Taking Liberty (16 page)

The zipper gave and she rucked his jeans down his hips. He'd decided to go commando. An appreciative sigh filtered from her as she feathered a fingertip over the prominent vein running along the underside of his magnificent cock. When she reached the plump head, she hunched forward and engulfed it inside her mouth.

A hiss snaked from Lucus. “Jesus.”

Encouraged by his reaction, she opened her mouth wider, taking in more of his thick shaft. His hands slid through her hair, holding her steady as his hips rocked. The taste of him, the silky way he moved between her lips, escalated her need even more. She dug her fingers into his buttocks and bobbed her head, swallowing him towards the back of her throat.

“Baby…God…” Moaning, he pulled her up off him and kissed her hard, his tongue thrusting deep.

She groped for his shaft again but he twined their fingers together, stalling her. His tongue retreated and he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth, earning an anxious whimper from her.

“It's okay, sweetness. I'm going to make this good for you.”

She almost laughed at his soothing words.
Good for me
? She was five seconds away from combusting in flames. He eased her onto the mattress and reached for the hem of her short nightie. His mouth crooked in a smile when he spotted the purple kitties marching across the material.

“I know. Not exactly sexy.”

“Baby, anything on—or off you—is sexy.” He peeled the nightie from her body before removing his jeans. She reached for him but he stretched her legs wide and combed his fingers through her triangular patch of ginger-colored curls. A sound of deep satisfaction rumbled from his chest. “You're wet.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “That's what I've been trying to tell you the past ten minutes. So think you could speed things—” A gasp broke from her when he slipped his index and middle fingers inside her soaked channel and pumped.

“You were saying?” Hooking both fingers, he found her G-spot and rubbed with excruciating accuracy. She thrashed on the bed, the sensations so intense she struggled to escape them. He wouldn't let her, the bastard. Flattening his free hand on her belly, he held her in place, his focus fused on her flushed face while he continued his exquisite torment with his questing fingers. His thumb flicked over her clitoris and she bowed off the mattress, a mute scream trapped in her throat. She milked his fingers in an orgasm that lasted forever.

Finally he removed his hands. Before she completely came down from the glow, Lucus lifted above her and drove his cock home in one powerful thrust. He caught her cry against his mouth. Wrapping her arms tight around him, she quickly matched the rhythm of his strokes. His tongue danced with hers, mimicking the slick in-and-out glide of his cock.

Her entire world existed within Lucus at that moment. The shift of damp skin beneath her hands. The harsh breaths pouring from his mouth. The look of agonized pleasure that seized his features moments before he shuddered and emptied his seed inside her.

Loving someone with your whole being—it made sex so much more wonderful and devastating.

 

Lucus pulled the covers over Rini's shoulders before kissing her on the brow. She continued snoring softly. He felt bad for slipping from the room like he was trying to make a quick getaway, but he didn't want to risk someone walking in and finding him buck naked in her bed. Might be a little embarrassing explaining that one to her folks.

He stepped into the corridor and winced when he spotted the elegant red-haired woman camped in the lounge across the way.
Shit
.

She rose and strode purposefully towards him, her heels clicking their authority on the gleaming white tile. “Mr. Granger, may I have a word with you please?” She formed it as a question but her tone implied there'd be no negotiating his options.

“Sure.” Scratching the back of his head, he gestured to the lounge she'd just vacated. She turned an about-face and he trailed after her, his nostrils getting the full treatment from her heavy rose perfume.

Perching on the edge of one of the leather chairs, she twisted the pearls roping her neck. “I don't know how to put this delicately, Mr. Granger.”

Taking his own seat, he cleared his throat. “Nothing was happening in there. I just wanted to peek in on Rini and see how she was doing.”

She pinned him with a tell-me-another-bullshit-story stare. Now he knew who Rini had inherited the expression from. “I'm concerned for my daughter, and frankly all of this has me more than a little troubled.” She waved towards the medi-port. “Rini is in a vulnerable position right now. She's not thinking clearly.”

He didn't need to read between the lines. “You think it'd be a mistake for her to be with me.”

“Yes.”

“Well damn. Thanks for not beating around the bush.”

“When it comes to my daughter, I'm not going to play coy. Rini is a very special woman. She has her entire life ahead of her.”

A hollow ringing pinged in Lucus's ears. Her words might as well be a ghostly imprint from the conversation he shared with Sandra fifteen years ago—the night she'd told him she wanted a divorce.
I have my entire life in front of me, Lucus. And it scares me because I don't like where it's headed. I want more than this
. “More than me.”

“What?”

The memory disintegrated and was replaced by the frowning woman sitting beside him. He shook his head. “Nothing.”

Rini's mother crossed one leg over the other and the sound of her wool slacks scritching together was almost deafening in the tense silence. “I'm sure you're a nice man at heart, Mr. Granger.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her placating tone. “I assume there's a
but
popping in here soon.”

Her fingers returned to her pearls. “My daughter informed me of the…unsavory…business arrangement you had with General Quarrel.” She held up her other hand when he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Rini explained the situation, so you can stop giving the exit doors covetous glances.”

Ignoring his surprised choke, she stood and blocked his chair. Apparently she didn't trust that he wouldn't make a dash for it. “It's unfortunate the general put you in such a sticky predicament and I understand it isn't your fault, but I can't overlook how this will impact Rini.”

He frowned. “How would Rini be affected? She didn't have anything to do with that.”

“It doesn't matter. The instant the galaxy broadcasters glom onto the story of the general's takedown, they'll be looking for all kinds of sordid gossip they can spread on the network. The more Rini is connected to you, the more chance they'll have to drag her through the mud.”

A sick feeling clawed his gut. Much as he wanted to, he couldn't pretend Rini's mom didn't have a valid point. Once the newshounds uncovered the ugly details of his arrangement with Quarrel they'd have a field day flinging the dirt. And it'd be one hell of a juicy tidbit if they could tie a smuggler with an agent of the UGG repo department—the great-great-granddaughter of the founding father, no less.

His thoughts drifted to the anguished expression on Rini's face when they'd stood that night by the bonfire and she'd admitted her deep dark secret to him. She'd given up her biggest dream to protect her family. He'd be the biggest bastard if he made her sacrifice all for nothing.

Chapter Seventeen

The last damn person Lucus wanted to see swaggered into the hospital cafeteria with a shit-eating grin. “Hey, bro, sounds like you had a hell of an adventurous couple a days.”

He gave Chase a narrow look. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Chase's smile slipped a little. “When Ma told me what happened—”

Lucus stood, the obnoxious screech from the metal chair legs cutting his brother off. He stalked from the cafeteria, his stride stiff. Chase caught up with him halfway down the corridor.

“I fucking hate it when you walk away from me like that.”

He didn't bother glancing at Chase. “I don't give a good goddamn what you hate.”

“No shit. That's been real clear for a while now.”

His brother's sarcasm managed to haul him to a stop. Clenching his fists, he glared at Chase. “You've got a lot of nerve coming here.”

“I came to apologize.” Stubbornness and strangely enough sincerity lurked in Chase's eyes. “It's my fault all this crap with Quarrel went down. It should have been me paying the price, not you.”

Chase's admission stunned him but he was nowhere near ready to let him off the hook. “Let's not forget the four payments you
forgot
to deliver to the UGG office.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Can the act.” Lucus shoved his arms over his chest. “So what'd you do with the money? Blow it on booze and prostitutes?”

Deep furrows homesteaded the middle of Chase's forehead. “Bro, I made the payments every time you asked. Swear to God.”

He wanted to believe Chase. The drunken marathons and constant fuckups made it hard though. “You've got a lousy track record.”
Just like I did at your age
. The inner dialog slammed him out of the blue, leaving him stunned. He'd never consciously compared Chase's irresponsibility to his own innumerable faults—the same faults that more or less contributed to the breakdown of his marriage fifteen years ago. Rather than pick apart what it could mean, he pushed the thought to the farthest corner of his mind. He had too many other things to worry about at the moment.

Instead of resorting to his typical M.O. of launching into argument mode, Chase hung his head. “Yeah, I'm real sorry for that too. In fact, I've been kinda meaning to talk to you about it.”

Lucus tweaked the bridge of his nose. “Could we do it at another time?”

Chase didn't completely hide his disappointment. “Sure.”

“Since you're here, mind giving me a ride home?”

“Uh, bro, I think it's the least I owe you.”

Shooting a glance towards the wing housing the medi-ports, Lucus steeled his spine. “First I've got to take care of something. I'll meet you outside in a few.”

With a nod, Chase ambled down the corridor. His heart hammering like he'd run fifty laps around the hospital complex, Lucus made the short journey to Rini's room. He stepped inside and his stomach cramped. Rini lay curled with her cheek pillowed on her hand, her face relaxed in sleep. She was so damn beautiful it hurt to look at her.

Dusky eyelashes fluttered open and she gave him a dreamy smile.

“I didn't mean to wake you.”

“It's okay.” Her mouth stretched in a hearty yawn. “I need to get up anyway. I've been a regular sloth the last twelve hours.”

He crossed to the bed and she hiked into a sitting position. “Hey, how about I order room service? I hear the food here is actually decent.” She stretched her arms out to the side and laughed. “Maybe they never got the memo that hospital food is supposed to be unappetizing.”

“I already ate.” Or at least he tried to. His gut had pretty much nixed the idea of allowing more than a few bites of the hot turkey sandwich.

“Mind if I get something? The surf-and-turf special sounded yummy.” She wrinkled her nose. “As long as it doesn't come with calamari. I never want to see another squid for as long as I—”

“I'm leaving.”

She blinked. “Oh. Well, guess I'll see you in the morning then.”

“No. You won't.” Scrubbing his face, he tried to swallow past the ball of misery anchored in his throat. “I'm returning home.”

“Can't say I blame you. Soon as I get the go ahead from the doc, I'm
so
out of here.” She reached for the clip resting on the nearby cart and secured her hair in a loose updo. Her fingers played nervously with one of the escaped tendrils. “Speaking of which, I…have a large apartment back on Warddok Seven. Lots of extra closet space.”

The vise cinched around his heart. “Rini, this isn't going to work. We're better off stopping things between us now.”

Her hand plummeted to her lap. The two minutes spent staring at each other were the longest two minutes of his life.

“You said you loved me.” Her voice came out small and uncertain. “
Why?
”

He stared at the wall behind her. No way could he witness the pain and anguish washing across her face and be able to spit out the necessary lies. “We didn't know if we were going to live or die. People facing death say things they don't really mean.”

“
I
meant it.” She hurled the recriminating words at him. “Lucus, we made love in this bed less than an hour ago.
Love.
Not sex. You'd be lying if you called it anything less than that.”

She was right. What they'd shared had been amazing. Brain-frying. He'd never experienced anything that came close to touching it. And he probably never would again. “It was just sex. Incredible, yes. But don't read any more into it than that.”

Rini flinched like she'd been slapped. “Why are you doing this to us?”

I'm trying to protect you, baby
. He couldn't tell her the truth. She'd be stubborn enough to downplay the inevitable shitstorm surrounding his dealings with Quarrel. And fifteen years from now, she'd look at him with contempt and realize she wanted more out of life.

“Rini, there is no us.” Before he could do something monstrously stupid, like take the words back, he turned and left the room.

Chapter Eighteen

“Damn, girl, this is the eighth repo you've brought in this week. Keep it up and ain't no one gonna be flying the friendly skies.”

Rini ignored the mechanic's rusty laugh and instead nodded to the series eleven Air Commander parked in the crowded hangar. “Noticed this one has a touchy brake stick. Might want to give it a good overhaul.”