“You bastard.” Eos pummeled his chest and head.
“Hey. Hey.” He dodged another punch. “I just rescued you.” She caught his chin with a solid jab, and stars danced across his eyes. “Dammit, Eos.” He grabbed her wrists and spun her. He backed her into the wall and held her arms pinned above her head.
Her chest heaved. “You let them take me.” Her lips trembled. “You let them take me.”
“I’m sorry.” He pulled her into his chest. Spinning, he pressed his back to the wall and slid them to the floor. He knew his hold was too tight, but he figured they both needed it. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She relaxed the tiniest inch, but her hands clenched in his shirt and held on tight. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but eventually she lifted her head.
“How did you find me so quickly?” she asked.
“Well, after they took you, I hightailed it to Lucifa?—”
“But the ship was damaged.”
“Yeah, I left Z and Nik working on it. I’m hoping they’re in orbit right now.” If they weren’t, Dathan and Eos were going to have some problems. “I hitched a lift with some fine, upstanding smugglers.”
She went still. “How much did that cost?”
A lot. “Don’t worry about it. En route to Lucifa, Nik contacted me and said the Countess was advertising your auction on every illegal channel available.” He smiled. “And here I am.”
“Thank you. For coming. I know you want Star’s End a lot?—”
“Hey.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “I wasn’t going to fucking leave you here. You matter, Eos. God, you matter more than you should.”
Her arms wrapped around him. “Be quiet and just hold me.”
He hauled her into him and buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry you were scared. I came as soon as I could.”
She pressed her cheek against his chest. “How could you afford to pay so much for me?”
“Well.” That reminded him, they didn’t have much time. “Nik worked some computer magic. We need to exit the House of Taarn before the fake funds magically disappear from the Countess’ account. Lucifa has some of the most secure banking systems in the galaxy, so Nik couldn’t make the transfer stay for more than twenty minutes.”
Eos’ eyes widened. “We need to get out of here before then?”
Dathan shook his head. “We need to be off planet and well clear of the nebula before then.”
She squeaked and pushed off him. “I need clothes.”
“Hang on.” He gently unclipped the collar. She stilled under his hands, and he felt her gaze burning into him. “This doesn’t suit you.”
“I just tried to think of it as jewelry. Not what it symbolized.”
He set the collar on a side table and wrapped one hand around her neck in a gentle hold. His thumb brushed over where the collar had dug into her skin. “Would it be so bad to belong to a man?” He stroked the fluttering pulse at the base of her throat.
“I don’t want to be a possession.” She swallowed. “I want a partner. Someone who puts me first. Who’ll cherish me, love me. And who I’ll love in return.”
God, the idea of her being his and only his sent fire streaking through him. He’d never, ever wanted just one woman before. Not with a galaxy filled with fun-loving beauties. But something about Eos Rai burrowed under his skin and refused to let go. “Pity. I think the right collar might look good on you.” He winked at her.
She slapped at his hand, and he was happy to see the ghosts of her fear were fading. The confident astro-archeologist was coming back.
He strode to the wall and pressed a button on a small panel. A section of wall slid back to reveal a closet. The array of costumes, whips, and paddles had him raising his brow. He managed to find a pair of slim-fitting riding trousers, black boots, and a fitted, white shirt.
He tossed them her way. “Here you go.” He turned his back, his mind excruciatingly aware that she was covering up that gorgeous body of hers. He strode to the window.Focus on your escape, Phoenix.
Looking down, he saw the hustle and bustle of the street below. They could climb out onto the window ledge and onto the neighboring building. There was a colorful awning farther down. A potential landing pad. Yeah, it was doable.
“Oh my Suva, I look like a torsk-riding female from Vanos.”
