Unchained (24 page)

“
Getting bored?”

Grey was already making his way around the
table to where she sat.

“
Cidra, we’ve barely
begun.” He pulled her into his arms, tilting her head back for a
sizzling kiss that left them both breathless and
wanting.

The room comm unit chimed. Once. Twice. Then
one long, insistent chirp.

Grey broke off the kiss and growled, “I’m
going to fire whoever that is.” He reached around Cidra and
activated the unit. “What!”

Decker cleared his throat. “Sorry, Captain.
I thought you’d want this transmission. Rourke Jaccar. You can
blame him for bad timing.”

Grey stared wistfully at Cidra’s lips. “Put
him through.”

A second of static preceded Rourke’s
cheerful voice. “Stone. Hope I interrupted something good.”

“
You did, you bastard. You
owe me.” Grey snagged Cidra’s arm as she tried to leave and give
him some privacy.

“
You aren’t going
anywhere,” he whispered in her ear.

Rourke gave a hearty laugh. “Ha. You should
thank me for helping you pace yourself.”

“
My pace is perfect, thank
you.” He winked at Cidra. She gave him a slow smile and dropped
back down into her chair.

“
Well, you might want to
speed it up a little, Stone. I just heard from a friend on Saurel
that the d’Hont were keeping an eye on you.”

All smiling stopped.

“
They were on Saurel? When
we were there?” Grey kept his eyes locked on Cidra’s.

“
I don’t know if they
were
on
Saurel,
but they were detected off-planet. Far off-planet, running
surveillance in a Class One cruiser. You’ve got your hands full
with that ship.” Rourke didn’t sound optimistic.

Grey leaned against the table while his
stomach did a tight pitch and roll. “Just one?”

Rourke choked. “Just one? Do you have any
idea what those ships can do to you? Yeah, trust me. They only need
one of them.”

“
Are they still
there?”

“
That I don’t know, but
I’ll check into it,” Rourke said. “I wish you’d tell me what is
going on. I could help out.”

Cidra shook her head emphatically. Grey held
up a hand to agree.

“
Sorry, Rourke. This game’s
a little too rough.” Grey came back. “I’ll let you play the next
time.”

“
You are one stubborn
bastard,” Rourke grumbled.

Grey smiled. “I have my moments.”

“
I don’t like it a bit,
Captain,” Decker grumbled. “Not one bit.”

“
Neither do I.” Barrios
glared at Cidra. She refused to look at him and instead
concentrated on her meal as they all sat around the dining table
in
Calíbre
’s
lounge.

“
Those are direct orders,”
Grey stated. “Cidra and I go after the shipment in the K12 once we
get to Courf. If the d’Hont show up, you take off. You won’t do us
any good if you are destroyed.”

Decker slammed a hand on the table and
silverware jumped. “They are going to kill you no matter what we
do. We’re not going to just fly off and leave you.”

“
You better.” Grey’s voice
rose. “It’s my ship. It’s my call. With any luck, they will follow
you.”

“
And if they don’t, you’ll
be target practice,” Barrios stormed.

Cidra piped up. “There is no other way. We
have to use the K12. How did you think we were going to get the
shipment in the first place? We have to go down there.”

Barrios turned on Grey. “Exactly how close
are the d’Hont, Stone?”

Grey dropped his fork on his plate, giving
up on trying to eat. “Close. Word is they were just off Saurel at
the same time we were. If the d’Hont wanted us dead, they had their
chance then. A single Class One cruiser was sighted.”

Decker grimaced at that bit of news and
suggested, “Let me and Coon take the K12 down.”

Grey shook his head. “This is our mission,
not yours.”

Decker frowned. “How did they know we were
at Saurel to begin with?”

“
Maybe it was a parting
gift from our little spy,” Grey said through clenched teeth. “Mora
must have seen the schedule before she left.”

“
Well, they can’t possibly
know we’re heading for a chunk-of-ice planet in the middle of
nowhere,” Decker said.

Grey blew out a breath. “I’m not taking any
chances. Until I’m certain we lost them in hyperspace, this is the
plan. At least if they find us, you can get help.”

Barrios snorted. “What for? There won’t be
anything left to help.”

Grey ignored the comment
and gave Decker a hard look. “Don’t even think about taking them on
yourself.
Calíbre
is no match for a d’Hont cruiser. Just get out of there as
fast as you can.”

Cidra nodded and finally met Barrios’ eyes.
“You still have enough evidence to take back to Avion. At least
enough to launch a full-scale investigation. If anything happens to
you, the truth will never be told. That’s all that matters.”

“
Forget it,” barked
Barrios. “Dead is dead, whether it’s today or tomorrow. We’ll never
be able to get help in time to save you. Forget the whole thing. I
don’t care about any of it.”

For the first time in her life, Cidra raised
her voice to her old friend. “Well, I do care, Barrios. I can give
you ten years worth of reasons why I care.” Her last word rang out,
leaving the dining room in an uncomfortable silence.

Barrios slumped back in his chair, emotions
warring across his face. Cidra silently cursed herself a hundred
different ways. “I’m sorry.” She placed her hand over Barrios’.
“Just promise me, you will see that the evidence gets back to
Avion.”

He stared at her hand, pursed his lips and
nodded.

“
It’s settled.” Grey
resumed eating his cold dinner.

“
Yes, sir. If that’s all, I
have work to do.” Decker rose abruptly and exited the dining
hall.

The lav’s water spray
drizzled over her like a fine, misty rain. Cidra stood cocooned in
a fog of steam. Taking advantage of
Calíbre
’s rec center had been a good
idea. A hard run on the TrackMat was just what her body needed, but
the solitude had given her mind too much time to think.

Tomorrow they would reach Courf. It was the
end of the line. The entire mission came down to this.

If—Courf was the right planet.

If—they could find the transport.

If—the evidence was intact.

If—they could get it back to Avion before
the d’Hont caught them.

If—anyone would listen.

It was still a long way from here to there.
She sighed and did the only thing she could do—she pushed the
doubts aside.

The water slid in rivulets down her. A body
awakened. She let the spray stroke her, luxuriating in its intimate
caress. Grey had done this to her, unchained the woman within.
Touching her, tasting her, and drawing the heat from her very
soul.

She washed up, skimming lightly over areas
where Grey had lingered and worshipped with his warm hands, his
devoted mouth, and adventurous tongue. There wasn’t a spot on her
body he’d missed in the past few days. She smiled a slow, satisfied
smile.

He loved her. She could see it in his eyes,
feel it in his touch. Someday he would say it to himself and to
her. She only hoped they both lived long enough to hear the
words.

A great sadness crushed her warm thoughts.
Her hands stilled. He would die for her, there was no doubt in her
mind. Die defending and protecting her, die fulfilling his promise
to Syrus.

Sudden, painful tears mixed with the spray.
The d’Hont were close. Grey wouldn’t admit it, but his preparations
were obvious. He sensed it. There was a very good chance that
tonight might be their last night together. It drew a gut-wrenching
cry from her. It had all been too short. Anger at the injustice
surged through her. Not that she believed in justice, but just this
once, she wanted to believe it existed. Wanted it for Grey, for
herself, and their future. There was still so much she wanted to
do.

She deactivated the spray and dried off
quickly. She had to be with Grey. That single thought energized her
as she dressed. She paused as another thought invaded, wondering if
she had the courage to go through with it.

Cidra finished dressing and smiled all the
way to his office. The door slid open. She stepped inside.

“
I have a question for
you.”

Grey glanced behind him as Cidra’s voice
interrupted his study of the Courf’s miniature scale projection in
the holo deck. He had been too absorbed in the details to notice
she had entered his office, never heard the door slide open and
shut. The room was silent except for the subtle hum of
equipment.

He wondered how long she’d been standing
there watching him.

He straightened his back, rolled his
shoulders, and turned to face her. “What question?”

She moved in closer, running her gaze over
his body. “The night Rourke and I were looking for you on Vaasa,
you were wearing a comm unit. Coon said it was your personal unit,
but I never saw one on you.” Her eyes met his with marked
curiosity.

Grey smiled broadly. “That’s because it’s
not on me. It’s in me.”

When her eyes widened, he laughed. “It’s
surgically embedded. That way I don’t forget to put it on in the
morning.”

“
Then how do you activate
it?” Cidra asked, fascinated.

“
That’s a
secret.”

Cidra narrowed her eyes at him. “Where is
it?”

He folded his arms over his chest. “That’s a
secret, too.”

Cidra knew a challenge when she heard it.
“Really. I’ll bet I can find it.”

Grey knew an opportunity when he saw it.
“I’ll bet you can’t.”

“
You’re on. Winner gets
breakfast in bed tomorrow morning,” Cidra laid down the
stakes.

Grey smiled. Cidra in his bed. He was a
winner either way. He shoved off the table and stood in front of
her, his hands on his hips. “Deal. Search away.”

Cidra smiled back. She began circling him
slowly, scanning him from head to toe as if plotting her strategy.
Her blatantly erotic appraisal had him rock hard in a flash.

“
You’ll tell me when I’m
getting close?” she asked in a lazy, sultry voice.

“
I’ll tell you.”

He watched her circle him again, watched as
her eyebrow raised at his unmistakable arousal. She stopped in
front of him and went to work on his shirt, releasing the fasteners
and tugging it off. He drew in a deep breath as her hands slid over
his shoulders and smoothed down the fine, dark hair covering his
arms. Retracing her path, she spread her fingers wide across his
chest, raking the flesh lightly. Grey sighed and congratulated
himself on his brilliant maneuver.

Her palms slid over the ridges and planes of
his torso, her eyes shrouded in concentration. It wasn’t until she
ducked her head and licked one dark nipple that he understood who
was really in control. His pulse quickened as his mind dulled.

“
Am I close?” she murmured
against his chest, kneading his pectorals with her
fingers.

Grey’s voice was husky. “Not yet.” He felt
her hum softly against him as she kissed and licked her way across
his chest to the other nipple.

“
Now?” she asked
innocently, her warm breath feathering the sprinkle of chest hair.
His breath caught when she nipped him lightly.

“
No.”

“
Hmm, this could take some
time,” she said sweetly. Grey grimaced. She’d kill him for
sure.

Her hands continued their delighted torture
over his body, reveling in the splendor of the male form. Soft skin
over hard muscle. She would never tire of it, never tire of the way
he felt under her hands. Never tire of her own body’s reaction and
that wicked, wonderful hunger for him.

Cidra raised her head and kissed him full on
the lips, her hands sliding around his waist. When Grey tried to
slip his hands around her, she brushed them away. “No help from
you. We had a deal remember,” she whispered. Grey swore and
deepened the kiss in frustration. Cidra moaned low in her
throat.

Her hands traveled down his bare chest and
slipped inside his pants. Grey sucked in air. Before he knew it,
she had his pants undone and was pushing them down his legs. He
dropped his head back and groaned aloud. He was definitely in
trouble. A steamy sweat broke out all over his body.

Cidra felt the sudden change in him. He kept
his word, giving her free run of his body, but it was costing him
dearly as he battled for control. Raw desire shimmered from his
body into hers. Her own control waned when she exposed the hard
evidence of her effect on him. Wild fire raged within her even as
she fought to dampen it.

Cidra tugged his pants to the floor. He
stepped out of them without a thought. He couldn’t think if he
tried. She was kneeling before him, caressing his calves and legs
with her hands and mouth. His breath hissed through his teeth, his
body straining with urgency. He didn’t know how much more of this
sweet torment he could endure.

“
Nothing here,” she
commented calmly against his thigh.

“‘
Scuse me?”

Cidra laughed softly at his strangled
response. “No comm unit yet.”

He had beautiful legs, she thought as she
traced the tense, steely muscles. A hunter’s legs, full of stamina,
endurance, and power. Cidra heard his succinct curse as she slid
higher up his thighs. She could feel his heat, see his desire
looming beside her. More than anything, she loved the way he wanted
her.