Crashed on an Ice World Read online

  She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the man’s cheek. “Thank you.”

  His eyebrows rose. “For what?”

  “Giving me what I needed. Stay out of trouble.”

  A wide grin flashed. “Never.”

  Elana turned and brushed past Rynan.

  He was beside her in a second. “It’s dangerous to flirt with thieves.”

  She glanced his way. “He was hardly a danger, besides, I can take care of myself.” She looked around the town and saw the firefalls were flowing again. “Always have, and always will.” She stared hard at the molten lava. “Did you have fun with a nubile young priestess?” Okay, it was pretty hard to miss the venom in her voice.

  “No. I’ve been too busy stopping Goldie from buying every single Naahlawan artifact, real or fake, and bringing it aboard. Sayer and Milo finished offloading all the passengers and their gear.” His gray eyes bored into her, his eyes unreadable. “Time to get back to work.”

  She managed a nod, one hand curling into a fist. Work. It was all she and Rynan had.

  And she realized now that it wasn’t enough.

  Chapter Four

  Rynan slammed his fist into the punching bag, sending it swinging wildly on its chain. He hit it again. And again. He’d been in the ship’s gym for over an hour, doing his best to take his frustration out on the boxing bag.

  Slam. Slam. Slam.

  He kept thinking of that kiss.

  Slam. Slam. Slam.

  And how Elana tasted.

  He smashed his fist into the bag again, the force of the blow making him grunt.

  Images of her flirting with that damn suave Naahlawan thief kept plaguing him as well. Ry hadn’t liked it at all.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Dare said dryly from behind him.

  Ry paused and looked over his shoulder. His head was so damned mucked up, he hadn’t even heard his brother enter. Dare was dressed in workout gear. Ry grunted a greeting. “Everything okay with the ship?”

  Dare nodded. “All systems running at optimal levels, and we’re en route to Goldie’s rocky moon.”

  Ry slammed his fist into the bag again.

  Dare raised a brow. “Want to talk about it?”

  “No. Nothing to talk about.”

  Now his brother sighed, before moving over to start lifting some weights. “Maybe you should have taken Teela up on her rather blatant offer before she left us. She’d have been a more enjoyable way to work out the tension than pummeling a boxing bag.”

  Ry grunted again. The idea soured his stomach. “Don’t want or need a woman.”

  A long moment of silence. “I know Mom wasn’t mother of the year, but that doesn’t mean every woman is a manipulative, weak betrayer.”

  Ry’s gut hardened, and he punched the bag again. “Don’t want to talk about it. Don’t want to talk about damn women at all.”

  “How’s it going down in the maintenance bay?”

  The change of subject didn’t make Rynan feel much better. He rammed a fierce uppercut into the bag, sending it swinging again. “Shitty. I forget stuff all the time.” Frustration wrapped around his throat like hard fingers. What if his head never got better?

  Dare appeared, grabbing the bag to stop it swinging. “Give yourself a break, Ry. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard since you woke up from that damn coma. I will never forget what you did. You dived in front of me and Dakota to save us. To me, you’re a fucking hero.”

  Ry blew out a breath, but didn’t respond.

  His brother gripped Ry’s shoulder. “I’m here. Whatever you need.”

  “Thanks, Dare. I’m okay.”

  After Dare finished his workout and left, Ry continued punching the bag. Sweat soaked his clothes, but he still didn’t feel like he’d purged the frustration eating at him. When the door whispered open again, he glanced over and froze as Elana strode in.

  When she spotted him, she came to a halt. Her shoulders stiffened before she continued over to a bench, dropping her gear. She was wearing black leggings and a tight tank that left her toned arms bare. Without his permission, Ry’s gaze slid down to the inch of bare midriff at her waist.

  His cock tightened, desire flaring to life. No, dammit.

  He cleared his throat. He would act normal if it killed him. “Hi.”

  She nodded, and then bent over and started stretching. His gaze landed on her ass, and he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He had to get this desire under control.

  “Any blips on long-range?” he asked desperately.

  “No.” She straightened, sliding an arm across her chest. “And Nissa said we’ll be at the moon in a few hours.”

  “Good. You planning to train? Need a sparring partner?”

  Her gaze flicked to his, before she looked away. “I already have one.” The door opened again, and Milo walked in. The lanky young man looked like an eager puppy dog.

  “Hi, you guys.” He almost bounced. “I’m ready to train.”

  Elana nodded her head to indicate the mats. “You might not be so happy afterward.”

  Before she took to the mats, she fiddled with the comp system. Music blared, loud and pumping. Ry shook his head. The woman loved working out to earsplitting music.

  As Elana took the young man through some warmup exercises and then started him on some basic defense moves, Ry went back to hitting his bag. But he watched them out of the corner of his eye. The kid was young, but tall and strong. As Ry watched, he could see Milo wasn’t nearly as coordinated as Elana.

  Elana, on the other hand, moved with controlled grace and skill. He’d sparred with her many times before and knew how good she was.

  Still, a part of him didn’t like the way that the young man kept brushing up against her as they went through some moves.

  Ry hit the bag harder.

  He saw Elana and Milo move on to doing some kicks. A second later, the kid misjudged his kick, lost his balance, and crashed into Elana. They tumbled to the mats, Milo landing on top of her.

  “Hey!” Ry strode over, yanking Milo up by the back of his shirt. “Careful.”

  Elana bounded to her feet. “I’m fine, Rynan.” Her brow was creased.

  “You should be more careful.”

  “I’m training him. He’ll learn from his mistakes.”

  “He’s twice your size.”

  “You know size has nothing to do with it.” She moved, lightning fast, and the next thing Ry knew, she’d kicked his legs out from under him. He landed flat on his back, staring up at the gym ceiling.

  He sat up slowly, narrowing his gaze on her. “You want to fight? Then, let’s fight.” He pushed to his feet.

  “I don’t want to fight with you.” She stepped closer, her jaw tight. “I’m training with Milo.”

  “Ah…” Milo’s gaze swiveled between them. “I think I’m done.” He took two steps backward. “I’ll be going now.”

  Neither of them watched him leave. All of a sudden, Elana swung out, her punch landing in Ry’s gut.

  He grunted. When she swung again, he blocked her hit and spun away. They moved across the mat in a dance of kicks and blows. She wasn’t pulling any punches.

  Soon, sweat was pouring down his face. She launched a vicious kick at his gut, and he leaped back.

  “Dammit, Elana. I said I was sorry.”

  “I heard it.”

  “So why are you so pissed?” He blocked her chop to his chest.

  “For a smart guy, you’re pretty damn clueless.” They pressed close together for a long moment, before spinning apart again.

  His anger ignited now. “I apologized—”

  “And I never wanted you to! I wanted that kiss. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time.”

  He froze, just staring at her. Then he lunged forward, not giving himself time to think. He backed her up against the wall and then his mouth was on hers.

  He slanted his head, his tongue going deep. She kissed him back hard, and his fingers flexed on her skin. As the
ir tongues tangled, a blast of blistering heat rushed straight to his cock. A primitive groan broke out of him.

  Desperate for more of her, he slid his hand up under her tight shirt. When his hand closed over her breast, she moaned. He flicked his fingers over one tight nipple.

  Need was a hot rush pouring through him.

  Elana’s hands ran up his biceps, her nails scraping over his skin. She undulated against him, and now he slid his hand downward. He wanted to touch her everywhere, memorize every inch of her. His hand slipped down the stretchy fabric of her leggings and between her legs.

  “Yes,” she hissed, her head dropping back against the wall.

  Ry delved between her sleek thighs, sliding along her panties. She jerked against his hand with a cry. He slid a finger under the fabric and into her delicate folds. Fuck. She was hot and wet. She made a choked, hungry sound.

  He slid a finger inside her. She was so damn tight.

  “Yes, Rynan. More.”

  He blinked, suddenly realizing that he had Elana pinned against the wall in the gym. Anybody could walk in and see them. He was hot and sweaty, and he was pawing at her like an untried teenager.

  She deserved better than this.

  He pulled his hand out of her leggings and stepped back.

  “No,” she cried out, frustration crossing her face.

  “Elana, I’m—”

  “Don’t you dare apologize again,” she snapped.

  “This can’t happen again. I’m your boss.”

  “I want you, and you want me. At least I’m honest about it.” Her gaze dropped down. He knew she couldn’t miss the hard-on tenting his gym shorts.

  Jesus, how the hell had they ended up here? He shook his head. Last week, she’d been his best employee and his best friend. They’d worked together, perfectly fine, for years. She was someone he depended on.

  He couldn’t lose her.

  “Elana, I find you attractive, but you work for me, and you’re—”

  She lifted her chin. “Is that the only reason you won’t touch me?”

  He blew out a breath. That was the easiest excuse he could give her. “Look—”

  “Fine. I quit.” She pushed away from the wall, striding toward the door.

  Every muscle in his body locked tight, and he stared at her like she’d lost her mind.

  She glanced back over her shoulder. “Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”

  The door closed behind her.

  Rooted to the floor, he just stared. What the fuck?

  After leaving the gym, Elana strode toward the security room. She needed something to do so she didn’t think about a certain stubborn, hard-headed male.

  Or that kiss. Or the way his hands felt on her, in her…

  She blew out a breath. She didn’t regret quitting, though.

  The security room was empty. It was a large space, dominated by a comp table currently covered in projected star maps. Ry had an office off to one side, and there was another room where the backup systems were stored. She touched the table and the screen flared to life.

  There were always scans to analyze—short-range, long-range, planetary data, hull integrity scans, system-health scans. Mostly, it was boring, monotonous work, but it was just what she needed right now.

  Damn Rynan. An ugly mix of pain filled her. Anger for sure, but under it, was pain. He’d hurt her. She pressed her hands to the table and closed her eyes.

  Suddenly, the door slammed open and Rynan strode in like a man headed to war. He had a hard, angry look on his face.

  She straightened.

  “You can’t quit,” he ground out.

  “Yes, I can. I already have.” She touched the screen and started flicking through scan data.

  “No.”

  She looked up and caught what looked like a quick flare of panic in his eyes. “Yes.”

  He set his hands on his hips. “So, you’re quitting because I won’t have sex with you?”

  The hurt that hit her was deeper than anything before. He didn’t see her at all. She was just good, old, solid Elana, and that was all she’d ever be.

  She knew for sure she was doing the right thing by leaving. “No, you idiot.”

  She waited for him to say something, but instead, he glared at her for another second before he turned and stormed out.

  Tears burning in her eyes, Elana slumped against the table. She lifted her gaze to the small window and stared at the stars in the distance.

  When the doors opened again, she quickly dashed the tears away. Dakota stood in the doorway, cradling her arm against her chest.

  “There you are,” the woman said.

  The former con artist stood with a hip cocked, her dark hair pulled back off her face. Her features were dominated by beautiful blue eyes that sparked with a hint of mischief.

  “What have you done to yourself?” Elana asked.

  “There was a knife, and—” she waved her uninjured hand “—it’s a long story. Can you fix me up before Dare finds out and has a supernova-sized fit?”

  Dare redefined over-protective when it came to his wife.

  “I have a medscope right here, so if you haven’t done any major damage, we’ll get you sorted out fast.”

  “Awesome.” Dakota hitched herself up on a stool by the table.

  Elana opened the small medical drawer, found the slim device, then moved to Dakota. She studied the gash on the woman’s arm. It was long, but had no jagged edges. She switched on the medscope and waved the blue light over Dakota’s arm.

  “What’s wrong?” Dakota asked.

  The woman’s question made Elana huff out a breath. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Former con artist, remember? I can read people like an open holo-document.”

  “I just quit my job.”

  Dakota just raised a brow. “Rynan ‘Scary Face’ Phoenix finally push you over the edge with his bossiness?”

  Elana knew there was no love lost between Rynan and Dakota. The woman had snuck onto the Sky Nomad under an assumed identity, and then proceeded to drive Dare insane for several weeks as she led him on a wild and dangerous treasure hunt, before they’d finally fallen in love. Ry and Dakota had been forced to declare an uneasy truce.

  “I’m in love with him.” Wow. Elana felt lightheaded for a second. It was scary but liberating to say the words out loud for the first time. She glanced at Dakota and then frowned. “You don’t look surprised.”

  The woman shrugged. “Everybody already knows that.”

  They did? Stars, she was so pathetic. Everyone knew how she felt about Rynan…except Rynan. Growing up on a starship meant that everybody gossiping and knowing everybody else’s business was nothing new. She let out a breath. Didn’t mean she had to like it.

  “And the man has feelings for you,” Dakota added.

  Elana shrugged one shoulder. “Not enough of them.”

  “Sure, he does. He’s just stubborn, and he needs a hard knock to that head of his.” Dakota pulled a face. “Another one.”

  Elana shook her head sadly. “He’ll never feel the same way about me, Dakota. I know he had a terrible childhood, but Dare and Justyn didn’t let it twist them. If there is one thing I know about Rynan Phoenix, it’s that once he decides something, he sticks to it. He doesn’t believe in love, and even if he did, he doesn’t feel it for me.” Her heart ached. “I’m done. I’m going to get off at Alfra. It’s a trading planet with lots of starship traffic.”

  Now Dakota gasped. “That’s only a few days away!”

  Yes. But there was no point in prolonging this any longer. “I’m doing the right thing.”

  The only thing she could do.

  A chime sounded from the comp table and she lifted her head. Time to get back to work. “We’ve arrived at the moon.”

  Chapter Five

  Rynan stormed onto the bridge. He was in a bad mood and he made sure his scowl warned people he wasn’t interested in talking.

  He went straight to
his console and got to work looking at the readings for the small, rocky moon filling the viewscreen.

  “Jeez, Ry, what’s up your butt today?” Justyn muttered.

  “Nothing.”

  Nissa cleared her throat, spinning her captain’s chair a little. “What have we got on scans?”

  Ry swiped the screen. “Nothing unusual. Standard rocky composition. No atmosphere, no life signs.”

  “Dare, you make him talk,” Justyn said.

  Nearby, Dare stood with his hands resting at the small of his back, and his gaze on the forward viewscreen. “I forgot my torture device today. Ry will talk when he wants to.”

  Justyn snorted. “Ry never talks.”

  Ry ignored them. Inside, he was a mass of churning anger. Elana had chosen sex over him, her job, and the convoy.

  The betrayal burned inside him. “Elana quit.”

  Nissa gasped and Justyn shook his head. Dare glanced Ry’s way, his gaze unfathomable.

  “You are a fucking idiot,” Justyn muttered.

  Ry frowned. “Me? She was the one who quit.”

  Justyn crossed his arms. “Yeah? And why did she quit?”

  Ry pressed his lips together. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t said anything. He didn’t want to discuss personal stuff with everyone.

  Dare shook his head, his long hair brushing his shoulders. “When are you going to admit how you feel about her?”

  “She’s my employee.”

  “Not anymore,” Justyn said unhelpfully.

  Another flare of panic hit Rynan. He couldn’t believe that she would leave. Leave the Nomad, her friends, a job she was good at. Leave him.

  “She’s made her choice,” he growled.

  Suddenly, a soft alarm sounded and he looked down at the scan results.

  “Anything?” Nissa asked.

  Ry shook his head. “No. A natural formation.”

  Goldie bustled onto the bridge, her long shirt flowing around her. “What is it? Did you find anything?”

  “Nothing yet,” Ry answered.

  They moved into a lower orbit and Ry continued scanning the moon’s surface.

  “Imagine an old Earth ship making it all the way out here.” Goldie’s voice held a dramatic edge. “Searching for a new home, but destined for tragedy.”