by Susan Hayes
“What the fraxx is going on? You need me there?” Kit demanded.
“I don’t know what’s happening, yet. Zura’s going to explain things to me in a second. We’re good for now. Talk to you soon.”
“I’ll make the call. Don’t let her out of your sight until you know what’s happening,” Kit said and disconnected their call.
“So, uh. Thanks for the assist,” Zura said.
“You’re welcome. Care to explain why it was needed?” he asked.
“Not really. Care to explain why you’re down here when your shift doesn’t end for hours?” she asked.
“I would have thought that was obvious. I was making sure you got back to the Sun Sprite okay. After your earlier visitor, Kit and I thought someone should keep an eye on you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “I can take care of myself.”
He arched a brow at her. “I know you can. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop looking out for you. You could have gotten hurt. I’m not leaving you alone again until I know the reason why.”
“What’s gotten into you and Kit tonight? I’ll be fine. I promise. I can handle Vin Collins and his goons. That’s his name, by the way. He’s the reason for my earlier visitor and the two you just sent packing. Vin and I used to date. I left, and he hasn’t accepted the fact that I am never going back to him. Vin always had a problem understanding that I have a mind of my own and that he was not in charge of my life. Sort of like a certain cyborg who followed me back to my ship tonight. Do you do that often?”
“What’s gotten into us? In a word, you. Do I follow you home often? Nope, this was the first time. I would have offered to walk you back, but I know you would’ve said it wasn’t necessary, and you would have been wrong.” He didn’t bother telling her that he had every intention of walking her everywhere she needed to go from now on. He would fight that battle another time.
“While I appreciate your concern, it wasn’t necessary. You don’t need to watch out for me, Luke. I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, you matter to us, Zura. Of course we’re going to watch out for you.” He walked up to her and set a finger under her chin, tipping her head back so he could look into her silver eyes.
“What are you doing?” she asked softly.
“Losing my mind, apparently.” He leaned down and brushed his mouth across hers once before claiming her lips in a heated kiss. He knew the timing was terrible, and he didn’t care. Seeing her stand up to those two men tonight had flipped a switch inside him. She might not understand that she was his to protect, but he knew better. He had waited long enough for Kit to get with the program. It was time to make their intentions clear.
Zura’s heart was thundering in her ears as Luke kissed her for the first time. She hadn’t expected this, but within seconds of their mouths meeting, she knew it was what she wanted. He turned her slightly and walked her backward a few steps so that she was up against the door to her ship. Caught between the cold metal of the door and his powerful body, all Zura could do was hold on for dear life as he kissed her again and again.
His kisses were hot, hard, and full of fire. His tongue swiped over her lower lip, and when she opened her mouth to him, he groaned and kissed her harder. She barely noticed when he took hold of her arm and lifted it so that her palm passed over the access panel. It wasn’t until the door slid open that she realized what he had done.
With nothing to support her, she started to fall backward, only to find herself caught fast in his arms. He carried her the rest of the way onto the ship, setting her back on her feet once they were safely inside.
“Pack a bag,” he told her.
“What? Why?”
“You don’t actually think I’m going to leave you here alone after what happened, do you? You’re staying with us until we figure this out.”
“Oh no. I just moved back onto the Sun Sprite,” she argued, doing her best to ignore how sexy he was at that moment.
“Pack. A. Bag.”
“No. I don’t need to pack because I’m not going anywhere. We both know I can’t do my job if I’m hiding from Vin at the Nova. Not to mention the fact that neither you nor Kit are in a position to tell me what to do.”
He gave her a lopsided grin that made her heart beat faster. “How about you consider it a strongly worded request instead? I’m not going to sleep unless I know you’re safe.”
She laughed at that. “Safe isn’t a word that really applies to my life. You know that.”
He sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. “I do, but that doesn’t mean I like it. You weren’t even supposed to be back from your run until tomorrow morning, so how did Ganzer know where to find you? And those two goons were here, waiting for you despite the fact you only turned down the Jeskyran a short time ago. Whatever this Vin guy is after, he’s serious about it. I think you should be, too.”
Zura paused to consider what Luke said and conceded that he had a good point. Vin wasn’t playing around. She still wasn’t sure why he was so determined to get her back in his life, but it would be foolish to turn her back on an offer of help. There was no point in letting her pride get in the way. She made do on her own because she had to most of the time. This time, she had friends willing to step up.
She blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay then. I’ll stay at the Nova tonight. I can make some calls and find out what the hell Vin’s up to, and by tomorrow, I should start getting some answers. This is only temporary, though. I have contracts to work and a living to make.”
“Thank you,” Luke said and brushed a quick kiss across her cheek.
“No. Thank you. I appreciate you looking out for me, even if I didn’t ask for it.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back down to her level so she could kiss him properly. If she was going to be reckless and give into temptation instead of taking the safe path, then dammit, she was going in full throttle. When the inevitable crash and burn came, it wouldn’t matter what speed she was going, it was going to hurt no matter what.
CHAPTER THREE
Kit was up early despite the fact he had only managed to get a few hours of sleep. The club had stayed packed until closing time. Normally that would be a reason to celebrate, but instead, he had resented the fact it kept him away from Zura. For the first time in months, he wasn’t interested in losing himself in work. He wanted to talk to her and find out what the fraxx was going on and how they could help.
Instead, Cyn had escorted Zura to her room and gotten her settled. Last time, Zura had stayed in one of the handful of rooms they rented out to customers. This time, they’d given her space in the employee quarters. There weren’t many amenities, but it was comfortable and far safer. That part of the club could only be accessed by keycard, and the only ones who had them were staff members Kit knew he could trust.
His thoughts were racing, and the walls of his quarters were closing in on him by the time he finished his coffee. Today, he just couldn’t face another breakfast of rehydrated eggs and synthetic bacon, so instead of getting something from the food dispenser and eating in his rooms, he headed to the kitchen to make himself real food. Cooking was something he enjoyed, even if he didn’t get to do it often.
At this time of day, he expected the kitchen to be empty, but when he walked in, the lights were on, and he could hear someone humming to themselves from somewhere behind the pantry doors.
“Hello,” he called out, wondering which of the kitchen staff was getting an early start. A quick glance told him that the grills were still powered down, the appliances were all still gleaming from their end-of-shift cleaning, and there wasn’t so much as a crumb on the countertops. Whoever was here, they hadn’t started prepping yet.
Zura popped into view and gave him a shy smile. She was holding a loaf of bread in one hand and a jar of peanut butter in the other. “Hey there. I woke up starving. I figured no one would mind if I made myself a sand
wich.”
“You’re welcome to whatever you need, for as long as you want,” he said.
“It’s only temporary, Kit. A day or two at most. I have a run scheduled in a couple of days, and there’s no way in hell I’m reneging on a contract because of Vin.”
“Why don’t you tell me about him while I cook us something to eat? I can promise it will be a lot tastier than a peanut butter sandwich.”
“You cook?” she asked, surprised.
“I do. It’s something I learned after I was released from service. For years, I had to eat what I was given, usually food tabs with about as much flavor as a floor tile. I wanted to be able to make myself whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to eat it.”
“That makes sense. Did Luke learn, too?”
“He gave it a shot, but it’s not his most impressive skill. In fact, he’s actually banned from using the kitchen unless he’s being supervised.”
“If you’re cooking, then I’m happy to abandon my plans for sandwiches. In fact, I’ll make you a deal. You tell me why your brother isn’t allowed to cook, and I’ll tell you about the lapse in judgment that was my time with Vin Collins.”
“Done.” Kit felt a flush of jealousy at the thought of her being with anyone else. Logically he knew that she’d been with this Vin guy before the three of them even met, but he still didn’t like the idea of anyone else touching her. His head still wasn’t sure this was the right thing for all of them, but his heart seemed to be on another trajectory already. One headed straight for her.
“Then I’ll put this stuff back for the next time I’m in need of a snack.”
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, crossing the kitchen to join her at the pantry.
“I did. I would have slept just fine on the Sun Sprite, though.”
“You were safer here with us,” he said.
“If I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Before he knew what he was doing, he had her soft cheek cupped in his hand. The moment he touched her, he knew it wasn’t going to be enough.
One touch and he was on fire. Without a word, he leaned down to slant a kiss across her full lips.
She fisted the fabric of his shirt in her hands, using the leverage to pull herself up onto her toes as she kissed him back. Lust slammed into him and sent his senses reeling. He was hard within seconds. His heart was thundering in his chest as he wrapped his free arm around Zura’s waist and tugged her in tight to his body. She fit against him perfectly, her soft body welcoming and lush in his arms.
Being in Kit’s arms wasn’t what Zura had planned when she left her room and gone to the kitchen this morning, but she wasn’t going to complain about the unexpected direction her day had taken. As wake-ups went, this was a hell of a lot better than a cup of coffee. Kit’s kisses were better than even her imagination had conjured. He was demanding and possessive, and his touch was confident but tender. His chest was warm beneath her fingers, and every breath she took carried his subtle, spicy scent into her lungs. Even after he lifted his mouth from hers, she didn’t let go of him. She liked the way it felt to be nestled in his arms.
“If you don’t let go of me, I’m going to have trouble making us something to eat,” Kit said with amusement. He moved his hand from her cheek to drop his hand down and tap her fingers.
“I’m enjoying the moment. You and your brother both have a problem with your timing, you know that, right? You could have kissed me weeks ago.”
He went still for a moment. “Weeks, huh? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I…I guess I didn’t think you’d be interested. I mean, the two of you are sexy as hell, successful, and every time I saw you, you were both surrounded by beautiful women.”
“What other women? The only one I’ve noticed is you. In case you haven’t guessed by now, we’re very interested. I just needed to deal with some baggage first.”
“Andrea?” She asked, barely daring to utter the other woman’s name.
“Andrea,” he confirmed. “She had me convinced that no woman would ever want to be in a real relationship with something like us.”
She pulled her head back far enough she could look up at him. “You’re not a thing. None of you are things. So, you’ve got some machine parts and some nifty software implanted that lets you do things average people can’t. I’m blue, Kit. I’m the last person in the cosmos who is going to judge someone on who, or what, they are.”
He groaned her name and held her tightly. “I think you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. Not to mention, blue is my favorite color.”
She laughed and tweaked his dark blue shirt between her fingers. “I would never have guessed.”
The décor of the Nova was all done in shades of blue. From the color of the tables, to the lighting, to the staff uniforms, it was all either blue or gleaming chrome. If the brothers didn’t like blue, they would have to be masochistic to go with that color scheme.
He kissed her again, wrapping her hair around his fingers as his tongue swept across the crease of her lips. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were glittering with barely checked desire.
“Definitely my favorite color,” he murmured.
“I think cyborg might be my new favorite everything.” She didn’t realize she had spoken out loud until it was too late. “Fraxx, forget I said that. Your kiss short-circuited my filter for a second.”
“Forget it? Not a chance.” He tapped his temple with one finger. “Cyborg advantage, we have total recall of all events, forever.”
“Great,” she muttered as a blush stole over her cheeks. She hated it when she blushed. Instead of turning pink or red like the humans she grew up around, she turned a deeper shade of blue, and the stripes on her face and neck darkened almost to black.
“Oh damn, that’s sexy,” he tugged on her hair until she lifted her head so he could see her face more clearly. “Is that what happens when you blush? If it is, I’m going to be trying to make you blush all the time, little one.”
“It’s weird, not sexy.”
“There’s nothing weird about you, Zura. You just finished telling me that I’m not a thing, I’m a man. Well, you’re a beautiful woman. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re human, or Pheran, or Torski for that matter. You’re the woman I want to spend time with.”
She blew out a slow breath. “This is really happening? I mean, us. This. Whatever this is.”
His lips quirked up into a slow, sensual grin. “Apparently, yes. This is happening. You, me, and Luke.”
“And it’s the three of us, together? This trio thing is new to me. I feel a little guilty about kissing you both.”
“Never feel guilty for sharing your affections with Luke. Now, if you share them with anyone else, we’ll have a problem. We only share with each other.” Kit hugged her before finally releasing her from the confines of his arms.
“I don’t share, either. That’s one of the many reasons I’m no longer with Vin.” Zura let go of Kit’s shirt and took a step back so she could look up into his handsome face. The brothers were both tall enough she was going to wind up with a permanent crick in her neck.
“Do you think he wants you back because he realized he was a fool to let you go in the first place? Is it you he wants, or is he after something else?” Kit asked as he started selecting ingredients from the pantry.
“I have no fraxxing clue what that vermin wants with me, to be honest. He should know I’m never going back to him or that life.” She hopped up onto an empty expanse of counter and got comfortable. “I’ll explain while you cook. What are you making us?”
“Strawberry pancakes. We got in a shipment of frozen berries not long ago, and I had the cooks set some aside for me. That sound good to you?” he asked.
“It sounds amazing. I’ve never had a guy offer to cook for me before.”
“I don’t get a chance to do this very often. Usually, I use the food dispenser in my room.”
&
nbsp; “No room for a real kitchen in your quarters?” she asked. She knew she was supposed to be talking about Vin, but she really didn’t want to. She had done all she could to leave the mistakes of her past behind her.
“Not really. Our quarters aren’t much bigger than the one you’re staying in. It’s still a huge improvement over the way we lived when we were soldiers, though.”
“I bet. At least here you have your own space, even if it isn’t much. My room here is simpler than the last one, but I have to admit even it has more amenities than the Sun Sprite.”
Kit chuckled. “I’ve been on enough space vessels to know that they’re never designed for comfort.”
“The Sun Sprite’s no exception. I could spend some scrip and make it nicer, but I’d rather invest in keeping her running in peak condition. You’re welcome to come onboard and visit anytime you like, you know. There’s not much to see, but it’s my home.”
“I’d enjoy seeing your ship,” he said, moving around the kitchen as he started preparing their meal. “How long have you lived on board?”
“All my life,” she answered with a casual shrug.
Kit turned to stare at her. “All your—you were born on board?”
“I was born on a station in the Castor system, but I wasn’t there long. My Pheran mother was a waitress in a club not that different from this one. I probably would have grown up there, but my mother died when I was born. Her family sent a message to my father, letting him know what happened. Dad came to get me as soon as he could. I grew up on the Sun Sprite, traveling from port to port with him.”
“He took you with him? Who took care of you when he was working?” Kit asked, his expression somewhere between curiosity and dismay. He might have had no childhood at all, but at least he hadn’t been dragged around the galaxy while he was still an impressionable child.
