Thief (38 page)

“That’s crazy!”

“Sure is. But it’s also the truth.” He pulled back a bit so he could look into her eyes. “I love you. And that humble truth shakes you in your boots. I can best you, and you know it.”

“Let go of me.”

“Even if I physically let go, I’ll never really let go.” He nuzzled her ear. “I’m in your head, I’m in your heart. Just like you are with me.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll get over it.”

“No, you won’t. I won’t either. We’ll drift through the Void, thinking about each other. There might come a time when one of us is lucky enough to find someone else. But it will always have a hole in it because you and I never even gave this a chance.” Jace kissed her, almost a whisper to her lips. “Come back to
Prospect
with me, Kraft. I love you. And God help me because I need you too.”

“A ship can’t have two—”

“Captains. I know that’s what they say. Just as they say there is no honor among thieves.” He looked into her eyes. “We proved that wrong, didn’t we? And how do we know about two captains unless we try?”

“We already tried it and it was a disaster. I hurt you and everyone else on your ship. And now you have a real chance to start over, Jace. A real chance at a real life where you don’t have to wake up and wonder if this will be the last day you suck down a breath. I worked my ass off to give you that chance and now you want me to take it away.”

“No. I want you to take that chance with me. A real life, Kraft. Where you don’t have to work salvage. Where you don’t have to deal with men like Trickster or Kobra. Where you don’t have to put on an act to win money from worthless scum in tacky hells.” Jace sighed. “I’ve been watching you all night, Kraft. You’re not happy trying to go back to this life.”

“I don’t know how to live any other way.”

“Then let me teach you.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Why wouldn’t it work?”

“I like being captain.”

“So do I.”

“See? There it is.” Kraft extracted herself from his embrace and tried again to cover up with the towel. “I like being in charge. Just like you said, I’m a control freak. I don’t know any other way to be except for the one running the show.”

Jace considered. “Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“You can be captain of
Prospect
.”

Her jaw damn near hit the floor.

“If it means that much to you, if that’s the only reason holding you back from being with me, then it’s yours.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I wouldn’t even have a ship if not for you. I wouldn’t even be standing here right now, if not for you. I’m telling you, none of it means a damn thing to me unless you’re there to share it with me.”

“You’re crazy!”

Jace laughed. “Once upon a time, didn’t you tell Charissa that love makes folks do all kinds of strange things?”

“Tell you what, I didn’t think you’d ever give up your ship.”

“Then I guess we both know how far I’m willing to go.”

“What about your crew? You can’t expect them to follow this.”

“They can choose. If they don’t want to follow your lead, then they’re free to go.” Jace shook his head. “Finding new crew members will take some time, but we have that because we have money.”

“But—” Kraft shook her head.

“What?” Jace asked. “Keep throwing up blocks and I’ll keep knocking them down.”

“I don’t want your ship!”

“Fine. We’ll sell it and buy another one.”

“Doesn’t that ship mean anything to you?”

“It’s a thing, Kraft. It’s replaceable. You’re not.”

“What about Bailey? Charissa and Payton? Garrett—holy, hell, Heller! You can’t just kick them out!”

“Didn’t say I would. They could decide. I think they’d stay. Everyone would have to learn, dance as you say, but I think we dance together rather well, friction and all. If I deemed you Captain, put you in charge, everyone would at least try to get along. Maybe, in the end, they wouldn’t, but they’d at least try. Can you at least try?”

Kraft gave a short gasp and shook her head, frustrated that she’d run out of roadblocks.

“You’re either certifiably crazy or you must really—” She searched for the words.

“Love you.” Jace nodded. “I do. If you took it into your head that you wanted to live here, I’d stay with you.”

“Jace, I—” Kraft fell against him and buried her face in his chest.

He held her and murmured, “I have been afraid for so long, Kraft. Afraid to fall in love, afraid to lose everything I have, then you came along and suddenly, I’m only afraid when I try to picture my life without you. You see, none of it means a damn thing without you.”

“I’ve been running for so long. Running from my past, running from myself. I tried running from you, but I just can’t seem to make things work the way they once did.” She sighed. “I’m exhausted.”

“Then stop running.”

“I lied, you know. About loving you.”

“I know.” He smoothed her shoulders.

“How did you know?”

“You were willing to give up what you swore you wanted all along.”

She pulled back and regarded him with a curious frown.

“All you said you wanted was to be back on your own ship, but you left behind the money that would have done that for you because you thought I needed it more.”

“Well, that’s not quite true. I was afraid to touch it, to feel what Heller had felt when he touched it, what you felt when you did.”

Jace chuckled. “You may have told yourself that but deep down, you were willing to sacrifice as much, if not more, than I am.”

“You’re not serious about giving up your ship.”

Jace tilted her face up. “Yes, I am.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Then don’t,
annyae
.”

That Jace used that endearment stripped her of any resistance. “You are so much more than pretty.”

He smiled. “So are you. I’ll make you a deal. We’ll be co-captains. I’ll run the ship, you run the jobs. What have you got to lose?”

She considered. “Nothing. I’ve lost all of my secrets, lost and regained my honor, lost my heart to you, gained yours in exchange.”

“Is it a deal?”

“Deal.”

Kraft stuck out her hand, Jace shook it, then pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss deepened and her towel slipped. She tried to pull it back up, then groaned and let it fall.

“You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a tub,” he said.

“You know, the room’s paid for.”

“From your ill-gotten booty.”

“After all they’ve put us through, I think they owe us a night in an expensive, albeit tawdry, hotel.”

Jace couldn’t get out of his clothes fast enough. They settled themselves in the tub.

“What about Bailey?”

“He wants you on the ship. He’s been kicking himself for all kinds of a fool for leaving things with you in a bad way. He’d be happy for a chance to put them right.”

“And Heller?”

“He’s the one who told me I’d be a fool to let you go.”

“Heller?” Kraft’s jaw almost fell off her face. “Are we talking about the same big lurch of a guy who—”

“You changed something in him when you forgave him for what he’d done. It surprised him, that you had no intention of seeking revenge. When you showed him your hand trick, that’s when you made a friend for life. He not only likes you, Kraft, he respects you, and not many can lay claim to that. Me, Garrett, and now you. I do believe you are the first and only woman Heller has ever held as an equal.”

“It’s been one hell of a complicated dance, hasn’t it?”

“It’s a dance that’s way too good to end, Kraft.”

“And I can run the jobs?”

“Always worried about that power aspect, my little control freak, aren’t you?” Jace kissed her quick. “Yes, Kraft. You run the jobs. Because you know how. I’ll run the crew, because I know how. Together? We’ll make a daring team.”

“We could become famous.”

“Let’s shoot for anonymously rich.”

Epilogue

A year later, Jace and Kraft were in the kitchen on the now fully upgraded
Prospect
. The jobs had been not only easy, but they paid well. Life had settled into a comfy pattern. Except for the difficulty with Heller’s girlfriend. Mouthy, bossy, but Heller seemed to love Jocinda in spite of the fact that most of the rest of the crew couldn’t stand her. Luckily, Jocinda spent most of her time in their bunk listening to what she called music.

“Discordant garbage,” Bailey dubbed it but laughed. “If it moves her, so be it.”

Bailey had matured a lot in a year. He and Charissa were courting, and it was sweet. Garrett had finally gotten off his duff and married Payton. They were spending their honeymoon on Corona.

“Just found out some funny news over the Tasher, wonder if you know anything about it.” Jace plunked down on the kitchen counter.

“What news?” Kraft kneaded bread dough with quick, sure movements.

“Trickster was found dead in the middle of his office in a pool of blood with both of his legs hacked off at the knee.” Jace reeled the information off deadpan.

“Ouch. Bet that hurt.”

“You don’t know anything about it?”

“
Moi
? How would I know?”

“Don’t play the wide-eyed innocent with me, sugar-britches.” Jace laughed, winked. “I’m not buying it. You took a week off when we were a hop, skip, and a jump from Byzantine. You never did tell me what you were up to.”

“Do you really want to know?” Kraft asked, her gaze riveted to that oddly misplaced kitchen window.

Jace laughed. “I already do. Did you make him beg for his life?”

“No point in making a man beg for something I had no intention of leaving him with.” Kraft smoothed the bread dough and plunked it in a bowl to rise.

“Remind me never, ever, to get on your bad side.”

“You couldn’t, even if you tried. And Trickster was convinced I was still alive. He had men looking for us, Jace. There was no way I was letting that fetch cut in on my dance with you again.”

“Speaking of dancing, I’ve got a job offer for you.”

“Really?” Kraft tumbled the last of the dough into a bowl then set it in the oven to rise.

“Got lousy pay, terrible working conditions, but I hear the fringe benefits are good.”

“Sounds awful. What is it?”

“Wife.”

Kraft didn’t miss a beat. “That is a lousy job. It’s not much better than captain slash cook.”

“Well, you’d still have to do that.”

Kraft smiled slow and lazy and sexy. “The fringe benefits would have to be damn good.”

“You tell me.”

“Could I still fight?” Kraft asked.

“With me?”

“Captain—”

“Jace,” he reminded her.

“Jace. You know what I mean.”

He nodded. “As part of the crew, I’d expect you to defend the ship, if we’re ever in need. Haven’t really needed to lately, have you noticed that?”

“We certainly made
Prospect
one very bad ship to mess with.”

Jace grinned. “So, you want the job?”

“I do, I do.”

About the Author

To learn more about Anitra Lynn McLeod, please visit
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Prince of Dragons

© 2010 Cathryn Cade

Orion, Book 3

Sirena Blaze has left a string of smiling males across the galaxy—but she’s not smiling now. After two attempts to sabotage her ship, it’s time to call for backup. Her warriors deserve the best, and that means recruiting a member of the elite Serpentian guard as co-commander.

One look at Slyde Stone, and Sirena’s smile returns. She sets out to indulge in the sensual delights for which his people are legendary.

Slyde would like nothing more than to bed the famous beauty, but a secret binds the hands that burn to take her. He is a half-dragon shifter, a race thought to be nothing more than a myth. He’s real, and so is the code he must live by—he can mate only once.

Sirena’s fury at Slyde’s refusal knows no bounds—until saboteurs loose a pair of deadly serpents on board the
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. And the infuriating man has the gall to make a wager. If she finds them first, she can have him. But if he wins, she must agree to be his alone—for life.

Warning: Space cougar on the prowl, a handsome virgin in her sights. Hot love scenes, and even hotter dragon shape-shifting.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Prince of Dragons:

Sirena looked down at the naked male straining beneath her and smiled. She might be a siren, but she led males not to disaster, but to pleasure greater than many of them had ever known. And this one wouldn’t forget her any time soon.

“Ah, gods,” he groaned, his hands clamped on her hips as she rode him with sinuous abandon, letting his cock slide nearly out of her before enveloping it once again. His pleasure-glazed eyes were locked with hers. Sweat soaked his short dark hair and gleamed on his skin, enhancing the play of muscle beneath. “That’s so damn good! You are…unbelievable.”

Since he was approaching his third orgasm, she chose to believe him. She herself was far ahead of that number. She supposed this would be his last effort—human males were lucky to be able to achieve arousal more than twice in such a short time.

She rose and fell on him, closing her eyes to enjoy the sensation of the shaft working inside her, stroking her tight channel. Tipping back her head, she lifted her arms and twined them behind her head, knowing that the motion thrust her breasts out more prominently.

Her com-link beeped a tiny warning in her ear. She ignored it as the pilot surged upward, filling his hands with her breasts and suckling greedily on her nipples.

“Mmm, yes. Like that.” The pleasure began to tighten inside her, and she rode harder, feeling her orgasm begin.

Her com-link beeped again. Protocol demanded that whoever was paging her wait for an answer before opening a holo-vid link. She hoped for their sake they abided by the rules, because any commander who opened a link now was going to get an eyeful.