Drop Zone

Spaceport: Drop Zone Fiona Jayde All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2008 Fiona Jayde

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ISBN: 978-1-59596-621-6

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Editor: Chrissie Henderson

Cover Artist: Reneé George

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Spaceport: Drop Zone Fiona Jayde Roen Decks gave up life as a space pirate to mine uralium -- the red ore of Adana’s asteroids which can be turned into fuel. His enhanced senses ensure him of success, allowing him a sensitivity to his environment. And when he meets Kamura Shard, his enhanced senses drive him mad from the potent, rich scent of her arousal. Except Kam Shard turns out to be his supply runner -- the one responsible for the suspicious string of accidents that undermine his mining operation. And when she shows up at his ship, livid to be accused of sabotaging equipment to ensure repeat customers, Decks lets her join his mining crew to repay the damage she’d caused. He needs to keep his hands off her. But with her scent teasing his senses, Decks isn’t sure he’ll be able to resist.

Chapter One Kam asked for strong, she just didn’t expect to burn off layers of her stomach lining. There was a certain charm to the Vitali, once she was able to taste again. That first swallow scorcher her throat, but afterward she could appreciate that sweet sharp taste. Gingerly, Kam took more into her mouth, held it a second before swallowing. Inside the tumbler, it looked like water. Inside her mouth it smoldered and chilled and tasted bitter and exotic mixed with just a hint of reckless. Exactly how she felt tonight. Haze -- that’s what they called this place. A bar for every roughneck in the sector, with metal floors and shady characters. A few short steps away, a woman with intricate tattoos across her face slid into a dim booth and raised the privacy screen with a pale hand tipped with lethal looking blue tinged nails. Even in the dark light, Kam could see the calculating grin on those blue lips. Beyond the priv-booth, a few more interesting characters sat around an octagonal table, each holding a device in their hands. Cards probably, judging from the shiny chips piled in the middle. Maybe she’d choose one of them tonight -- maybe the one who sat with his booted feet propped casually on the table, leaning back, the card device held loosely in a wide long-fingered hand. As if he sensed her watching, he turned his head to aim killer blue eyes right at her. Kam simply stared back. He had dark hair that waved down to his shoulders, a stubborn chin, lean cheeks, and a hint of stubble that just added to the mystery of him. A firm full mouth. Gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to glow even in these dirty lights. He raised an eyebrow, nodded just slightly before turning back. Dismissing her.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

-6-

Him, definitely, Kam thought, and took another sip of Vitali. She’d spent too many hours cooped up in her Wasp on this supply run. A man wouldn’t hesitate to make a pit stop -- and just like one, she took time for a drink and possibly a fuck here at ’Port Adana. Unlike a man, she had specifically scheduled to arrive early to give herself that time. They said that God was in the details. And she was damned good at her job. She wasn’t worried about roughnecks here -- not with the enhancements in her arms and legs. They were civilian, but they would do in most cases. Most women would have chosen to enhance their looks. Kamura Shard made sure she’d be able to handle herself even at a dive like this one. With one last sip, she looked again at the one sporting the eyes. Possibly enhancements, but due to his casual loose manner, she didn’t think so. This man didn’t spend time worrying about his looks. Maybe she wasn’t the best looking here, but she wouldn’t demand credits for an hour of sex. He looked at her just then, a long dissecting stare that she held even as her heartbeat quickened. He raised his eyebrows, nodded to her again. Didn’t smile, just watched her for another second before returning to his game. Leaning back, Kam watched him openly, knowing he was aware of her staring. Somehow it made it more exciting. She’d never been this bold, openly engaging a man who looked just dangerous enough to make it thrilling. She could take care of herself if things got rough. In the meantime, she’d simply enjoy the possibility. She had until tomorrow, and then another long and silent run. She liked the change in pace, liked alternating silence with the noise and crowds. Liked haggling with her contacts to get the best damned price, liked to just huddle in her Wasp somewhere in space where no one could find her. Tonight she wanted skin and sweat and crazy sex, and there was no reason why she couldn’t get it.

***

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

-7-

The woman just kept watching him -- with enough intensity he nearly lost his focus on the game. Even in the dim and dirty light, Roen could see the widened pupils in those exotic amber eyes. She was considering sex -- and once he’d gotten close enough, he would be able to confirm it by her scent. He’d been enhanced for sensitivity to his environment -- a feature just as useful now as during his not quite legal days. Back then, he used his senses to discern if a client was about to stiff him, if there was intent to take without pay. Smuggling was a profitable game -- until that pesky thing called a conscience appeared. Those same damned senses couldn’t ignore the black despair scent of the mining slaves. But it was done, and he wouldn’t think of it right at this moment. He didn’t know which Dollavera brother he was playing with, but at least this one appeared calm -- or at least lazy enough to take humor in the game regardless of the outcome. The man sitting across from him didn’t see fit to exchange names, and appeared twitchy about the long and vicious scar that split his cheek. His scent was too dark to ignore, but then again, there was something fun about provoking one who was obviously looking for a fight. And to his left was Dave the bartender, who shouldn’t have been playing while on shift, but in Haze, as long as drinks came at some point, nobody gave a flying blyat. The scent was that of concentration, with a good dollop of apprehension under it, which made Roen put more chips onto the table to increase the bet. Might as well use the senses he’d paid for. The woman made him wonder. He couldn’t get her scent -- not until she was closer. For now, he was stuck discerning her the old fashioned way. Eye contact and her body language. Her gaze boldly assessed him. A prostitute perhaps -- although she didn’t dress like one, didn’t paint herself up with erotic markings. She didn’t seem to sweep the room for the best mark, just focused those killer gold eyes on him while she sipped her drink.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

-8-

That intense gaze wouldn’t let him concentrate. When he looked back at her, she licked her lips. Roen was sure it had been deliberate, but his cock twitched regardless. If she was in a mood to fuck, she’d have to wait until after the game. “Your call, Cheeks.” “He doesn’t have the credits.” Dollavera lazily tipped back an Ouzi. The woman just kept looking at him, her openly assessing gaze bold on a face both delicate and strong. High, snooty cheekbones and a stubborn chin, lush lips, either naturally pink or enhanced with something that made them look that way. A shiny cap of dark short hair that somehow made him think of pixies. A lush curved body packed into a drab unisuit, the collar opened just enough to tantalize with a sweet glimpse of flesh. “Let’s see your cards, sukin sin.” Cheeks threw his digicard on the table, came close to splitting his scar in what was supposed to be a feral grin. Dollavera shrugged and threw his digicard down. Dave did the same. Roen looked down. “Looks like the ladies win.” And they were grinning at him from the winning spread, five Zaritsas surrounding a single Deux. “Blyat!” The table crashed, credits went flying. Cheeks lunged, fists first, as drinks smashed onto the smooth floor, the stench of mixing alcohol too acrid for Roen’s nostrils. Sidestep, sweep. A simple fist under a jaw worked miracles to get Cheeks into a calmer disposition. And still the woman watched him, a slight smile on her lips. Even as Roen flexed his hand, he wondered how they’d feel wrapped around his cock. A moment later Cheeks got up for round two. This time security took over -headed by a woman who could probably beat the shit out of Cheeks if he burped wrong. Battle ’borg from the looks of her -- not to be messed with. If Cheeks wanted a fight, this one would probably oblige him with a smile. Through it, his mystery woman watched him, her gaze steady, eyebrows raised. This game of cards was over. “Take the damage out of my winnings.” He spoke to Dave yet held her gaze, daring her to break the contact first. Behind him, security led Cheeks away.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

-9-

Time to dance. Roen took those few short steps that brought him closer to her, inhaled her spicy sweet aroma that somehow didn’t reek of chemicals and perfumes. Just her, aroused and reckless. “You like rough?” She didn’t lower her head, just put her empty glass onto the table. That gold gaze challenged him. “I like hot.” A smooth, low voice, calmly edging on purring. He could’ve offered her another drink, attempted some semblance of conversation. Instead he leaned in closer, took another moment to appreciate her scent. If there was a time his senses sang, this would be it. He figured she’d lean back, put off by this blatant intrusion of her space. Instead those sweet lips parted, an invitation that Roen saw no reason to resist. He cupped her neck, felt the soft satin of it before taking her mouth, hot, rough, nearly brutal, a preview of sorts. A part of him wanted to scare her. A part of him wanted to see how far she’d go as he deepened the kiss, nearly lost himself in the heat and mystery that was her mouth. Her scent nearly floored him. Fighting to keep his hands off her -- for now -- he broke the kiss. “Your name?” That stubborn chin went up. “It doesn’t matter.” He smiled, a small jerk of his lips. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for her to follow, just knew from that rich spicy scent when she did. A quick look back showed a composed face, a calm, confident walk. And only from her scent did he know that she was creaming with arousal. For him. His cock was already rock-hard. Outside Haze he caught her by her waist, pushed her against the bulkhead, fit his body over hers. Waited to see how she’d react. Her eyes flared wide. Stars help him, but her scent got stronger. “You like it,” he murmured against her lips just before taking a good nip at that silky skin over her throat. “Like what?” she gasped, and tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 10 -

Already aching for her, Roen pushed his hips against her and pressed his cock into the junction of her thighs. “Rough. Hard. The thought of me fucking you… here. Anywhere I want.” If he could ever get drunk on a scent, this one would do it. Her breaths were short and rapid. “You always talk before you fuck?” He nipped at her again, licked a delicious path along her throat. “You didn’t tell me your name.” Her pulse beat wildly inside the hollow of her neck. “Kamura. Kam.” “Suits you,” he said and took her mouth again, liking the way her name -- and she -- slid over his tongue. “I want it rough, Kamura,” he ground out between the nips and licks along her jaw. “I figured.” A short gasp. “It’s Kam.” He pulled away before he fucked her outside Haze. “Kam, then,” he growled, and barely kept himself from ravishing that lush and swollen mouth. He wasn’t sure he’d stop. Her hand was hot and small inside his as he pulled her along the corridor. A time based room, a john, blyat, anything that would be private. “I have a room.” That smoky voice was low and breathless. “Where?” If he didn’t fuck her now, he’d burst with all that scent scraping at him with erotic promises. “Where?” “Mall level, standard sleeper.” Meaning there would be a bed. A horizontal surface. Fuck, the floor. He thought of fucking her on the floor, pushing himself hard into her, her thighs spread open, her neck arched. His cock pulsed heavily in appreciation. “Let’s go.” Her eyes were wide, her lips still parted. Her hand still trapped in his, he lifted it, trailed his lips over the tender skin of the inside of her wrist, thrilled himself by inhaling, deeply, of that aroused scent. “If we don’t go, I’ll fuck you here, now.” Her lips twitched even as her eyes melted to gold. “Let’s go.”

***

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 11 -

Reckless, hot and dangerous -- exactly how she wanted. He acted as if he would die if he didn’t fuck her, and yet as soon as he finally got her inside the SS, he nipped and sucked and licked her skin for what seemed to be endless shivering moments. She didn’t know his name, his rank, or his fucking serial number. And when he took her mouth again, the thought just spaced away. Her unisuit was off her shoulders -- she didn’t know how or when he’d managed to work it off her arms. His hands were on her skin, not rough as he had warned, just firm, tender and greedy, the calluses over his fingers sending thrilling shivers through her. She couldn’t breathe because his mouth was everywhere -- kissing her lips, nipping her neck, doing wickedly erotic things somewhere behind her ear. “Stars, you smell good.” He licked a path down her neck toward her breasts and trapped her hands when she tried to touch him. A sudden whirl and she was turned toward the wall, pressed up against it, aroused to no end even if that smell comment rang a small and ugly bell. His hands were on her neck, gathering her hair out of the way before he pressed his lips into her skin. The shivers rasping her body doubled. She needed him, right now, this second. Bracing her hands on the cool wall, Kam pushed herself against him, wiggled her butt against his iron-hard erection while he tormented her with nips and licks and kisses. With trembling hands she tugged the unisuit lower, felt his hands brush along her hips as he pushed down the suit and bared her. He was still clothed. She was now naked, facing away from him. Pure thrill electrified her skin. His lips and hands were sparks of pleasure, rough and soft, impatient and savoring. “Now. Fuck me now.” She pressed herself into him as if to make her point, and jumped at a soft playful slap of his palm against her butt.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 12 -

“You said you wanted hot.” His voice was low and harsh as strong callused hands urged her thighs to part. He knelt behind her, trailed pleasure’s fire down her spine, nipped at her buttocks, pressed his lips over the skin he’d just smacked. Long, blunt fingers caressed the tender inside of her thigh, with teasing movements going higher, until finally, slowly, he brushed against her swollen lips and slipped into her slick passage as if testing her. She pushed back, clenched against his finger with a groan. Then nothing but a long inhale. Kam waited, couldn’t breathe. One second. Two. Then he was in her, glorious and smooth and thick, a deep plunge that had her screaming. His hands cupped her breasts, pressing her hard against him. She just shivered around him, tightened herself around his cock -- except he didn’t move, just stayed buried in her, deep and hot. “Do it!” He pressed her hard against the wall; she felt his teeth scrape at her neck. A small stroke of his hips. Then nothing. “Damn you, fuck me!” His breath was hot and urgent in her ear. “Tell me you want it rough.” She couldn’t breathe enough to get out the words without gasping. “If you don’t fuck me now, you’ll see how much.” He laughed, a strained and somewhat painful sound. “Don’t want to hurt you.” Instead of answering she just pulled forward, pressed herself into the wall, then slammed into him with a sharp intake of breath, groaning as pleasure speared her. His answering groan was swift and low. His arms banded around her, encircling her with heat and strength and muscle. A stroke. Another. Harder. She braced herself against the wall, spread her thighs further, took each thrust he gave her, and shuddered with each one. Someone was screaming in her head, pleading for more, pleading for him to fuck her. He did, short hammering strokes she was powerless to stop. She couldn’t do anything but take him -- all of him. Pleasure and heat coiled somewhere in her belly and were stroked higher with each rub of his cock, winding her tighter, faster.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 13 -

His hands were on her stomach, pulling her onto him with each thrust of his hips, with each wet slap of his thighs hitting hers. That large hand on her belly moved until it found her clit, searing her with pleasure. His long and clever fingers circled that hard and swollen knot, swelling the pleasure in her until it burst into a mind shattering climax just as he pushed himself deep inside her and pulsed. Time stopped for a small moment. Air was liquid. Breaths were short. His arms were still around her. When she could think again, Kam wondered if it was about to get awkward. That’s when she felt him press his lips into her neck. “You all right?” His voice was gruff. His hold almost tender. “Fine.” If she had to, she could break out of his hold. Her enhancements were the civilian brand, nothing like the female battle ’borg’s she saw earlier. Nevertheless, they’d hold, even against the raw strength she could see in those muscled arms. Strange, but she wasn’t threatened by his strength or by his hold around her. “We never did get to a bed.” Kam chuckled. “Nope.” She was lifted, cradled, in a sensation that was both foreign and delightful. A few more seconds and she was dropped onto the cot which the brochure referred to as a bed. He squeezed in next to her. Maybe she didn’t want him here. Maybe she should’ve pushed him back, told him to go. Her plans didn’t include him staying. Except he pulled her into his arms, stuck his nose into her neck again and sniffed, and Kam was so damned warm and soft and loose she just decided, to hell with all of it. There wasn’t a way he could smell Kouri on her. She’d never see him again, anyway. She wasn’t meeting Roen Decks until oh eight hundred. For now, the least she could do was sleep.

Chapter Two The scent that had intoxicated him was faint now, still alluring, but not nearly as intense as it had been before he slept. He was asleep one second, fully alert the next. Kamura -- Kam -- was gone, taking away that weird intense need with her. He could think now, without the distraction of that rich scent of her arousal. It had to be the alcohol, although he never drank so much that he would lose control, or stop thinking of anything beyond the need of burying himself inside a tight, sweet-smelling body. And hers was prime, regardless of the scent. He got out of what had been laughingly called a bed, although he’d been able to sleep soundly with her under him. How she’d managed to get out without him waking, Roen didn’t know. Although, it was a good idea. No awkward morning-after scenes. His meeting with a supply runner was in about an hour. He could’ve sent LoReck to do it, except with only five tankards left, he didn’t have the room for error. After the last explosion with two tons of raw uralium going to shit, he wasn’t taking any chances. Enough explosions would get Allied Planets to consider investigations, and with investigations would come media. The agreement with AP had been to keep a low profile after that day his conscience had decided to wake up. He’d taken the mining slaves to AP and not their intended buyer -- and luckily dealt with a man who saw the gray inside the law. Get out of here and keep your head low. The merchant’s money was returned and he’d been on Adana since, mining the asteroids with a small crew, with luck and his enhanced senses proving invaluable in sniffing out the uralium deposits. Both AP and the smugglers stayed away from the

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 15 -

asteroids -- not many would fuck with him here. Nothing to fuck him up except his very own equipment. The faulty switches weren’t LoReck’s fault. Either a supplier had got greedy, or Shard had cultivated loyalty by fucking with the product and offering another run at discount. LoReck had purchased from him before, those last five tankards they had left were part of the previous shipment. The five that had blown up had been as well. Kamura’s fleeting scent tickled his senses as he used the small solar cleaning unit for himself and his clothing. It had to be the alcohol. No female he’d ever met had smelled this good. He made his way down to the hangar on Adana’s lower deck, still irritated because her scent wouldn’t leave him. People streamed by and food cart odors permeated the recycled air. And still she teased his senses. Keeping his pace brisk, Roen entered the Delta hangar bay and made his way to the Wasp that bore Shard’s markings -- red and black slashes over steel. Her scent found him first -- a low, straight to the gut punch that left him aching and aroused and pissed. Then she came out, and nearly collided with him as she hauled a fuel tankard that had to weigh as much as she did. Her gasp was soft, but he still heard it. Under the shocked expression, which she obviously tried to smooth, he smelled surprise, pleasure, some dread. And that same sweet scent of arousal that once again enticed him with its promise. He wouldn’t fall for it this time. “I thought Shard was a guy.” He watched her shove the tankard, aligning it with its twin. The gauges on them were still wrapped in protective clear foam -- either she went to the trouble to make it look new, or they actually were. She straightened, looked at him as if she didn’t know him. Roen squished the urge to back her up against her ship and kiss her until all he could smell was her arousal. “You thought wrong.”

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 16 -

An impassive face and creaming pussy. He wondered how she would react if she knew that he could figure out what she thought just by the changes in her scent. And right now, she was struggling not to show surprise, and not to think about coming under him. “I’m Decks.” She disappeared for a moment, came back with another tankard in her arms. When he made a slight move to help her, the cold look she threw at him stopped him dead in his tracks. “I’ll handle it.” She faced him after putting down the tank, kept her voice cold and even. “What happened doesn’t change the product or the price.” Now he understood the calm behind the recklessness; the false security that strength enhancers could and would protect you. A supply runner had to have the balls and strength to get in and out of any situation. She obviously had the balls. Strength could be bought -- and had been. If she was worried about him haggling prices, she was deeply mistaken. “As long as the product’s good, sweet thing.” Deliberately, he lowered his gaze on her body, noted the zipper pulled up to her neck, those breasts he didn’t get nearly enough of squished inside an ugly unisuit. “Ten percent above wholesale. And a commission standard.” He was a fool, an idiot, a fucking sukin sin. Because her scent was driving him insane, he didn’t check the equipment, simply nodded his agreement in his haste to escape her and this need to simply press her up against the Wasp and fuck the lust out of them both. Instead, he keyed in for the credit transfer on his wallet, watched as she turned around and walked into her Wasp, taking her scent with her, but leaving enough of it to mercilessly tease him.

*** Stupid to keep thinking about him. More than stupid, crazy to have fucked a client, but it was done and it was a waste of time thinking about it.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 17 -

She handled it, Kam told herself as she started to punch out of Aurora’s standard orbit after dropping off a shipment of dried pink-colored ice. She handled it just fine and didn’t freak out like she wanted to when her onenight stand turned out to be Roen Decks. Next time, ask for a guy’s damned name. At least she’d got the night of sex she’d been after and was now ready for another long and silent run through space. She relished the serenity of it. Long stretches of time with no one but herself, her own rules and her own schedule. All that scent nonsense was probably just pillow talk. There was no way he could sense the Kouri on her. She’d been assured the glands producing it had been suppressed. Kouri had been a legacy of her grandmother’s genetically bred scent designed to tease and seduce any damned male in sight. Damned handy for a professional companion. Too inconvenient for a runner whose job was to get in and out without attracting unneeded attention. Aurora was a pink and fluffy ball below her. The grav pushed her into the seat, a pressure she was used to, as she increased speed to get out of orbit. That’s when an incoming transmission beeped. Kam didn’t feel like pulling up a visual. “Shard.” “Five tankards and three gauges gone.” That impatient voice was still sexy as hell with that low, raspy undertone. “The other held. That’s ten tankards you’ve fucked up, as well as causing sick time for my men. You’re lucky they weren’t killed.” “I’d say they are the ones with luck.” She really didn’t feel like dealing with him. But that was personal. Kamura Shard delivered top grade products. Without that… Without that she had nothing. “Look, I understand you’re frustrated, but I assure you, the tankards are top grade. Your man inspected the first run, and --” “And you distracted me before I could inspect the second.” She wished she had turned on the visual now, to gauge his face to see how pissed he was. “Brilliant plan, to fuck a client into brain haze. I won’t forget that one.” “Look, Decks --”

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 18 -

“You owe me fifty Gs the way I see it. Plus your fee. I will expect it in another solar cycle, or I’ll make sure…” She really didn’t like threats. “You’ll go crying to ’Port Authority? You’ll have to prove it first.” “Relax, sweet thing.” She could almost hear that feral smirk. “Mining’s small, and treated uralium is vital. You can be sure I know enough places to drop a few good words into. And unlike you, I don’t fuck up my buyers.” The trans went dead.

*** “You’re positive she caused it?” LoReck stared out of the window, his posture stiff, his gaze on red rock off the bow. The mutilated tankards that were still too hot to be removed were small black dots on the bright glowing surface. At least the damned asteroid didn’t quake enough to shift the mapping of the caves and chasms. Rewiring would have been hell. “You got the first batch from her. I got the second.” Roen refused to let arousal come into this. Sexy or not, Kamura Shard had cost him time and money. At least, he’d ensure that she’d give back the money. “You could be off your mark.” LoReck glanced back at him, his eyes unreadable, his scent as well. The man had been with him since their smuggling days, and still Roen wondered about him simply because he couldn’t pick up his scent. The Odians were a hunter race, bred to conceal their scent from prey. Which made LoReck a perfect smuggler -- although the pale man seemed to take well to this lifestyle change of respectability. Adana -- just off the edge of AP space -- was perfect for that life. AP didn’t pursue him after he’d brought the slaves to them and not the illegal mining colony they were intended for. And since no good deed goes unpunished, he had been warned to keep himself respectable, otherwise they’d have no choice but to take him in as their laws demanded.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 19 -

The ten burned tankers weren’t a big deal in the scheme of things -- the asteroid didn’t change shape, no miners were lost. But if enough AP contracted miners got shafted -- if one would excuse the pun -- AP would poke their noses in to investigate, which blew this whole low profile thing to shreds. “Perhaps this is a sign.” LoReck turned away from the asteroid now, his pale face backlit by the orange glow. “We can make more profit leaving the crew here and returning to our standard mode of operations. Uralium could be more profitable in a less restricted market.” “I’ve thought of it.” Except at this point, Roen thought of the little pilot who owed him payback. “And?” Was there a note of expectation in the Odian’s voice? “I intend to keep a low profile as per agreement. Besides, I’m too old to get back into that life.” He wasn’t, not really. He still had contacts, favors, friends. But somehow, mining suited him -- the dust, the sweat, the satisfaction. After that slave incident, he lost the taste to smuggle. The AP warning was simply a convenient excuse. “If you say so.” LoReck didn’t talk much about his past, yet his large head and long limbed body indicated he had been born and raised in close to zero grav. Those shiny, nearly black eyes were blank as he turned to check on incoming beeping. “Speaking of low profile, you got a Wasp on our tail. Looks like it wants to dock.” “Transmission?” Roen had a feeling he knew who it might be. “Open.” Her voice came through, crisp, cool and calm. “Requesting perms to dock.” Arousal hit him again. Apparently it was enough to hear her breathing. Deliberately, Roen kept his voice insulting. “No need, sweet thing. I’m not looking for round two.” He heard a swift intake of breath and got dark satisfaction from it. “You’ll let me dock and we’ll talk about it.”

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 20 -

“And why will I do that?” Aside from simply taking in that scent again, watching her eyes go gold, and those brisk, efficient movements of her limbs. Irritably, he nearly ended the transmission. “Please.” And that was all it took.

*** She didn’t have any other choice. A shrill metallic groan filled the air as the Wasp’s belly brushed along Deck’s much larger ship. “You may proceed.” A coolly dangerous voice -- and damned if it didn’t sound sexy. She wasn’t here for sexy, though. She’d straighten out this mess and get the hell out of here. The embarrassment of facing him was a bonus. Inside the airlock, his face was shadowed, cold. She shivered looking at him, thinking the dim light in Haze didn’t do him justice. He belonged here, in space, with stars behind those massive shoulders. “Welcome aboard.” A mocking voice that pricked her unease and, damn it, made her belly clench a bit. “I’m sorry.” Stupid to start off with an apology, but it was done. “I had to talk to you.” “So talk.” He crossed his arms after he sealed the docking bay, cutting her off until he let her leave. “I didn’t touch the tankards.” “Right.” “I don’t have fifty Gs.” “And I care, why?” She nearly put a hand over his arm but jerked back before she could. “Look, even if you ruin me, you’re still out of equipment. And have lost time.” She’d thought about this on the flight over. Her rep was all she had, and she wasn’t losing it over some idiot who didn’t know the limits of the product.

Fiona Jayde

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“Your point?” “Let me be on your crew.” He frowned at her, but she kept on pushing before he could say anything. “I learn quickly, and I’ve got enough enhancements to take me through anything. I’ll recoup your loss and we’ll call it even.” And be done with it. “Sweet thing.” With strength that surprised her, Decks turned her toward the window so she could see the asteroid below, the glow of it painting both their reflections an eerie orange. “Mining is hard. Enhancement won’t do you much good in lower grav.” She couldn’t break out of his grip. “You really don’t want to fuck with me.” He wouldn’t let her move, those steel arms banding around her waist as he kept whispering into her ear. “Sabotaging equipment is a fucked-up way of getting repeat customers.” He inhaled deeply, as if savoring her scent. “I’ve told you, I did nothing to them.” “Even if I believed you” -- his voice was low and intimate into her ear -- “that means your dealer is blyat. Either way doesn’t work for me.” “I’m proposing a solution that will work.” “What you’re proposing is another fuck.” The words were harsh and soft. “You came here with that scent, knowing you could seduce me with it. You’re good, sweet thing, but not worth fifty Gs.” She moved. Didn’t think, didn’t rationalize. An elbow into his stomach should’ve been enough. It should’ve flattened him, sent him down to the floor, coughing and fighting for breath. Instead he stood and smiled, though he did let her go. Adrenaline flared up, and with it, heat. She shoved her hands into his shoulders, used all her enhanced strength to push him down. Except she went down with him, on top of him, rolled under him, fighting for breath, strength and sanity with his cock hard between her thighs, his weight pressing her down. His mouth was over hers, as if he couldn’t get enough.

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She didn’t know when the kiss changed from rough to sexy, when she kissed him back, when she looped her arms around his neck instead of fighting him. She simply knew she had to have him in her. Now.

Chapter Three Someone was screaming in his head to stop. He drowned in her scent, couldn’t get enough of her. Each tremor of her body, each shiver as he nipped and licked that sensitive spot just below her ear, the dark exotic taste of her. All of it permeated by the rich and spicy scent of her arousal that teased and assaulted all his senses. Sanity was a bright and vicious breath. “Nice try.” He wouldn’t get off her, partly because he didn’t want to, partly to show her that he could control them both without need tearing at him. Under him, she was breathing sharp and fast, those gold eyes lit with need. “You do smell good, but it still isn’t worth it.” He was a jerk, a complete asshole. But somehow he needed to control this greed for her. Her eyes flared to nearly black, as if he’d struck her. He now smelled something bitter on her, as if he’d actually hurt her. At least it let him breathe without visions of tearing through her suit and fucking her until they were both screaming. When he got up, she did the same, slowly, as if testing her body. Blyat, had he hurt her? He refused to entertain the thought. “You’re a real sukin sin.” A low, bitter voice that matched her scent. Arousal was gone, and for some reason he didn’t like it. Nevertheless, Roen schooled his body to relax, brushed off the need that gripped his muscles. “Can this be the ‘scent’ gig? You can’t smell Kouri on me. Did you research my background? Found a weakness you could use?” “Was that it?” He kept his voice nonchalant, while his thoughts raced. Kouri -famous for their companions -- women known to bewitch a man after a simple brush of

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their hand. He now knew why. He chuckled again, bitter and low. “My senses are genetically enhanced to be receptive to environment. Temperature, acidity. Scent.” He watched her as he said that last word. “I got it out of me.” The vulnerability in that harsh near whisper struck him in the gut. Roen refused to hear it. “Not enough. Back at Haze I smelled you cream for me. You would’ve let me take you then and there.” She closed her eyes, as if briefly hiding her soul from him. Then she was back, cool and impersonal and somehow brittle. “Fucking aside, I assure you I did not sabotage what I delivered. If you can smell me, as you say, then you can smell I’m telling the truth.” “Fucking aside,” he said the words with relish, grateful that he got her to change the topic, “I’m still in the loss. And you’ll make up for it.” She crossed her arms. “Which is what I’m proposing. Estimate the amount of uralium lost.” “Ten tons of raw, half of that processed.” “Then that’s what you’ll get back.” Her scent was still dark, heavy somehow. “If I agree, you won’t get preferential treatment. Mining ain’t easy, sweet thing.” He still couldn’t fathom why she was insisting on this. Maybe she didn’t have the credits. Maybe in her urge to get the better price she got screwed by a merchant. Maybe she really did fuck it up to ensure repeat customers. In either case, he wondered at the game she was insisting on. “I will require training. And I would prefer not from you.” That stung, but he wouldn’t let it show. “Agreed.” “My ship --” “Will not land on the asteroid. You will report here for the shift that starts next cycle.” And he’d make LoReck watch her every step. Stupid to let a woman get to you this

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way. And since he was the one foolish enough to agree to this, he’d be the one suffering from blue balls every time he inhaled her scent. “How do you guarantee you won’t go with your threat after it’s done?” “You’ll have to trust me.” Was it possible that it was all she’d been after? Those gold eyes narrowed again. Her arms came up across her breasts. “Not good enough.” He smirked. “You’ll get intimate --” he said that last word in a long and lazy drawl, “-- knowledge of my operation. If you get pissed, you’ll know exactly what and where to blow up.” “Until you move to the next asteroid.” “Then we’re back to that trust thing.”

*** “Then you hit the abort switch, move the transgress rod out of the way unless you want it to contaminate the raw ore, then use the pump to grind it into the tankard, like this. You get it this time?” She was an idiot to think that she could do this. Kam’s back was sore, her arms were killing her, and her shoulders were screaming in vicious protest. All that at really low grav. She’d built herself for strength and never considered what a job it’d be to restrain it under the strictest of controls. Hauling equipment out of a normal grav-field transport unit wasn’t a problem. Watching every damned movement, every breath, for fear she’d knock something into orbit was torture for her muscles. Tense, with sweat rolling down her face, Kam looked over to the man who’d introduced himself as LoReck and obviously didn’t want to be saddled with her. She’d sympathize if he wasn’t such a fucktard. Decks had obviously sent him because of his irritating manners -- no notion of personal space and no aptitude for training. She didn’t know much about mining, but what she’d studied, combined with the first hour, had been enough for her to know the basics. Gather the right material, which

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was already marked, and fold it carefully into the tankard. Once it was ground, it had to be turned into liquid pretty fast otherwise it would be red and useless dust. The accelerant for the chemical reaction could blow her ass into the asteroid belt or farther into space. If she was lucky. Otherwise it could blow her into rock or down a chasm, and somehow Kam doubted there would be a rescue party. With the damned suit on she couldn’t even wipe her face. Pressing her hands over her back would be a sign of weakness, which she refused to let LoReck see. Behind his visor, those thin lips were smirking at her. There had to be another way out of this mess. If there was one thing that she took from her Kouri ancestors, it was the ability to negotiate for the better, which is how she was able to get prices at a steal. Except this time, the only thing her Kouri blood had done was to arouse the damned client. She let herself be tortured because she didn’t want Decks thinking she screwed with him -- though technically, the act itself had been done already. She was both cold and hot, the sweat that slid along her skin burning wet trails under the damned protective suit. Yeah, if he smelled her now, he’d probably run screaming. Sheer effort had her straightening her shoulders. Sheer pride had her not holding on to one of the landlines -- wires that crisscrossed along the rocky plane. Luckily the asteroid wasn’t too fragile and they didn’t have to worry about the shafts collapsing by hitting the landlines too hard. Otherwise, in addition to worrying about knocking equipment into space, she’d worry about burying herself inside the rocks. “Blyat, you’re contaminating it.” LoReck’s voice cut through the soft yet insistent buzzing in her head. “Congratulations. Now it’s useless. Didn’t I tell you not to --” “Hey.” She straightened as if a mining spike had been rammed up her back. Decks was behind them. She could feel his eyes on her. If she could’ve straightened more, she would have. Just a few cycles of this, a few hours really. She could survive it. Nothing to it.

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“You picking it up?” Decks looked her direction when she turned around, but his gaze seemed to cut right through her, as if she didn’t exist. His clear breathing mask covered his face, and a protective suit covered his body. And still he was sexy as hell in a shapeless polysuit and bubble of hermetically sealed air, while she was covered in red dust and sweating. “She fucked up a couple a kilos.” LoReck’s rough voice -- fuzzed by his breathing mask -- bounced along harsh orange rocks. “I’ll pick it up.” Kam wouldn’t let this weasel show her up. She said she’d do it, she was doing it. And after this, Roen Decks could rot in hell. “How much overall?” He didn’t even acknowledge her. “Before or after she contaminated it?” She threw LoReck a look, then forced herself to look back toward Decks. Sheer willpower had her lifting her chin even as her body cried to just lie down. “Half a ton. Or thereabouts.” One tankard of converted uralium was already safely on the transpo. At least that was a small amount she hadn’t managed to fuck up. “You can be done for now.” Roen turned to walk away, a long slow move as if through water, which always happened in low grav. “I want to finish this as soon as possible.” And screaming muscles didn’t matter. If she wasn’t mistaken, the look he threw her had been grudgingly respectful. “If you like.” Beside her, LoReck smirked. “Fuck him and get it over with.” Hard to coat dignity over an air suit, but she managed it. “Excuse me?” Even in this orange light LoReck’s face looked pale with those sunken-in cheeks behind the air shield. “Fuck him and get out of here. Or --” He busied himself with calibrating one of the gauges. Her fingers clumsy in the gloves, Kam did the same. “Or what?”

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He didn’t look up. “It’s a dangerous job, mining.” His voice stayed soft, nearly pleasant. “You ain’t careful, you can blow up a shaft, get yourself lost in rocks. Or worse, tossed into space.” Kam took a measured breath. “You threatening me?” In a swift movement -- too swift for grav as low as this -- his hand covered a gauge she’d just adjusted. He twisted one of the timers to lower the temp a few degrees. “I’m saying mining ain’t a walk. You ain’t too careful, you get your head blown off.” She tried to look into his eyes. Inside the air shield, they were dark and blank. “I’ll remember that.” And she’d make sure to bring a weapon.

*** Even her teeth hurt. Technically it was her jaw -- not teeth -- from clenching it so hard trying to keep herself from jerking every time the metal induction rod came too close to the uralium. The one time she did jerk, she contaminated the ground ore and had to endure more of LoReck’s muttering as he emptied the tankard to start over. At least Decks wasn’t around by the time she got back on her Wasp to clean herself and groan in pain privately. The solar shower took away the dust, and yet somehow she still managed to taste grit and ground rock inside her mouth. Her arms were screaming, her back stiff as she tried to toe off the inner boots without bending down to them. At this point, Kam was honestly afraid that if she bent, she wouldn’t come back up. Tugging off the inner-suit was a small exercise in torture. She’d showered with it on, since the exo-suit kept off the rocks and dust and radiation. Now, as she tried to shrug it off with as little movement as was possible, she wondered if it would be easier to just cut the seams with the small laser file and deal with it tomorrow. She was so tired she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t sit still, and yet her goddamned legs had started to shake as soon as she’d got back onto the Wasp and let herself relax. Gritting her teeth, Kam finally managed to shrug off the suit, thinking about the money she had spent on enhancements. What a waste.

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“What do you think of mining?” Decks’ voice filled the small space just before he came in; big, loose, and so damned cocky she wished she still had strength to slap him at least once. She should’ve sealed the airlock between their ships. Except she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her Wasp always seemed the right size for her. With him in here, it was cramped, too tense, too intimate. “Don’t you knock?” “My ship, sweet thing. My rules.” She found the energy to shrug. “Your friend LoReck is… very helpful.” If he expected her to bitch and whine, she wouldn’t give him the damned satisfaction. “Good to hear.” His eyes narrowed at her, dark and unreadable. “You’re in pain.” “I’m fine.” He stepped closer to her, the muscles of his arms bared in a plain gray shirt with cut-off sleeves. “I always pictured pain like heavy oil that oozed out of one’s skin.” “Is that a come-on?” She was too tired to fight. “It’s the truth.” She didn’t have the strength to face him as he sat down on the padded util bench behind her. His hands were at her back, on the curve where it flowed to her buttocks, right where the muscles wept with pain and gratitude as his thumbs pressed and kneaded. “You don’t need to do this.” Relief was almost as sweet as it was sharp. “I know.” She didn’t know how he managed to guide her to lie down on the bench with him at her side pressing those magic knowing fingers into her. His hands were under her shirt, smoothing something hot and wonderful into the aching muscles of her back, neck and shoulders, his skin sensually rough, his touch both firm and soothing. Somehow he knew the perfect pressure, the best stroke to loosen and ease each muscle. With hands warm over her skin, she wondered if he could really sense if she became aroused. And what either of them would do about it.

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“Turn around.” A soft, gruff voice. He helped her to do so, as if he knew that she was laxer now, tired and loose and flowing. She smelled something -- a floral and acidic smell. “What is that thing?” He held up a small poly bottle. “Muscle relaxant. Held over from our first month here. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty back then.” “Yeah.” She watched him warily even as her body already trusted him. “I bet.” “If you want me to continue, you’ll have to take your shirt off.” Somehow she found the strength to laugh. “Pretty weak line since you already saw me naked.” “Can’t blame a man for trying.” His eyes went hot as she lifted her shirt up over her belly, the slack muscles of her arms allowing her to take it off without too much pain. Under it, the only thing between her hardened nipples and his gaze was a black band she wore around her breasts. Again her thoughts veered to him being able to detect the Kouri scent. Was this why he was doing it? If he was sensitive to it after she’d specifically had it removed, it should’ve made him mad with lust, tearing to have her. Except, he simply stroked her skin, as if nothing affected him, as if he were nothing more than a paid masseur. She watched him from under her lashes as he rubbed the relaxant into her wrists and arms. Would he bare her breasts? Because he wanted to -- regardless of the pheromones? Or would he fight it? Did she want him to? His hands were warm and steady as he spread more oil in soothing circles. Her arms, her shoulder, the muscles of her chest above the bandeau all received careful consideration. “It’s up to you.” His eyes were somber, his voice dark. “What’s that?” She didn’t want him to stop, wanted his hands on her. “It’s up to you if you want me to go further.” Pride flared. “I don’t know what you mean.”

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A small, yet feral smile. “I think you do.” His lips touched hers, soothing and almost gentle. The heat that bloomed wasn’t the same as it had been before. Greedy yet soft, sharp and yet tender. Then it was over, and he waited for her, as if asking a silent question. Kouri or not, she wanted him. As if his gaze was forcing her to keep her movement slow, Kam lifted the bandeau that circled her chest, watched as he let out a small breath as if in relief, and leaned in to softly kiss each hardened tip. His hands moved to the valley between her breasts, rubbing the muscles under them, massaging with firm circular movements that rasped and heated her nipples and stroked wet fire between her thighs.

Chapter Four He was an idiot -- and he would deal with that later. Right now, the only thing important, the only thing he could focus on, was driving back that bleak, dark scent of pain. He could already sense the shy, sweet tendrils of pleasure unfurling. Roen preferred to think it was his touch and not the medicine that sped up the unknotting and loosening of her muscles. His cock, having ached for the past solar cycle, started throbbing. Roen controlled himself simply by concentrating on the scent of her, as sweet and rich as he’d remembered. Her breasts were firm and soft under his hands, her chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. Those eyes of liquid gold watched him. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he skimmed his palms over her stomach, felt it tremble under his touch. Her nipples were dark and tempting berries. Keeping his hands over her waist, Roen leaned in to taste. Silent, she arched up into him as he laved a nipple with his tongue, sucked at it, reveling in the scent that pumped out of her skin, the scent of arousal and pleasure. And of trust. He pushed that thought away and captured the other nipple in his mouth. Her hands were at his neck, pressing him close, tangling in his hair. Her scent, the rich, dark mystery of it, drove him to madness. With shaking hands he tugged at the bottom of her suit, pushed apart her thighs after he’d freed them, forcing himself to go slow, to revel instead of just devouring. Her eyes were glazed and hot on his. Under that dark scent of arousal, again he sensed that sweet toned scent he now recognized as trust. Again he pushed the thought

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of it away, concentrating instead on the silky smooth feel of her skin, the trembling of her muscles as he touched her. Somehow reverent, he knelt in front of her spread thighs, took that first inhale of pure intoxication. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be possible, this perfect scent that both aroused and teased, burned, soothed and chilled at the same time. A slow and tasting lick. Another. He couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t stop this need to work her until he drove her to the edge of pleasure again and again, to take in all of her, to free himself, to be imprisoned by it. His hands were on her buttocks, lifting her up to his mouth as if she were a feast, her thighs braced on his chest, her knees over his shoulders. Those harsh, fast breaths turned into moans, tiny sharp gasps of pleasure. He was so hard he near burst with it, and still he couldn’t stop. Her orgasm was a rush of moaning shudders, liquid fire. That scent driving him crazy, he fumbled with his pants, finally managing to push them down and free his cock. Without another breath, he plunged himself inside her.

Kam was still trembling when he speared her, strong and thick, his hands lifting her up as if she weighed nothing. The tremors that were just beginning to subside flared to life again as he plunged in and out, drawing her onto him with short, rough jerks of his arms wrapped around her thighs, his hands gripping her waist to pull her up and onto that thick, rigid cock. His gaze was dark, the pleasure spiraling in her much darker. One short movement and she was lifted up astride him, wrapping her arms and thighs around him, skin against sweaty skin. His hands were on her buttocks, lifting her, slamming her onto him, pushing her up again to bring her down with hard, rough thrusts. The need she thought sated grew again, bursting into greedy licks of fire. She grabbed hold of dark, damp hair, pulled until he arched his neck. It wasn’t enough to lick his skin, to take his mouth with hot bruising kisses while he fucked her.

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She had to have more, needed more of him. His scent, his skin, his harsh low breaths. His pulse that beat inside her like a wild drum. The shudders coiled tighter in her belly. Each new stroke made the pleasure sharper, each exhale pushing her further up, higher, hotter. She came again, buried her face in his neck and climaxed with his cock deep within her, pulsing inside as he froze, threw back his head and shouted his release into the air. She was still trembling when he lowered both of them onto the floor and held on to her with damp, strong arms. A part of her wanted to hold on to him, to feel the steadying of his heart, to press her cheek against the hard wall of his chest. Another part of her started thinking, already figuring this was nothing more than a Kouri-induced fantasy. She lifted her head to look at him through the damp hair that curtained her eyes. One of those large hands came to push that lock of hair away, tuck it behind her ear before once again claiming ownership of her left butt cheek. His voice was tired, somber. “I still have no idea how you do it.” His arms held on to her even as she tried to wiggle away. “Do what?” His skin was damp and warm, his arms nearly tender. “Make me want you so bad my eyes nearly cross.” The chill that washed over her skin was rude and prickly. Muscle relaxants plus two orgasms barely left her the pride to untangle herself from him and stand up. The same pride kept her from grabbing for her clothes and holding them against her breasts as if to shield herself. “Kouri could drop a man to his knees just by brushing by him. Maybe it’s my way of getting out of this.” She tried to keep her voice light. Instead it came out low and bitter. Slowly, Decks unfolded his long frame and got up to face her. The air chilled between them as he took a moment, just looking at her while she stared back. Still naked. And now cold. “Is that what you’re doing here?” Kam fought the urge to cross her arms. “Isn’t that what you’re accusing me of?”

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His lips curled up a bit, a small and bitter smirk. “That must be it then. Fortunately for us, when you’re in a suit, you’ll keep all your scents to your damned self.” A shrug, a strong, swift movement to retrieve his clothes. Then he was gone, and Kam was left alone, with pain-free muscles and the scent of sex still in the air.

*** So what if her damned scent was as rich and pure as he remembered it. So what if he could sense trust under it, a quality as raw and precious as the uralium he mined. So what if he had sensed vulnerability and passion, a delicate beginning of something that Roen had been sure he had no business with. She was just screwing with him. If she stayed longer, he’d be fucked. “We have no business being here.” Beside him, LoReck carefully measured the accelerant into a container while the asteroid glowed bright orange under them. “We’ve been here too long for you to whine.” This didn’t get the chuckle Roen hoped for. Instead, LoReck just turned his head -- not much, but just enough for Roen to see the red-edged eyes on that pale, sunken face. He didn’t feel like dealing with it. “I’ve told you, plenty of times. You hate it -- leave.” “We have a partnership.” A stiff tone complemented those stiff shoulders. Accelerant was sucked into the separator chamber, waiting for the mineral to join it. A fifty-fifty chance of it exploding right at first contact. “We had a partnership before I had that…” He thought back to the words that LoReck used once. “That mid-life crisis. I made sure you weren’t involved. You’re free any time you want to leave.” “Our partnership was profitable. And when you’re done with this, it will be so again.” A coolly polite voice. “Blyat, I’m all choked up.” Kamura Shard, in all her glory, savagely met his gaze as if forcing herself to do so. He couldn’t scent arousal on her now, and that at least was something. It was her scent that got to him -- that rich smell when she was aroused. He

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couldn’t fall for her -- a mouthy, curvy pilot with more attitude than sense. He wouldn’t stand for it. “I’ll join you on the surface.” He hoped none of the turmoil, none of the damned emotions from the night before showed up on his face. She simply raised an eyebrow, her expression blank, her scent darkly heavy, as if she was dealing with an issue of her own. LoReck just glared at them both before making his way to the surface transpo.

*** Roen tugged on his air suit and waited for the transpo to touch down before activating the other one. The ship’s nav systems weren’t that great he could overtax it with manipulating two transports simultaneously. He watched the two figures make their way across the orange rock, his gaze fixed on her small figure in the air suit. Even in low grav her movements were brisk and efficient, no wasted gestures, no teasing female grace. Efficient and smart, and somehow that was more arousing to him than the learned grace of trained companions. He had to get her off the asteroid and out of his life. The sooner the better.

*** LoReck was silent next to her. They worked inside one of the chasms, above an intricately woven net of ropes and ladders. Kam wondered what it’d feel like to walk across one of those ropes like ancient wire walkers. At least she couldn’t smell the dust. At least her muscles were warm and loose, although she refused to think about how they got to be that way. Decks had sensed the Kouri on her and indulged them both. It wasn’t feelings, it wasn’t need. It was simply a male succumbing to what her grandmother’s people had been bred for.

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The ore was crumbling into the tanks, nearly ready for the accelerant. She watched the gauges as the blue line rose with raw uralium packing into the containment chamber. She could be done in a few cycles. A couple of tons and she could get the hell out of here, away from those striking blue eyes that somehow knew her more than anybody else. There were no sounds here, but a slight vibration on her face shield told her another transport had arrived. Kam forced herself not to glance up to see if it was Decks. Maybe she wanted him, but she still had her pride. Behind the tankard, LoReck shifted, closed off the suction as the line went red. “Pay damned attention.” She jerked back. “Sorry.” To her surprise LoReck stood, his lanky form towering above her. “Start the induction after the ore has settled.” He walked away without another word, leaving her with the task to liquefy the ore, to make the red turn black, and make it into raw explosive fuel. She’d handle it just fine. Concentrating on the density gauge, she didn’t realize Decks was behind her until his gloved hand touched her arm. She jerked so fast she’d have launched herself into a rock if he hadn’t grabbed her. Embarrassed, Kam steadied herself and her pounding pulse, managing to school her face into some semblance of control before she looked at him. Behind the face shield, lit up by her headlight, his face was as impassive as she wished hers to be. “We’re ready to pack up.” She frowned at him just as she shrugged out of his hand. “Already?” “This side is nearly depleted.” “How do you know?” “I smell it from the gas samples.” “Oh.” The minute’s silence was uncomfortable and tense. “Look, I --”

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“You’re done here.” “Excuse me?” “You’re finished. Consider what you owe me as repaid. Give LoReck your equipment.” That was it. Just like that. She was done. Except she wouldn’t be done like this, not in this tone as if it were a favor. Did he consider fucking him part of the payment? She drew herself to her full height just as LoReck’s voice filled both their comms. “Need your nose on grid fifty-seven.” Decks murmured something in agreement -- Kam didn’t hear what because of all the noise inside her head. When Decks just walked away from her -- without another word -- she simply stared at him, hurt mixed with anger, pride coiled with shock. “You fucking sukin sin.” She started after him, her temper on a boil. It may have saved her life.

*** She was hurled past him as the cave shuddered horribly beyond them, dust and uralium battering Roen’s suit and air shield. Without oxygen, there was no fire save for that initial burst, combined with loud vibrations that grated at his air shield. Roen didn’t know how he managed to catch her, hold her, as he gripped one of the landlines. He hoped to God it wouldn’t break off the rock it was attached to as the asteroid ominously shuddered around them. Silence settled long before the dust. He was afraid to move, afraid to breathe behind the damned air mask that grew too hot. Dangling at his side, Kam wasn’t moving. Under them, the chasm gaped, endless and dark. “Code red!” He coughed the words, but in his head he was shouting. With one hand on the line, the other holding her above death’s throat, he couldn’t hook her belt onto the landline, couldn’t secure either of them. “Code red! LoReck!” There was static in his helmet. And an unconscious Kam pressed against his side. At least the grav worked in his favor.

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Gritting his teeth, still not able to see much from the dust silently falling all around them, Roen tried to figure out a way up without dropping either of them down. Then there was a rustling, a light. “LoReck!” “No need to shout.” “She’s unconscious! Get another line and --” “Not this time.” He had been hot. Now he felt ice surround him. Above him, somewhere on the surface of the chasm, LoReck was walking back and forth. Roen didn’t need enhanced hearing to feel the vibrations of the face shield with each impatient step that sent small rocks into his head. “I’ve been thinking about this. For some time now.”

Kam was still silent and unmoving next to him. “Can we do this later?”

“Now.” Cold steel was in that one word.

Blinded, silent, Roen used his feet to give him leverage, attempting to make his

way up the damned landline. “I’ve always hated mining. The dust, rocks. Although, it’s profitable. Highly so if you know the right buyer.” Kam stirred beside him, and relief slammed throughout his gut. With her suit on, he couldn’t smell her, even with his own suit altered so he could process the environment. “I never understood this need you had to go respectable.” LoReck kept pacing, making tiny rocks fall down into the chasm. “With our contacts, we could easily make quadruple what we are. And yet you still insist on keeping up the front.” Kam groaned softly and shifted. Feeling the sly tug of the grav, Roen pressed her more securely against his body, keeping a death grip on the line. “You’re free to go your own way. Make whatever profit you think necessary.” “You would dissolve our partnership?”

Was there disappointment in his voice? “I would if that would set you free.”

Kam shifted again, her helmet nearly bumping his.

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“Unfortunately, if we’re not partners we’re competitors.” There was a touch of finality there that Roen didn’t like at all. “I do not wish to undercut my prices.” “I’m sure an agreement can be reached.” Stay calm and strangle his pale ass when you’re out of here. The beam of laser through the dust had Roen jerking, nearly dropping Kam as he struggled to hold on to the now swinging landline. “There’s no need for this.” Death was the dark mouth of the chasm, with Kam’s sweet body next to him. “I’m sure we can --” Another beam of light, this one much closer to the line, close enough to have him shut up and keep making miniscule advances up. Kam was now struggling against him, and he couldn’t risk telling her to stop, not without alerting LoReck to their exact location. The dust was their friend, concealing them in its silent dance down. Another beam of light, so close he felt the heat of it. That’s when Kamura freed her hands and shot a laser of her own, intercepting a beam -- two shots, three, four -until something sparked above them, flared into nothing and all went still once again. Inside the dust, he heard her wheezing. “I’m sorry.” She breathed hard, her arms looping around him, the blaster somewhere at his neck. His body stiff, he lowered his helmet to hers, squeezed her tight against him as grief, shock and relief mixed low inside his gut. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Roen wholeheartedly agreed. With her holding on to him, he made his way up the landline through the dust. He couldn’t see LoReck’s body -- and didn’t feel like verifying if he was alive. If he was, he would instruct the crew to send him to Adana. If he was not… Inwardly, Roen shrugged as grief pooled somewhere in his belly. As lights approached -- his crew most likely -- he staggered toward them, still holding Kam protectively against his side.

Chapter Five He hadn’t spoken to her since he’d dumped her at her Wasp with orders to get “that red blyat” off her. Kam hadn’t seen him since. He’d told her she was done -- technically, she could just fire up the Wasp and get the hell out of here. Except… he had saved her life. And stupid her saw the damned grief in his eyes before he walked away. Stupid to get attached, Kam told herself, even as she marched toward the airlock, armed with a half baked excuse about equipment… and nearly collided with him. “I figured you’d be gone.” A closed-off gaze, a terse low voice -- except his hands were on her arms, holding her steady. This time she didn’t shrug them off. “I should be.” “Yeah.” He was still holding her. Maybe this whole thing was stupid. Kam figured she would analyze it later. For now, she simply fit her body against him, and held him tight. His big body was stiff, his arms fairly loose as they closed in around her. She just hung on, her cheek pressed against his until gradually the stiffness was replaced by something else, his arms tightening around her, holding her close, nearly crushing her to him. What started off as comfort became need, soft, greedy waves of it. His lips were on her neck, tracing her jaw, finding her lips. Soft, silent kisses. Groping hands. Kam didn’t know how they both ended up inside her Wasp, pressed up against the airlock seal, exchanging breathless kisses. A large hand on her buttocks hoisted her up, trapped her between the seal and his body.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

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She wrapped her thighs around him, hung on tight. Kissed him back with the same sweet tenderness he gave her. She wasn’t sure what was different, but it wasn’t the same, wasn’t the same hot greed that clutched last time she was with him. The need to give was overpowering. Silence was broken only by their breaths, his harsh and long as she found her feet again, knelt in front of him and licked her lips in wordless invitation. He understood the lack of words. His blue gaze locked with hers, he pushed open his pants and lowered them until his cock sprang free, already hard and waiting. She felt his gaze on her as she leaned in, took in that first long inhale, that musky smell of man and need and sex. Maybe he wasn’t the only one affected by scent. With a soft groan she took him in her mouth, curled her fingers around his length, and listened intently for his breaths and gasps to guide her, to give him the same pleasure as he’d given her. Except he pulled away, lifted her upward. Pulled down her pants, still looking into her eyes. Her gaze locked with his, Kam kicked aside her pants, both of them still shrouded in silence as they tore off their clothes. His arms were around her again, carrying her deeper into the Wasp, toward the sleeping area. Her gel mattress dipped under their weight, and Kam had a fleeting thought about it busting under their combined weight, before he entered her in one smooth motion, slow and hard, so good she nearly cried out with it. Silent, he moved inside her, his breath fanning her cheeks, his fingers interlocked with hers as pleasure built. Long and slow strokes, quick breathless kisses, damp skin sliding against skin. His lips found hers, his tongue matching his thrusts, a slow, hard rhythm that had her clenching, tightening her arms and thighs and sex around him, the pleasure heating, winding. She arched her back as it burst through her, the liquid sparks of it dancing over her skin, electrifying her as he surged into her, his groan of release buried against her neck.

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 43 -

It made her loose. It made her boneless. It made her stupid, Kam decided, as she thought about the best way to get out of here with her dignity intact. Before she could, he rolled them both so she was at his side, his face still buried in her neck. Dignity had to be faked. “I better prep for takeoff.” “I see.” He let her go, which both surprised and confused her. It wasn’t like she was betraying him. It wasn’t like they had some sort of a relationship and she was running out. Except, his face was shuttered. “I’m sorry. About LoReck.” He shrugged, bitterly so, Kam thought. “I was a blyat to miss it. We were good partners for a while. In the end… it’s done.” A swift, quick movement as he stood up, not at all concerned about being naked. “He must have sabotaged the tankards.” He looked around as if searching for his pants. “I’m sorry about… I’ll compensate you for the time.” She slapped him. Didn’t think about it, just walked toward him and slapped him, watching the angry red mark spreading across his cheek. “Blyat your compensation. Just because you smell Kouri on me doesn’t mean I charge.” His eyes went dangerously hot even as his jaw clenched in an effort to retain control. “Compensation for the ore you’ve mined.” He turned away, turned back, that red mark still on his cheek. “What the fuck does your scent have to do with anything?” She stared at him for a few short seconds. “That’s why you want me, isn’t it? The Kouri were bred to entice a man. I had it fixed, but obviously not enough.” She moved past him, careful not to look at him, searching for her clothes and her dignity. His voice was quiet, his tone soft. “I wanted you regardless of your scent.” A breath. “Still do.” It wasn’t possible, it was insane. Shocked, Kam turned to stare at him again. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” “I didn’t smell it on you when you were in pain.” He walked to her slowly. “Or when I first saw you staring at me at Haze. I couldn’t smell you then.” He was so close, his heat was almost palpable. “And I still wanted you.”

Fiona Jayde

Spaceport: Drop Zone

- 44 -

She couldn’t figure out the angle. “What are you getting at?”

He still didn’t touch her, which was both disconcerting and confusing. She

wanted him to wrap his arms around her, was still too shocked by his admission. “I’d like you to stay longer.” What was he really saying? He wanted her? To stay? The hope that blossomed in her chest was large and hot and somehow full of tears. She blinked them back, of course. Stupid to cry over the words she still hadn’t gotten. “I’m not a miner.” “I get that. But every pilot needs a port. Make yours Adana.” “Really?” His arms closed in around her, his heat more real than the words. “I’m sorry I slapped you.” His lips were on her hair. “You’ll just have to make up for it.”

Fiona Jayde Fiona Jayde is an author, a pilot, a ninth degree black belt in three styles of martial arts, a computer hacker, a mountain climber, a jazz singer, a weight lifter, a superspy with a talent for languages, and an evil genius. All in her own head, of course. In real life, she really is an author, insists she is a good driver even though various loved ones refuse to let her drive, possesses a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and blue belt in Aikido, a web developer, scared to death of heights, loves jazz piano, can bench-press about twenty pounds -- with effort -- speaks English and Russian fluently, and when not plotting murder and mayhem enjoys steamy romance novels, sexy spy thrillers, murky mysteries and violent movies where things frequently blow up. Contact Fiona Jayde through her website at www.fionajayde.com.