No Quarter (Bounty, Book One) by Christine d'Abo Page A

room, he made his way over to the wall closet. Pressing the button to release the clothing drawer, Gar rummaged through until he found a clean undershirt. It wasn’t new, but he didn’t think Faolan would be comfortable in one of his dress shirts. The image of the older man wearing one of the crisp shirts sent an involuntary shiver through him. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the chaos in his head.
    Faolan had only been on his ship for a few hours and Gar felt like his life was splitting apart. No one pushed him like the pirate—no one had ever looked beyond the suits and the blades enough to know how. Even Jason, with all of his lessons over the years, hadn’t bothered to get too close. Gar was a tool, a means for Jason to accomplish whatever ends he determined relevant. While Jason certainly had been there for him, offering a certain measure of support and guidance since his father’s death, there was still a barrier between them. Not that it mattered to Gar—he liked the solitude.
    He wasn’t ready for anyone to get through.
    His fingers bunched tight around the cloth and he shoved the drawer shut, marching back toward the shower. For the sake of his sanity, he really needed to get Faolan off his ship before he did something he’d regret. The sound of water echoed in the small room. Gar slowed his approach as he heard Faolan let out a low moan. What the hell?
    “You alive in there?” Gar tossed the shirt over his shoulder and peeked around the corner.
    Faolan stood naked under the spray, head bent forward. Water ran in rivulets down his back. “Gods, this feels amazing. I always miss my shower when I’m not home on my ship.”
    Gar couldn’t help but follow the water’s path as it flowed down between the cheeks of Faolan’s ass, over the smooth skin of his thighs on its way down to the drain in the floor. The stark white of the shower stall made the captain’s tanned skin look even darker. The tattoo on his arm seemed to glisten, making the dragon come alive as Faolan stretched and twisted his body. Faolan chose that moment to look up, bright blue gaze peering out at Gar from between the wet strands of his long brown hair.
    “Want to join me?”
    There it was again, the note of amusement and lust that the pirate hit so perfectly. This time, Gar couldn’t blame his reaction on the erotigen. He wanted to jerk his suit free from his body and press himself hard against Faolan’s back so he could feel how good the water was on his skin. The normal distance Gar kept from people around him didn’t seem to apply to Faolan. The pirate managed to walk right up to his barriers and push against them. Instead of his normal impulse to run and hide, Gar found he didn’t mind. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Gar ignored the pang of loneliness in his gut.
    No, don’t do this. Don’t get too close or you know what will happen.
    Faolan wasn’t easily deterred. With one hand braced against the shower wall, he captured some soap from the dispenser on the wall and pressed the foamy substance to his hairless chest. Small bubbles formed across his pecs, catching on his nipples and the natural divots of his skin. Gar’s chest tightened. He forced himself to breathe in slow, even breaths.
    “The water is nice. Good to know you splurged on the system when you got your ship.” Faolan smiled as his hand circled the soap slowly down his chest to his stomach.
    Gar swallowed hard. “Have to be some perks.”
    Faolan cocked his head to the side as his eyes slid half closed. “Oh, I love it when your accent gets deep like that. Makes me think you’re enjoying the show.”
    “What show is that? I don’t see any entertainment.” Gar was surprised at how easy it was to slip into the sexual banter. He liked it—which scared him as much as it turned him on.
    Faolan’s answering smirk should have warned Gar, but he was still surprised by the man’s next words. “Well, I do believe I lost a