Salvaging Abby (Marks Mercenaries Book 4) Read online

  She shrugged, totally unafraid of the large warrior before her. “You hit me first,” she pointed out.

  The corners of his mouth twitched. Then he threw back his head and laughed. He was already the most handsome man she’d ever set her eyes on, but seeing him let go like this, with humor sparkling in his eyes and a wide smile on his face, made her heart skip a beat.

  She could fall in love with him. Hell, she might already be halfway there.

  This was no time to be stupid. They’d had sex and were friends of a sort. That was all it could be. This was an interlude for them both.

  He ran his hand over her hair before letting it drop to her shoulder. Pulling her under his arm, he guided her toward the engine room. “Let’s get to work. The faster we fix the engine, the quicker we can get back to bed.” The wicked whisper in her ear sent shivers racing down her spine.

  She was all for having more sex. That would keep her mind off the fact her brothers were on their way here, Jasper was likely still out there looking for her, and the uncertainty of her future.

  “I can fix anything,” she assured him. Going up to the parts he’d laid out earlier, she went to work.

  ****

  “Sir.”

  Jasper Freeman looked up from the report he’d been reading and glanced over at his communication center. “What is it?” He’d been away from Eden for too long. There were harvests to sell, which meant negotiating with desperate planets, which meant more money for him. There were always decisions to be made, possible donors to woo. He loved every second of running the empire he’d built from nothing.

  “Long range scanners have picked up two vessels.”

  His heart began to pound. Outwardly, he presented a calm, placid expression. “Is one of them the Dreamer?”

  It had been seven long years since he’d last seen Abigail, but he could recall her perfectly.

  “Yes, but sir,” the captain paused.

  “What is it?” He was impatient now. Abigail would soon be back where she belonged. She was the final piece he needed to move forward with his plans. He could have married dozens of other women, but he wanted Abigail. He’d known she was special from the second he’d set eyes on her all those years ago.

  “The Dreamer is docked to the other ship.”

  Now that was interesting. “Monitor the situation and alert me when we’re within shuttle distance.”

  “Yes, sir.” The communication ended, leaving Jasper alone with his thoughts.

  If she was still with Henry Dubois, Jasper would barter with the old man. He’d give Abigail over or Jasper would destroy his ship. A simple trade that worked well for them all. And if she wasn’t onboard, he’d find out everything there was to know, kill the old man, and blast his ship out of the sky.

  As for the other vessel, Jasper didn’t see any problem. Whatever business the unknown captain had with the Dreamer, Jasper was certain he could turn the situation to his advantage. It was what he did, what he was good at.

  He tossed aside the tablet with the financial report, no longer able to concentrate on numbers. He opened a hidden drawer in his desk and pulled out a holoframe. A smiling, much younger Abigail peered up at him. Her skin was tanned but soft, her eyes a mysterious blue-green and so filled with life. Her smile made his heart skip a beat and his entire body tighten. Her hair was as unique as the rest of her.

  She was all grown up now. Enough time had passed that he no longer needed to wait. He’d claim her as his bride as soon as he had her onboard his vessel and back under his protection.

  She was too precious to be alone in the universe. She needed someone to take care of her.

  Chapter Six

  “Done.” Abby wiped her greasy hands on her flightsuit, a sense of satisfaction filling her.

  “This should work.” Vaden held the part up and studied it. “You were right about the last adjustment.”

  “Of course I was right.” She gave him a mock scowl and set her hands on her hips. “I told you I can fix anything.”

  His grin was fleeting but sexy as hell. The man exuded sex. Or maybe her perception was skewed. She’d gone from being afraid of him to wanting to get him back into bed as soon as possible. Not even being a little sore was enough to deter her.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  She shrugged and fiddled with a mini laser torch, aligning it with the edge of the workspace. “Why do you ask?” Damn, her cheeks were getting warmer by the second.

  He shifted so close she could feel the heat radiating from his big body. She had to admit, she loved the fact he was tall and muscular. It meant he was tough, could protect her. Not that she needed protecting. She could take care of herself.

  Sighing in frustration, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest.

  “Your eyes glazed over and your lips parted.” His voiced grew deeper with each word he spoke. “Look at me.”

  Unable to refuse him, Abby tilted her head back.

  He made a low sound of pleasure. “Your lips are soft.” He brushed the pad of this thumb over her bottom lip before doing the same to the top. “Your cheeks are pale pink.” He stroked his fingertips over one cheekbone. “But it is your eyes that tell the whole story.”

  It was official. The man was a seduction machine. She’d been all over the Alliance galaxies, and she didn’t think there was a woman alive who could resist him. Vaden exuded primal sex appeal.

  “What do my eyes tell you?” Was that really her voice? It sounded sensual and teasing. Provocative, even. An entirely new side of herself was emerging. She wasn’t sure she fully approved. It put her heart at risk and made her vulnerable.

  She’d loved Henry like a father. It had taken years for her to trust that he wouldn’t hurt her, wouldn’t leave her like all her other loved ones had. Then he’d died, leaving her alone once again.

  Vaden would leave, too. Go back to his home and whatever it was he did for a living. Which raised the question, “What is it you do? Why are you out in the middle of nowhere?”

  His dark eyes, which had been dark with burgeoning desire, turned cold in a heartbeat. A sharp reminder that she really didn’t know him well at all.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  She took a step back and raised her hands. “No reason. You seem to know more about me than I do about you, but it’s all good. I’ll just get back to work.” Not that there was much to do. “Why don’t I wait on my ship for my brothers? You can be on your way now that your engine is repaired.”

  The thought of him leaving her made her angry, and she had no idea why. It wasn’t as though he was abandoning her. He barely knew her. Sure, they’d had hot sex, but that’s all there was between them.

  Her emotions were all over the place. Not surprising considering everything. She hadn’t been this volatile since puberty kicked in.

  “I am a warrior.” The words were gritted out like he was confessing state secrets under extreme torture.

  She opened her mouth in mock surprise. “No, I never would have guessed.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched, but he maintained control. “I was on a solo trip to make decisions about my future.”

  “You wanted time alone to think. I get it. And then I came along.”

  “And then you came along,” he echoed. He raked his fingers through his hair. The tiny gesture of frustration surprised her. He was usually much more controlled. “I’d lost a prospective bride a few months back.”

  “You were going to get married.” Totally shocked, all she could do was stare. Vaden had been in love with some woman, enough that he’d planned to marry her. “What happened?”

  “It was a political and monetary alliance. I’d never met her before the agreement.”

  “That seems … cold.” She didn’t want to judge, but she couldn’t imagine living that way.

  His shoulders stiffened. “It was expected.”

  “I get it. It’s a cultural thing.” She might not understand, but
arranged marriages were fairly common on some planets.

  “No, it wasn’t. Gravasian people rarely marry outsiders. When they do, there is a very important reason.”

  “Ah.” Now she got it. “She was an outsider.” That explained the political and money thing.

  “Yes. She hadn’t agreed to the contract and fled rather than bind herself to me.”

  Ouch. That had to hurt a guy like Vaden, who had more than his fair share of male pride. If his spine grew any more rigid, she feared it might snap. “She’d never met you, right?”

  He gave a quick shake of his head. “I went after her. When I found her, she’d bound herself to another.”

  Wow, this was more exciting than any book she’d ever read. Henry had been a reader with a huge library of books on file. He’d gotten her hooked. Traveling space looking for salvage left a lot of downtime to be filled.

  “So what happened then?” Maybe she shouldn’t ask, but the curiosity was killing her.

  “Her guardian had planned to use her marriage to me to infiltrate our world and steal our technology and military secrets. All she wanted was to be free.”

  Abby was speechless. She couldn’t imagine anyone stupid enough to try to steal from the Gravasian people. Everyone knew they weren’t to be trifled with. “What happened to the guardian?”

  Vaden’s smile was dark and deadly. “He confessed and was then executed for his crimes against us.”

  Abby went cold and then started to sweat. It was a chilling reminder that Vaden was a very dangerous man. “And the woman?” She had to ask. Deep down, she knew he’d never hurt a woman, but the blow to him and his pride had been enormous.

  “She is with the man to whom she’d gifted her innocence.”

  “She was a virgin? Before, I mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that important?”

  “We prize fidelity.” His gaze down her body, lingering on her breasts before going lower. “We are possessive.”

  As anachronistic as that was, she got it on one level. She didn’t want to know about any of the women he’d had been with.

  “Is that why you had sex with me? If your women don’t sleep with men before marriage, you can’t be getting much action.” She’d shocked him silent with that question. Better to keep her mouth shut. “Forget I asked.”

  He shook his head and grinned. “I got much action, as you put it. There are widows in our culture. They are free to live as they chose. I also travel.”

  And looking like he did, he wouldn’t have any trouble getting a woman. She got that message loud and clear.

  “As for you.” He caught her face in his hands. “You are irresistible. Whether you’d been virgin or had many men, I would have still wanted you.”

  Because it didn’t matter. Wasn’t like he was going to marry her and take her home to meet the family. Not that she wanted him to, or anything. She just didn’t like being lumped in with all the other women he’d slept with.

  “So if I had a dozen lovers, you wouldn’t have cared?” She had no idea why she was pushing this so hard. She should just drop it and head back to her ship.

  Vaden’s expression darkened, his brows lowering. “I would have still wanted you. Then I would have gotten their names and killed them all for daring to touch you.”

  Was it wrong to be weirdly pleased by that declaration? Because she was. She liked the possessiveness in his tone.

  She patted his chest. “Well, no need to charge your blaster since you were the first.”

  A slow smile crossed his face. “Yes, I was the first.”

  Barely keeping from rolling her eyes, she started to turn away. It was time for her to go. But he stopped her, catching her by the shoulders.

  “I should be the second, as well,” he informed her. He nibbled at her bottom lip while at the same time cupping her butt in his hands.

  “Second what?” Heat blasted through her at his touch. She rubbed against him, enjoying the hard press of his erection even through his battlesuit.

  “The second man to sleep with you.” He left her bottom lip and kissed her neck. It was a very sensitive spot of her and had goosebumps running down her arms. “And the third,” he told her.

  “That doesn’t make any sense.” Not that she cared. She melded her lips to his, kissing him hard. He tasted warm and masculine and spicy. His scent was a mixture of sweat and the gel in his cleansing unit. Underneath those was the primal smell of the man himself, musky and hot.

  He lifted her off her feet. Instead of carrying her back to his room, he pressed her back against the wall. She twined her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, arching her lower body against him.

  Maybe it was all those years of pent-up desire. Maybe it was Vaden. Whatever the reason, she wanted him again. She doubted she’d ever get enough of him, no matter how many times she had him. He was solid and warm and wanted her.

  Alarm bells went off in the back of her brain. She ignored them. Now was the time to grab life and enjoy it. If there were regrets later, she’d deal with them. She might not be experienced, but she wasn’t totally naive. She understood that Vaden was a once-in-a-lifetime lover.

  Her skin tingled. She was growing hotter each passing second. When he opened the top of her flightsuit, she didn’t object. No, she helped him, shoving the material down her arms until it pooled at her waist. She hadn’t bothered binding her breasts—seemed pointless since he already knew she was a woman—so her upper body was bare.

  His eyes grew even darker, stormy with some emotion she didn’t understand. Then he lowered his head and sucked one turgid nipple between his lips.

  ****

  Vaden wanted Abby until it was an insatiable madness in his blood. Hearing her talk of other lovers, even though they weren’t real, had left him with the need to put his stamp on her, to mark her with his body, his lovemaking until she couldn’t think of another.

  His desire for her was a raging beast—unrelenting and ready to kill any who thought to take her from him. He’d heard other men at home speak of mating madness. He’d never understood it until now.

  It was said a true mating was powerful, a desire that would not be denied, yet it was tempered by a tenderness, something unknown in Gravasian men. Their women held great power over them, which led many to marry for alliance and family reasons.

  Yet, he’d seen true matings. The warriors were fiercer when they fought, as though what they protected was more precious. The women seemed more content, the children happier and more plentiful in those matings.

  As a royal, he’d never questioned his duty. Until now.

  Abby had changed everything.

  He didn’t think he could live in a universe where she was with another man.

  His fury turned to desire. He would satisfy her so she would never want to leave him. One part of his brain knew he was being irrational, but he no longer cared.

  He suckled one nipple before moving onto the other, loving the tug of her fingers in his hair, the gasp of her breath, and the tightening of her legs and arms around him. She was perfect for him.

  And he was the only man she’d ever have, ever need.

  Frantic to touch her, he shoved his hands inside her flightsuit and cupped her ass. The firm, full globes fit his palms. She hadn’t bothered with underwear when she’d redressed earlier, choosing to stuff the extra garments in her pockets.

  She groaned and arched against his pelvis. His cock was straining once again. It didn’t matter that they’d had sex only hours before. She was liquid fire in his arms, and he was more than willing to be burned by her passion.

  He kissed her, loving the way she held nothing back. He tilted his head to one side wanting to get deeper as their tongues tangled. Her hands were everywhere, stroking and touching.

  He should take her back to his cabin, but it was too far away. He couldn’t wait.

  Lust tempered by some softer emotion powered his every action. He kissed her lips until they were
rosy and swollen and wet and she was breathless. Only then did he kiss a track to her ear, teasing the whorls with his tongue, tugging on the lobe with his teeth.

  She whimpered and moaned, digging her nails into him. He wanted to strip off his suit so he could feel her skin to skin but there wasn’t time, and he didn’t want to release her.

  He moved down her neck, kissing and licking and sucking.

  “Yesss,” she hissed when he palmed her breasts.

  “You like that.” It wasn’t a question. He paid attention to every nuance, every moan and movement of her body, studying her, learning her.

  “God, yes.” Her hands gripped his biceps as he moved even lower. He traced the line of her torso from breasts to belly with his tongue, forcing her to lower her legs so her feet were flat on the floor.

  Vaden knelt before her and tugged the flightsuit down until it caught at her ankles. He shoved her legs apart, eager to taste her again. She was wet for him, her pubic hair damp. He delved inward without hesitation, reclaiming that which he’d already claimed.

  She tasted sweet and salty, wild and hot. He slid his tongue over her slick folds, enjoying the way she squirmed, the tug of her hands wrapped around his head.

  “More,” she demanded.

  His clothing was restrictive, but he couldn’t stop now. His balls ached and he was going to have a permanent dent in the front of his battlesuit after this, but it was worth it. She was worth any price.

  He eased one finger into her silky core, loving the way she squeezed it. The reminder of just how tight she was had his cock swelling. Control was slipping away from him. He wanted her, but she had to come first. She had to be sore from earlier, and this would help ease the way.

  Finding the nub of nerves at the apex of her thighs, he sucked. She cried out and widened her stance, opening herself even more. He ate at her, unable to get enough. He added a second finger, stretching her.

  “Vaden.” Her voice echoed in his ears as she came. Her pussy spasmed, and wetness coated his hand. He licked and sucked, tasting her essence.

  With a primal groan, he stood and began to tear at the opening of his battlesuit. He was so close, he feared the brush of air would make him come. Barely clinging to control, he lifted Abby off her feet, positioned his cock, and—