In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) (14 page)

She stared blindly above. The stars in the
sky became a blur, like she was traveling at interstellar speed,
hurtling higher and higher.

Then there was no room for thoughts, only
space for all the raging emotions inside her to coalesce before
they exploded. She cried out, a strangled sound.

Zayn grabbed her, yanking her body into his.
He thrust inside her and she felt her body grip him, her spasms
milking him. He hammered into her in a frenzy.

“Can’t. Get. Enough. Of. You.” His words
came through gritted teeth. Another thrust and his body juddered.
He buried his face in her hair and they both hurtled over the dark
edge of pleasure together.

Ria didn’t know how much time had passed
before she could think again. They were both tangled together,
floating in the water, her head resting on his strong shoulder.
“We’re lucky we didn’t drown.”

“Would have been worth it.”

His deep voice rumbled through her and she
smiled. It’d be nice if they could just stay here, the two of them.
No Guild, no ghosts, no dangerous missions. She pressed a kiss to
his skin. “Maybe we could find a little mountain cabin and live
here on Diablo.”

He chuckled. “You want to turn permanent
cowgirl?”

No. She wanted to have this man by her side,
in her bed, in her life. She forced herself to laugh. “Of course
not. We have a Guild to outsmart and then the galaxy is my
oyster.”

He didn’t say anything, but one of his hands
clenched in her hair. “After that, you can do whatever you want.” A
beat of silence. “We both need some sleep. Oh, and I did bring a
lizard home for dinner. Might have to be a midnight snack.”

“We’ll need to dig a fire pit, it helps hide
the flames,” Ria said. “Old assassin trick to avoid detection.”

“I look forward to learning more of your
tricks.”

They dug the pit, started a fire and dined
on roasted lizard. Then they made love in the firelight, Ria moving
above him, watching every flicker of pleasure on his face.

Zayn’s hands slid up to cup her breasts, his
hips thrusting upward every time she thrust down, lodging him deep
inside her. “You’re a damn fine rider after all, cowgirl.”

Ria came again with laughter on her lips,
wishing the dawn would never arrive.

***

Zayn pulled the horse to a stop at the peak
of the hill. “There’s Bedlam. Tweedle-dee and Dumb didn’t take us
too far away.”

The small town lay nestled on the plain
below. A small cloud of dust rose above it and the metal roofs of
the buildings glinted in the morning sun.

“Let’s go find Lala,” Ria said from in front
of Zayn. “And get off this horse.” She shifted for about the
hundredth time. She was so sore.

Zayn smiled. “I’m trying to have sympathy
for you.” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “But since we both
had such a damned good time making you ache, I’m having trouble
drumming up more than a twinge of guilt.”

“Yeah, well, you owe me a massage,
flyboy.”

He tugged her back against him. “Whatever
the lady wants. It’ll be no trouble for me to strip your clothes
off, lay you back on my bunk on the
Infinitas
and caress you
all over.”

The image was so clear in her head and had
desire curling in her belly. She turned her head, battling a smile.
“Such sacrifice.”

“For you, anything.”

Her smile slipped and she just watched him.
She saw discomfort crawl across his face.

“I mean, since I helped make you sore, it’s
the least I can do.”

“Of course. Now, let’s find Lala and avoid
any more cowboys who want to kidnap us, sell us to miners or blow
us up.”

They left the horse tethered at the edge of
town. “The saloon’ll be the best place for information.” Zayn
flashed her a grin. “And I wouldn’t mind a cold ale.”

Ria rolled her eyes. “Men are all the same,
no matter where they’re from.” She took a step in the direction of
the saloon.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm and spun her
around, sending her bouncing up against a hard chest. Zayn dipped
his head, his lips tickling her ear. “We aren’t the same. Us space
jocks, we have that little something that makes us different.” He
nipped her ear. “And you haven’t ever met a man like me.”

Ria shivered. They’d had each other three
times during the night, and still desire fired inside her like a
supernova. “We’ll see, Phoenix. We’ll see.”

He let her go with a predatory grin that lit
up his face. “I like a challenge.”

She just bet he did. She wondered, if she
did manage to escape the Guild with her life, would she also escape
Zayn Phoenix with her heart and body unscathed.

They walked side-by-side to the large
building that housed the saloon. Sloe-eyed girls lounged on the
upstairs balcony smoking long thin cigarettes, watching them with
heavy-lidded curiosity.

Zayn pushed opened the swinging doors and
Ria followed him inside.

An honest-to-God Pianola sat against the
wall, playing a cheerful, tinny tune. It was made of wood and she
suspected there wasn’t a computer inside but old-fashioned
pneumatics. The jaunty music filled a room that was crowded with
cowboys of all shapes and sizes. A long, wooden bar ran the length
of one wall and two bartenders—one bear of man with a bright-red
bow tie and a tiny flame-haired woman—worked hard serving frothing
ales and amber liquid in glasses of questionable cleanliness.

A few women circled the room, pausing here
and there to laugh with customers and lean over a shoulder to offer
unobstructed views of generous cleavage. There was no doubt to
their occupation. Their outfits consisted of dresses in gaudy,
bright colors, long in back and cut high in front to display bare
legs or silk stockings. Tight corsets cinched in tiny waists and
accentuated clearly enhanced breasts.

Ria felt a stab of pity for them. She
studied one girl, who looked so incredibly young, sporting too much
makeup, artificially-blonde hair piled high on her head, and jaded
eyes. How sad to have no other options but to sell your body.

Ria followed Zayn to the bar, taking the
opportunity to admire the back view of him in his jeans. The man
was built long and lean and she liked it far too much.

He leaned against the bar and waved a hand
at the bartender. The huge man lumbered over. “Whisky or ale? We
take gold or silver, no e-creds.”

“We’ll take two ales.” Zayn slapped two gold
coins on the scarred bar. “And you if can tell the location of a
certain young explosives expert, there’s more coin for you.”

The man slid the other coins off the bar,
filled two glasses from the pump and set them on the bar with a
clunk. “I wouldn’t have much business if I was known for opening my
mouth when I shouldn’t.” He nodded his head toward the center of
the room. “Plenty of others here happy to take your coin for
opening their traps.”

Zayn nodded and took a sip of his ale. Ria
watched his throat work and hastily picked up her own drink.
Alcohol wasn’t something she indulged in often.

“Damn, that’s good.” He took another
sip.

Ria followed suit, then coughed. “It’s
horrible.”

“Homemade, a little rough around the edges.”
Zayn rubbed the condensation off his glass, his gaze scanning the
room. “But it has a certain charm.”

Just like the man drinking it.

“Come on, Ms. Assassin. Let’s find someone
who knows where Lastite Lala likes to hang out.”

They circled the room, wary gazes following
their progress. Ria studied the occupants. “Drunk, happy crowd in
the corner might be willing to help.”

Zayn studied them. “Maybe.” He took another
step when someone stepped in front of him cutting off his path.

“Looking for something, sugar?” the woman
purred.

A waft of perfume hit Ria and made her eyes
water. The woman had an impossibly thin waist and huge breasts
barely contained by her red gown. Ria rolled her eyes. “We’re
fine.”

The woman’s dark eyes flicked to her.
“Honey, I’m sure the man can talk for himself.” The woman reached
out and ran a finger down the buttons of Zayn’s shirt.

Ria arched a brow. “Yes, he can. And I can
talk fine too, along with a whole lot of other things I can do.”
Ria leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Like killing people in a
thousand different ways.”

The woman’s eyes widened.

“I like seeing you jealous,” Zayn
whispered.

“I am
not
jealous.”

“Betty, sweetheart, Jason Garrett just
walked in, why don’t you go make him feel welcome?” Another woman,
this one in an emerald-green dress, nudged the red-dressed one
away. “We don’t need any bloodshed here. My girls mean well and I
don’t like seeing them hurt.”

The newcomer had a whisky-deep voice and
stunning, dark looks. Ria wasn’t happy to see that this woman was
probably around Ria’s age and exceptionally beautiful. Her slim but
curvy figure was accented to perfection by her corset and her dark
hair was loose in gypsy curls. Her makeup was discreet, kohl
accenting unique silver eyes.

Her intelligent gaze drifted over Ria and
settled on Zayn. “You aren’t a cowboy.”

Zayn smiled. “Not usually.”

The woman tilted her head. “My name’s
Ursalla. I run the business…upstairs.” She flicked some hair back
over one creamy shoulder.

Ria watched Zayn watch the move. Was he
really attracted to a woman who sold herself to the highest bidder?
Ria felt a rush of something hot and ugly.

“Let me guess…” Ursalla took her time,
letting her gaze linger over every inch of Zayn. “You strike me as
a man who likes to go fast. Pilot.” Her red-lipped smile widened.
“I like it fast, too.”

“You’re good,” he said.

“Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet. But I’d
be happy to show you.”

Ria almost choked. When Zayn’s smile grew,
she wanted to reach out and hit him.

“You come in here looking for something, Mr.
Not-a-Cowboy?” Ursalla asked.

Zayn tipped his hat up. “Most
definitely.”

“Well, I’d offer to give it and much, much
more, but—” her silver eyes flicked to Ria “—I think your lady
might take a swing at me.”

Zayn eyed Ria, that stupid smile still in
place. “Nah. She’s more likely to sneak into your room at night and
slit your throat.”

Ursalla looked taken aback for a second but
quickly regained her composure. “Well then. You want to tell me
what you need, if it isn’t a fast, sweaty ride to heaven?”

He slapped a hand to his chest and this time
Ria smacked him in the shoulder. She looked at the other woman.
“We’re trying to find where Lastite Lala lives.”

Usralla’s thin brows rose. She reached under
the ruffles of her skirt and pulled out a slim metal container,
withdrew a cigarette. A man walking past stumbled over himself to
light it for her. She offered him a brilliant smile, then blew a
cloud of smoke into the air. “I suggest you leave Lala alone.”

“We can pay—”

“I don’t want your money. Lala’s dangerous,
no doubt about that, but what most people forget is that she’s a
child.”

“We don’t plan to hurt her,” Zayn said.
“This is a life or death situation and only she can help us.”

Another puff of smoke. “I heard you helped
her out with the Baker brothers yesterday.”

“We might even be able to help her,” Ria
added. “Get her off this rock.”

“This
rock
is a home to many. It’s
the only refuge Lala’s ever had.” Ursalla gazed around the
room.

Ria knew the woman had noted the location of
all her girls and what they were doing.

Ursalla pinned them with a hard look. “You
promise me you won’t hurt her?”

Ria and Zayn nodded.

“Fine. She lives in an abandoned mine on top
of Nitro Hill. Just outside town to the east.”

Zayn nodded. “Thank you.”

Ursalla held out a smooth, milk-white palm.
“I’ll take the payment now.”

Ria frowned. “I thought you didn’t want the
money?”

“A girl can never have enough gold.”

Zayn handed over some gold coins with a
grin. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. And if you ever ditch
Ms. Snarly and Dangerous, come track me down.” She blew him a kiss.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”

Ria gripped Zayn’s arm and dragged him back
into the street. “I can’t believe you. You still have my scent all
over you and here you are all smiles for that…woman.” Ria wasn’t
going to lower herself to name-calling. But the hard kernel of
emotion inside her, one she didn’t quite recognize, was egging her
on. “Why don’t you just drag her upstairs? Then I won’t have to
watch you drooling and grinning like an idiot—”

The shove slammed her up against the wall of
the saloon. A big, male body crowded her in, pressing her breasts
hard to his chest.

“I’m not interested in Ursalla.”

Ria turned her head to the side. “Could have
fooled me.”

His hands slid up her sides, then continued
up to cup her cheeks. He turned her head, forced her to look at
him. “I was being nice so we’d get our information. That’s all.” He
leaned down and nipped at her lips. “There is only one woman I
can’t stop thinking about.”

Suddenly Ria was hot. Her skin flushed and
her insides melted. God, she was easy.

“Only one woman I want to kiss and stroke
and touch.” He kissed her, a long drugging kiss that left her head
reeling. “Only one woman whose cries I want to hear in my ear when
I slide myself inside her.”

“Zayn.” A husky whisper. Now she felt like
an idiot.

He nipped her lips again before he stepped
back. “Come on, let’s go climb Nitro Hill, get our girl and get off
this rock.”

It was a short ride to Nitro Hill. The midday
sun was now blazing and Zayn felt sweat sliding down the back of
his shirt. He and Ria climbed to the top of the rocky hill, then
dismounted. They found the cavernous entrance to the old mine near
the top. A hand painted sign declared “No Trespassers or I’ll blow
your ass up!”