Heat flowered there, sending shivers of weak, liquid wanting through her.
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’d never have gotten a shot off, Darkrunner.”
“Oh? Why not?” He turned his cheek into her inner thigh, and his nostrils flared, taking in her scent. His smile grew, as if he knew she was aroused. Fine, didn’t mean she was going to do anything about it—not with him anyway.
She tightened her thighs around his neck, squeezing hard enough that his face suffused with color and his smile became a grimace of discomfort.
“Hard to do anything with a broken neck,” she murmured in her most sultry voice. “And with these thighs, I can snap your neck like a crispie.”
“Good point,” he grunted. “Now let go before—I’m tempted—to give you a new orifice.”
She let him go, opening her legs and flipping backward again. Standing up, she retreated to a safe distance to pick up her jacket and slip it on. He rose and watched her, cocking his head to either side to stretch his neck. She smiled, knowing exactly why his neck was stiff.
“That was hot ,” Darry called from the gangplank. “Can I be next? And can you get naked first?”
“In your dreams,” Scala called back. After tangling with Darkrunner, Darry was about as threatening to her peace of mind as a mawwr. Darkrunner was the wild catamount roaming the edges of the firelight, searching for an instant of weakness before springing, teeth and claws bared.
He straightened his duster, looking unperturbed as if they’d just had a conversation with words instead of their bodies. “If I’d pulled a blade, I could’ve sliced you open when you came at me.”
Scala held out her arms in invitation. “Try me. You’d had one out, I’d have gone for it first. Hard to slice anyone with a broken hand or wrist. And yes, I can spot a palm blade.”
He lifted his hand, a slim blade appearing from his cuff. “Really?”
She shrugged. “A guy like you has weapons hidden everywhere, including one up your ass for all I know.”
“No,” he broke in. “I store my ... weapons a bit farther forward in my pants.”
Darry laughed.
Scala ignored the innuendo. “But right now, you need a warrior more than you need to make a point, so why try to maim me?”
And she’d made her point, so it had all worked out. Unless he was a poor loser, in which case she’d blown this whole op nebula wide.
Darkrunner nodded once. “Welcome to the Zharrdul, for now. On two conditions—I don’t care who you fuck, but cause trouble and I’ll dump you, no matter where we are at the time. And you lie to me, or try to cheat me, I’ll dump you with nothing —no weapons, no credit and no clothing.”
A chill of fear sliced through her satisfaction. She’d made it onto his ship, yes, but she’d have to walk the fine line between truth and evasion with exquisite balance—because he wasn’t a man to make empty threats.
“Got it. You won’t regret hiring me.”
He stared at her for another sec. “See to it that I don’t.”
She watched him saunter back onto his ship, done with her. She let out a slow breath of relief. The less attention Darkrunner paid her, the better.
Chapter Five
Turned out everyone aboard the Zharrdul had private sleep cubbies. So although Scala’s was only big enough to turn around and lie down, she wasn’t about to complain. Her bunk had a pressure controlled aircushion so she could make it soft as a cloud or hard as the floor, though why anyone would want to do the latter she didn’t know. Maybe to work out.
There were cupboards for her duffle and more, except she didn’t have much after two years of bouncing around the galaxy. The immaculate lav had a second hatch, evidence it was shared by whoever bunked on the other side. She didn’t care, as long as it locked while she was using it.
She took a showerdry, luxuriating in the gleaming cerametal fitments, the hot, hot water and the aromatic gelsoap in the
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’d never have gotten a shot off, Darkrunner.”
“Oh? Why not?” He turned his cheek into her inner thigh, and his nostrils flared, taking in her scent. His smile grew, as if he knew she was aroused. Fine, didn’t mean she was going to do anything about it—not with him anyway.
She tightened her thighs around his neck, squeezing hard enough that his face suffused with color and his smile became a grimace of discomfort.
“Hard to do anything with a broken neck,” she murmured in her most sultry voice. “And with these thighs, I can snap your neck like a crispie.”
“Good point,” he grunted. “Now let go before—I’m tempted—to give you a new orifice.”
She let him go, opening her legs and flipping backward again. Standing up, she retreated to a safe distance to pick up her jacket and slip it on. He rose and watched her, cocking his head to either side to stretch his neck. She smiled, knowing exactly why his neck was stiff.
“That was hot ,” Darry called from the gangplank. “Can I be next? And can you get naked first?”
“In your dreams,” Scala called back. After tangling with Darkrunner, Darry was about as threatening to her peace of mind as a mawwr. Darkrunner was the wild catamount roaming the edges of the firelight, searching for an instant of weakness before springing, teeth and claws bared.
He straightened his duster, looking unperturbed as if they’d just had a conversation with words instead of their bodies. “If I’d pulled a blade, I could’ve sliced you open when you came at me.”
Scala held out her arms in invitation. “Try me. You’d had one out, I’d have gone for it first. Hard to slice anyone with a broken hand or wrist. And yes, I can spot a palm blade.”
He lifted his hand, a slim blade appearing from his cuff. “Really?”
She shrugged. “A guy like you has weapons hidden everywhere, including one up your ass for all I know.”
“No,” he broke in. “I store my ... weapons a bit farther forward in my pants.”
Darry laughed.
Scala ignored the innuendo. “But right now, you need a warrior more than you need to make a point, so why try to maim me?”
And she’d made her point, so it had all worked out. Unless he was a poor loser, in which case she’d blown this whole op nebula wide.
Darkrunner nodded once. “Welcome to the Zharrdul, for now. On two conditions—I don’t care who you fuck, but cause trouble and I’ll dump you, no matter where we are at the time. And you lie to me, or try to cheat me, I’ll dump you with nothing —no weapons, no credit and no clothing.”
A chill of fear sliced through her satisfaction. She’d made it onto his ship, yes, but she’d have to walk the fine line between truth and evasion with exquisite balance—because he wasn’t a man to make empty threats.
“Got it. You won’t regret hiring me.”
He stared at her for another sec. “See to it that I don’t.”
She watched him saunter back onto his ship, done with her. She let out a slow breath of relief. The less attention Darkrunner paid her, the better.
Chapter Five
Turned out everyone aboard the Zharrdul had private sleep cubbies. So although Scala’s was only big enough to turn around and lie down, she wasn’t about to complain. Her bunk had a pressure controlled aircushion so she could make it soft as a cloud or hard as the floor, though why anyone would want to do the latter she didn’t know. Maybe to work out.
There were cupboards for her duffle and more, except she didn’t have much after two years of bouncing around the galaxy. The immaculate lav had a second hatch, evidence it was shared by whoever bunked on the other side. She didn’t care, as long as it locked while she was using it.
She took a showerdry, luxuriating in the gleaming cerametal fitments, the hot, hot water and the aromatic gelsoap in the
Similar Books
