Taking Liberty

by Jodi Redford

  His breath sawing near her ear, he crooked his thigh over hers and almost fell onto the floor. “Yeah, this isn’t going to work. Time for a change of scenery.”

  “Oh, now you see my point.”

  Grinning, he scooped her into his arms. “I was thinking more along the lines of my sleeping port.”

  She pretended to consider her options before releasing a put-upon exhale. “Fine, guess I’ll compromise.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lucus awoke to the softness of a breast cupped in his palm. Damn, this is what I should wake up to every morning.

  The fact he easily envisioned Rini taking up half his bed for the remainder of his days should have terrified him. It didn’t. He’d nearly lost her. Potential death tended to make a person look at things in a new light. Nuzzling her hair, he inhaled the faintest trace of lilac.

  Rini wiggled temptingly. “What are you doing?”

  “Sniffing.” His fingers flexed around her breast. “And squeezing.”

  “I must reek.”

  “Nope. I did a damn fine job bathing you every day, and don’t you forget it.”

  She snorted. “I’m fairly certain you won’t let me.”

  “Hell no. Men always get a bad rap for being insensitive, undomesticated assholes. This is my opportunity to set the record straight.”

  His hand glided along her rib cage and she stretched like a luxuriating cat. Her bottom bumped into his swelling cock and he rubbed into her suggestively. “You’re probably too sore. What with the four rounds of hot loving I gave you last night.”

  “Is that your backhanded way of bragging about your enormous girth and outstanding virility?”

  “So you think I’m well-endowed, huh?”

  “Like I’m going to touch that with a ten-foot pole.”

  He gave her another nudge with his cock. “Speaking of ten-foot poles.”

  “Let’s not get carried away.”

  Chuckling, he shifted her leg on top of his and slid into her from behind. The wet, hot heaven of her pussy enveloped his cock like a snug glove. It took every ounce of control he possessed not to immediately come. He buried his face in her hair and hugged her close. “You okay? I wasn’t just fishing for compliments when I asked if you’re sore.”

  She shook her head. “But this position is kind of awkward.”

  He rolled onto his back and brought her astride his hips. She lowered onto him again in a silken glide. Soon enough, she found a rhythm that had him seeing stars. And a few comets. Even the occasional solar eclipse. By the time they came together and she collapsed on his chest, they were both drenched in sweat.

  “Woman, if that was your way of roping me into giving you another sponge bath…”

  Her hand flopped in a weak smack on his shoulder. They stayed in a companionable sprawl, their heartbeats drumming in a syncopated beat. He was seconds away from drifting into a contented snooze when Rini poked him in the sternum.

  “Are you sleeping?”

  He grunted. “How can I do that when you’re jabbing me?”

  “I just realized I didn’t come completely clean with you yesterday.”

  “Mmm…”

  She leaned onto her forearm and peered at him. When he closed his eyes she tweaked his nipple. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not faking being asleep so you can drag an apology out of me twice.”

  “An apology for what?”

  She played with his nipple, plucking it. If she kept that up he was going to have a hard time concentrating on anything besides sweet talking her into round number six.

  “I heard what you said about your ex-wife.”

  He dropped his hands from her waist. The sense of exposure descended on him, trapping him in a state of naked vulnerability.

  Rini cupped his face, her fingertips stroking his bristly jaw. “Please don’t lock me out.”

  He met her sorrowful gaze and his heart twisted. “I didn’t want you to know what a…failure I made of my marriage.”

  “You’re not a failure.”

  Swallowing past the thick lump of regret in his throat, he settled his cheek against the pillow and stared blindly at the adjacent doorframe. “I couldn’t give Sandra the things she needed. Wanted. Instead of partying all the time and basically being an irresponsible eighteen-year-old punk, I should have busted my ass trying to become a better provider.”

  She gave him a shrewd look. “Did she give you everything you wanted?”

  Her question threw him for a loop. “It’s not the same for women. You’re not supposed to be the breadwinner.”

  She pinched his nipple again—hard—and he yelped. “Before you go all caveman, let me point out we’re living in the twenty-fourth century. The glass ceiling was blown to smithereens long ago.”

  He dug his thumb into the ridge of his brow. “I know that. What I meant to finish saying before you decided to give me a titty twister is women don’t have the same pressures as men. They don’t have to worry about living up to expectations of being the perfect provider.”

  Rini rolled her eyes. “Oh Lord, this just proves my theory that sprouting a dick must kill off vital brain cells.” Before the insult could fully sink in, she climbed off him and jumped to the floor. “Women face plenty of pressures. True, the majority of our issues don’t revolve around perpetrating stupid stereotypes, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have them.”

  “Sure, but—” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Shit, I should probably zip my mouth while I’m ahead.”

  “Great plan, Stan.”

  Curving his mouth into a grin, he stacked his arms behind his head. “God, you’re adorable when you’re feisty. And naked.”

  “Nice try, but you’re not distracting me.” She pointed to his semi hard-on. “And put that thing away. It won’t get you out of this conversation.”

  Grumbling, he hiked the covers over his cock.

  Rini sat on the farthest corner of the mattress and tucked her knees beneath her chin, effectively concealing the parts he would have enjoyed ogling. “Your ex is a fool for choosing material possessions over the love of a good man. In my book, she’s the one who failed, not you.”

  “Exactly when did I become a good man?” He gave an indulgent smile. “As I seem to recall, a couple days ago I was a smuggler who ran the messiest ship this side of the Milky Way.”

  She fiddled with the edge of the sheet. “Okay, you might have been right about me being…rigid…with my worldview.”

  “Mind repeating that?” He waggled a finger inside his ear. “Didn’t quite catch it the first time.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t push your luck. The point I’m trying to make is I underestimated you. You’ve taken such amazing care of me the past few days. If not for you, I probably would have died.”

  Hearing the catch in her voice, he whipped the covers off. He scooted to the end of the bed and pulled her against him. “No way in hell would I have let that happen.”

  Rini nestled her cheek against his shoulder. “I owe you my life.”

  Resting his chin on the crown of her head, he pretended to consider her solemn statement. “Guess I’ll have to think of a good way for you to pay me back.”

  Her snort ruffled his chest hairs. “I have a fair idea where your mind is leaning.”

  Laughing, he flipped her over his arm and nibbled her jaw. She gasped and tried to squirm free. “Wait, we’re not done—”

  “You’ve got that right, babe.” He worked his way down and captured her nipple between his teeth.

  A good thirty minutes later they finally decided to crawl out of bed and get dressed. Much as he liked the idea of frolicking around naked all day, Rini insisted on clothes. Since she also insisted on making breakfast—her small way of repaying his tender loving care from the past few days—he wasn’t about to balk. Securing the snaps on his flight pants, he left her sorting through the cupboards in the galley and ventured outside. The heat was already oppressive. It’d be a perfect day for holing up
inside the ship. Maybe after breakfast he could convince Rini to ditch the clothes again and try out some inventive places for making love. The pilot’s seat…the table in the galley. Oh, the possibilities.

  Reaching into his pocket, he checked the transmitter. It still appeared functional. For once, he didn’t let the stress of their missing rescue ship weigh on him. That was the benefit of indulging in lots of hot, mind-blowing sex.

  He stepped around the tail of the Liberty and a blunt crack against his skull knocked him on his ass. Pain burst across his temple. Dazed, he stared into the barrel of an electro-pulse rifle.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Tie him up.”

  Lucus’s stare traveled between the two guards from the outpost station. The one he’d boot-balled unraveled a length of cord. “Bet you weren’t expecting to see me.” A nasty grin slashed the guard’s face before he wrenched Lucus’s arms back and bound them tight. Apparently the dude was still holding a grudge.

  “Yeah, can’t say I’m excited about this reunion,” Lucus muttered.

  Static crackled through the transmitter clipped to the other guard’s coveralls, followed by Quarrel’s raspy voice. “Keep the prisoners secured. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Lucus winced. He had to keep Rini safe. If he could somehow postpone these two from searching the ship, maybe she’d have a chance to hide. “Your boss has his facts mixed up. I’m the only one here.”

  “Then why did we hear a female screaming?”

  Son of a bitch. Who would have thought they’d be busted by an orgasm? “What can I say? A big ole rat jumped out at me.”

  Neither guard laughed. Humorless dickheads.

  “Watch him while I look for the girl. And don’t let him get the upper hand on you this time.”

  The guard standing over Lucus growled and jammed the rifle’s muzzle into the side of Lucus’s head. “Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere.”

  A bead of sweat slid into Lucus’s left eye, obscuring his vision as he stared at the other Aquatican’s departing back. Fury and helplessness battled inside him. Rini, damn it, hide. Unless she was telepathic, there’d be no way she’d receive his silent warning. His gut continued churning acid while seconds stretched into agonizing minutes.

  “Not feeling so smart now, huh?” the guard taunted, grinding the rifle into Lucus’s temple, forcing his head down. “I should blow your brains out, but I want you to be able to watch while Yufin and I fuck your pretty girlfriend.”

  Lucus gritted his teeth. “Touch her and I’ll kill you.”

  A robust laugh fell from above. “I think you’ve forgotten who’s holding the gun.”

  “That’d be me, asshole.”

  The rifle digging into his scalp eased off and Lucus jerked his gaze up as Rini and the other guard jumped from the ship. She had the electro-pulse rifle aimed squarely on the shaking Aquatican in front of her. One of the guard’s tentacles seemed to be missing a couple inches from the tip. Rini noticed Lucus staring at the severed appendage and shrugged. “Never mess with a woman when she’s in the middle of making breakfast.”

  “You idiot. Here you accused me of losing the upper hand.”

  If not for the tenseness of the situation, Lucus would have found the guard’s ironic declaration damn hilarious.

  “At least I’m wearing more than a leopard-print thong!” Yufin flinched when Rini poked him none too subtly between his shoulder blades.

  “Here’s how this is going down.” Her voice loaded with steely authority, Rini prodded her prisoner forward. “On the count of three, you’re dropping your weapon and kicking it behind you.”

  The Aquatican standing beside Lucus barked another laugh. “Think I care if you shoot Yufin?”

  “I think you’ll care if I shoot you.”

  Lucus heard the guard above him gulp. The rifle swung away from his head and clattered onto the dirt.

  “Good. Now untie my friend.” When her command wasn’t immediately obeyed, Rini lifted the rifle and took bead. “Now, squid head.”

  His motions jerky, the guard loosened the cord and Lucus rose to his feet. On the not-too-distant horizon to the east, a plume of dust billowed.

  “Shit.” Lucus tossed the bindings aside and hustled to grab the abandoned pulse rifle before loping to Rini’s side. “Babe, we’d better haul ass. We’ve got company coming.”

  She nudged her prisoner with the rifle. “Where’s your vehicle?”

  The guard stuttered something about his transport rover being parked a quarter mile away—thankfully in the opposite direction of the advancing dust cloud. While Lucus kept her covered, Rini searched the Aquatican’s coveralls for the vehicle’s power card.

  “Found it.” She held up the triangular piece of plastic.

  Hitching the rifle’s barrel against his shoulder, Lucus grabbed Rini’s hand. They ran across the desert like devil hounds were chasing them. Not too far off the mark, only these hounds possessed eight arms and drove a lightning-fast desert clipper. Returning his gaze to the terrain in front of him, Lucus swore beneath his breath and ratcheted his pace up a notch, praying Rini could keep up.

  “We’re never going to outrun that.” The words propelled from Rini’s mouth in short bursts.

  She was right. Even if they reached the rover in time, it’d never be a match against the clipper. From the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the many clusters of large boulders dotting the desert landscape. Far as cover went, it wasn’t the best he could hope for, but it just might give them a fighting chance in hell of holding off Quarrel and his men.

  “This way.” Clamping onto Rini’s arm, he dashed to the rocks and hunkered on the other side.

  Her fingers dug into the cloth covering his knee. “Do you think they spotted us?”

  The approaching clipper slowed, its corroded copper platform resembling a giant hovering penny. Quarrel stood near the captain’s rail, his beady eyes zeroing in on the ring of boulders.

  “Damn, guess that answers my question.” Rini’s hand slipped from his thigh and tightened on the butt of her rifle. She glanced at him and took a deep breath. “I always told myself I’d never go to my grave with important things left unsaid. Well, I love you. I figure as far as important stuff goes that ranks pretty high up there.”

  He stared at her, a strange glow starting to well inside his chest. It took a few seconds to recognize it as happiness. This has to be the weirdest moment of my life.

  Rini bit her bottom lip and returned her focus to the clipper slowly creeping their way. “I hope my saying that didn’t make you uncomfortable or anything. Like I said, I just wanted—”

  “I love you too.”

  Her attention swung back on him and he almost laughed at the shocked look on her face. “Honey, you might want to close your mouth. There’s a whole swarm of gnats buzzing this way.”

  “I didn’t expect you to say it back.”

  Quarrel’s voice suddenly boomed from the clipper’s telecom speakers, preempting Lucus’s reply. “You have ten seconds to surrender yourselves.”

  “Take your ten seconds and shove it up your ass.” Lucus angled his rifle around the boulder and fired off a shot.

  A tsking sound floated from the telecom. “Your attempts at postponing the inevitable are both amusing and pathetic.” Quarrel waddled to the side, making room for a guard outfitted with a Halzitron laser scope strapped to his shoulder. One hit from the weapon, and the boulders would disintegrate, right along with Rini and Lucus.

  His lips twisting in a cocky smile, the general tapped his cane. “We’re now at five seconds.”

  Lucus reached out and squeezed Rini’s hand before lifting to his feet. “Let her go, Quarrel. She has nothing to do with this.” Ignoring Rini’s distressed cry, he stepped away from the rocks and began walking towards the clipper. The guards immediately trained their guns on him and he tossed the rifle aside. “I’m the one you want. Take me.”

  The sound of running footsteps alerted him to Rini�
��s approach. Damn it, why can’t she ever stay put? She hauled up short next to him and he speared her with an irate stare. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “Rini—”

  She grasped his hand, her grip steady and sure. He wished he could say the same for his heart rate.

  “I’m not leaving you,” she repeated.

  God, she was stubborn. And more than a little whacked. No wonder I’m crazy about her. He leaned down and kissed her hard.

  “Enough! All this lovey-dovey shit is giving me indigestion.”

  Lucus released Rini and glared at Quarrel. “You’ve got us, you son of a bitch. Let’s not drag this out any longer than it has to be. Forget your fancy death tanks and whatever other bullshit torture devices you have. Just shoot us in the back like the fucking coward you are.”

  An angry red stain mottled the general’s face. “Coward?”

  “What else am I supposed to call someone who brings along a dozen guards to protect himself from one man and a woman?” Lucus squared his jaw combatively.

  Sucking in his massive gut, Quarrel straightened his spine. “I’m not afraid of either of you. Especially not the woman.”

  Rini gritted her teeth but surprisingly didn’t say anything. A ramp extended from the clipper and the general limped down, followed by two of his guards. Quarrel stopped a few feet from them and leaned on his cane.

  Lucus grunted. “Only two, huh? Mighty brave.”

  Pure evilness glinted in Quarrel’s cold eyes. “I’m going to enjoy killing you. Men, seize them.”

  Both guards stepped forward. The closest one grabbed Lucus’s arm but the other shuffled to a halt and blinked at the sky.

  “What are you doing, you moron?” Quarrel appeared on the brink of having an epileptic fit while he waved his tentacles in the air. “Grab the girl!”

  “Uh, sir…”

  “Do I have to do everything myself?” Quarrel waddled forward the same instant a sonic boom shook the ground. Everyone tumbled sideways and few screams pierced the air.