Chapter 14 #2
The cave echoed with the hard slap of flesh and their husky breathing. Small mewling cries ripped from her throat, and she wondered if they could stay in this hot, frantic moment forever. It was the first time she’d ever wanted to stay lost in the present.
He released one of her arms and she felt his hand skim her belly, sliding between their bodies. When he thumbed her clit, her hips thrust forward.
Pleasure rolled her eyes back in her head. He didn’t slow his thrusts, the hard slide of his cock stretching her, filling her. The rough caress of his thumb working her into a frenzy.
“Dathan!” She was losing her grip. Sliding toward the deep abyss of pleasure she worried only he could ever take her. Her hand slid up his arm, fingering his tattoo.
He thrust into her again, once, twice. They both exploded together, their cries of completion mingling around them.
Eos’ entire body went lax, but he had enough strength to catch her and lower them both to the ground.
He pressed his back against the wall and pulled her in tight to his chest. As she tried to get her brain firing, she felt his hand stroking the mehndi on her shoulder blade. A familiar, soothing caress.
She closed her eyes. It was too easy to imagine them together like this. On other digs, other moons, in other ruins.
“I think the storm’s passing.” His deep voice was loud in the hushed silence.
She still heard the wind, but he was right, now it was just a purr to its previous howl.
“We’d better get dressed.” He squeezed her hip. “Don’t want sand in delicate places.” He pulled her to her feet.
“I’m going to start work here in the cavern. Document the artifacts.” She reached for her trousers and dressed. Then she pulled her hair back from her face and re-tied it.
“A good astro-archeologist would never abandon her quadrant search to hit the sweet spot.”
She heard his quiet amusement and looked at his face. “Maybe some of your ways are rubbing off on me.” She drew in a breath. “I’m not here on Institute business. I think I should be able to bend some rules.” Like having hot sex in the middle of her dig.
“Yep, my bad habits are definitely rubbing off on you.” He reached out to touch her hair but pulled back at the last minute. “I’m going to go check in with my brothers. Need anything?”
She shook her head. “No.”
He pulled his trousers up his long legs, then his shirt over taut muscles. She was sorry to see all that glorious male chest covered.
It would be beyond idiotic to need this man. She pressed a palm to her chest. She guessed that made her an idiot.
She wanted Dathan Phoenix.
For more than one adventure. She wanted him in her life
Eos was very afraid she was setting herself up for a broken heart.
She turned her back on him. “I’ll get to work.”
There was silence and she thought he’d gone. Then she heard a quiet sigh followed by retreating footsteps. She stared at the amazing Terran artifacts on the wall.
And wondered why she didn’t feel any excitement.
Dathan skidded down the sand dune. The storm was now a large red cloud to the west. It was still a little hazy but beyond the ruins he saw the outline of the Infinitas, like a dark beacon.
His time with Eos had left him feeling…itchy. The woman drove him nuts, in all kinds of ways.
He scraped a hand through his hair. She’d be gone soon. They’d find the Mona Lisa, she’d get her big promotion and live up to her mother’s memory. Then he could sell the painting, pocket his share, and move onto the next adventure.
Maybe a hunt on Taurus V. Or Malacca. Yeah, the Palatine Syndicate had been after him for ages to do a job there. Dangerous and very, very risky. But maybe that was what he needed.
But instead of the usual burn of exhilaration, he felt strangely unsettled.
He neared the ship, expecting to see his brothers waiting. But there was no welcome party.
The main cargo doors to the ship were open. The eerie silence was about as deafening as the roar of the storm had been.
Then he saw the body.
Fuck. He ran, his heart lodged in his throat. Zayn lay facedown on the sand. Blood stained the back of his head.
“Zayn?” Dathan skidded to a stop and knelt beside his brother. With frantic hands, he pressed two fingers to his brother’s throat.
A strong, steady thrum of a pulse.
Dathan sagged. He studied the blood and glanced at the side of the ramp. He swiped a finger across the metal and red streaked his skin.
Z was as fleet-footed as a Zerzuran gazelle. No way he’d slip on his own damn ship.
Then he saw the mark on the back of Zayn’s neck. A tiny black burn from a Tase stunner.
Jumping up, he drew his thermal carbine from his belt and raced into the ship. There wasn’t a single noise. He crept up to a wall-mounted panel and touched the screen. “BEll?”
No response.
He checked the main cabin and cockpit. Empty. Where the hell was Nik?
He searched all the individual cabins and found his older brother in his bedroom.
Alive and spitting mad.
Niklas was trussed up like a husband on Domina. Tied to a chair, his shirt was missing, a gag covered his mouth, and he had some scratches down his chest.
With a curse, Dathan ripped the gag off and went to work on the plas-ties. “You okay?”
“I am going to fucking chain Nera Darc up and teach her some respect.”
Dathan raised a brow at his brother’s acidic tone. It took a lot to get his big bro riled. “She didn’t hurt you.”
A moment’s silence. “No.”
The ropes fell away. “Well, Z’s unconscious on the cargo ramp. She zapped him and he must have hit his head.”
“I’ll take care of him.” Nik grabbed his arm. “Dath, you need to get to Eos.”
He froze. “What?”
“She went after Eos.”
Dathan whirled and ran. He flew out of the ship, over the sand, and sprinted through the streets until he reached the cavern entrance. His lungs were burning. “Eos!”
She rose from a crouch on the other side of the cavern. A pale blur in the shadows. “What is it?”
He halted. “You’re okay? Darc hasn’t been here?” He scanned the cavern.
She shook her head. “No. I’ve been working.”
Her stilted speech made him wonder if she was mad at him. “You’re still angry about before.”
She smiled. “I’m not angry.”
Something was off. The hair on the back of his neck rose. He stepped closer and studied her face. Same high cheekbones, dusky skin, and eyes like beaten gold.
“Why were you angry before, Eos?”
She blinked again, a small frown pinching her lips. “I’m not angry.”
“We fought. About the artifacts.”
The smile came back. “No reason to fight. I need to get back to work.”
He snatched the smartphone off the shelf. “You okay if I take this?”
“Sure.”
His stomach hardened and as he watched, her image wavered. No. He turned, gaze searching the cavern. He saw a faint glow on the underside of a shelf. Snatching up the small device, he pressed the red button. Eos’ image flickered and disappeared.
A damn hologram. He felt sick. He crushed the microprojector in his palm.
Then he grabbed his Sync. “Nik? Darc has Eos, I don’t know where she is.”
The sick feeling spread as he stepped onto the empty street.
He had to find her.