure, and he turned his head to place an open-mouthed kiss on her throat. He wanted this woman, not just her flesh, but every part of her, for the rest of his life. But would she want any more than this moment from him, from a Core reject? She was a Shay, and he was just ... broken.

  Her throat vibrated against his mouth as she said, “Neither will I. I'm pretty sure they didn't make these seats with this kind of thing in mind."

  He raised his head to see her lifting one leg with a faint tightening of her fine brow and a rueful smile. The soft skin of her lower thigh was reddened, and there were marks on the inside of her knee from the edges of the seat.

  "Damn, I'm sorry,” he muttered, lifting her from him and helping her to twist around until she reclined on top of him once again.

  "I'm not,” she sighed as she relaxed into his arms, the soft smile on her lips sending a bolt of primitive satisfaction through him.

  With a low rumble of pleasure, he nuzzled her ear, breathing in her scent like an addict. Her soft, sleek form was too much temptation for him, and he began to explore her curves with long, slow strokes. “How long did you say it would be before your brother found us?"

  She chuckled, arching under his touch like a contented cat. “Got something on your mind, Del?"

  "Not a damned thing,” he rumbled, nipping at her ear. “It had a meltdown a couple of minutes back, and that thing ain't workin’ yet."

  "Everything else seems to be working just fine.” Her voice sounded husky as his fingers teased the silky skin just under her breasts. When he cupped one delicious mound and ran his thumb over its taut peak, she gasped.

  He grinned and suckled at her neck before saying, “Glad you noticed. And since I've got you captive...” Slipping his other hand between her thighs, he cupped her.

  She groaned, arching against his hands and reaching back to spear tense fingers into his dark hair. “You keep doing that and I'm going to get more marks on my thighs."

  "No, you won't,” he whispered huskily in her ear, amazed to discover that he was already hard and throbbing, and as desperate for her as the first time. But this time he meant to go slow, to discover every curve, every mystery, every sweet torment of her.

  As usual, Sin had other ideas. Arching up and reaching between their bodies, she caressed his length with too talented fingers, turning her head to whisper against his mouth, “Why won't I?"

  "I'll show you,” he groaned between clenched teeth.

  And he did, as wildly and fervently as the first time. It was disturbing to him, when he became capable of rational thought again, that she could shatter his control so easily, that she had such a hold over him. What else would she shatter?

  He did his best to ignore that thought, concentrating instead on the quivering lassitude of his muscles and the lingering simmer of pleasure through his body as they lay partly on their sides. He was still trying to catch his breath, and he wondered idly whether the recyclers were having trouble. Sin was also breathing in a swift rhythm, her body trembling with aftershocks against him.

  He swept a hand down her side in a soothing motion, pressing his face into her hair as he curved closer around her. “Not that I'm complaining,” he rumbled, “but next time, let's try a bed."

  She didn't respond, and he felt a pang of alarm. Pulling himself up onto an elbow, he leaned over her. “Sin? Honey, are you okay?"

  Her eyes opened slowly, the green intensity of their depths making him catch his breath. “Oh, Del,” she murmured, reaching up to stroke the side of his face with trembling fingers. There was a desperate darkness in her eyes, a depth of feeling that sparked both fear and fragile hope in him.

  But she said nothing else, and he couldn't resist the pull of those eyes. Lowering his head, he brushed gentle kisses over her full lips, a tender answer to the ache in her gaze. She answered him in kind for a moment, before pulling back a little to smile up at him. The darkness was gone, or at least hidden, from the green of her eyes.

  "I'm very, very okay,” she whispered huskily. “But is it my imagination, or is it stuffy in here?"

  "I'm thinking it's the recyclers. If I can find my connector, I'll check on ‘em,” he answered, twisting to grope next to the seat.

  She braced up on an elbow and frowned at him in concern. “Del! You're not connected?"

  He felt a flush warm his neck, and he looked away from her. “Yeah, well, the two of you were too much for me. I had to yank her.” His fingers came across the connector, and he lifted it, shifting to sit upright in the seat and meet her eyes.

  "Good,” she muttered and moved with him until she was sitting across his lap, her eyes narrowed on him with a possession that made his heart jump. “I don't share."

  He grinned in masculine satisfaction as he slipped the connector into his port. And then he swore, tightening his arms around her in shock.

  "What?” she asked, her form tensing.

  Pressing his lips together in a grim line, he made the necessary connections and powered up the ship.

  Chapter 24

  Kai's voice boomed into the interior of the Shadow. “Answer me, damn it! Where are you?” His fury had an undertone of desperate fear that gave Del a lurch of guilt.

  "Shay, we're here,” he answered her brother, signaling their location.

  "Givliani, you bastard, where the fuck is my sister?"

  "I'm right here, Kai! Stop crisping out,” Sin answered for him, her voice calm and faintly impatient, but her expression was concerned.

  "Why haven't you answered me?"

  Del cleared his throat in embarrassment. “Sorry, my fault. I powered down to life
support only, no communications, and then disconnected."

  "Why in the Sun's name...” there was a brief pause. Then Kai gave an explosive sigh. “Never mind. I can guess,” he continued in a grim growl. “Next time, if you don't want to be rescued, don't drop a distress."

  Sin stirred on his lap, shooting Del a wince of dismay. “He did say he was sorry, brother. Can we go now? How does it look out there?"

  "It's clear, for now. They searched this system not too long ago, but missed us both. Hold on—I'm hooking you now.” Kai's voice was clipped.

  Del winced, wondering how long Kai had been searching for them—how long he'd gone without knowing if they were dead or alive. Guilt gnawed at his insides, and he could tell by the tension in Sin's face and form that she felt the same. He wondered if she was now regretting their time together. His only regret was in causing her brother unnecessary anguish.

  There was a muffled thump and a lurch of the ship as Kai's Shadow attached to them. The sensors told him that the grapples were secure and the other ship would have no trouble moving them.

  "All right, we're off,” Kai said briskly. “Del, keep her powered, but let me do the flying. If you move her, you'll break loose."

  "Got it,” Del rasped, keeping a close watch as they lifted away from the rock. But the grapples held, and the other Shadow didn't seem to be straining with the extra mass at the speed Kai was going. He nodded when Sin gave him a questioning look, reassuring her that all was well.

  She gave him a somber nod in return, reaching behind the seat to tug at the provisions pack. He helped her pull it forward and watched her rummage through it until she brought out the sanitizer. He was a little unnerved by her silence and by the pensive curve of her mouth. With hesitant fingers, he brushed the hair from her face.

  She glanced up at his touch, a soft smile forming on her lips, but it had a sad curve to it and there was a reserve in her eyes that sent a dull ache of alarm spreading through his chest. The sweet kiss she brushed against his mouth helped ease the ache a bit, but it didn't dissipate entirely as they cleaned up and redressed in silence.

  They shared some water and had a few bites to eat, before Sin curled against his chest with a sigh, head on his shoulder and supple body sweet and heavy against him. His unease was overshadowed by an ever expanding warmth as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. With a rumble of contentment, he nuzzled his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, and desperately wished the moment would go on forever.

  Sin lifted a hand to curl around the nape of his neck and snuggled closer to him with another sigh. Then she whispered against his throat, “How are the recyclers doing?"

  "Hanging in there,” he answered, his eyes sliding closed at the feel of her mouth on his skin. “They do okay when we're not, uh ... active."

  She laughed low in her throat, and he was startled by the hunger that rippled through him. Again? he thought to himself with a mix of humor and dim dismay. Addicts can go longer than this. But her hold on him was stronger than any drug.

  With Kai in voice range, though, he figured Sin wouldn't welcome his touch this time. With a sigh of regret, he cast about for something to take his mind off of the sleek form pressed against him. He thought about asking her where they would go from here with the information that they'd acquired, but he shied away from discussing the future with a quiver of unease. He didn't want to discuss a time when she would be leaving his arms.

  There was something he'd been wondering about for a while, but he worried about her reaction to him asking. It wasn't a subject that she seemed comfortable with. Well, it's not like she can go anywhere, he reasoned.

  "Sin?"

  "Mm?"

  "What happened to your father?” he managed to ask, and then held his breath.

  Sin tilted her head back, meeting his gaze with her own solemn regard. He saw no anger or rejection in her eyes, but she studied him with a clinical edge that suggested she was trying to decide what he should and shouldn't know.

  Her apparent distrust hurt. Hadn't he earned a little faith? But this had to be a painful subject for her.

  After a moment, she sighed and took her hand away from his neck to rub her eyes. “He was killed,” she said without rancor, her voice soft and matter-of-fact.

  He still winced. Running a soothing hand over her hip and thigh, he vowed not to ask how.

  She seemed to hear the question anyway. “He'd gone to confirm some information we had about a group of Core-backed weapons dealers. He should have let my brother and I go. He and Kai actually fought about it, the last words they ever exchanged. But he could be stubborn like that."

  She stretched a little, then curled against him again, hiding her face from him. “They didn't appreciate him snooping. Thought he was stinging them for the FPA, most likely. So they killed him."

  "I'm sorry, Sin,” he murmured, though the words were inadequate to the muffled pain in her voice.

  "They were sorrier,” she said, her tone hardening.

  It wasn't prudent, but the question slipped out anyway. “What did you do?"

  She rubbed her forehead against his throat for a silent moment, before she answered, “Nothing. It was done for us by the time we reached their hideout. All dead, except for the informer."

  "Who was the informer?"

  She gave a mirthless chuckle. “Hector."

  "Oh,” Del responded, suddenly understanding the black fear and hate he'd seen in the grimy man's eyes. “He'd stuck his hand where it didn't belong."

  "True enough."

  "He's lucky to be alive."

  "We thought so, too,” she agreed, laying her hand over his own on her hip.

  He twinned his fingers in hers and brought her hand to his lips, savoring the silky feel of her skin. “So who killed your father's murderers?"

  "Griffin,” she said in a serene voice, as though it was of no import.

  His fingers tightened involuntarily, surprise drawing a strangled exclamation from him. “Griffin! But ... why?"

  "I told you, Griffin admired and liked my father. He wouldn't have ordered his death. Destroyed his life, maybe, but never killed him. Zeke Shay was, after all, the progenitor of the Core,” she muttered in voice carved in bitterness. “I think Griffin was shocked by his death, enraged. His sparing partner was gone, snatched from him by a bunch of senseless animals. So he slaughtered them."

  Del shuddered, a chill racing up his spine at both Griffin's diseased outlook on life and Sin's cold description of it.

  "He did us a favor,” Sin continued in a toneless voice. “We were devastated, Kai and I. We wanted to tear those butchers apart with our bare hands, and would've paid a terrible price for it. The FPA wouldn't have condoned such an act. They would have had to bring us to justice, which would leave Griffin with no opposition. No one would have been safe from him and the Core."

  He tightened his hold on her, dismayed by what she viewed as a terrible price—not their lives or prosecution by the FPA, but an unopposed Core. Who were these Shays that they could disregard themselves so completely?

  "Did Griffin know? Did he know what you meant to do?"

  "No. I think he reacted spontaneously. I don't think that's happened very often with him, letting his emotions rule his actions. But even if he knew, he wouldn't take advantage of the situation to get rid of us."

  "Why not?"

  "He likes the challenge. And he wants to dominate us on his own merit. If anyone is to destroy us, he means to be the one."

  "That man's sick in the head,” Del said flatly. He was barely able to grasp the kind of calculating arrogance it would take to be the person Sin described.

  "No argument here,” Sin murmured with a hint of humor in her low voice. She shifted a little against him, and then asked, “Everything still okay out there?"

  Del had been monitoring their progress with a portion of his attention while they talked, and answered at once, “Still good. We're going slow, but making progress. No nasties in s
ight."

  "Good,” she responded, twisting her fingers with his in a gentle caress. Then she cleared her throat. “Del?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You probably shouldn't tell your brother anything when we get back."

  "Why not?” Del asked with a frown. He didn't want to keep secrets from his brother. Nick deserved better than that from him.

  "It'll put him in danger. The questions he's been asking have already made him a target, which is why we suggested he come to Shay headquarters—safer for him. But if he learns all you know, what do you suppose he'll do?"

  Del thought about it. If his brother was the kind of man he thought he was, he wouldn't back down from the truth. He'd meet it head on. “He'll go back to the FPA and try to find the rotten apples."

  "Exactly. What do you suppose they'll do to him if he does that?"

  Del grimaced. “Well, they won't wine and dine him, that's for sure."

  "Right again. He's safer thinking we're the ones who need to be investigated, at least for now."

  Del fought the logic of this for a long moment, picturing his brother's face, the disappointment and anger when he'd said he wouldn't break the contract. “He'll find out eventually,” he muttered in weak protest.

  "I know, but letting him find out on his own gives us more time."

  "Time for what?"

  "To decrease the danger,” she answered in an evasive tone.

  More secrets, Sin? He thought grimly, but didn't say out loud. He didn't want her to confirm that she was keeping things from him, that she still didn't fully trust him. “I've spent my whole life trying to keep him out of trouble. Hasn't really worked yet, but I can't give up the habit now,” he conceded without much grace.

  "Brothers do tend to have minds of their own,” she responded with wry amusement. “Speaking of brothers ... could you connect me with mine?"

  He did so almost before she'd finished speaking, and muttered, “Go ahead."

  Sin sat up, her form tensing subtly. “Kai?"

  "What?"

  She flinched a little at his surly tone. “Just wanted to let you know that we got what we came for."