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  “If you rape me, they will kill you. Not even your father will be able to stop them.” Her voice trembled and her hands moved to his shoulders, shoving against him with all her strength.

  Ashton didn’t budge. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his psychic vision, analyzing her expression, sorting the myriad emotions seething within her. She blinked repeatedly, trying in vain to penetrate the darkness. Her lips trembled and her breasts quivered, ripe and ready for ravishment.

  “And if it’s not rape?” He dragged her arms above her head, grasped both wrists with one hand and circled her pebble-hard nipple with his thumb. “The cold can do this.” He slipped his hand inside her panties and lightly teased her curls. “But why are you so wet?”

  He claimed her mouth in a long, deep kiss, nibbling, tracing the supple contours with his tongue, careful not to venture between her teeth. He wanted to taste her, to discover the silken interior of her mouth, but that pleasure would have to wait.

  Sliding down along her body, he captured her nipple between his teeth, applying steady pressure until she cried out. He licked and sucked, fascinated by the rasp of her hardened crest against his tongue.

  “How are you… It’s almost as if you can see me.”

  He didn’t reply. Continuing his exploration, he moved his mouth to her other breast. He cupped her, squeezed firmly, absorbing the heat of her flesh. Her skin was warm and growing warmer. He rubbed against her breasts with greedy abandon. He needed her heat, craved her touch, wanted so much more than she was willing to give.

  Desire simmered within her, but he sensed fear as well. His skin stung and his joints burned. Images from his dream taunted him, keeping his cock hard and aching. Could he ease beyond her fear and free her passion? Did he really want to try?

  He cupped her mound. Wet. She was so excited her cream had soaked her panties. With a strangled growl, he dragged the material to her knees.

  “No!” She arched and twisted. “You’re not a rapist.”

  “And you’re not being raped.”

  He silenced her with his mouth and wedged his hand between her thighs. Her hot, wet folds closed around his fingers, and Ashton moaned. Intense desire spiked through his body, making his cock jerk beneath the insubstantial confinement of his boxers. He pushed two fingers into her, capturing her soft cry with his open mouth. Her core clenched and rippled despite her protests. She trembled, her inner thighs flexing against his hand.

  There was no way she could deny wanting him. Her body spoke with perfect eloquence. Finding her clit with his thumb, he rubbed, thrilled by the rhythmic flutter of her hot pussy. She twisted her hips, trying to avoid the stimulation. Fear surged within her and Ashton recoiled. Why was she still struggling? She wanted him!

  A sob escaped her throat. She trembled beneath him, neither responding to nor resisting his caress. Scanning her mind, he found only fear and resignation. Hissing out an exasperated breath, he accepted the inevitable. He couldn’t take her on the cold concrete floor while she cringed and whimpered. Withdrawing his fingers, he released her mouth.

  “I’m so fucking cold. You are going to warm me.” Why did he care if she was frightened? She deserved to be terrified. She deserved… She didn’t deserve to be raped. He grinned in the darkness. She deserved to be spanked.

  Her breath escaped in a heated whoosh and she tugged against his hold. “I have blankets and clothes. We’ll both freeze lying here naked on the floor.”

  She was right, but she felt so damn good spread out beneath him, Ashton couldn’t bring himself to move. He needed to think, to strategize. Were they still holding Palmer and Danette in the other complex? That building had been fully mechanized, far more sophisticated than this crumbling heap. Still, he couldn’t leave them at the mercy of the rebels.

  “I can’t breathe.”

  He shifted his weight to his knees and eased his hold on her wrists. As he reached for the portable lamp, she twisted her arm and jerked one of her hands out of his grasp. She lifted her hips and grappled for something beneath her.

  What the… Agony answered his half-formed question. The motivator pulse propelled him backward and triggered simultaneous muscle spasms throughout his entire body. He screamed. Curling into the fetal position as contraction after contraction tore through him.

  She turned on the lamp and stood over him, weapon poised and ready for a second shot.

  Ashton shook and panted, waiting for the cramps to release. “You vicious bitch.” His jaw clenched so tightly he could barely speak. “I wasn’t—going to hurt you.”

  She’d pulled her panties back into place, but her ruined shirt hung open, revealing the shadowed valley between her breasts. He’d been stagnating behind a desk too long. Five years ago he never would have made such a fundamental mistake.

  “Get your ass back in the cell before I blast you again!”

  Trembling uncontrollably, he grabbed the blanket bundle and staggered into the cell. “Is the truth so upsetting you have to punish me for speaking the words?” He glared, furious with himself for underestimating her brutality.

  “It wasn’t your words. It was your attitude.” She turned on the energy barrier and snatched her pants off the floor.

  He tugged on the uniform top and draped the blanket around his shoulders, watching while she struggled back into her pants. “How did you get mixed up in this mess?” he whispered. “You’re no terrorist.”

  She didn’t look at him, but her hands hesitated over one of the few buttons still attached to her shirt. “How do you know what I am? You know nothing about me.”

  “I recognize the sadness in your eyes. There’s fury there too, but pain is driving the anger. What or who hurt you so badly?”

  “We’ve all known sadness. We all live with pain.” She sounded calm and dismissive. She still wouldn’t meet his gaze. Her dark hair had escaped during their tussle. A strand curled against her smooth cheek. She finally looked at him, yet her expression was carefully guarded. “I lost my temper earlier. It’s not our intention to torture you.”

  “Are you apologizing for the cold or the pain?” Despite the occasional spasm still gripping his muscles, Ashton couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so damn beautiful.

  “The cold. You deserved the pain.” She pulled on her boots and turned to go.

  “Are you leaving so soon?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she slowly licked her lips. “I almost didn’t leave soon enough.”

  “Would it have been so bad?” he asked in a throaty whisper.

  “I guess we’ll never know.”

  Don’t count on it. He smiled as she walked away.

  Corry forced herself not to look back or slow her steps until she was out of the cellblock. Stars above! Was she losing her mind? She had never wanted a man as badly as she wanted Ashton. Her nipples tingled as she thought of his hot mouth. Her core pulsed with unfulfilled desire.

  He could have killed her. He nearly fucked her in a deserted cellblock and she’d never been so turned-on in her life. What the hell is wrong with me?

  She stepped out of the decrepit building and raised her face to the night. A brisk breeze cooled her skin and tugged at her hair. She spread the strands around her shoulders and let the wind have its way.

  What if he hadn’t stopped? What would it have felt like to have him hard and thrusting inside her? Taking her, claiming her, with passion and fury? Her knees wobbled and she pressed her hand over her pounding heart.

  Ashton captivated her. He was an incredible combination of arrogance, intelligence and raw energy. Forcing away her futile longings, Corry made her way to the commuter tram. This was her home, her reality. She couldn’t let herself forget who she was and the cause she supported—no matter how much she wanted Ashton VinDerley.

  * * * * *

  Day three, Corry thought as she activated the access terminal in her tiny apartment. Korbin had sent the first message this morning and would follow it with a detailed outline of their expectations
sometime this afternoon. How would the executive council respond? How much longer would Ashton be under her care?

  Her imagination flickered to life with a detailed image of her captive’s handsome face. Corry smiled. She was responsible for all three captives, but only one haunted her night and day. She’d visited Ashton twice the day before, leaving him food and departing without a word. She was illustrating her displeasure with his aggression. At least that was what she kept telling herself. In truth, she was a bit intimidated, afraid of her reaction to him and wary of his ability to manipulate her emotions.

  Research always relaxed her. It was wonderfully tedious. Besides, she wanted to know if any of the things Ashton hinted at were relevant to her mission or if he was having fun at her expense.

  Information with a security rating above five required a retinal scan, but basic biographies weren’t generally classified. Activating her display, Corry maneuvered through several menus and logged on to the coalition’s main database. Without Meredith’s inadvertent assistance, Corry never would have gotten this far.

  Meredith—Corry no longer thought of the woman as Mother—had chosen her career over her family when Corry was still a child. It had broken her father’s heart when his wife accepted the invitation of the military elite and joined the Coalition’s Covert Corps. To put the demands of the CCC before the needs of her family had been unforgivable to Simeon Reah.

  A tiny part of Corry understood the temptation. Meredith had exchanged Borrelly for Halley Prime. Given the same choice… Corry let out a disgusted snort. Given the same choice, Corry would have remained loyal to her family and friends. She would have loved her daughter enough to fight for a secure future.

  Corry entered Meredith’s access code and activated Ashton’s professional portfolio. He’d been educated on d’Arrest. No surprise there. d’Arrest was the only outpost with universities. He spent four years in the coalition’s armed forces but accepted an honorable discharge after the initial term. His interests varied widely, but he consistently excelled at whatever he set out to do. She scrolled down to his current assignment and her mouth went dry. Director of the Comet Coalition’s Negotiations Team.

  No wonder he talked circles around her. He talked for a living. He solved problems and formulated compromises, defused situations and facilitated heated arguments. He was an extensively trained diplomat and likely telepathic as well. She’d heard rumors that the Negotiations Team recruited people with psychic abilities. She’d always laughed away the outlandish tales, but there was definitely something unique about Ashton.

  Returning to her research, Corry found nothing out of the ordinary on Palmer or Danette. But what she uncovered about Elaine VinDerley left Corry spellbound. The file made Ashton’s mother sound part crusader and part saint, a champion of outcasts, defender of the powerless.

  “Does she come complete with a cape and invisibility boots?” Corry muttered as she logged off the database and navigated the communications grid. “Person-to-person, Korbin Reah.” She leaned back in her chair, waiting for the call to connect. Korbin’s face came on-screen. “I just heard from Dr. Hollinds. You won’t believe the news.”

  “Can I call you right back?”

  “Sure.”

  It was a well-rehearsed routine. Whenever “Dr. Hollinds” called, Korbin would scramble their signal and return Corry’s call on a secure frequency. She quickly filled him in on everything she’d learned, ending with Ashton’s occupation.

  “This changes everything,” Korbin said when she paused for breath. “I don’t want you near him.”

  “If I don’t go near him, he’ll starve.”

  “That’s an excuse and you know it. Switch VinDerley and the college boy. Take Larz with you and—”

  “You’re being ridiculous. There’s no reason to overreact. I know what VinDerley is now. That will protect me.”

  “Bullshit. I want him in the new complex. He has to be supervised. No one speaks with him alone, no one!”

  Corry glanced away from the vidscreen, praying her panic didn’t show. She’d never admit it to her pigheaded brother, but she enjoyed her time with Ashton. He fascinated her, challenged her. She anticipated their verbal sparring, not to mention the desire still smoldering from their tussle two nights before.

  “I’m not bending on this one.” Korbin leaned forward, his expression unrelenting. “Get Larz and bring VinDerley to the new complex.”

  Chapter Three

  Ashton sat on the bunk, leaning against the back wall of the cell, his long legs spread out in front of him. He’d wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and the other rested across his legs. Judging from his mutinous expression, they had their work cut out for them.

  “Have you contacted my father?” His dark gaze darted to Larz then returned to Corry.

  “Get the restraints out from under the bunk.” She tried to sound assertive despite the trepidation gripping her stomach like a fist.

  He glared at her. “Why? Where are we going?”

  “Do as you’re told. Now.”

  Easing to the floor, Ashton retrieved the wrist restraints.

  “Get the ankle restraints too.”

  “You took away my shoes. Where the hell am I going to go?”

  The sedative dart couldn’t penetrate the energy barrier, but once it did hit, it would make him good and groggy. The ankle restraints were probably overkill. “Put the cuffs on and behave.”

  Larz pointed his motivator at Ashton, waiting for him to comply. With another scathing glare, Ashton positioned the restraints. Corry activated the cuffs and turned off the barrier.

  Ashton flew out of the cell, fast and low. The dart arched over his bent form, bouncing uselessly off the back wall. His shoulder slammed into Larz’s stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs and his weapon from his hand. Corry turned and aimed again. Ashton held Larz in front of him now, the chain connecting the wristcuffs tight against Larz’s throat.

  “Drop your weapons or watch him die.”

  Corry sucked in a ragged breath, her finger restless on the trigger of the dart gun. Her motivator was set on stun. She’d have to touch him to cause pain. Shit!

  Ashton tightened the chain. Larz’s face turned beet red. Extending her arms away from her body, Corry dropped her weapons. Larz’s motivator lay on the floor near their feet. Could she dive, knock them both backward and—maybe if she weighed three hundred pounds. Ashton tore the control band from Larz’s arm and flung him into the cell.

  Before Corry could move, Ashton twisted his hand in her hair, preventing her retreat or aggression. Larz sprawled against the back wall, clutching his arm to his chest, moaning.

  “Look. He’s hurt. I think you broke something.”

  “So sue me. Turn on the barrier.” Ashton punctuated the command by tugging on her hair.

  Corry reached for her arm band. Could she activate coms without his realizing—

  “Upper right corner,” Ashton snapped. “I’ve been watching you.” After a moment’s hesitation, she activated the barrier. “Now release these restraints.”

  The metal cuffs clattered noisily to the floor. His furious gaze never left her face as he tore the control band from her arm.

  Humiliation and anger warred within Corry. “Larz, are you hurt badly?” He silently shook his head.

  Her only hope was to cooperate until she found an opportunity to escape. Ashton’s hand remained in her hair, forcing her to bend as he collected the fallen restraints and one of the motivators. He draped the wristcuffs over his shoulder and glanced into the cell.

  Larz had crumpled onto his side, pretending to be unconscious.

  Ashton spared him one last glance and dragged her along the corridor.

  “Why take me with you?” She grabbed his wrist, trying to ease the pressure on her scalp. “I’ll just slow you down.”

  “Where are you holding Danette and Palmer?”

  She grimaced as his hand unconsciously tightened in her hair. “I
t’ll never happen. Your chances of getting off this planet alive are infinitesimal. Your chances of rescuing the others are nonexistent.”

  They turned a corner and he paused, studying the insignia on her control band. “Borrelly. Just as I thought.” He shoved her against the wall with the weight of his body as he fastened the control band around his forearm. His expression was tight with frustration. He was obviously struggling with the reality that he couldn’t help his friends. “Damn it! I can’t leave them here.”

  Corry fought back a smile. Maybe she was empathic too. At the moment she could read him like a book.

  “Guess it’s just you and me.”

  Fear surged through her as a ruthless gleam ignited within his eyes. He wasn’t just harassing her. He intended to take her with him. “There is no reason to drag me along!”

  His gaze narrowed and he moved the motivator closer to her face. “I can think of several.” Cupping her jaw with his other hand, he glared into her eyes. “You’re in so far over your head, little girl. I have no idea how you survived this long.”

  Hatred burned in his eyes, startling her. He better be ready for a fight. She had no intention of going quietly.

  “There are so many things I want to do to you right now I don’t know where to start.”

  His fingers bit into her face painfully, but Corry wasn’t sure he was aware of it. His gaze moved from her eyes to her mouth and lingered.

  “One taste,” he muttered. “The rest will have to wait.”

  Surely he didn’t mean to kiss her. His expression promised strangulation, not affection. Then his mouth possessed hers and she understood. This was not about affection. It was about domination.

  His arms shifted, crushing her slender body against his much-taller frame. The dangling wristcuffs bumped against her side as he captured her head in the cradle of his elbow, preventing her escape. His mouth moved over and against hers, demanding and forceful, until a ragged sob tore from her throat. He frightened her, yet her body had never been so aware, so sensitized, so ready.