Beyond Galaxy's Edge (19 page)

“It’s got some sort of leather cover. It’s sealed tight.” Excitement glimmered in her eyes. “Maybe the pages are even intact.”

“Maybe,” he said, dubiously.
“Don’t open it, they’ll disintegrate on contact with the air.”

“Imagine…it might record the journey of some long-ago adventurer, or convoy member.”

Justyn grinned. Looked like Nissa was catching the treasure-hunting bug. He turned his attention back to the metal under his hand. His smile dissolved. “Holy stars, Nissa! That book doesn’t belong to an adventurer or a convoy member.”

This was
too unreal to be true. He stared at the letters etched into the metal, his heart racing in his chest.

She made her way over to him, the book clutched in her hand. “What are you talking about?”

He smoothed his hand over the hull of the ruined escape pod. Even though the lettering was badly faded, the word
Nero
was visible.

Nissa couldn’t believe it.

“It can’t be.” She clutched the book to her chest.

“Well, looks like it can. This means someone from the
Nero
launched an escape pod and crashed here.”

She stared down at the book. “There could be information in here we can use.”

“Maybe.” Justyn stood. “But it won’t do us much good if we’re stuck on this rock.” He looked at the sun, already
headed toward the horizon. “Night’s gonna be here before we know it.”

And they didn’t want to be stuck here in the dark.

“We’ll have to head back to the ship.” She looked at the thick plants surrounding them. The thought of going back in there made her stomach turn over. The memory of the vines tightening around her limbs made her mouth dry, but what was worse was remembering the heart-pounding
terror of cutting into the carnivorous flower, hoping she wasn’t too late to save Justyn.

A high-pitched shriek tore through the air.

Oh, no.

More shrieks joined in until the jungle around them teemed with noise. In the distance, the vegetation began its ominous shaking once more.

“Uh, I think our vine friends have recruited reinforcements,” Justyn said, his face grim.

He moved until
his shoulder bumped hers. She placed the book safely in her backpack and swung the pack back onto her shoulders. Then she hefted her machete. Justyn had his blaster out, his steel-grey eyes turning dangerous.

Vines exploded toward them from the plant line, flowing over the ground like snakes.

So many.
She felt bile rise in her throat.

As the vines neared, Justyn started firing.

The whine
of the blaster clashed with the ear-piercing shrieks of the vines. Nissa swung her heavy blade, chopping and hacking at the plants closest to them.

She had no idea how long they kept at it. Her arm was so heavy it felt like steel. She switched the blade to her other hand. She always trained with her left arm as well as her right, and while she wasn’t as precise, that didn’t really matter here.

How long would the charge in Justyn’s blaster last? They were barely holding the vines off and it didn’t matter how many they destroyed—more kept coming.

“Back it up,” he yelled. “To the top.”

She moved back steadily, kept swinging and prayed she wouldn’t trip.

At the top, she glanced at the other side of the hill.

More vines were streaming up toward them.

Her heart sank. There were
too many. There was no way they could beat them back.

“Justyn.”

She said his name quietly, but he heard. He looked over, noted the other vines, and his shoulders sagged.

He moved closer, until they were pressed together. Then he stopped firing and grabbed her.

The kiss was wild, filled with so much raw emotion Nissa was helpless against it, against him. She thrust her tongue against his,
her arms wrapping around him. Here was a man who lived by his own code, was loyal to those he cared about, and who hadn’t let his past dim his love of life. Here was the man who could have made her believe in love.

She felt the first vine wrap around her ankle. The second twined around her elbow, yanking her arm away from Justyn.

No.
She tugged at the intruder, trying to keep her hold on him.
If she was going to die, she sure as hell couldn’t think of a better way to go out than kissing Justyn Phoenix.

Then deafening noise and a hot gust of air blasted them. The vines’ shrieking took on a desperate timbre.

A whoosh of flames engulfed the hill around them.

Nissa and Justyn looked up.

Rynan’s cuttership, the
Pathfinder
, hovered above them like a giant bird of prey. Its flame
cannon was firing at the plants.

A team of five people, all encased in dark-gray body armor, were rappelling down from the ship, aiming flame-throwers at the vines.

The fight was over so fast, Nissa felt dizzy. She was grateful Justyn’s arms were still around her, holding her upright, as she wasn’t sure her own legs could hold her.

She watched the last of the uncharred vines slither back
into the vegetation. Many lay, black and shriveled, on the rocks.

One of the armored figures stepped in front of them, and the opaque visor on the helmet retracted. Rynan arched a brow. “Novel way to fight off killer plants.”

Justyn grinned. His hair was plastered to his head, and sweat and grime coated his face, but Nissa had never seen a more handsome man.

“We were going out with a bang.”

Rynan snorted. “Right. Well, cavalry’s here. If you two can let go of each other long enough, we can all get aboard the ship.”

Nissa reluctantly released Justyn. He grabbed her hand and winked at her.

“Where’s the
Mercury
?” Rynan asked.

Sadness flickered over Justyn’s face. “She’s toast. Not enough left to salvage.”

“Damn. Sorry, bro. I know you loved that ship.”

Justyn shrugged, his
fingers tightening on her hand. “We’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

Within minutes, they were attached to ziplines and pulled aboard. All Nissa wanted was a shower. Desperately.

“Go clean up,” Rynan said. “Grab a snack and be back here in—” he glanced at his timepiece “—fifteen minutes.”

“Forty,” Justyn countered. “We did just survive a crash on a killer jungle planet.”

“Twenty.”

“Thirty.”

Rynan heaved a sigh. “Fine. But I want to know what the hell happened ASAP.”

“Roger that. Oh, and keep an eye out for three Firebrand fighters. They’re the bastards who shot us down.”

Rynan stilled. “As we started back to find you, we ran into them.”

“They engage?”

“Yes. Much to their regret, I’m sure.” Ry’s tone was dark with satisfaction.

“Good. See you in thirty.” Justyn
tugged Nissa off the bridge and down a corridor with sleek, black walls. The layout of Rynan’s ship wasn’t all that different to the
Freedom
. As soon as they turned the corner into the corridor that led to the cabins, Justyn spun and slammed her into a wall.

His mouth was on hers, taking, demanding. She sank her hands into his hair and yanked him closer.

When they broke apart, they were both
panting.

“This is your cabin.” He nodded toward the door beside them. “Mine’s next door.” He cupped her face, thumb stroking her skin. “I’d like to join you—”

She smiled and rubbed her hips against the heavy bulge of his erection. “But?”

He groaned. “If I come in, there’s no way we’d be back for Rynan’s briefing in thirty minutes.” Justyn rubbed his nose against hers. “And what I have planned
will take much, much longer.”

She leaned in and bit his bottom lip. “Hours, I hope. I have a few things planned myself.”

He groaned. “Go.
Go
. Before I melt in a puddle of lust.”

She stepped into the cabin and closed the door on his handsome face. Then she pressed her forehead to the cool metal.

She couldn’t fight him anymore. The pull of him was too strong. She wanted Justyn Phoenix.

And for once in her life, she was taking what she wanted.

***

Justyn slid into the shower stall, pressed his palms to the plas-tiles and tilted his head down. He let the water pound on his head and wash away the grime. There was never enough water pressure in a starship shower—the water more a steamy mist than liquid for conservation purposes—but it did its job.

Energy was still running under
his skin, leaving him edgy, restless. He knew it took time to come down off the high of surviving by the very skin of your teeth.

Usually he worked it off in the gym, sparring with his brothers. But what he wanted to do right now was drag Nissa into the shower, put his mouth on that super-smooth skin, or better yet, between her slim thighs.

His hands clenched into fists. He willed his hot
blood to cool.

Then he heard the whisper of the shower stall door. He was already lifting his head when hands skimmed down his side.

“Thought I’d offer to wash your back.” A hot mouth pressed to his spine.

“Nissa.” He started to turn.

“No.” She stilled him with her hands. “Just stay there.” Her hands kneaded the muscles in his back.

He groaned and then her smooth palms moved lower. One
clenching his butt while the other skimmed down his stomach, tracing the ridges, before circling his very hard cock.

“So big and hard.” Her teeth nipped at his shoulder blade.

Shit
. She was going to kill him.

Then she slithered around in front of him. She nipped his lips quickly. “Keep those hands on the tiles, Mr. Phoenix.”

“Yes, Captain.” Sweet space, she was naked. All glorious gold
skin. Her breasts two plump handfuls he wanted to taste.

Then she pressed her lips to his throat. Licking and nipping. Her hands ran over his stomach and he heard his growl echo in the shower.

“Love this big, tough body,” she murmured against his chest. She scraped a nail over one of his nipples, while she took the other one in her mouth, sucking hard.

Fuck
. His hands clutched at the tile.

Then, she bent her knees, and in a slow move, dragged her mouth down his abs, her tongue tracing the contours she found there. Justyn felt his muscles jump at her touch, another growl catching in his throat.

In the next instant, she was on her knees before him. She looked up, flashing him a wicked smile, before she leaned forward and sucked his cock deep into her mouth.

She drove him crazy
with her tongue. Pulling back, she swirled her tongue over the head of his cock, finding the most sensitive spot underneath. Her fingernails sank into his thighs as she pulled him closer and swallowed him back down. She moaned against his cock and it vibrated against him, making him groan. When she sucked him again, hard, he knew he was seconds away from coming in her mouth.

And he wanted more
than that.

Justyn reached down, gripped her under the arms and yanked her up against him. Her slick body slid against his.

She licked her lips. “I was enjoying that.”

“Me, too, baby.” Swinging her into his arms, he slammed out of the shower. “And I plan for both of us to keeping enjoying ourselves.” He dropped her on the bed.

She came up on her knees, giving a quick laugh. He stopped and
just looked at her. She was everything a woman should be. Sexy, beautiful, smart and able to make him laugh. Tough, capable, always giving as good as she got.

He sank onto the bunk and shoved a pillow beneath his head. “Come here, sweetheart.”

She eyed him, a smile on her face. “Why?”

“Because I plan to put my mouth on your sweet pussy and lick you until you come.”

Her breath hitched.
“I hadn’t finished with you.”

“Well, come up here and we’ll finish enjoying each other. We only have about seventeen minutes until we have to be on the bridge.” Justyn grimaced. “And I know my brother. If we aren’t there, he’ll come searching.”

She slithered up Justyn’s body, her hard nipples dragging over his skin. “I wish we had longer.”

He grabbed her and yanked her around. She gave a
yelp but helped him settle her thighs either side of his head. As he stared at her, all naked and pretty and pink, he groaned. “I do, too, believe me. And we’ll find the time, I promise you. For now, I plan to make you come all over my face.”

She shot him a look over her shoulder. “Ditto, Phoenix.”

Fuck
. His cock jumped and that drew her attention. She laughed as she circled it with one hand.
She was already sucking him deep when he gripped her hips and pressed his mouth between her legs.

She jerked in his hold, but then ground against him. He groaned again, the taste of her honey-sweet on his tongue. He stabbed into her, lapped at her, found the tiny nub of her clit and sucked it.

Justyn was caught in the dual sensations of pleasuring her, the rich taste of her overwhelming him,
and the extreme pleasure of having her suck him with an intensity that made his impending release tighten at the base of his spine.

Soon she was shoving back against his mouth, her hips moving erratically and he knew her own orgasm was getting closer. He gripped her tighter, keeping her helpless against the onslaught of pleasure. He thrust his hips up in short, hard strokes and her mouth tightened
around him.

“Nissa, I’m nearly there, sweetheart.” He murmured against her. “I want you to come on my mouth first.”

Her nails dug into his thighs and he thrust his tongue deep inside her, before once again lapping at her clit.

She stiffened and screamed around his cock. He slid two fingers inside her, felt the pulsing of her inner muscles as she came.

She clamped down on his cock again
and with his next breath, he was coming, pouring his release down her throat. A groan ripped from him, dark spots dancing in front of his eyes. He’d never come so hard, never felt like this about another woman.

She dropped down beside him, spent. Justyn found the energy to push himself up and pull her into his arms. He pulled her against his chest, gratified when her arms wrapped around him,
her face buried against his neck.

Nissa was in his arms. Her heart beating against his, her toned body still shaking from the orgasm he’d given her. He smiled at the ceiling. In this instant, everything was right in the galaxy.