Grace Goodwin - The Virgins - Complete Boxed Set

“Yes.” She took a step back, her aim still on Maddox, judging him to be the greater threat. Smart woman. “Show me your palms.”

I lifted my hands before me, as Maddox had done, and her shoulders nearly slumped with relief even as she rubbed her own palm up and down her skirt with increased vigor. “Is he yours, then? Your marked mate?”

“Yes. He’s mine.”

“Thank God.” She lowered her weapon and apologized to Maddox. “Sorry about that, but you wouldn’t believe the crazy dreams I’ve been having.”

“You’re marked, aren’t you?” I grinned, but my amusement quickly faded as I studied her. My dream sharing with Maddox had been erotic and arousing. Every time I’d thought of them I’d grown wet and needy, not angry or afraid. It appeared this woman was both, and I struggled to come to terms with the possibility racing through my mind. I glanced at Neron’s still form, then back to her. “Was it him? Was he yours?”

She kicked his dead body in the shoulder, not with great force, but as a show of disrespect, of contempt. “No. But I almost wish he had been.”

Maddox sucked in a harsh breath at her words as I tried to soothe her. “I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving now. And I’m taking your horse.”

“All right. Her name’s Cali, short for California. She’s a good horse, smart and doesn’t need much pull on the reins.” I wasn’t about to argue with her. She’d been through hell, and I knew where Maddox had left his gelding. The ride back to the ship would be slow, but we’d get there. And then? I wouldn’t need a horse at all; I’d be headed for a new life on another world.

She glanced at Maddox. “Thank you for saving my life.”

He nodded, his shoulders back even as he struggled to remain on his feet. “You’re welcome.”

We watched as she climbed up onto my painted mare, nudged the animal into motion and turned her to the east. She rode off at a reckless pace, but I could not blame her.

Only then did Maddox pull me into his arms and sigh. He felt good, warm and solid, his heartbeat steady. Taking his hand, I lifted it so I could see the mark, then put mine over his. I felt the heat of it as the connection flared to life.

“I think I’m in love with you,” I whispered, the feeling of contentment and love washing over me, cleansing the horror of what I’d done. I’d just killed a man. A murderer, true, a cold-blooded killer who’d murdered my adopted father, but I could still feel the grief, the weight of Neron’s death on my hands as I held Maddox close. I did not regret the killing, for it had been necessary. But for the first time I was not afraid to leave Earth behind, to leave my home. Maddox was my home now. He was mine to love and to care for, and right now, he really needed to be looked after. “You’re hurt. I brought the ReGen wand. Let me heal you.”

Maddox stiffened and pulled from my arms. “No. Not here. Not where Neron lays dead.” Maddox looked down at his old friend’s lifeless body. “He was my friend once.”

“I know.” I leaned up on tiptoe and kissed his chin. “I’m so sorry, Maddox. I heard everything.”

He shuddered and looked down at me, his heart in his eyes. “I’m done, Cassie. When we get back to Everis, I’ll work with my brother, take my place in the family.” He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’ve lost the taste for the hunt.”

Together, we dragged Neron’s body into the abandoned log cabin and set the place ablaze. I helped him gather his things and we walked back to his horse, who, against all odds, was only a few feet from where Maddox had left him, chewing on fresh prairie grass.

Cassie

Of all the new space things Maddox had shared with me, I was most thankful for the ReGen wand. As we stood beside his docile horse, I was able to run the amazing tool over his body, quickly healing every bruise, every sore spot until he was whole and healthy once again.

As I healed him, he lifted his hand to the odd device behind his ear—the O-C, he called it—and contacted the other hunters from his ship.

“Maddox here. Flynn, unless Thorn has completed his mission, you win the bet.”

I could not hear the other men’s replies and assumed their voices were carried directly to Maddox’s inner ear. I listened to his side of the conversation as he described the showdown and the woman we’d rescued.

“She’s marked and she knows about our people. She asked Cassie if we were bonded and demanded to see both our palms.”

One of the men must have said something in reply, for Maddox chuckled. “Yeah, well, she said Neron wasn’t her mate, so either it’s one of the other escapees, or one of you bastards has been dream-sharing with her.”

Maddox informed his friends that we were going back to the ship to recover for a day. “Once Cassie is settled, I’ll head out, help one of you with your hunt so we can get off this planet and go home.”

The others must have denied him, for when he disconnected the communication, he looked at me and smiled. “We’re all alone, Cassie, and they all refused my aid.”

I blinked at him, confused by his smile. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”

He got to his feet and pulled me into his arms. “It means, I’m done. We will remain on the ship…” he lowered his head so his lips brushed mine as he spoke, “…where I can fuck you, and taste you, as often as I’d like until they return.”

My pulse raced and my nipples pebbled under my dress. “And how long will that be?”

“It could take weeks.”

I smiled. “Then let’s get back to the ship.”

We rode his gelding for several hours, the return trip unhurried. I sat across Maddox’s lap where he frequently forgot about the reins to kiss me breathless or spend long minutes with his mouth exploring my neck or breasts.

When we arrived at the ship. I was thankful for the bathing tub and the instant hot water that filled it. We stripped off our ruined clothing and shared the tub, taking our time to clean each other, removing the dirt and dust. I took special care cleaning my mate, removing the sticky sweat and blood of his battle until the water finally ran clear.

Through all of this, we remained mostly quiet, speaking through touch, through a look, a gentle caress.

But when Maddox finished drying my body and dropped the cloth to the floor at my feet, he finally spoke. “Come here, Cassie.”

Ever since I put my palm in his, I’d been eager for him. Needed him with an intensity that only grew sharper with each passing minute. My pussy was wet in anticipation of his cock and there was nothing to distract us.

“Yes, God yes. Please fuck me.”

I wasn’t modest with him any longer. I knew what I wanted and I would ask for it. Demand it, if required.

Maddox smiled slowly, ran his knuckles down my cheeks. “So eager. That is not what I was speaking of.”

I frowned then. “You don’t want—”

“Oh, I want you,” he cut in. “And I will take you, but not yet. First, you must be punished.”

Taking my hand, he led me out of the bathing room, down the hall and into Maddox’s bedroom—our bedroom. I resisted with each step, but perhaps he’d put our marks together on purpose to assist him, for I could deny him nothing when our marks touched.

“Punished?”

The door slid silently shut behind me. While the other men had yet to return, and we were alone on the ship, I was still thankful for the privacy the door provided.