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welcome. Goodbye.
She shut the door quickly and engaged the lock. She could hear him laughing on the
other side of the door but he didn t knock or try to get her attention again. Tray in hand,
she backed away from the door a few steps before pivoting and making her way to the
dining room. She lifted the lid and discovered food that looked appetizing. There was a
big salad with lots of delicious vegetables, a slab of grilled steak, a dinner roll and some
kind of cake.
But it was the handwritten note that really caught her attention. Try the cake. It s
delicious. V.
She picked up the slip of paper. It seemed so strange to see such a low-tech thing
among all of this extremely advanced technology. Unable to help herself, she traced the
sharp lines of his script. She carried the paper to her nose and inhaled deeply. There,
under the smell of paper and ink, hid the scent she d so quickly come to recognize as
Vicious . His woodsy soap and spicy aftershave filled her with the sharpest sense of
longing.
She sat down in the nearest chair and played with the slip of paper. What in the world
was happening to her? One day with Vicious and she was walking around moon-eyed!
The man had chased her through the woods, tossed her over his shoulder and carried her
back to his home like some hunter bringing back a prized kill. He d tied her up, done
wicked things to her body and then taken her to his bed, where he d stolen away her
virginity.
And she wouldn t change a thing.
The thought hit her so suddenly. She went still as the realization became clear. She
was happy. For the first time in such a very long time, she had someone to take care of
her. She d spent an entire morning reading. When was the last time that had happened?
Oh, right. Never!
Their relationship hadn t had the most auspicious beginnings but things seemed to be
working. He made her laugh. He showed kindness and patience. He was providing her
with creature comforts and seemed willing to compromise here and there. Vicious may
not have been the kind of man she d imagined marrying but he was definitely proving to
be the kind of man she needed.
A series of shrill beeps made her jump. She hopped out of her seat and followed the
noise to the communication console mounted on the wall of the living area. A flashing
green screen displayed the word incoming. She tapped the screen and was surprised to
see Terror s face filling the display.  Oh! Hi.
 Hello, Hallie. He smiled.  I realized I hadn t asked you if there was anything you
might need. I know Vicious is in meetings all day and you re basically in quarantine as a
new bride. If I had to be away from my new mate on her first day aboard a ship, I know I
would feel better if my friend looked in after her. So& ?
 Oh. Well. She considered her needs for the moment. Feeling a bit sheepish, she
asked,  How are your laundry skills?
* * * * *
Vicious leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his tired eyes. Days like this, he
truly loathed his position. He actually yearned for the heat of battle and the pain and
brutality that accompanied it. He d rather take a plasma blast to the balls than sift
through these digital reports. A demotion to the live-action ranks would be a welcome
change.
A knock on the door dragged his gaze away from the frustrating screen on his tablet.
He broke into a grin at the sight of his oldest and dearest friend, Terror, striding into his
office.
 Slacking off, I see.
 Ter! How the hell are you? Vicious rose and hurried around his desk to meet his
friend. They grasped hands and embraced in their traditional greeting. He whacked
Terror on the back.  It s good to see you.
 And you, Terror said with his usual tight smile. The scars that made so many cringe
or glance away had no effect on Vicious. He d been there the day his friend had earned
them, after all. When Terror glanced around the office, he grimaced.  I don t think I ll
ever get used to finding you in here. I don t know how you stand it.
 I don t either some days, Vicious admitted.  Usually I try to think about the men in
the field counting on me to represent their best interests. It makes it easier to stomach.
 And knowing that you get to go home to your lovely bride every night helps, I m
sure. Terror grinned knowingly.
 Yes. Vicious thought of Hallie and heat streaked through his belly. He imagined her
naked, nubile body curled up in the corner of his living room couch. Suddenly, the work
day seemed too long and his uniform pants much too tight.
 She s beautiful and not at all what I d expected, Terror said with a laugh.  Dark
hair. Petite. Those big brown eyes. He shook his head.  What happened to the blonde
bombshell you kept describing as your ideal woman?
Vicious started to answer but then realized Terror had described Hallie perfectly. Eyes
narrowed, he let his fingers tighten into fists but tried to remain calm even as jealousy
and possessiveness surged through him.  How do you know what my Hallie looks like?
 I stopped by for a visit and helped her do some laundry.
Terror s matter-of-fact reply didn t help to allay Vicious warring emotions. He forced
his gritted teeth to unclench so he could speak.  You did what?
 Calm down, Vee. Terror smacked his arm.  We did laundry via the vid-screen.
 What? Why?
 Because she wasn t sure how to use the machines.
 I have laundry service.
 Yes, I pointed that out, but she muttered something about privacy.
Vicious wondered what in the world was so private about laundry. A thought struck
him. Their sheets, perhaps? She was the kind of woman to be sensitive about
broadcasting the evidence of her loss of virginity. A pang of guilt made his gut ache. He
probably should have taken care of the sheets himself or at least taken the time to show
her how to use the laundry appliances.
 She s a fast learner, Terror remarked.
Vicious nodded.  I think she s had more education than most women from her
village.
 You think?
Vicious shrugged.  I haven t delved into her history yet. She seems to have
connections to the black market ships like Shepherd, he admitted.  I was able to learn
that she d smuggled her sister off-planet.
 Really? Terror seemed impressed.  That s a courageous thing to do, especially
coming from that place.
Vicious agreed with a grunt.  I worry that she may have been involved in something
deeper than just moving her sister to the colonies.
Terror eyed him carefully.  I didn t get that vibe from her, and I stopped by your
quarters specifically to test her. Vicious started to protest but Terror held up his hand,
silencing him.  When I arrived on the ship this morning, everyone was talking about this
woman you d Grabbed. I wanted to see if she was worthy of you. His lips settled into a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]