The Star Thief (29 page)

He’d lied to them about everything.

She needed to get back to the ship and set up a holo call. “I might know someone who can help us, but we need to go. Now.” She turned to Wall. “Thank you for your help on this. I owe you.”

“Yes, you do. But I’m always glad to help a master at work. I’m sure we’ll meet again, Miss Carrizal.” He pulled the slide from his microscope. “I’m assuming you don’t want this floating around?”

“I’m sure you took your own sample, but yes, I’ll dispose of the rest of this.” She slipped the slide into her pocket. She had no illusions as to Wall’s trustworthiness; she would have kept a sample herself if she’d been in his position. One never knew when something like that might come in handy.

Wall shook her hand, his monstrous paw swallowing her own small fingers. “Good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Outside, Renna headed for the hospital. Viktis strode to catch up with her, a frown pulling at his lips. “What’s going on? What else do you know that you’re not telling me?”

She shook her head. “Not here. I need to talk to Finn and Major Larson.”

“Then I’m going with you. I’m not going to be cut out of getting my revenge.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Viktis. This is the military we’re talking about. They’re not exactly fans of yours. Or mine, for that matter.”

“The feeling is mutual. But none-the-less, I’m coming with you.”

TWENTY-FIVE

Renna knocked at Finn’s door before pushing it open. Her eyes widened as he turned away from the window where he’d been standing to face her. The bruise on his jaw was nothing more than faintly darkened skin now, and his ribs were obviously on their way to being healed. The accelerated healing regimen had worked.

“You’re up! That was fast. How are you feeling?” she asked.

Finn’s welcoming smile slid from his face as Viktis pushed his way into the room “I was better until he showed up.” Finn gritted his teeth. “What the hell are you doing, Renna?”

She swallowed and glanced between the two men. One at a time, she could deal with, but the two of them together in the same room made the walls start to close in on her. “Viktis has been helping me. One of his contacts analyzed the drug we found on Banos Prime. I have a feeling Aldani knows more about this than he let on.”

Viktis slouched against the doorframe and crossed his powerful arms. “I’m just along for the ride. And to avenge the murder of my crew. Don’t mind me.”

Finn ignored him, turning to Renna with his cold blue eyes. “Does the major know about this?”

“Not yet. I just found out myself. But there’s something more. Sergeant Gheewala stopped me this morning. She heard something out in space. Something she couldn’t identify and it’s coming this way.”

Finn stopped pacing. “We need to warn Larson. If they attack this planet…”

“I had Gheewala tell the crew to prep for takeoff. I know you’ll be in the hospital a few more days, but I wanted them to be ready. Just in case.”

He nodded. “I think that’s wise. I’ll send for Larson, and we can debrief together. Without your…friend.” Finn paused and for the first time looked directly at Viktis. A muscle jumped in his jaw before he said, “I’m sure he won’t mind waiting in the jail down the street.”

“Clever. I can see why Renna’s so hung up on you,” Viktis said with a sneer.

Finn raised an eyebrow as heat flooded her face. Damn Viktis. If he wasn’t trying to kill her, he was acting like a three-year-old boy.

And the fact that she’d made her interest in Finn obvious enough that Viktis had seen it… What the hell had she been thinking?

Renna cleared her throat. “Enough. We have more important things to worry about than who’s got the bigger dick. Viktis, get down to the hangar and see if they can use your help. I’ll comm Keva and let her know you’re coming so she doesn’t shoot you.”

Viktis bowed. “Your wish is my command.” As he straightened, he winked at her. “And I mean that in every way possible,” he added before disappearing down the corridor.

Renna rolled her eyes and fought another flush of heat to her cheeks. He must have been seriously put out that she hadn’t fallen into bed with him at his request. Men were the same no matter what species.

“Nice to see some things don’t change,” Finn said. He had that haughty tone back in his voice. She could practically see him donning his holier-than-thou armor.

She’d be damned if she let him go back to treating her like that.

“Viktis and I have an understanding. When he’s not trying to kill me or sleep with me, he’s a decent guy. I think he can help us with this.”

“Help you, maybe. I don’t want anything from a dirty merc who kidnaps children.” Finn crossed his arms and turned back to look out the window.

Renna studied the stiff line of his spine, the clench of his strong jaw. Something else was going on here. Could he be jealous of Viktis?

With a growl, Finn spun around to face her. His whole body was coiled like one big spring, and in two steps, he was close enough to grab her arms. He shook her slightly, forcing her to look up at him. “Seeing you standing there with him, with that smirk on your face—it all came rushing back. The facility, the beating. The
kiss
.”

His fingers curled into the soft skin of her biceps. She’d have bruises tomorrow. But she couldn’t face the blazing questions in his eyes, so she looked away. Lifted her shoulders in a shrug. She wasn’t ready to admit the truth, so she said, “Because you were there? Because we both needed comfort?”

“Liar.”

The word was barely a whisper, and her gaze snapped back to his like a magnet.

“You wanted me. As much as I wanted you. I felt it.” He challenged her with his cold stare—with the twinge of hurt she could read in the furrow between his brows. But why did he care? It was just a kiss.

She tilted her chin in defiance. “So what if I did? What does it matter?”

His eyes flashed as he yanked her to his chest. Beneath her fingers, his heart thundered, echoing the racing of her own. The heat from his body curled around her until her skin tingled.

“It matters,” he growled, before crushing his lips to hers.

His touch lit a fuse that burst into flame, all the untamed desire building up inside her erupting in a coil of heat and longing. She instantly responded, deepening the kiss, stroking his tongue with hers. He buried his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer until they were pressed together as tightly as two people could get with clothes on. This was no gentle kiss for an injured man. This was a devouring—a pent-up release that had been too long in coming.

Her hands curled into the fabric of his shirt as their tongues tangled and warred. Heat pooled in her belly. What the hell had this man done to her? She’d never wanted someone as much as she wanted him. And from the feel of his hardness against her, he felt the same way.

Finn’s fingers stroked trails of heat across her collarbone, then slid lower, thumbs brushing against her already aching nipples. She moaned against his mouth and arched her back, trying to get closer to his touch.

He broke away from their kiss to stride to the door and lock it, and Renna took the brief reprieve to gasp for breath. Her whole body sang with sensation, and when Finn returned, he yanked her shirt over her head in one smooth move.

The cool hospital air sent her skin erupting into goose bumps, and she shivered before Finn pulled her back into his embrace. His mouth found hers again, hot and wet and wanting. Claiming her for his own.

Her hands gripped the back of his neck, pulling him closer. The silk of his hair slid between her fingers, thick and soft, and she clutched at his strong shoulders as his lips slid down her neck, tasting and licking. Setting her skin on fire.

Renna moaned as he pulled aside her bra so his tongue could swirl against her nipple, and her head fell back in pleasure. He teased and sucked until her knees trembled and all she could do was whisper, “Finn.”

He paused and looked up at her, his blue eyes dark with desire. That was all she needed. She grabbed his shoulders and tugged him to the bed. When he fell back against the pillows, she climbed on top of him, straddling his legs, yanking at his shirt. It slipped over his head, and she sat back to take in the ridged planes of his stomach. The scars marking him as a warrior. A hunter.

She smiled as he panted beneath her, his fingers digging into her hips. She could get used to seeing that every day.

“I don’t like that look in your eye,” Finn said after sucking in a breath.

“Smart man.” She leaned forward to capture his mouth in a kiss before stroking her tongue against the rough skin of his jaw. Then lower, to his neck. He tasted clean, like soap and something indescribably Finn. She inhaled deeply, letting his scent wash over her. Then she traveled lower, her tongue swirling over his nipple like he’d teased her.

Finn’s breath exploded out on a moan, his body bucking beneath her tongue as he buried his hands in her hair. “Renna,” he groaned.

White-hot need surged through her, zipping straight between her legs in a pool of wet heat. She sat up and struggled with the zipper of his pants, shifting her weight aside so she could tug them down. If she couldn’t have him right now, she was going to spontaneously combust.

She ran a hand down the velvety length of his erection, smiling with power as his head lolled back and he grunted in pleasure. Gods, this man was magnificent. Even better than she’d imagined.

She slipped out of her own pants, and he watched her silently. But this time she didn’t care about putting on a show or making him work for her. She wanted him. Now. Inside her. Seconds later, she was back on top of him.

He reached up and touched her face. “You sure?”

“You have no idea.” She’d wanted this from the day she’d met him. From even before she knew what this feeling meant. She positioned herself until she felt him pressed against her, then slid slowly down, feeling him stretch her. Fill her.

Finn’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he moaned again. “Oh my gods, Renna.” His hands gripped her hips as she began to move, sliding up and down, each stroke building the pressure at her center.

She glanced down to find him watching her, their eyes meeting in a jolt of electricity, shaking her to her core. Finn’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, and she arched her back, letting him slide even deeper. Her whole body quivered with the sensation of his hands on her skin, of the feel of him beneath her. She’d slept with plenty of men, but somehow, this was different.

Finn’s hands slid up her torso to cup her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples. A shot of pure pleasure made her whimper and press herself against him. “Do you like that?” he asked softly.

She nodded, and he sat up, bringing his lips to her breast, using his tongue to flick and suck her until she thought she’d explode beneath his touch. She rode him harder and harder, her hands tangling in his hair, pulling him to her, locking their bodies together.

Pleasure coiled tighter and tighter, until her skin felt like it was made of pure light, each touch more intense than the last. “Don’t stop,” she whispered against his hair.

Her fingers curled into his muscled shoulders, and her eyes drifted shut as the sensations built. Finn’s dusky skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, and his breath came in ragged gasps, hot against her skin. He tore his mouth away from her breath and claimed her lips for his own. Their tongues slid and stroked each other, mimicking their bodies’ motion.

Renna could feel him, deep inside, stretching her, filling her. And she wanted more. She wanted this to last forever. She rocked harder against him. A husky moan escaped his lips, setting Renna on fire.

They moved together faster, more urgently. Finn’s whole body tensed beneath her, and he slid his fingers between them to touch her most sensitive spot.

Stars exploded in her vision. Heat and pleasure and release shattered her into a million tiny pieces. Two breaths later, Finn clutched her hips, jerking upward and driving into her one last time before he came with a moan.

He sank back onto the bed, and Renna fell onto his chest, panting as his arms came around her. His heart thundered beneath her ear, and she could hear the air moving into his lungs as he gasped for breath himself.

She let her eyes drift closed.

“I’ve missed you,” Finn whispered against her hair.

Something warm and sweet twisted its way through her heart. “I missed you, too. I’m so glad you’re not dead.”

He chuckled, and the vibration of his chest against her ear sent goose bumps through her. His skin was warm beneath her cheek, and she snuggled in, tracing her fingers over the scar on his arm. “I’m assuming the hospital staff wouldn’t approve of all this exercise. Aren’t you supposed to take it easy for a few more days?”

“I think this was exactly what I needed.”

She raised her head to grin at him. “Well, it does release lots of endorphins. And they’re really good for you, right?”

He smoothed a piece of hair away from her face. “Definitely.”

There was that jolt again, as their eyes met. She felt naked and exposed, not just because she was lying on his chest, but because he seemed to see her. And she’d been hiding for so long.