No Remedy Page 9

  A bead of sweat slipped from his hairline to roll down the side of his neck, teasing his ear as it passed. The air cooled the wet trail before more sweat gathered on his skin. Mace’s breathing came out in small, stuttered gasps. The air caught in her throat on every thrust. The small surrender she gave him sent a thrill through him.

  For the first time in a long while, Alec was the one in control. Instead of the pain and suffering he’d given Mace and her family, now it was pleasure. She deserved more, better than what he could offer, but for now it would have to do.

  He squeezed her wrists, leaning a bit more pressure on them. “I want you to keep these here. No touching me or yourself. Understand?”

  Mace moaned, nodding once.

  It wasn’t good enough. “I said, understand?” His voice was harsher than he would have liked.

  And maybe it was what Mace needed. She opened her eyes to look fully at him. “I understand.”

  With those two simple words, he knew Mace now belonged to him . . . at least as long as he made it worth her while. Free to shift her where he wanted, he grabbed her other leg and pulled it up to mirror the position of the other. There was now no place for either of them to hide.

  The openness of her body let him see his cock as he pumped into her. It was stunning to see her pussy swallow his length completely. Her lower lips were flushed red and slick from her desire. Her clit shone out from beneath the thatch of dark curls, and for a moment he wished Byron were here so Alec could watch him suck on her. Next time.

  “I think we should shave you bald.” Alec pressed down on her knee to ensure she wouldn’t move, before shifting to suck his thumb. Only when it was sufficiently wet did he reach between her thighs to brush against her clit. “A treasure like this shouldn’t be hidden from sight.”

  “No.” Mace’s eyes closed, and she turned her face to the side.

  “Look at me!” She instantly complied, looking surprised. He rolled his thumb across the top of her clit, enjoying her reaction. “You’ve been hiding from me, Mace. There’s not going to be any more of that. If I want to see your bare cunt, then that’s what we’ll do. Byron will want it too.”

  Mace shook her head, and he started to back off, make a joke to ease the tension—but she was biting her lip, breathing harder and arching into him. Her splayed arms and legs never moved. She had made it clear from the outset besting him physically was something she could easily do. Maybe all Mace needed was some encouragement to let go. A little push and a whole lot of trust and he knew he could make things so good for her.

  Like Byron had for him.

  He didn’t expect Mace to tilt her head, gaze still locked on his, and whisper, “You hid too.”

  He faltered in his rhythm, forcing himself to catch his breath and slow his pace. Of course he’d hidden from her—why would anyone want to know the truth about the monster hiding in plain sight?

  Trying to shake off the gathering fog in his head and heat in his veins, Alec broke eye contact and slid out of her. He rolled her to her side and pressed himself along her back, then bit down hard on the side of her neck as he thrust into her.

  “I may have hidden some things,” he muttered against her damp skin, “but you saw all the important parts. I’m still me.”

  “Shut up and fuck me,” she managed to say, though there was little venom to her words.

  Mace lifted her leg and draped it backward across his thigh. Unable to resist the opportunity before him, he reached down and rubbed two fingers along his cock, capturing some of her juices. Then, as he snapped his hips forward, Alec massaged the damp tips of his fingers over her clit.

  “You can’t come until I tell you to.” He licked the side of her neck. “But you can tell me when you’re close.”

  “Yes.” Arching back against him, Mace reached down and covered his hand with hers. She didn’t try to stop him. It was like she wanted to connect with what he was doing.

  The fire heating his blood now flared to a roar, and he swore he could feel every muscle and bone rubbing together with increasing agony as he moved. But his body had only one goal, and it was starting to consume him. Come, come, come.

  Sliding his hand down to between her legs, Alec began to flick her clit in time with his thrusts. He forced himself to exhale and slow his pace, wanting so badly for them to build toward release together. But it didn’t take long before his frantic need to come outweighed his restraint. Alec sucked and bit a trail up to Mace’s ear lobe, while at the same time he increased the pressure on her clit.

  Mace tried to buck back in time with his thrusts, but she was pinned down, locked in place and spread open. Alec knew he wouldn’t last much longer and wanted to feel Mace come first. He wanted to give her at least that much. Releasing her ear, he spoke soft and low against her, his lips brushing her skin with every word.

  “I watched you every day. Moving around the lab, trying to hide how fucking hot you were under that damn lab coat. It didn’t work. I noticed and I couldn’t do a gods-damn thing about it. But you’re mine now. Mine to fuck or kiss, anything I want. And right now I want you to come.”

  Rubbing her clit at the same time he snapped his hips forced Mace over the edge. Her body tensed beneath him as she screamed. Alec could barely register the near sob that spilled from his lips as his own orgasm overtook him. Wave after wave of pleasure shot out, taking with it his last ounces of pain and suffering.

  After collapsing back onto the mattress when every muscle in his body betrayed him, Alec came to life enough to kiss the top of her shoulder.

  “Thank you.”

  Mace nodded and moved her leg so he was now free from her grip. “I still haven’t forgiven you.”

  “I’m not expecting you to.” Gods, it still hurt him to know what he’d done to her. “But I’m hoping there’s a chance we can work on this.”

  “The cure?”

  “Yes, but I was also thinking about us.”

  Mace was quiet for a long time. He knew she hadn’t fallen asleep. Her breathing was far too irregular to be mistaken for peaceful bliss. When she gave no indication she would respond, he pulled his arm away. He’d nearly escaped when she reached up to clutch at his fingers.

  “I won’t promise you anything,” she whispered. “But I’m not going to run.”

  As if his body had finally been given permission to relax, he fell back down beside her on the mattress. All the tension he’d been holding in his sore muscles bled out of him, making him suddenly aware of how exhausted he was. With the pain pushed down to a low background ache, he thought he might even be able to rest for a few hours.

  “Stay with me?” he asked, no longer sure of her reaction.

  Thankfully Mace seemed to have lost what was left of her fight. “As long as you don’t steal the blankets. I get cold.”

  “Deal.”

  For the first time since Byron had shown up, Alec closed his eyes and slept.

  Mace slipped the belt end through the clasp and finally felt like herself again. For however long she lived, she swore she would never pretend to be someone she wasn’t. Her blasters hung heavy from her hips in their twin holsters, and the knife Gar had given to her two years ago on her birthday was safely ensconced in the sheath along her back. This was who she was—killer, fighter, pirate.

  Alec had still been sleeping when she’d gathered her clothing to change in the bathroom. While they’d been out of it for hours, she didn’t have the heart to wake him just yet. The gods only knew how affected he was by the Brasillian syndrome, and despite her smoldering anger toward him, Mace couldn’t stand the thought of him being in pain.

  She’d deactivated the light and was nearly out the door when she heard Alec move. Cringing, she stopped at the sound of his soft, “Hey.”

  “Go back to sleep. I was just going to make sure Byron hadn’t crashed my brother’s ship into anything.”

  “Bry is a good pilot. I’m sure everything is fine.”

  “Me too, but I need to d
o something.”

  Alec pushed himself to a half-sitting position. His hair was flat on one side, sticking up on the other. His eyes were only half-open and a light darkening of stubble now covered his chin and jawline. He looked far sexier than he had any right to. She hated how her body reacted to the sight of him.

  “I’ll get dressed and join the two of you soon.”

  Mace wanted to argue.

  She’d spent the better part of the last three years fighting with Faolan about his health, forcing him to take things easy. When she’d gone undercover, pretending to be a young research assistant with no particular worries, she’d felt guilty about the measure of relief she gained from the quiet, predictable daily lab work. Her time with Alec had given her a brief reprieve from the constant anxiety and danger back home. Now, standing here looking at him, she might have well returned to the Belle Kurve and rejoined Gar at his post by Faolan’s bedside. The target was different, but the concern was achingly familiar.

  Alec was sick, but more than his current illness weighed on him. His past was eating at his soul, a darkness she’d only caught a glimpse of when they’d both been pretending everything was fine. If he didn’t sort himself out, eventually there would be nothing left.

  “Why did you do it?” The question was from her before she even registered the thought. At Alec’s confused scowl, she clarified. “Why did you infect yourself? The real answer.”

  Alec stared at her. There was no expression on his face to read, nothing to give away the emotions she knew were simmering below his surface. “I thought it was only fitting for me to suffer the same way my victims did.”

  “They weren’t your victims. You weren’t the one who poisoned them.”

  “I’m surprised to hear that coming from you. How is your brother-in-law doing these days?” Alec jerked the sheets from his body and pounded his feet to the floor. “I’ll be on deck shortly.”

  Mace’s stomach turned as dread rolled through her body. She was as surprised as Alec over her concern for his well-being. It wasn’t right, her defending him, trying to justify what he’d done while he insisted on his culpability. She had no idea what was true, what his motivations had really been, whether he had manipulated her somehow into feeling this way. And she didn’t want to talk about it until she at least had a handle on her own motivations. Frustrated, tired despite having slept, she nodded and left Alec to face his demons on his own.

  It wasn’t until she was at the door that she reached into her pocket. There, hidden in the smooth leather, was the necklace Gar had shoved into her hands as she was leaving the Belle Kurve. The priceless trinket that had led to Faolan and Gar’s meeting, and ultimately reunited Gar and Mace. The legendary pendant that wasn’t a legend, and gave the wearer the ability to read another person’s thoughts.

  It was an invaluable tool for a pirate, and Faolan had used it to his advantage in more than one negotiation. She hadn’t wanted the responsibility or risk of keeping the gem safe. Most passed it off as an attractive bobble when they saw it, but if anyone discovered exactly what it did, her life could be in danger. But Gar had insisted she take it.

  “If for no other reason than to make sure the person you’re working with doesn’t suspect you of anything.”

  She’d only worn it one time, to ensure Alec was on the level when it came to his intentions to find a remedy for the ryana poison; then she’d tucked it safely away in her room, well hidden from any possible intruders.

  The stone felt cool in her palm and the familiar itching in her brain urged her to put it on. Because she’d connected to Alec once before, she was more aware of him, the turmoil of his emotions and spinning thoughts, than she would have been with a stranger. But there was something else, another mental tug that reminded her they weren’t alone.

  Byron.

  Stepping out into the main area, Mace quickly decided, slipped the necklace from her pocket, and put the chain around her neck. The stone nestled nicely in her cleavage as a rush of awareness surged through her.

  The Geilt shuddered, and Mace could feel the change as they approached a planetary atmosphere. She must have slept longer than she’d originally realized. Marching to the cockpit, she stopped midstride as Alec came through the hallway entrance behind her. He came beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he had dozens of times in the past.

  Except now she wore the stone. She barely repressed a gasp as her mind came into sharp contact with his. Because of the previous link, the connection was immediate. And unlike the last time, she knew to look past the veneer of surface information to the truth underneath.

  Why doesn’t she hate me? Alec’s thoughts invaded her head with a marked difference from his calm demeanor. Self-loathing and guilt came off him in waves and it took tremendous effort not to flinch away from his touch.

  Alec frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just have a bit of a headache. I need to eat, and I’ll be fine.” She made a point of waiting a second before she slid away from his touch. “It feels like we’re close to the planet. I was just about to check on Byron.”

  “And I was coming to see how the two of you were doing.”

  She turned to see Byron lounging in the now open cockpit doorframe. Fuck, he’s hot like that. She blinked when she realized the thought had come from Alec and not herself. Not that she disagreed with the sentiment. Byron had abandoned the goggles from around his neck and had taken off his jacket. Now wearing only a thin shirt and hip-hugging pants, Byron looked more like a character from one of her more erotic dreams than a bounty hunter.

  Shaking herself from her musings, she gave him a little smirk. “We’re good. I was sleeping until I felt you start to bump my ship into the atmosphere, and I had to make sure you weren’t going to break anything.”

  Byron snorted. “Please. I told you I wouldn’t do anything to Gar’s baby. But I could use a copilot to help get us down.”

  Mace narrowed her eyes. “You mean I could use a copilot. I’m taking over. You can navigate.”

  “Listen, girl, I’m used to being the one running the show.” Byron lowered his chin and glared at her. “Don’t push your luck.”

  Mace’s breasts pressed against Bry as he fucks her. I wonder if Bry will let me fuck him at the same time. Alec shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “Are the two of you going to bicker like this all the time? If so, I’ll find a new place to conduct my research.”

  “You’re right!” Mace said, far louder than the conversations called for. “Let’s just get down to the planet and see what we have to work with.”

  She didn’t wait to see either man’s reaction before she marched into the cockpit.

  Byron was still in the doorway, and he was huge. She couldn’t avoid brushing against him as she passed—it wasn’t her intent to establish a firmer connection with him. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of warring male thoughts rattling around in her head while she tried to fly—or navigate—a spaceship. So it was a complete shock when the buzzing she’d noticed earlier snapped into a crystal-clear thought.

  Man, I’d like Alec on his knees sucking my cock right about now.

  Shaking, Mace lowered herself into the pilot’s seat and set about programming in the descent protocols. She pushed back the images trying to bounce into the forefront of her mind. “Where exactly are we going? I want to make sure I hit the right trajectory.”

  “You okay?” Byron fell into the seat beside her. “You’ve gone pale.”

  “I’m fine. Coordinates?”

  “You don’t look—”

  She twisted in her seat to glare at him. “Just give me the coordinates, Byron.”

  “All right, all right. Don’t get your leathers in a bunch.” He typed in the command as Alec came into the cockpit behind them.

  Nice move, Byron. Smooth as ever. “Everything okay in here, you two? You’re not going to crash the ship as you fight over who’s in control?”

  Byron winked over his shoulde
r at Alec. “I’m always in control.” And that’s just the way you like it, boy.

  Mace snorted, though at which comment, she wasn’t sure. “Coordinates locked in. I’m starting the approach vector for orbital descent now. Alec, you might—”

  “Want to strap myself in, I know.” She can’t really care about what happens to me. I killed her friend. I should die too. “I’ll make myself comfortable out here, then.”

  She looked up at him, grabbed his hand as he started to leave. Byron cocked an eyebrow at her, but there was nothing she could say that wouldn’t give away her secret. Instead, she shrugged and smiled at Alec. “Use the seat by the computer consol. The straps are secure and you can help us monitor the descent.”

  Disbelief crossed his face, but Alec’s thoughts were surprisingly vacant. “Aye, Captain.”

  He left the cockpit, but she triggered the door so it would stay open. The last thing she wanted was to cut Alec off even more than he seemed to be doing to himself.

  If she hurts him . . . Byron’s voice betrayed none of the menace she heard in his thoughts. “I’ve popped the coordinates in. There’s a minor asteroid field just above the upper atmosphere we’ll need to contend with, but other than that, it should be a smooth dive. Once we get near the base, though, your piloting skills will be put to the test.”

  “I’m not going to do anything to hurt him.” Mace was surprised by the softness of her voice. It didn’t matter that she shouldn’t have known what Byron was thinking, she couldn’t let it pass. Keeping her gaze locked on the controls in front of her, she added just as quietly, “He’s hurting himself enough as it is.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “I don’t—”

  Byron slapped his hand against his thigh, causing her to jump. “This is not the time for this. Get the ship on the ground and we’ll see what’s left at the safe house. We’ll worry about cures and praise or blame once we know what we’re facing. Now fly.”

  Mace stiffened in the seat until she thought her spine would snap in two from the tension. Nodding, she set about guiding the Geilt down through the asteroids toward the surface.