Through Uncharted Space: A Phoenix Adventures Sci-fi Romance (8 page)

“What aren’t you telling me?” Dakota demanded.

“On Sulla, men are in charge.”

She gave an inelegant snort. “So? Men think that everywhere. Another backward world…it’s not like I haven’t seen them before.”

“I mean really in charge. Women are…submissive.”

She jerked to a stop. “Submissive?” She said the word like it tasted of trash. “All of them?”

He turned to face her. “Whether they like it or not. They’re raised that way. Most believe they like it, that they’re liberated and protected by their submission.”

Dakota shivered. “Sounds like brainwashing to me.”

“Some of them are submissive and some of them aren’t.” It was why Dare hadn’t visited for a long time. Seeing a woman straining against the chains of an upbringing forced on her was more than he could stomach. “To visit, you’ll have to dress like a Sullan woman. And you’ll have to walk behind me, and sit at my feet.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding me.”

He offered her a faint smile. He’d finally shocked Miss Unshockable. “No.”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Okay.”

“I have a contact, Vero. Someone I trust…mostly.”

“Sounds encouraging,” she said sarcastically.

“You have to have a sponsor to land on Sulla. In the past, they let outsiders in and they had problems. Women were kidnapped and items stolen.”

“So this contact of yours can help us get the part you need. But what about info on Stock and the
Southwind
?”

“I’ll see if Vero knows anything. Sulla has a huge central library. If they have the info, it’ll be stored there.”

“A library. Okay, that sounds promising.”

“I’ll have an appropriate outfit delivered to your cabin. In the meantime, I’m going to call Vero.”

Dakota nodded.

“One last thing. Sullan men require women to wear strong scents.”

Dakota sighed. “I hate wearing perfume.”

He reached out and touched her cheek. “I like how you smell, but for this trip, find a scent.”

She tilted her head. “There’s something else?”

“They also remove all their body hair…except the hair on their heads.”

“You’re kidding me.” She held up a hand. “No, you’re not. All their hair?”

Dare thought for a second about smoothing the hair off Dakota’s slim calves, thighs, between her legs. He felt his cock throb. “Yes.”

“Stars, this treasure better be worth it.” She turned and stalked away.

He watched her. She had a faint saunter to her stride. Like she was daring the world to take her on.

Dare wanted to take her on. He shook his head. She was nothing like what he enjoyed in a woman, and she was distracting.

Focus.
For now, he needed to get the part for the
Nomad
and to find the information on Caleb Stock. And he had to keep Dakota safe while they did that.

Chapter Seven

Dakota was fuming. She fiddled with her outfit again and when she heard the chime of the cabin door, she spun around, hands on her hips. “You
cannot
be serious about this get-up—”

“I warned you,” he said.

But all her righteous indignation at her garb tangled in her throat. His outfit was… Stars, the man was put together like a woman’s wet dream. Long and lean. Dark and dangerous. Black leather trousers encased his strong legs and lean hips. His shirt was a drape of royal-blue fabric that dipped low in front in a wide V, leaving most of his chest and his muscled arms bare. Her gaze went straight to his hard abs, tracing the defined ridges.

She swallowed. How could she keep resisting him if he looked like this, and if he kept helping her? She sucked in a breath and mentally imagined shoring up her internal walls one brick at a time.

She had to remember that once this mission was done, and she had the treasure, she’d be leaving Dare Phoenix behind. She wasn’t putting herself in a position where she made herself vulnerable to him.

His gaze ran over her. “You look…”

“Like a harem girl from some teenage boy’s fantasy?”

His lips quirked. “Yes, that’s a pretty accurate description.”

The twist of copper metal barely covered her breasts. The waistband of the skirt was made of the same metal and was draped with floor-length panels of fabric in the same deep blue as his shirt. She was showing a whole lot of skin, and when she moved the fabric panels shifted, showing her legs.

Dare walked closer and her belly went tight.

“Not only a teenager’s fantasy,” he murmured. “You look beautiful, and although I hate the idea, every man on Sulla will be mesmerized by you.” He reached out and tucked a tendril of her hair back. She had piled it all up on top of her head, but a few dark strands were loose.

“I don’t want every Sullan man mesmerized by me.” She huffed out a breath and lifted a panel of the skirt. “Besides, this is
not
me.”

“I think you look better in your synth pants. They hug your ass in a way that makes me want to bend you over and touch it. Touch you. All over.”

She felt the air between them turn hot. He didn’t move any closer, but those few centimeters between them felt like nothing. She could so easily imagine the touch of his hands on her. Dare wouldn’t be gentle.

Her breathing turned fast. “I don’t want to get involved with you.”

“You already are.”

Dammit
. He was right. So, why didn’t he close the distance and touch her? Her skin felt itchy, her belly full of flutters.

“The first move is yours, Dakota. You have to make the choice.”

Damn him
. He was going to force her to face her desires. “We have to go. We have a job to do.”

Neither of them moved. She knew Dare Phoenix was dangerous, a risk she couldn’t take—shouldn’t take—but damn, she wanted him.

Dakota took a step closer, her chest brushing his. She heard his swift intake of breath, and she went up on her toes. She traced his mouth with the pad of her finger.

“Are you going to give yourself to me?” His voice was dark, silky, and seductive.

In her gut, Dakota knew he’d take everything, whether she wanted him to or not. She leaned closer, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips. She got a hint of his taste and her desire spiked.

“Dare?” Rynan’s deep voice came through the comm panel. “The shuttle is ready when you are.”

Dakota took a deep breath and stepped back. Saved by the angry brother.

“We’ll get back to this later,” Dare said. “You can’t avoid it forever.”

It was a promise, a warning, and a threat.

Soon, they were both seated in one of the
Nomad’s
shuttles. Dakota fastened her harness and watched as Dare expertly dealt with the take-off sequence.

Nissa gave them clearance, and the shuttle bay doors opened. Dakota saw a purple glimmer across the open doors—a huma-field—which kept the atmosphere inside the ship but would allow solid objects to pass through. The shuttle lifted off, and soon, they were zooming out of the
Nomad
.

“How far is Sulla?” she asked.

“Not far. Half an hour. Hang tight.”

He was good at the controls. Sure and confident. She hadn’t expected any different. She leaned back in her seat, watching his long fingers move. He’d be the same in bed. Her hands clenched in the silky fabric of her skirt. She shouldn’t take this risk, but she’d decided to take Dare Phoenix as her lover.

As she always said, without some risks, life wasn’t worth living. She just hoped she survived the encounter unscathed.

Soon, the planet appeared ahead, growing larger until it dominated the viewscreen. Sulla was a gray-green ball that made her think of a Duskan pearl she’d once traded.

“Entering the atmosphere,” Dare said.

The small shuttle shuddered a little, and moments later, Dakota saw white clouds and a blue-green sea.

Wow, it was really pretty. The water was smooth and looked like glass. She wondered if there were any shipwrecks below.

A huge island came into view, with a pointed mountain rising up to dominate the view. Flowing around the base of the hill was a city.

“The capital city of Sulla,” Dare said. “Sion.”

Smooth, white buildings reached into the sky, and there were waterways and graceful bridges. She saw greenery growing down the sides of many buildings—brilliant carpets of green, dotted with white flowers. Small, elegant boats coasted along the narrow canals.

As Dare brought them in closer, she saw landing pads jutting out over the water. She could see the building architecture better now. The buildings all differed in height, and some were square and others cylindrical in shape—but they were all made of gleaming white stone and had walls and roofs covered in lush green plants. It was beautiful.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

Dare lowered the shuttle onto one of the landing pads. Once he’d powered down the engines, he turned and grabbed her arm.

“Remember, it may look pretty, but underneath, it’s not. Control is revered here. If you speak out, or are too assertive, it’ll cause trouble.”

“They’re dangerous?” Through the forward window, she could see a group of people heading in their direction.

“They can be, yes. But I’ll take care of you. You stay by my side, no matter what.”

“No one takes care of me, Phoenix.” She undid her harness and stood. “I can do that myself.”

The group was closer now, a tall man striding in the lead.

“I will take care of you, even if you don’t want me to.”

Dare’s words made her belly jump.
Stupid, traitorous belly.

He stood, as well. “Now, let’s get that part and find out what they know about Caleb Stock.” Dare’s fingers tightened on her arm, then he released her. “Don’t forget to walk behind me.”

She watched him stride to the door of the shuttle, and poked her tongue out at his back. “Don’t get too used to me bowing and scraping, Phoenix.”

He shot a glance back at her. “But what if you like it?”

***

Dare stepped out into the bright Sullan sunshine. “Vero. It’s been a long time.”

The Sullan man walked forward, his hand outstretched in the common Sullan greeting. He was a hawkish man, and like all Sullans, had dark-blue hair that was long enough to brush his shoulders. “So very true. Welcome back to Sulla, Dare.”

They rested their wrists together and clasped each other’s forearms.

Vero’s gaze moved over Dare’s shoulder to Dakota. His lips turned up in a smile. “You’ve brought me a pretty flower.”

Dare barely controlled the ugly claw of emotion in his gut. “She’s not for you, my friend. And be warned, she’s hiding her thorns for this trip.” Dare hated the way the man looked at her.

Vero raised a brow. “I thought you liked them obedient to your desires.”

Dare heard Dakota make a small sound, but didn’t look at her. “I like them to want my desires.”

Vero cast one more appreciative gaze at Dakota. “My current batch of girls will be sorry that you are not alone.” He inclined his head. “It’s been a long time since you last visited.”

It had been. On purpose. Dare felt Dakota’s gaze drilling into his back. Dare knew giving in to your desires without control, pushing your boundaries, could sometimes lead to dark places. Addiction was a slippery slope. It was so easy to slide down, and so very hard to claw your way back up. He’d seen that in his stepfather’s obsession with his mother, and his jealousy that her sons took up any of her time.

Sulla had offered Dare all kinds of dark vices.

Here on Sulla, a man could indulge all his darkest desires of control and submission. He had seen—and experienced—some himself. Some of them had been wonderful and some had crossed a line. He found that Vero had continually pushed their interactions to places Dare hadn’t been interested in going. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that Vero was all about his own pleasure. That the man hadn’t shared Dare’s need to protect a female partner and to give her pleasure.

“Dakota, this is Vero.” Dare glanced back at her. “Don’t speak unless he speaks to you.”

Her face didn’t change but he was pretty sure she was grinding her teeth.

Two women moved from behind Vero, their heads bowed and their hands clasped in front of them. They wore outfits very similar to Dakota’s, but with silver metal, and fabric of emerald green. Instead of metal tops like Dakota, they both wore gauzy twists of fabric. One had pale skin and an abundance of curves and her blue hair swept up and clipped behind her head. The other was taller, willowy, with glossy dark skin and short, feathery blue hair.

As always, Vero also had two of his burly security guards with him.

“Come.” Vero waved them onward. “Let’s get back to my residence and have a drink. Talk.” He smiled. “Have some fun.”

They walked off the landing pads and into the city streets. There were a few people around, men walking with women a few steps behind them. Dare saw Dakota taking it all in—the gleaming buildings and lush greenery. As they walked along a narrow waterway, an elegant boat sailed through the water.

Soon, Vero led them over a bridge and to his beautiful house. The entire front wall was covered in a metallic latticework intertwined with plants. Their group moved through a wide, arched doorway, and into the cool interior of the airy house.

Vero led them into a reception room filled with circular couches in a deep green, and tables made from a glossy, brown wood. He sank into a chair, and instantly, the taller woman dropped to her knees beside his feet. The curvy woman slipped into his lap.

Dare selected a couch and sat down. Without him having to tell her, Dakota fell to her knees, sitting close beside him, pressing her body against his legs. Hell, watching her like this made him hard.

“So, my friend, what brings you to Sulla?” Vero smiled. “Apart from our obvious pleasures.” He stroked a hand down the arm of the woman in his lap.

Dare pressed a hand to Dakota’s shoulder. “Two things. First, we need a part for my ship. My engineer tells me we have a problem with our power distributor, and word is, you have one available here.”