The Man

Settler's Mine 5:

The Man

Mechele Armstrong

Settler's Mine 5: The Man Copyright © December 2009 by Mechele Armstrong All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions. eISBN 978-1-60737-486-2 Editor: Georgia A. Woods Cover Artist: April Martinez Printed in the United States of America

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Chapter One “Ship's docking is complete. Welcome to Settler's Mine. A list of rules and regulations is available. Please read them carefully. Ignorance doesn't excuse you from being shot.” Colton snorted at the recorded message as he docked into port. 'Course with Zelda, anything was possible. How many people had she shot? Probably a few. And those she didn't shoot, her big mate, Bren, could rip apart. The computer voice message reminded him of where he was headed. And what he was there to do. Do you really want to do this? No. He didn't want to face what he'd done in the past. Not now. Not ever. But it was time. Past time. He'd been headed here a few weeks ago but had gotten delayed. He finished the docking procedures. Secured his ship. Turned to face the man who had delayed him, who lay relaxing on a bunk behind him. Larkin had been snoring up until docking had commenced. He now looked delicious, reclining back against the mattress. Looked so at ease with the world. He didn't have an uptight bone in his body. Just a permanent hard-on. “Coming?” “If only.” Larkin sat up, shifted to his feet, and stretched his long body out, muscle by muscle. Colton's cock hardened at his lover's movements. He wanted to feel those roped muscles around him. Wanted to feel that mouth sucking him off until the little death took him. Maybe they had time for a quickie. Larkin grinned. He'd shown before he knew how his body affected Colton, and exploited Colton's reactions to the fullest. “I know what's on your mind. Naughty.” “You started it.”

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“Did not.” Larkin approached him and pulled Colton against his body. Rubbed his cock against him. A hard erection tantalized Colton with the promise of what could happen. What would be tantalizing. “Did too. You always do.” Colton shrugged, not arguing, rubbing back against the cock against him. Larkin was usually the instigator. But that didn't mean that Colton couldn't enjoy what Larkin brought to him. A sensor sounded from the controls, indicating they could disembark. Colton kept quiet, but the rubbing stopped anyway. Larkin pulled back, suddenly serious. Studied Colton's face. Not his usual jovial attitude. His ever blue eyes gazed down into Colton's own. “Are you nervous?” To anyone else, Colton would have denied the emotion. But this was Larkin, who seemed to know him better than he'd ever been known. “Yes. A little.” “Where is she?” Larkin's face grew even more subdued. Grim. As if he should be singing a dirge. A look that Colton wasn't used to seeing on his lover. He wanted the smile back on Larkin's face. Larkin asked like Colton should know specifically where the woman was, even though it had been years since he'd seen her. “She's on the Mine.” Colton exhaled deeply. Turned his head as if to look past the door that separated him from her. His skin prickled. He hadn't seen her in so fucking long. “Somewhere.” Truth was, if she had her way, dirges for him would be playing. Not that he blamed her. “Should we find her first? Or get checked in?” Colton's erection deflated. Larkin might not give this a rest until they'd settled the whole affair. He'd been like a Wolfton with a bone since he'd found out. Colton grabbed a bag. “Get checked in. The Mine requires that. Then we scope her out. See what's shaking. And…” Then what? He wasn't sure what came next. It wasn't going to be a pretty reunion. No nice little words. Loving glances. More like metal things thrown his way. At his head. His hand tightened. He'd give her some leeway. But she'd have to come around to his way of thinking. Or else he'd play dirty. Nothing Larkin needed to know. Or maybe he did. Since Colton would be coming clean

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soon and all. Bore thinking about. But somehow it seemed wiser to tell Michipi first. After all, technically, she'd been his mate longer. Larkin reached out to grasp his chin, bringing Colton's attention back to him. “Whatever happens, we will get through this together. Reclaim our mate together.” A mate who Larkin had never met. If only it would be that easy. But that was unlikely. Maybe he should try to tell Larkin that? Larkin didn't seem to understand the situation he was being brought into. “I don't think it's…” Larkin reached out and put a finger against Colton's lips. “I know it's not going to be easy. I'm not naive. But we will do it. We have to.” Ah, the hope and wonder in the young. It did make them naive. The optimism brimming from Larkin might have been catching had Colton been a younger man. Colton smiled, a little bitterly. He'd never been that young. Or that hopeful. Life was what it was. A bitch. Hadn't that been why he'd left her? Or what he'd told himself to justify the mistake? “You're so fucking young.” He knew the reaction he'd get. Larkin smacked him across the chest. Then continued as if Colton hadn't said that. “Sooooo…” Larkin rubbed a finger across Colton's lips. It tickled, making Colton shake his head, removing the touch. Yet his skin burned where Larkin had stroked with electric snaps of fire. “What's she like?” “An angel.” The words tumbled from Colton's mouth before he thought about them. “A pure angel.” The description felt right. His chest tightened. He hadn't seen her in so long. She might have changed. But the memories he had of her were good ones. Some of his best up, until he'd met Larkin. “What's that?” Larkin looked confused. His nose crinkled up in that adorable little-boy look that he attained sometimes. “An angel?” Youth might have hope, but it didn't have everything. “They were from a planet called Earth. They were…beings of light.” “Like a catavar?” Catavars were beings that inhabited caves on a distant planet. They glowed with bioluminescence. “Not exactly.” Colton rubbed his lips, still tingling from the other man's touch. Made it hard to think about explaining something that Larkin didn't know. “They were supposed to be

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ethereal. Cherubic. Innocents. Pink cheeks. Harps. Wings. They helped a God do his business.” Probably not the greatest explanation, but one that would make sense to the other man's frame of reference. “Ah. She has wings?” Larkin arched a brow. “I never expected to be with a creature with wings. That could get interesting.” Colton eyed him. No one had said they would be with her at all. She was as likely to fuck them up as to fuck them. “No. Nor does she own a harp. Or have a halo. But she was beautiful. Golden—well, not that color exactly. More purple. But what I remember of her is reminiscent of an angel. Her hair is purple.” Her skin had light lavender undertones too. How much was memory and how much was supplied by his dreams? He didn't know. Hell, he'd thought about her every day since he'd left her. Larkin might have brought her draw on him to the forefront during the weeks they'd known each other, but the truth was, she had never been too far out of his mind. Would she be able to say the same? “She's going to be mad. Say things. Throw things.” Colton had no idea what she did now for a living. But if there were sharp knives and pots involved like there had been back then, he'd probably be wearing them. “You can't protect me. She deserves her…anger. For a while, at least.” She deserved so much more than him. So much more than anger. Somehow he'd find a way to give that to her. Hell, he was giving her Larkin in a way. And Larkin was much better than Colton had ever been for a relationship. Larkin pursed his lips together. “I can't promise I won't defend you. If it gets bad. Too bad.” Larkin couldn't promise a lot of things. His hair trigger temper might make this situation dangerous. Even more so than the journey they'd taken to get there. “Keep yourself in check.” An easy thing for Colton to say. Not as easy for Larkin to do. He tended to act first and think later. A fact that bore attention. Larkin moved back in Colton's space. “I'd rather check you. Maybe…we get checked in and”—he pushed himself against Colton again. Ready. Hard. Wanting. As usual—“we could check each other out. Before…we find her.” It was the first time Colton had seen Larkin willing to let this conversation go for fucking. Colton was more than ready.

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His stomach bottomed out. He could lose himself in Larkin's body for a while. But knowing he was this close to her, would he be able to focus completely on Larkin? Could he find the solace he sought in a man's body when a woman had come to the front of his mind? He didn't know. Was he willing to try? His cock pulsed. His libido was willing to give this a try, even if his mind had doubts. Larkin leaned in to nuzzle him. “Check each other with our cocks.” As if the previous comment weren't clear enough for Colton. His cock wanted to grind back against his lover. To press against the man and lean him back in the shuttle. Take him then and there. Press inside him. Colton pushed him back, and his mouth swooped in for a kiss. A taste. He'd content himself with a taste. That was all. Only it didn't work out that way. Because once their bodies roamed together in a delicate dance of spacing, electric heat fused inside of him. His tongue battled with Larkin's. Growing faster and deeper with each assault. He tangled his hands in Larkin's long hair. Kept his head down so he could plunder the man's mouth. Tried to drown himself in Larkin's essence. The good essence that had been so lacking in Colton's life since before Larkin. Since before…her. He couldn't get enough of the kiss. Of Larkin's taste. His breath rushed from his chest like a freight train as he panted. Larkin's hands pressed on his torso. Pressed against the scar that remained. The scar that reminded him of his prior life. Colton released Larkin from the kiss. Larkin looked dazed. A little tremulous. That Colton could make the big, happy-go-lucky man react that way was a wonder. “Oh.” Not the most intelligible comment. He reached down to undo Larkin's leather pants. Larkin's head went back with a groan. “Colton.” He panted. “Shouldn't we be checking in? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. But I've heard stories…” “No one can get in.” Colton finished undoing the zipper and slipped his hand inside Larkin's pants. His breathing sped up, and his heartbeat tripled. Commando. Larkin had often

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gone out that way in the past, tempting Colton to no end. Should have known he'd do it today. Bastard. What a lucky bastard Colton was. To be tempted by him. Colton's hand slipped up and down the smooth, hardened rod. Several times. Cupping him, but not entirely. Too big for that. Larkin moved his legs apart, letting the hand come fully into his pants. Shifted his weight. His face looked like a study in pain. His eyes rolled back as Colton found a sensitive spot, the tip of his cock. Larkin said something in a language that Colton didn't understand. Then he continued. “Let me suck you.” Like he had to ask. Colton stepped away, removing his hand from Larkin's cock. “You may.” He reached down to undo his own pants, but Larkin's hands beat him to the top. They undid the snap and slipped down the zipper. Larkin's face darkened with desire as Colton slipped the pants down to his ankles. He started to take off the boots but stopped as Larkin looked up at him. Larkin licked his lips. He didn't come anywhere near Colton. Didn't touch him. Didn't come within a foot of him. But Colton felt the zing of that lick all the way down to his cock. His cock jerked, which made Larkin grin. The man didn't even have to touch him and he was lost. A night. A beautiful night in the fields of Aswala. Her hands touching his cock. Breaking him in two with her caresses. She nipped his earlobe as she was always wont to do. Making him come undone. Evidenced by the groan and the little spurt of precome. His tossing her to the ground so hard, he'd thought she might break. He'd hesitated then. Looked down into the lavender-shaded hair covering one eye like a curtain across her emotions. Her voice as clear as an angel had assured him, “I'm not that fragile. You won't break me. Only if you leave.” He'd fallen onto her like a man and made her his again and again in a field of flowers as blue as the nights are long. And in the morning, he'd left her.

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He closed his eyes as Larkin's mouth centered around his hard cock. A warm, wet, cavernous mouth. That took him deep inside. Colton's hips bucked. Reeling from both the touch and the memory. The comm buzzed. They both startled and pulled back from each other. Larkin's face was wet from where he'd been going down on Colton. Colton shivered from deep within as he tried to pull himself back under control. So close. He'd have spilled in another minute or two. Found heaven with the closest thing he had to it right now. He slowly pulled up his pants and zippered them back up. Colton glared into the device before he picked it up. If only they had some fucking patience. What piss-poor timing. Damn box. “Yes?” He kept the curtness from his voice. They didn't need trouble. “You two going to take all day?” The voice was clipped. Acidic. Familiar. Good thing she hadn't busted in. “Or do I need to come in there and get you off myself?” From her reaction, he guessed she'd checked his file when his name had come across her desk as someone coming on board the Mine. Larkin's incredulous look almost made Colton laugh. “We'll be out in a sex—I mean, sec.” He'd made more of those slips in the last two weeks than…ever before. Except for when he'd been with her. Which hadn't even totaled a week. Now it was Larkin's turn to laugh at Colton's gaffe. A middle-finger sign wouldn't have much effect on the effervescent man. But Colton thought about it. An exasperated sigh from the end of the comm was followed by, “Make it snappy. I have other things to do than wait for you assholes.” The comm clicked off. “Who the hell was that?” Larkin pulled his long tunic down over his pants, which he still hadn't zipped. The bulge remained. Plus a little of his cock peeked out. Making Colton watch in the hopes that more would reveal itself.

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Colton wanted to reach down and cover the bulge with his hands. Investigate it fully again with fingers. Then plummet his mouth down there for tasting. Only now they didn't have time. Zelda wouldn't wait but so long. And she was the law on the Mine. “Zelda.” “The Zelda?” Larkin blinked. “The one and only.” He looked impressed. Not much impressed Larkin. Colton could see why Zelda would. “Why is she waiting on us? Why does she want to see us in person?” Tricky question. Colton shrugged on a jacket. There were some weapons hidden in the lining and pockets. Just in case. He put on his sunglasses with the lightning bolt on the side. “To greet us personally. With my…past proclivities, she wants to set me straight about the rules here.” Larkin knew some things about Colton's past. But not everything. It wasn't time to tell him yet. “You mean, like her?” Not the Zelda her, but the other her. The one who Colton dared not name to anyone but Larkin. He didn't want anything to tip her off that he was there. Or he'd never get to see her. If she could, she might run from him. Like he had from her. Only he didn't intend to let her run away. Whatever happened, it ended here. There was no malice or jealousy in Larkin's voice about Colton's other mate. Did he possess those emotions? Not so far as Colton had seen. But they hadn't claimed their other mate fully yet either. “No.” Colton smiled indulgently. “It's not about her. I don't think there's a record of her…and me.” He'd made sure of that. It had been the least he could do. “I've…been a traveler all my life and had many adventures.” Some had been more interesting than others. “Up until the last couple of weeks.” Larkin smiled and zipped up his pants, knowing full well what had changed that week for Colton. “Zelda knows you.” He moved to the door. The sway of his ass sent Colton motionless again. Larkin had such a rounded, fuckable ass. Colton managed to get out “yes.” He wanted to round out that ass with the padding of his hands. Run his hands along the bare skin. “From your travels?”

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“And that my heartstone came from here.” Now that had been moons ago. Ages. Aeons. More time than he cared to think about. “Zelda keeps all records for long periods of time.” She was sure to know where his heartstone had originated, even if the Mine hadn't been hers at that time. The stone on the hemp rope around his neck cast a purple light from deep within, even as he glanced down at it, as if making sure it glowed. He still couldn't believe the Fates had this in store for him. A second chance. Larkin's stone answered. With a deep, pulsing purple light of its own. Colton froze. There was something he hadn't considered as they'd come on board the Mine, putting themselves close to her. Did a third stone answer theirs from somewhere deep in the Mine?

***** Michipi looked around the dining area. Everything was spotless, but not for long. The lunch rush would show up soon. These quiet moments before the restaurant opened were some of her favorites. All was calm and peaceful. Before the spills or dealing with unruly customers, she could peer upon the order. Unfortunately there were always those types of customers, even in an otherwise-calm day, and spills were every day. But right now everything was neat and orderly, with everything in its place, the way she liked it. Before the disruption of the day would pull all her painstaking work apart and leave it for her to do all over again. She blew out a breath as she looked around her humble place in the stars. These moments were also some of her least favorites. Because then she had time to think. Too much time some days. At least when the restaurant was open, she moved around so much, she didn't have time to ponder anything for long. Her hand came up to grip the heartstone around her neck. A habit that most Quatarians seemed to have. Though at times, she'd been tempted to grab the rock from around her neck and toss it into a fire. All it had ever brought her was heartache. Why did she hang on to it? Who would have thought she would end up working a restaurant at a heartstone mine? Considering she hated the albatross around her neck and whom it tied her to, it was ironic.

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She surveyed again to make sure everything was in place. There'd be no time once the doors opened. They always opened on the dot at 1100 hours. If nothing else, she was punctual. Being next to the shuttle docking bay was both a blessing and a curse for her little piece of the Mine. Often new arrivals stopped there after checking in because she was so close to where they'd begun their quest. Her position brought her business. It had been Zelda's decision where to put her restaurant. But Michipi often got people so new to the Mine that she saw harsh realities coming at them. It was all she could do not to warn them. Not to scream at them to get away while they still could. Before heartache settled in. Her diatribes wouldn't be good for business, but some days it was hard to keep them inside. Her hand warmed as she tightened her fingers around the stone. She looked up at the heavens. How naive rubes could be. Those poor souls who came to the Mine expecting love and happiness to follow them around once they found their stone. They all then expected to find their mate. Live happily ever after with that mate. No one expected to be unable to locate their stone or their mate. Or to have a mate walk away. Reject what you offered. No one expected that to happen. It was rare. Except to the people it happened to. What lies the naive relied on to keep them going. She had no such illusions. No such tales to keep her warm at night. She had nothing. Except a cold, empty stone. Her hand heated more. Something caught her eye from underneath her hand, and she glanced down. Moved her hand away from the stone. Froze. Put her hand on the stone again, and brought it up in front of her eyes. This couldn't be happening. The stone she held in her hand had been dark before. Lifeless. As usual. A relic around her neck. Now, a pulsating, purple light shone from deep within the crystal. Touching it warmed her hand.

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She dropped the stone as if it were a snake about to bite her. It fell to her chest, still glimmering. “Oh, goddess. No.” There had to be some mistake. There had to be an error of some kind. This couldn't be happening. But it was. The stone continued to glimmer with a purple glow as it rested against her chest. She could feel the slight warmth through her thin tunic shirt. Her heart pounded. Sweat littered her body and palms. Surely he wouldn't come here? Not after all this time. Even he wouldn't have the nerve to show up where she lived. Where she'd made a new life for herself. Would he? Even he couldn't be that cruel. Of course he was. He'd left her behind. A bumping sound from the bay made her frozen feet break free. She dashed to the door. Opened it and stood in the doorway, stone clutched in her hands. Gazed down both sides of the corridor. He had to be nearby. Otherwise, the stone wouldn't glow. And wherever he was, she'd find him and give him what for. Why would he be here? She could think of many names to call him but would never say one to his face or even behind his back. But he had to know, after all this time, what her reaction would be. Why would he even show up? To disrupt her life in this way again? To appease some itch? She'd send him packing. She had no room for this. Not in her perfectly ordered life. Her heart wrenched. Images of him and her flashed across her mind. His body wrapped around hers. Hands tangled in her long hair. His tongue brushing up her leg. Her mouth nibbling on his earlobe. The safety she'd felt in his arms when they'd drifted off to sleep. The way he'd made her lose control. Ordered her around. The glow of their shimmery stones together. The coldness that had enveloped her when she'd awakened to find her mate gone. Gone, even though he knew the longings that would fill them both. He hadn't cared enough to stay or to even say good-bye. Instead he'd rushed away to see the stars. To be the traveler he'd wanted to be. At least, that's what she'd assumed.

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Without her by his side. She'd seen the stars now too. And they weren't that spectacular. Especially without someone to share them with. The glow started to fade. “No.” She clutched it tighter, as if she could keep the stone glowing by her hand alone. “No.” If he was here, she had to see him… She had to confront him. Get this out of her system once and for all. Was that a purple glow? Over there? She bolted that way. Headed there, though she had no idea what she would do if she did find him. What would she say? It wasn't him. She couldn't spot anything glowing purple either. Whatever she'd seen, she'd lost sight of it. Slowly the glimmer in her stone shut down, as if it had never glowed at all. She stood in the corridor, hand on her stone. “Michipi?” She turned to face Zelda, who scrutinized her, seeming to search her face. “Hello, Zelda.” “I thought you'd be getting things ready for opening?” Zelda spoke cautiously. “Like always?” Because that was her schedule. Every day. “I—Never mind. It doesn't matter now.” Oh, but it did. However, she wasn't about to tell Zelda. On the off chance she was wrong, she didn't want anyone to know her shame. “I better get back.” She dashed away, not chancing any more questions. When she looked back, Zelda watched her, a frown crossing her face. Michipi shut the door behind her and leaned her head on the cool stone. It had been real. The stone had glowed. Which meant one of two impossible things. Either Colton was on the Mine. Or she had another mate.

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Chapter Two Larkin barely listened while Zelda droned on about propriety and behavior on the Mine. Instead he focused on his mate. Watched the expressions on his face. Toyed with his hand, which was in Larkin's. Colton was the only thing that mattered to him anyway. Colton looked as if he listened to every word that Zelda said. He'd tucked his glasses into his jacket pocket. But Larkin knew better about Colton's listening persona. He might have only known the man a short time, but he'd learned enough to realize when Colton had zoned out. His lover most definitely had zoned out. Of course, who wouldn't be? Considering what they were there to do. Considering how much Colton's life had changed in the last couple of weeks. And was about to change even more. Who could blame Colton for being distracted? A grin tugged at Larkin's mouth. The only thing that distracted him was Colton. A question made Colton sit up straighter, and Larkin straightened up too. What had been asked? “I said, 'What's your purpose on the Mine?'” She glared at them both. “You both have your heartstones already. Which leads me to believe you're up to mischief. I don't like it.” Larkin's other hand went up to grasp his stone. What had Colton done in the past to rate a personal ranting from Zelda? He didn't know and wasn't sure if he cared. After all, Larkin couldn't choose his mate, and he was stuck with Colton. Forever. Unless he cuts and runs like he did last time. That nagging voice needed to shut down. That was why they were there. To fix an old wrong. To claim their third mate, who should have rightfully been by Colton's side all this time.

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Colton ran a hand through short, metallic hair. “We're here to look up an old friend of mine.” “For shits and giggles.” Larkin added in his bit. It was for more like fucks and reclaiming. But best not to say that. Colton would get irritated. Larkin had been with both men and women. He had been with both at the same time and couldn't wait to do it again. Especially with his mates. That would make the fucking better. Even if it was damn incredible the first time around. Bring her on. She'd be unhappy, but she had to accept them. Anything else would leave them in longing for the rest of their lives. Anything else didn't make sense, at least not any form of good sense. What had both Colton and the woman gone through being apart for so long? He couldn't imagine. “You disrupt my Mine in any way, Colton, like you did on Egran Prime, and I'll feed you your own balls for breakfast.” Zelda's gaze never wavered from his. Larkin had never seen brown look so icy before. “Do I make myself clear?” Larkin wanted to eat Colton's balls. In a different way. They always tasted good. He shifted in his seat, his tight pants suddenly uncomfortable. He should have pressed more in the shuttle. Taken Colton when he'd been horny. If they'd been faster, they could have finished. But Larkin had tried to be serious and supportive. Look where it had gotten him now. Horny and sitting in an office across from a woman threatening to cut off his lover's balls. “As crystal.” Colton's hand tightened on Larkin's. If he'd noticed Larkin's predicament, he didn't react. 'Course Zelda's presence limited anything starting. What had the man done on Egran Prime, a much-smaller mining operation? It had to have been bad for Zelda to react to him this way now. Larkin couldn't help his curiosity. He'd have to look into it the next chance he got. Mainly because it would be something to tease the older man with. Speaking of looking up things… He tapped on Colton's hand, which still rested in his own. “Maybe she could help us?”

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Zelda leaned back in the chair, her face still unhappy. “Help you two with what? Finding your own assholes?” Colton gritted his teeth together before he answered. “I think my old friend is here. On the Mine. Larkin probably thinks you can help us find her.” Larkin more than thought that. He knew it. Zelda didn't say whether she would or wouldn't. Simply arched a brow and waited. Tapped a manicured nail on her wooden desk. “Her name is Mich-ipi.” Colton stumbled over naming her. Larkin liked her name already. The one picture Colton had of her was beautiful, though black-and-white. He was eager to meet his other mate. In color. Even if the reception wouldn't start out loving. Larkin had patience. It had taken days to convince Colton that he wasn't going anywhere. His stone lit up and so did Colton's for a brief fraction of a second. Zelda cocked her head to the side. “This Michipi is a friend of yours?” Her voice sounded as dubious as ice on a desert sand dune. Colton nodded. “An old friend. It's been a long time since we've seen each other.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “A long time.” Not an old friend. A mate. Which meant something beyond friendship. It had taken Colton long enough to tell him about his mating with Michipi. And Larkin had a feeling no one else had ever been told. Zelda shrugged. “I'd have to check my records. Besides, I'd check with anyone before I told their fucking whereabouts, though I'm not fucking saying that this woman—Micheepi?—is on this Mine.” Colton rocketed to his feet. “Of course, Zelda.” He nodded at her. “Thank you. If you find out anything about Michipi, let me know.” Only Larkin had seen Zelda's rock face glint a little when Michipi's name had been mentioned. Larkin didn't get up. Zelda's attention shifted to him. “Something else I can help you with?” “Michipi is our mate.”

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Her eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. “Oh?” Other than that, she didn't show any reaction. Colton sank back down in the seat. “Yeah.” He shot Larkin a glare. A glare that said there would be hell to pay later. If what Larkin had done gained them Michipi, so be it. And if it meant they didn't have to go traipsing all over the Mine, the revelation would be worth the time taken. “You two are mates too? I saw your stones glowing a few seconds ago.” She leaned back with a creak. Larkin nodded. “Yep, we're mates.” He'd never been so shocked as when he'd gone to pick up a lover in a bar and Colton's stone had glowed in response. Colton had tried to deny it, until Larkin had kissed him. Larkin's cock popped up. That had been a fun persuasion. With lots more to follow. “How's that possible? And how is Michipi your mate? How do you even fucking know that?” Her hands came together on the desk. Colton and Larkin spoke at the same time. Colton glared at him, so he deferred, but not without a glare back. It was Colton's story to tell. But that didn't mean Larkin shouldn't offer up his version of the story. Colton continued. “Michipi was—is—my mate. From a long time ago. That's why Larkin's and my stones glowed in response to each other. I'd already been chosen by a woman.” Women were usually said to be the catalyst. That their stone started off the response in a male's stone. Didn't always happen that way, but happened enough to call it a majority. To have it be an accepted view. “So how come you and Michipi weren't together when you two assholes found each other?” Zelda looked back and forth between them. Colton's eyes narrowed. “You do know where she is.” Which was what Larkin had thought all along. Zelda didn't flinch but met Colton's gaze head on. “I never said that I do. I've never said I'm going to help you find her either. But unless you spill what you're after her for, I'm not about to.”

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Colton blew out a long sigh. He was so uncomfortable with what had happened. Larkin didn't know how he'd lived all these years without her. The longing for Colton was so strong now, how would it be being separated? For years? “I left her.” Mates didn't do that. They didn't leave each other. Happiness was determined by a mate. Zelda shook her head. “Sad sack of shit. If I find anything on this Michipi, I might let you know.” Colton stood again. Motioned to Larkin to follow. Larkin didn't get up for a second time. “You mean you aren't going to tell us where she is?” His chest grew tight. He wanted to find this woman he'd never met. Had a feeling of being incomplete that would ease when he found her. “After we told you everything we know?” She had to tell them something. Her laugh was hearty. “I never said I'd tell you anything.” “But…” Colton's hand grazed along his arm. “Larkin…” “Smooth move, Colton.” Her pretty mouth twisted. “This is my Mine. No one else's. You don't like my rules, get the hell off.” Colton yanked him up from the chair. “We'll follow the rules while we're here.” He nodded to Zelda again. “Later.” Larkin was sputtering before they were out the door. “Why do you defer to her? That racketeering bitch? She knows where Mich—” Colton's hand landed on his mouth. Strong and rugged. Warm. Weathered. It had been over his skin hundreds if not thousands of times already. Larkin shivered. “Shush. This is her Mine. She could put us off. Have us killed. No one would bat an eye. We'd never find Michipi then. If she knows where Michipi is, soon enough Michipi will know where we are.” Larkin tongued along the finger on the seam of his mouth. Tasted salt. Colton swallowed before removing his hand. “She'll tell Michipi, and Michipi will do one of two things.” Larkin followed Colton as they started down a tunnel toward check-in. “What are they?” “Bolt. Or confront me. Either way, we know what to look for.”

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***** Michipi had been told by many different waitstaff that she ran the kitchen and dining room like a Union Alliance sergeant, usually when they were leaving her employment. As she kept looking for a purple stone, she was even harsher tonight. She barked out orders, brought a cook to tears, and pasted a smile on her face for the patrons, all the while scanning for the interloper. What would he be doing here? It made no sense. She tried to put the stone out of her mind. The man behind the stone out of her mind. Almost succeeded. But the truth was, there'd hardly been a day that had gone by she hadn't thought of him. Hadn't longed for his touch. His hands. His mouth. His body alongside hers as they strained together toward a mutual finish of climaxes… She puffed out a breath. Must turn down that heater later tonight. The kitchen must be putting out too much hot air. Her skin kept getting covered in sweat. The way she'd been after a round with Colton. Bren's bulk caught her attention as he barreled in the front door to the restaurant. She pressed her dress down. Looked to the floor as he approached her. Bren towered above her. Most men did. But he was particularly huge. Reminded her sometimes of Colton, though they looked different. It wasn't a good thing when dealing with your boss. It was why she could never quite look him in the eye. “Michipi.” His deep voice rumbled. Amazing how such a man could talk so quietly. Another trait shared with Colton. What a waste of memory in how much she'd put away about her mate. About the mate who'd abandoned her long ago. She glanced up. What was Bren doing here? She usually dealt with Zelda, not either of her mates. “Bren.” “Zelda wants to talk to you.” He handed her a comm before she could ask where Zelda was. “In private. On a secure line like this one.” Bren motioned for her to go to the back of the restaurant into her office. “I'll wait here. Supervise until you come back.” She swallowed. This couldn't be good. “Are you sure you can? Can't this wait until after the restaurant shift is over…” Her stomach twittered with bad feelings. First, her stone had glowed. Now, Zelda wanted to speak with her.

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Bren shook his head, his attention already on all the tables in the front of the restaurant. “Zelda wants to talk to you now.” And what Zelda wanted, she got. Michipi walked into her small corner office where she did books and filed papers. A sheet of paper lay slightly off center to everything else lying underneath. She straightened it so it matched the other papers. Sat down in her creaky desk chair and opened the comm link. “Zelda?” “About damn time.” Zelda's aggravated voice plowed through the speaker. “I thought I was going to have to root Bren for not going to you immediately like I'd asked him to do. Are you alone?” Not a pleasant image for Michipi. “He said you wanted to talk to me. I'm alone.” The words somehow had more meaning now. She was alone. Always had been. Always would be. Her breath caught, but she pulled it back under control. She needed to focus on the here and now, not what would or would never be. “Yeah.” Zelda tapped a finger somewhere near the comm. “I wanted to give you a headsup. I met two assholes looking for you.” Michipi's eyes widened as she stared at the comm. “Two men? Looking for me?” Why would there be two? “Yeah. Real asswipes trying to find you. They were scouting me out. They know you're on the Mine.” “I don't know why…they'd be looking for me.” If it had been one, she might have known why. Although, why Colton would choose now to find her was beyond her. But two men? Maybe this wasn't related to her stone glowing at all. Zelda's voice softened slightly, losing its hardened edge. “They said you were their mate.” Their mate? How could that be? “That's impossible.” She'd had a mate in Colton, but there hadn't been two men. Only one. And she should know. She'd been there for the whole show. “That's what I told the fuckers. Anyway, I wanted to give you fair warning. Would have done it in person, but I bet they're watching me. They think I know where you are.” She snorted. “Like I'd tell the likes of them. Or go running to you.” She didn't sound impressed with either of Michipi's possible mates.

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“Thanks, Zelda.” Other mine owners would have sold her out for the right amount, or might have even compromised her without money being offered. Loyalty was a rarity to come by these days. “No problem. Take care of yourself. Later.” Only after she hung up the comm did Michipi realize that Zelda had never asked her if it was true or not. Because it hadn't been important to the problem at hand. Lots of people would have had to know the truth before they'd have hung up the comm. Not Zelda. Her hands shook as she sat back in her chair. Her whole body shook. Who could be on the Mine waiting for her? Her mind filtered through possibilities. A stone that had glowed purple for no apparent reason. It had warmed to the touch. Pulsed in time with her heart. Only one thing caused heartstones to do that. Mates. Two men looking for her. Saying that she was their mate. Not one man. But both of them claiming her as mate. Their mate. The two events had to be connected. Which meant… No, it was impossible. A woman's stone activated a man's. Her stone would have been needed to activate another man's. Wouldn't it? Yours activated Colton's. Maybe his could have activated…a second mate's. You have two mates. Out there. Somewhere on the Mine. No. That couldn't be. She would work this out. She had a good life on the Mine, one she'd worked hard for. And no one, mate or not, would take that away from her. Especially not Colton.

***** “She's not going anywhere.” Larkin peeked out from around the corner by Zelda's office. The slight motion put him in plain sight of Zelda's door. If anyone were watching, they'd know he was there.

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Colton didn't bother to pull him back for the ninety-fifth time. It didn't matter anyway. Not now. Shouldn't have even tried this method, but Larkin had suggested they spy on Zelda. “Nope.” “Why isn't she going to tell Michipi we're here? She knows where she is. I know that.” Larkin crossed his arms together in a fit of pique. He looked as if he were feeling betrayed. He'd been sure that Zelda would blow out to where Michipi was as soon as they'd left her door. “She also is smart enough to know we'd be watching.” The longer Zelda stayed in her office, the surer Colton became of that. She wasn't going to tip them off to Michipi's whereabouts. Michipi was there on Settler's Mine. She had to be. It was her last-known place of residence. Zelda knew everyone on her piece of property. Therefore, she had to know Michipi. But that didn't mean that Zelda would give her whereabouts up so easily. “Oh.” Larkin frowned. The look on his face was almost comical. “I hadn't thought of that.” Colton refrained from saying, You're so fucking young. Larkin didn't like to hear that when Colton said it. But Larkin had expected this to be much easier than Colton had from the start. Larkin had thought they'd ask Zelda and get a location on Michipi right away. Find her and claim her with no issues to deal with. Speed off into the sunset with a grand happily ever after. Pretty but not realistic. Michipi had been alerted to their presence, killing their one advantage of surprise. What would she do with the information? Now that he'd had time to consider her actions, he thought his graceful angel wouldn't run. She'd stick around. It was only a matter of finding her. How did one find a woman with a heartstone on a mine where that was the business? They could ask around. But would Zelda put the kibosh on that too? She could stop anyone from answering their questions. Yeah, she would do that, which would make finding Michipi difficult. Unless Michipi wanted to be found, which was highly unlikely. “So how do we find her?” Larkin rocked back on his heels. Resigned. He looked grim again. Colton hated seeing that look on his face, especially as he was the cause. Damn, maybe he should have run from Larkin too. No. It wouldn't have solved anything. Colton had a chance to make things right from here on out. He would take this chance. “We're going to have to comb the Mine. Keep searching. I would guess she works for Zelda. That should make it easier.” Unless he

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was off base. But why else would Zelda protect her? Unless they were both wrong, and Zelda knew nothing. She had one evil poker face; that was for sure. It was only intuition and previous information that had him thinking Michipi was still on Settler's Mine. “That's going to take a while.” “Well, yeah. I told you this wouldn't be easy.” And this was the least difficult part of the process. Convincing her to be with them would be even harder. Longing filled him. He'd missed her. Something he could finally admit to himself. “I know.” Larkin patted his stomach. “I heard there's a restaurant on the Mine. Why don't we go find food?” He looked up at Colton with a sexy grin. “Then settle into our quarters. We haven't even broken in that bed yet. Which is a damn shame.” Colton's cock reared up. Hard. Maybe they'd break the bed. He could think of a number of things he wanted to eat besides food. “Bar's quicker for a meal.” Larkin reached across to pull him into his arms. “Are we in a hurry?” His erection butted against Colton. He rubbed against him with a sideways motion. The hard cock ground against Colton's skin. Colton's body heated. His pulse raced along with his heart. Perspiration simmered. “Yes. Yes, we are.” He might not be able to find Michipi right now, so he would lose himself in Larkin. Until he could settle things. “I like the way you think.” Larkin's mouth met his for a tangle that left them both panting. Their heartstones glowed with a fire within. A purple light in each that burst in time with the other. Movement rounded the corner away from them. Purple movement. Not a stone. But hair. Long hair swinging behind as the mincing, slim figure sharply turned around the corner. A familiar backside. Familiar hair. He released Larkin and took off after the shadowy figure. Larkin's stunned grumble followed him, but Colton didn't stop. Had that been her? Had she been watching them? Was he too late to catch her? He bolted around the corner. Which way had she gone? If it had even been her. People milled about, slowing him down, impeding his vision. Didn't they have jobs to go do?

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Heartstones to dig for? He hurried, though he no longer knew where he was going. He'd lost her. If only he'd looked up sooner from Larkin. Her loss cut across his chest like a razor. Even knowing how she'd act toward him, he looked forward to seeing her again. “Colton.” Larkin's concerned voice reached him as Larkin rounded the corner behind him. Another glint of purple flashed from several feet away. Colton hurried for the brief glimpse. If it wasn't her, he might end up embarrassing himself. But he had to try. Gone again. Where the hell could she have escaped to? There were only so many places to hide on a mine. The restaurant door was the nearest exit. A bump came from it as it closed all the way. Someone had gone through the doorway recently. “Did you see her?” Larkin panted as he caught up to Colton. His voice sounded anxious. Almost worried. Maybe Larkin wasn't as sure as he'd been coming across. “Maybe.” “Are you sure?” “No.” “Dammit. I hate it when you get wordy.” Colton ignored the sarcastic words as he slowly pushed open the door to the restaurant. Scanned quietly as he let the door shut behind him and Larkin, who had stepped through, following him. Nothing. He didn't see her. He kept looking as a few patrons looked curiously at him. Fuck them. He needed to find her. That was his mission. His gaze caught the sign on the wall, and he took a back step to read it more carefully. His head lifted. Larkin looked at him. “What's wrong?” “Nothing's wrong.” In fact, something was right. Finding her wouldn't be hard to do. “Michipi is here. All we have to do is wait for her to make an appearance.”

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“How do you know that?” Larkin moved closer to him, noticing all the diners staring at them. Colton pointed to the sign by the front door of the restaurant. “A hunch.” The sign read MICHIPI'S MEALS. His heart thundered in his ears. Was she here right now? He was so close to finally reclaiming her. Larkin smiled. “Guess so. So we wait here for her to show up?” “Not for long.” A quiet voice spoke from behind them. “Hello, Colton.”

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Chapter Three Michipi tried not to quake. Tried not to let her voice betray her feelings. But her insides felt like a mushy mash of goo. Colton moved toward her. Long limbed as the panther, like she remembered. She'd often felt like he was stalking her. His silver hair was shorter than it had been before. Than it had been in her daydreams about him. His gray eyes were a little softer. Not quite as hard like the entire world was against him. What had brought about that change? His tanned skin, which could be so soft in places and rough in others, looked the same. He'd removed the earring from his left ear, but the hole remained, and his earlobes still looked so nibble-able, if that was even a word. She'd wanted to find out everything about him and his body when they'd been together. She still did. “Hello, Michipi.” His deep voice resonated deep within her limbs. A soul-inhabiting voice. He'd always had that effect on her. The other man moved toward them both, drawing her attention away from Colton. This was her other mate? “You're Michipi.” He didn't seem to be asking but wasn't quite sure of himself either. He was young. Younger than both Colton and her. His skin was the color of brown stone. His long hair was dark, and his eyes were a cobalt shade of blue. Like the night, they stared into her as if they could see to the stars. Shorter than Colton, he was also more muscular. No long, ropy body for him. He had the shape of a bulked-up soldier. Surely he wasn't with Union Alliance? She couldn't picture the two of them with a soldier. But he had that look. “I'm Michipi.” No sense denying who she was. Colton came too near and stole all her breath before she could say anything else. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move the air through her lungs. He sucked it all down. With his brazen body. He came close enough to touch her. His body rested alongside hers, barely brushing against her. His gaze held her captive. She couldn't move away from him, even if she'd wanted

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to. He moved his hand up to stroke along her chin. Merest brush of fingers across her skin. The touch electrified her. Made her tingle in all the right places. Her core moistened for the first time in a long, long time. This was wrong on many levels, but she couldn't stop her body from responding to him. Like she had from the time their stones had glowed. No matter what else he'd done, her body still wanted him. Even as her head and heart screamed at her to run the other way. His lips descended as if he'd kiss her. And if he kissed her, then she'd be lost. As lost as she'd been without him all these years. He'd left her. Hadn't looked back. He'd abandoned the one person he was supposed to be with forever. She couldn't let him kiss her. She shook her head and put a hand on his chest. Ignored how wide, warm, and solid it felt under her fingertips. Her fingers didn't seem to make a dent in him. “I don't think so.” She told herself that as well as him. She couldn't get lost in him again. Because it would hurt too much when he left her a second time. His eyes grew as stormy as the clouds on Nativia. He nodded in deference to her. Was that sadness that she saw in his eyes? Impossible. What did he have to be sad over? She never should have spied on them. Going after them had been a mistake. Now she'd been caught. After talking to Zelda on the comm, she'd gone in search of Colton. And found him. It hadn't been too hard to figure out where he'd be. He wasn't that hard to predict. He'd be watching Zelda. Colton was a smart man. Even if she thought he'd been an idiot. A blithering, blustering idiot of the first degree, in fact. But he would think if he watched Zelda long enough, maybe she would lead them to Michipi. So she'd reasoned he'd be somewhere around Zelda's office. Only Zelda had been smarter than him. She hadn't bargained that watching them would lead to her seeing something private. A moment between them. They'd embraced. They'd enveloped their bodies around each other. Like she used to do with Colton. Granted, it had been brief, but she'd been thrown back to when they'd been together.

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Longing had rushed through her veins. Not only for Colton. But also for a man she didn't even know. She'd wanted to be between them. In the middle of the embrace. Pushed up against two warm bodies. They'd heat her more than any fire could. Stomp out the coldness that always seemed to envelop her. So she'd run away from that moment as fast as she could. Cursed herself for her stupidity at even witnessing such a thing. She'd realized when she'd been close to her restaurant that they were behind her. That they must have gotten a glimpse of her and followed. She'd gone into the one sanctuary she had. Led them right to it. Now they'd invaded her one respite from the world. Both of them stared at her. Hungrily. A bunch of diners were also staring at all of them. Heat moved up her body and settled into her cheeks. “Why don't we move into my office?” The words were out of her mouth before she had time to regret them. Her office was too small. Too small for her to have such large men alone with her. But she needed them out of the middle of her restaurant. Away from all these prying eyes. She'd have to settle for the smallest of private places for this confrontation. Colton nodded. “Okay.” His hand moved down to the small of her back, as if he was going to guide her there. She shrugged his hand off her body. She wouldn't be able to think if he touched her. She needed her wits about her in that small room alone with them. A shiver rocked her. “Stop that.” Plus he didn't have the right to touch her. He'd given that up when he'd left her. It would be easy to let him back into her life. Into her heart. She wanted to defer to him already. She had to make her stands on the little intimacies; otherwise she'd succumb to him completely. That wasn't what she wanted. Or was it? After a small hesitation, he shrugged and moved his hand away with a small nod. He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing up and down. At least he'd acknowledged her request. She'd felt his pause. He hadn't wanted to stop. But he had.

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Maybe he had changed. The Colton she knew wouldn't have stopped. The other man trailed behind them. She went in the office and shut the door. Maybe she should leave it open? But she needed to be away from the public eye. Yes, to do this, she needed to not be on display. That she would be exposed to the two men was her bane and her cross to bear. As the door shut, there wasn't enough air in the room. They both sucked it all down into their brawny bodies. She took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. “Why are you here?” The question most on her mind. Why now, after all these years, had he come there? Colton's smile was all too devious. As though he had a secret. Something for her to find out. “Why do you think?” “I don't know. It's been…years. Now, you're here. Looking for me.” She moved back behind the desk, putting it in between her and them. Needed something to block them away from her treacherous body. Their bodies were too inviting. Their stones pulsed out a glow. She made herself calm down so the stone's light faded. “Why, Colton?” His name felt wrong dripping from her lips. As though saying it to him gave him some kind of power over her. As though acknowledging him might do something to give him the upper hand. The younger man sat down in one of the chairs and motioned to Colton to sit. Colton, to her amazement, sat. He had changed. He'd never done anything she suggested. She swallowed, glancing back and forth. No one said a word in answer to her question. Something she should have expected. Maybe the second question needed to be asked. Maybe she'd get more of a response than she had to the first. “Who exactly is this?” She put her hands on the desk. Could hardly believe she was sitting across from the man who'd never been far from her thoughts. She hadn't lost her temper either. Yet. The other man's grin took what was left of her breath away. He was so… Beautiful wasn't a word she would normally use in reference to a man, but handsome didn't work either. He was too boyish. Effervescent. As irresistible in his own way as Colton, but much differently. Colton was

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like hard diamonds. This man was like soft rubies. “Me? I'm Larkin. I'm your other mate. Going to give me a welcome-home kiss?” He puckered his lips at her and winked. She stared at Larkin as Colton bit out a laugh. Few things took her by surprise. How dare he ask that of her? This was going to be a long meeting.

Leave it to the boy to get things started. Colton sighed as he watched Michipi's face shift from emotion to emotion. She didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. From what he'd seen of Larkin these last few weeks, that would be a permanent condition for them both. Along with the fucking Larkin invited. Colton answered her question. “Larkin is our mate.” He fingered his stone, which became warm to the touch. He didn't have to look to see that Michipi's and Larkin's glowed too. That was the natural working of the stone. “How? How is it possible to have another mate?” “Ménages are the ideal.” Not exactly their type of ménage, but still the pairings were prized by Union Alliance. The most sought-after type of ménage was one with two women and one man. But most any type of threesome was promoted by Union Alliance. Now he was a member of one. Whether Michipi liked it or not, so was she. “I know that.” Her voice was clipped. She tapped a nail on the desk. Moved back her hair with her other hand. “But how did your stones activate? Without…mine present?” Colton couldn't answer. If he'd not left her all those years ago, she would have been with him. Leaving her behind was one of his few regrets. “Good question.” Larkin laid his head on his hand while resting his elbow on his knee. “We don't know the answer to that. But our stones glowed in response to each other's. Marked us as mates. Makes all of us mates.” She reached up to twist a strand of hair around a finger and frowned. Her nervous habit. She looked so much the same since he'd seen her last. “That doesn't answer what you're doing here.”

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“It wasn't supposed to. Only who Larkin is, which was your second question.” Colton lowered his head. How did you make up for something that never should have happened in the first place? How did you explain the harshness of life? Larkin hadn't asked that many questions. Michipi would. And she had a right to know the answers. Her face tightened in a furthered frown. “You know what? I don't want to know what you're doing here. I want you gone.” She pointed to the door with a finger that shook slightly. “Leave me alone.” “Michi. I…” It was her nickname. One he hadn't said since being in the throes of passion with her body around his that last time. One he hadn't said since he'd sunk into her so deeply, he'd not known where she started and he began. A floodgate opened as his breathing changed. It was the wrong thing to say. Her voice came out like a snake's, with such ferocity that he almost drew back. “Don't ever call me that.” Her eyes narrowed. “You have no right to call me that. No right to show up here. After so long away. How dare you!” Her hands gestured with her words as she kept on telling him off, but only in the most polite terms. Colton let her rant for several more minutes, trying not to smile at her avoidance of curse words, hardly taking stock in what she said. If she wanted them out, she could have called security. Talked to Zelda and had them thrown from the Mine. That she hadn't, said she wanted some closure to this whole mess as much as he did. She wound down, her voice trailing off. “Get off my home. Leave me alone.” Her breath caught as her voice softened. “Leave me alone.” Her eyes blinked back unshed tears. Which punched him in the gut more than any rant. He felt those tears down to his knees, as his stomach dropped about that far. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. “I know I made mistakes back then. A huge one when I left you. But I'm here to right it.” “You can't. Don't you understand that?” The tears threatened to break free in force now. “You can't right it. Ever.” He didn't say anything for a minute. She was right. He couldn't go back and change the past. He collected his thoughts. Changing her life from here on out was all he could do. That, he intended to accomplish. “I know I can't make it right. Not entirely. But I'm back now. To make the future right.”

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“Why? Why would you come back?” He looked her straight in the eye. “Because I want you.” He'd never stopped wanting her. Never stopped feeling for her. She was his mate, after all. “I want to be with you.” Her mouth trembled. “Well, you don't get to have me.” More trembling that he wanted to kiss away. “Now leave.” “Wait a minute.” Larkin moved forward in his seat, as though he'd been caged for too long. “Can't we talk about this?” “We have talked. I've told you to leave. And that's that.” She slapped her hands together, as if dismissing them. Her mouth set in a line. Her lips still shook. That gave her away. She might pretend to be uninterested in reuniting with them. But she'd always been stoic. Little actions on her meant that much more in gauging what she was feeling. Larkin folded his arms across his chest. He was starting a war. “That's not that. We haven't talked about anything. I realize…” Colton watched, not interjecting. He'd wait until the end to have his say. “You realize nothing. He”—she pointed to Colton—“he left me. His mate. The chosen one for him. I woke up one morning, and he was gone. No explanation. No contact. Gone.” Her voice cracked on the last word. She took a breath as if to reorganize herself. “You can't waltz in here and expect me to capitulate to a man who walked away from his mate.” Colton winced at the cracking of her voice, not her words. He couldn't take this hurt away from her, as much as he wanted to. But he could make the future better. He'd vowed he would, and he'd keep that vow. Larkin's voice stayed the same. But his face pinched and eyelids rose.

“I'm not

expecting—” “But you are. You're expecting me to say, 'It's okay.' Forgive and forget. It's not that easy.” “But he's your mate.” To Larkin, it was that simple. Being a mate overrode everything else in his worldview. They'd had this discussion many times. Colton sighed. He still hadn't told them everything. Would Larkin still see it as that simple once he knew?

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“He didn't care about that when he left me. That I was his mate. When he took off without a word, I didn't know where he was. If he was alive or dead.” She'd probably wanted him dead. But that wasn't spoken aloud. She'd never say anything so crass. “He's here now. That's what counts.” “It counts for nothing. Nothing at all.” Her voice rose. Her hands wobbled as she placed them on the desk in front of her. Even more indication she wasn't as reserved about this as she wanted to be. Colton rubbed his face. Would Larkin let it go? Or continue to push? “But it does count.” Larkin shook his head. “It has to. He's your mate.” Larkin would push and push that issue. And maybe that would remind her that the Fates did have some say in this. They'd made them all mates, after all. There had to be a reason. Colton would let him push for a little while. It couldn't hurt. “No. He's nothing to me.” “But—” “No! I said get out.” Her voice rose even more and sounded like it was ice cracking on a lake. “This is ov—” “But—” “Why aren't you talking?” Her attention turned to Colton. “Why aren't you saying anything? Why are you letting him do all the talking?” “He's got more to say.” Colton leaned back in his chair and spread his legs. “You'll find he usually does.” “Hey!” Larkin glared at him. “He's why you're back, anyway. You're going to let him fight your battles for you? Wear me down like the lapdog he is.” “Hey!” Larkin pushed to his feet. “I am not his lapdog.” “Are too.” “Sit down, Larkin.” Colton glanced back and forth between his lovers. What different places they were at in their lives.

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With another glare tossed Colton's way, Larkin sat. “Fine.” He tapped his foot on the floor. Michipi smirked. “See?” Colton leaned forward. “Michipi.” “What?” “You've had your rant time. Your time to tell me what I fucked up.” “There's not enough time on this planet to tell you about all you messed up.” She primly put her hands in her lap. Not as closed off as she could be but still not receptive to this overture. He'd remembered her spirit. Her stubbornness. But the real thing was even more spectacular. He sighed. He'd missed her. He'd missed this. Even with her telling him off. “I'm going to tell you right now, Michipi. Both you and Larkin. I'm going to tell you what's going to happen next.” They both stared up at him like he'd sprouted horns. Or wings. “The arguing stops. Now.” He looked at Larkin. “She baits you, ignore her.” She sneered. “See. Told you. Lapdog.” He turned his attention back to her. “You're allowed to dis me. To tell me off. Because I did do you wrong. I admit that.” The words felt right to say aloud even as his chest constricted and his stomach bottomed out. “You're not telling me what to do, Colton. If you think you are, you've got another think coming.” She stiffly sat up straighter. He continued as though she'd not spoken. “What happens now is this. I intend to court you, Michipi. So will Larkin. We'll prove to you that we are your mates. That things have changed from what they were.” “I don't think so.” “I do.” Colton got up and moved toward her. Her eyes widened. “Don't you come near me.” He didn't stop but came around to her side of the wide wooden desk. “I will come near you. I'll prove to you that I'm your mate, and I'm not going anywhere. Not without you. Ever again.” He leaned back on the desk, as close to her as he dared get. Her body was so close to his, it made his cock tighten.

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She shrank back from his nearness. “I don't believe you.” A smile crested his lips. He leaned down to put a peck of a kiss on her lips. Nothing that would take him in far. A quick burst. That set his lips aflame. He burned from the touch of her against him. “You will.”

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Chapter Four Larkin rolled under Colton, treating himself to a blanket of Colton's body. 'Course nothing was in the middle of them, so technically that wasn't accurate. Something maybe they could rectify soon. Colton moaned and thrust his cock against Larkin. He leaned down to kiss Larkin with full tongue and a deeper lock of mouths. Larkin broke away. “Again? Boy, you're insatiable.” Larkin grinned as Colton's hard cock bumped against his thigh. “Complaining?” Larkin shook his head. “Nope.” He'd never complain about that. He liked having a mate as randy as he was. Colton rolled onto his back, keeping his body in contact with Larkin's. He panted heavily. Sweat coated him. His head tilted as he looked at the clock resting on a tiny nightstand. The scan was quick, and if Larkin hadn't noticed the head tilt, he would have missed Colton's perusal of the clock. Colton was going to see Michipi this morning before the restaurant opened. Larkin had been surprised that she'd agreed to it, although nothing said she had to be there. She'd been angry, rightfully so, but he'd never expected her to reject a chance at a reconciliation. Colton hadn't been fazed. He'd let them argue. Then he'd made a pronouncement. It had shell-shocked Michipi. The look on her face had been one that Larkin recognized. Larkin probably looked much the same way. Larkin swallowed as he looked into Colton's rugged face. “Don't you think I should go with you? It didn't go well before.” He didn't think she would hurt Colton, but she was angry at him, so who knew? “Maybe I should go and lurk?” He wouldn't say anything this time. He'd let Colton handle it. Or at least, he thought that he could do that.

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Colton's smile was somber as he pulled Larkin into the clutch of his arms. “No. No, I don't think you need to go with me.” “But…” Colton leaned over to kiss him lightly. “I need to see her alone this time.” He stroked lightly along Larkin's back. “For now, I need to talk to her one-on-one.” Larkin swallowed again. Throughout this whole situation, he'd had a feeling that Colton wasn't telling him everything. Colton's insistence on seeing Michipi alone further cemented that idea. “Why alone?” What could Colton be hiding? And why wouldn't Colton tell him? “I just need to be alone with her.” Colton stilled his hands for a second along Larkin's back. “Worried about me?” “No.” Yes. Ever since they'd mated, there had been something underlying that Larkin couldn't put his finger on, but he had a nagging suspicion that Colton hadn't told him the entire truth. Maybe he intended to tell Michipi? Why her first? Because she's his first mate. That made as much sense as anything. Maybe Colton felt like he owed it to her to tell her first about whatever he had to tell. Larkin had caught Colton on his way to Settler's Mine. Colton didn't think he knew that. But Larkin had found the ticket Colton had bought initially and knew Colton had only had to pay for one more once they'd mated, instead of two. He'd been going to see Michipi on his own, probably to make amends. Or at least, that's what Larkin suspected. Laconic Colton wasn't forthcoming about such things. Maybe if he knew what Larkin knew, he'd talk more. It was time that Larkin came clean. “Maybe you should tell her you were headed here before you met me.” Silence. His eyes turned to look deep into Larkin's. They weren't angry or surprised. Seemed to be looking in him for confirmation that what he'd heard was accurate. “I found the ticket to Settler's Mine. The one you used for yourself.” Larkin didn't move against him. Instead he lay still, remaining in the circle of Colton's arms. He'd always found that circle the safest place to be. “You had it before you met me.” Colton blew out a breath. “How long have you known?” He still didn't move, lying as still as a stone.

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“Since the day you told me about her.” At first, Larkin had thought that was what Colton was keeping from him. But the niggling doubts had remained. There was still something in Colton's arsenal that he hadn't shared. Colton's gray eyes coolly gazed at him. Larkin stared back. Tried to get a handle on Colton's emotions and what might be going on. Colton spoke slowly after a pause of several seconds. “It wouldn't make a difference to her.” “It might. Right now, she thinks you're here because of me. You tell her that, it might help the situation.” Larkin could almost guarantee that it would help her mood to know Colton had planned to come there even before Larkin had come into his life. That knowledge would be a boon for her. Colton chuckled. “And she'd believe me, right? Take me at my word because I announce it? I doubt that.” Michipi would be skeptical of anything Colton said. “You could show her the payment stub that I found. Show her when you bought the ticket. I'll back you up and tell her when we were mated.” They could make this work. He'd back up anything that Colton needed. He squashed down some other feelings. Why wouldn't Colton tell him whatever he was hiding? After all, he was Colton's mate too. Of only a couple of weeks, but still. They were getting to know each other as much as Colton and Michipi and Larkin and Michipi would be. From what he understood, Michipi and Colton hadn't been together long. Before he hauled ass away from her. “It wouldn't matter.” Colton's smile was a little sad. “The only thing that matters for Michipi and me is this point forward. I'll do what I can to make her mi—ours.” That part Larkin liked hearing, even with the slipup. Stubborn man, though, about the rest. Why wouldn't he ever listen? “If you change your mind, I've got you covered. I'll tell her what I know.” “I know. Maybe later. Not for this meeting.” Colton resumed stroking across Larkin's back. His fingers made small circles. “I know that you would do that for me.” He leaned over for a kiss that escalated quickly. “And it means a lot to me.”

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But not enough for Colton to come clean. Even with that thought, Larkin responded to more kissing. He made a noise under Colton's exploring mouth. Colton tasted so damn sweet. “I like you backing me up. Fronting me. Hell, I like any position I can get you in.” Colton's eyes glimmered in the light. He smelled so good with the odor of Larkin sex and his own sweat. Plus an underbelly of a scent that was Colton's own. Larkin wanted to roll in him. Roll up in him and shut out the outside world for a while. Lose himself in his mate. Maybe he could make Colton forget about what lurked outside their door for a while too. Colton's hands roamed up and down Larkin's body before masterfully settling on his hips. He pushed against them harshly, urging Larkin to flip over onto his stomach. Larkin's body tensed in anticipation, with his stomach doing flip-flops. His body felt loose and used already. His backside ached from all their previous fucking. But one more time seemed like a good way to end their time together before Colton had to leave and see Michipi. If only this situation were going better… Colton moved up to reach over near the nightstand with the clock resting on the top. The clock that counted down the minutes until he'd see Michipi and end this time with Larkin. The snap of a bottle opening sounded soon after. Larkin lay his face in the pillow. Waited impatiently for whatever would happen. He knew the routine. He welcomed this familiarity. When the liquid poured on his hole, even though he was expecting the action, he shifted up on the bed. He shivered from the anticipation of knowing where this would lead. Soon he'd have Colton inside of him. Colton over him. Nowhere else he'd rather be than under Colton's body. Colton's voice sounded muted. “Cold?” “No. Not at all.” The lube had been warmed up from room temperature. Probably by Colton's hands. His thoughtfulness always struck Larkin, who found that a rarity in most people. There hadn't been a chill to the liquid at all. Not that he would have minded. He already felt like he was on fire. Maybe a cold lube would have helped to cool him down. Colton's body would be molten like it always was. His core temperature was several degrees warmer than the norm.

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His butt muscles clenched up as Colton fondled him. His hand dropped down under his body to cup his balls and roll them back and forth. He wasn't rough, but not too gentle either, as he cupped Larkin's testicles. Seeing stars cloud his vision, Larkin slid around, groaning at Colton's touch. His entire body geared up like a rocket about to explode. He wanted to shoot off and reach the sky, which Colton would see to. How could this feel so good after all the sex they'd already had? He would probably ache even more later, but he wanted this fucking now. Wanted to be this close to Colton one last time before whatever would happen next. Get inside him and have him inside one last time before… Why did he feel like things were going to change? No time or mind to dwell on that feeling. Something pressed against his anal opening. He tried to relax and let the probing object slide in. The hard object. The cool object. Not a cock. Cocks were warm and not this hard. A dildo? He wasn't sure. The rigid, hard object crept deeper into his hole. Yes, that had to be what it was. Tension left him at knowing what was breaching him. Again. They'd played with this earlier, but it had been a few hours. He blew out a breath, relaxing his muscles, letting the dildo slide in as easily as he could. Down, deeper and deeper. Pushing against the sides and slipping down the channel. Colton pulled up on the dildo, stroking it out before plunging it back in and going deeper. The lube cushioned the dildo's descent. Down and deeper, before up and superficial. Larkin's body stretched back on each downturn of the dildo. Then it went deeper still. HHHhHjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkit a part so pleasurable, even his toes flexed. Delicious waves of pleasure floated over him like dust in a light beam. His body spasmed.

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Come spurted from his cock in rounds as aftershock after aftershock roamed his body. He didn't think they would ever stop. How could he have any more come? But he did, and he poured forth his release. He lay there, spent and panting against Colton's body, until he could move again. Colton slowly pulled out the dildo. Leaned over and pressed a kiss to Larkin's cheek. Larkin sprang up, almost knocking Colton in the head. “Whoops, sorry.” Colton rubbed his chin with a rueful grimace. “Shouldn't you be down for the count? Ready for sleep?” He brushed his hand across Larkin's cheek. Larkin smiled as he pushed Colton down on his back. The dildo fell to the floor. “Parts of me are down.” Probably would be for a while. “But that doesn't mean you can't have fun.” He waggled his brows at his lover. Colton peeked to the left of them. The damn clock. Always ruining good moments like these. “I've had fun.” Colton didn't get up and start getting ready. He must have more time than Larkin thought he did right now. Good, because Larkin intended on him having fun again. Earlier, he'd washed Colton's cock off, a pleasurable affair after the last round of fucking. That action now made him available for play. “You're going to have more.” He rose up before Colton's cock. “Larkin…” Colton stopped as Larkin's mouth descended and latched on before he could make much of a protest. Colton made a strangled moan. Larkin liked the increasing tension in Colton's body. The stretching of the muscles. He slipped his tongue around Colton's cock. Took him as deeply as he could into the warm, wet recesses of his mouth. Colton's body shook from head to toe. Much to Larkin's satisfaction. He slipped his mouth up and down Colton's length, going all the way down and then back up. All the way down and back up a second time. Again and again, he slurped his tongue around Colton's cock.

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Yes, Colton would lose himself in this mating, or Larkin would die trying. Colton's hips strained as he bucked wildly. His back arched like a cat in heat's, as he couldn't seem to get enough of Larkin's mouth around his cock. Larkin took Colton down as deep as he could get him without gagging before releasing him. Then he varied the action by suckling lightly around Colton's cock, working himself up to the end. He suckled the tip before plunging his mouth down deep around Colton's. Colton's hands tightened into fists as his body straight lined. Come filled Larkin's mouth. He almost gagged on it but kept the suckling going, all the while swallowing the salty, bitter essence of his lover. As the aftershocks wafted through Colton like a wave on the shore, Larkin continued his exploration, until Colton neatly collapsed, spent and sweaty. Larkin wiped his mouth off. “I knew you could have more fun.” Colton panted. He ran a hand through his short hair. “Uh-huh.” His voice was garbled and hoarse. He yanked on Larkin to pull him into his arms. “Any more fun, I'd be dead.” He planted a kiss on his cheek. They lay in the still of the room for a minute. Could hear the pick sounds of chisels and hammers from a distance. Colton shifted up to look at the clock. “Need to go?” Colton nodded. Didn't respond. Lay there another minute, then pulled away from Larkin to slide from the bed. His legs shook as he yanked on his underwear and leather pants. Larkin blew out a breath as he watched his lover get dressed. The shake of his body filled Larkin with a sense of some emotion he couldn't name. Colton always seemed so damn unflappable, but Larkin could get inside of him and mess with that. His chest burned. “I don't know how long I'll be.” “I'll be here.” He pushed to lie on his stomach and put his chin on his hands. “After you talk to her, you know it's my turn to talk.” He grinned. “I'll get her to come around.” “Oh?” Colton didn't smile.

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“I can be persuasive. I'm sure you've noticed.” Colton still didn't smile. His mood had turned somber. Serious. His mouth pursed into a frown. “You don't think I can be persuasive?” Larkin arched a brow. Colton moved toward the bed and ran a hand through Larkin's hair. “Promise me one thing.” He snapped his pants and shrugged on a shirt. “What's that?” “When things…get weird…have patience.” He buttoned the shirt slowly, as though he had all the time in the world, but his eyes kept glancing at the clock. Larkin cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?” “Gotta go. I'll be back when I can.” Colton shrugged on his jacket. The one that had weapons hidden in it. He took one last look back at Larkin before marching through the doors. They shut with a whoosh behind him. Larkin started at the shut doors. What was Colton going to tell Michipi? And what did he mean by weird?

***** Michipi looked in the mirror for the hundredth time. The one hanging in the bathroom in her restaurant. Which was now closed. No one would witness the spectacle that was about to happen. Why had she agreed to meet Colton here in her personal space? Her niche in the Mine. She spent more time here than in her quarters. She must have lost her mind to invite him into her den. Was like inviting a Moltovian fox to come visit the peahens. Pale violet eyes stared back at her from the mirror, reproaching her. Purple hair sat stiffly on her head, tied back in a ponytail. A lined face looked back at her. Many more lines than there had been when Colton had known her last. They weren't laugh lines. She pulled the skin back on her face. Stretched out the lines and any sag to her cheeks. Made her eyes go squinty. Then she let the skin snap back into place.

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There was no sense hiding what she was. Nor that she was older than she'd been the last time she'd been with Colton. Since she'd been with any man. Colton had aged too. But in the way of men—not as much as she felt like she had. Why did men age better than women? They grew wrinkles and lines, but it made them look more distinguished. It was unfair. Unbidden, her mind pictured his strong face, which didn't hadn't aged as much as she thought it should have. His square jaw. She'd thought he had an honest face, with that steely look he possessed. There'd always been a level of determination reflected in his face. An intensity. No matter what else was going on, he'd made you think he'd be focused on you, whether in conversation or…not in conversation. Unrelenting gray eyes that seemed to see into the soul magnified that effect. His eye color almost matched his hair. He'd always kept his locks short so you could see his ears, which had always tempted her to nibble them. But she'd always wanted to run her hands through a man's hair. Sink her fingers into long locks. An impossibility with Colton. She had loved the play of her hands across his muscular back too. Especially as he thrust in… She shook her head. With Larkin's hair, she would be able to feel his silken strands on her fingertips. The door opened to the restaurant with a swoosh, breaking off thoughts that seemed determined to go where she didn't want them to. Good gracious. He was early. She pulled out her phaser to check the time stamp. Should have known he'd be… Wait a minute. How had he gotten in? “Michipi?” She detected a note of concern in his voice. Was he worried she'd run? Not hardly. She'd made her stand. She wouldn't leave her life here without fighting for it. “I'll be out in a minute.” She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Looked at her image in the mirror again. Took a minute or two to rearrange her hair. Made him wait for her, even though she was as ready to face him as she'd ever be. After all, she'd had years to wait on him. When she finally ventured through the bathroom door, he'd seated himself at a table. He jumped to his feet as she approached. He grinned as though he knew what she'd been doing. Making him wait was the least of the things she'd like to do to him.

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“Hello, Colton.” Again that feeling of giving him power from saying his name. A shiver rocked her frame as though he'd touched her, even though he'd not moved any closer. No man had ever been able to affect her this much. Sometimes she thought it was because he was her mate. Other times she thought it was the man himself. Hard to tell. He moved to her side. “Chilly?” His eyes bore through her much like the drills in the Mine. He could see too much in her. She'd never been able to hide her emotions. And he was a master at reading her. She shook her head. “No.” Regardless, he pulled off his jacket and set it on her shoulders. It swallowed her, as big as it was. “Don't.” She could take a lot of things, but his solicitousness wasn't one of them. “Please don't.” He kept the covering on her despite her motions to pull it from around herself. “Keep it on. It will keep you warm.” He kept his hands on the front of the jacket so as to continue to monitor her attempts to wrench it from her body. The jacket did warm her. There was a chill to the Mine from its being underground that one never got used to. The material contained the remnants of his body heat. His skin had last heated this jacket before it had been put on her. Hair prickled up on her body. Her mouth went dry. Colton was from a race that stayed a few degrees warmer than most others. She couldn't remember the exact name for his kind. Didn't matter, because all she could think about was that his skin had now warmed her by default. His heat was wrapping around her even as his scent tickled her nostrils. Manly and a hint of herb. She'd snuggled up to his pillow many times while they'd been together, and he'd left their bed for food or other such necessities. She'd set about inhaling that scent into her as though trying to be a part of him. What a fool she'd been. “How did you get in?” Her voice came more breathy and not as annoyed as she would like. She mustn't lose sight of herself in this confrontation.

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“What do you mean?” He didn't step back but kept his hands on the jacket despite her dropping her attempts to get it off. “The door was locked.” She gave a pointed glare over to the entrance. She always kept the door locked before it was time to open. His gaze didn't follow hers but stayed locked on her face. A throb started in her temple. Getting information out of him always proved difficult. “How did you get the door open?” This time, he at least shrugged. “I have my ways.” He had a lot of ways of getting what he wanted. Her skin flushed as she remembered a particularly exhausting afternoon at a local watering hole on her planet. How she'd protested. And he'd won her over by doing the most decadent things to her. His mouth had gone to her…nether regions. While he'd been under the water! Her thighs flinched involuntarily. She'd been so sure they'd live a good life. Be a good match. Live and grow old together while watching their descendants. What a waste of her hopes. She raised her hands, again trying to shove off the jacket. Had to get it removed to make a point if nothing else. “Did you at least lock the door back? I don't want anyone seeing us together.” If she'd tried to wound him, she was unsuccessful. “I locked it.” He didn't blink but instead, took her hands in his. “You are chilly.” His large hands swallowed hers. Singed her with his warmth, even as he covered her skin with his own. Scorched her with that inner fire. His hands took over hers. Only she couldn't pull them away. Not at first. His touch was such a balm to the swirling emotions inside of her. She'd never done well with her feelings all awhirl. And since the moment her stone had glowed, she'd been in a tornado, thrust about without a safe harbor. For so brief a time, he'd been that harbor for her. The only one she'd ever known. She welcomed his heat, even as she cursed herself for doing so. The Fates. The blasted Fates had done this to her. Mated her to him and made her care. But in her heart, she knew the Fates were only part of what she felt for Colton. What she'd always feel for him. If only she could deny him. But she didn't completely have that inclination inside of her, especially with him touching her. “What do you want, Colton?” She followed her words with a soft sigh.

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She knew her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth, but she had no way to call them back. She stiffened her spine, preparing for the onslaught of his response. He didn't disappoint her in this instance. His smile took her breath away. Or maybe it was his body moving in close. Hard for her to tell. Regardless, somehow he stole her air, so she was gasping. “This.” He lowered his head. Soft lips met hers. Soft lips that turned commanding. Lips that plundered her own. Dominated them and made them submit to him, not that he had to work that hard. He released her hands, and his arms went around her. His body moved against her, molding to her softness. He pulled her in close against him. She could touch all that lean hardness with her body. He held her while his mouth continued an exploration as though he'd forgotten what she tasted like, and he intended to nibble every inch of her mouth to find out. Something pressed hard against her middle. Something familiar, even as long as it had been since she'd felt it. His erection. The evidence of why he'd come back into her life. He wanted her. He'd told her that. He pressed the bulge of his erection against her. Deliberately rubbing. He let her know how much he wanted to take her to the ground and have his way with her. She should feel tawdry. Insulted. But instead, a thrill shot through her. It had been so long since someone had gotten close enough to her to want her. This couldn't be. He'd left her. With her reaction to his kiss, she'd let him back in like he'd never gone away. It wasn't right. Her mouth quivered under his. Her hand came up to push him away. She managed to twist him slightly away and disentangle his lips from hers. He allowed her to deny the kiss to go any further. But he wouldn't fully release her. He kept his hands on her. And his jacket too. He wouldn't take either back. “Stop it.” She gritted her teeth together. “I did.”

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True. He could have pressed the issue. Kept on kissing her. Made her go further than he had. He possessed the strength to force her into a lot of things. He could rape her; something she'd never considered. He was her mate, after all. Instead of pushing, he'd backed off as soon as she'd resisted. She had to give him that credit, small though it was. She didn't think he'd ever rape her. Now, if she could get his hands from her body, maybe she could think more clearly. “Get your hands off me.” She pulled back, and he went with her. Pushing on him was like pressing against the walls of stone in the Mine. Neither would give a fraction of a millimeter. Not without a hammer. Now where was hers? Pounding on him might do her some good or make her feel better. Not that she'd use the darn thing, even though he seemed to have no intention of taking his hands off her. “I said…” “I heard what you said.” “Well, you're not doing it.” Her voice rose in decibel. Why wouldn't he let her go? Because he was trying to get to her. Every time she reacted to him like this, it solidified his position of getting them back together. They both knew that. Only how could she not react to him? He was like some force of nature. He'd always been the quiet one in the room who commanded authority. He still did. He settled back without saying a word or letting her go. Her arms sagged. At least he'd backed off with the kisses. Because eventually, if he'd kept kissing her, his warmth would have pulled her in. And she'd have been lost. And there was still too much she needed to understand. If she found she couldn't deny him, she could at least try to sort out why he'd left first. She'd invented loads of reasons in all the years she'd spent alone. The most reasonable had been his desire to travel and see the stars. She wouldn't even think about the more elaborate excuses she'd come up with. She couldn't wait to hear that explanation come so she could blast him. Best to start out with other subjects first. “What do you want from me?” He didn't hesitate. “Everything.” That narrowed it down. “What do you mean by that?” Colton looked thoughtful for a second or two as if weighing his options. Debating what he was going to answer. “I want it all. From my mate.”

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She shook her head and pulled on her arms again. He still wouldn't let go. “No. You don't get that. Not from me.” Her voice deepened. “Now your other mate… Who knows? But not from me.” Could she ever trust him again? She didn't know, and that was no way to be mates. Even if she wanted to be with him, and her body was showing her that at every turn, could they be together? He stood, looking deeply into her eyes. As though he could see into her soul. His hands clenched against her flesh. As though seeking some sort of purchase in his contact with her. “Michipi.” He didn't use her nickname. Or say anything beyond her name. But the way her name fell from his lips entranced her. “What? What is it that brought you back here? Some attempt at reconciliation? I can't. All your touches and kisses. They won't work. They won't last.” Or at least they shouldn't work. “All your fancy words. They won't take back what you took from me.” Her mouth turned down. Nothing could take away what he'd done. He hadn't even tried to explain himself. Maybe there was no explanation. “I know that.” He didn't look away or look disturbed. “Then why come back to me?” “Because I ache. Without you.” Her eyes widened at his words. Because for Colton to admit he needed someone like that… The Colton she'd known wouldn't have asked for spit if he was on fire. “You ache?” She put her skepticism into her voice. And on her face. Yet the words he said resonated within her soul. It was the first thing he'd said that she understood. Because she too ached. Had since the moment he'd left. Despite all the turmoil that his return had called up within her, there was a certain amount of peace too. Because he was back in her life. Where he should be. He nodded, closing his eyes for a second before reopening them. “Without you, I do. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you.” Her chest constricted. She tried to shake him off but couldn't. “Then why leave me? If you're so fired up in need of me now? Why did you go?” Her voice didn't break, but her heart felt as though it split in her chest. She hurt under her breasts as emotion filled the spaces. Blood hammered in her ears.

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“That gets complicated.” His thumb moved across the skin of her forearm as though they weren't having this serious conversation. As if he couldn't keep from fondling her now that he had her in his presence. “Complicated?” She laughed. There he went again. Avoiding the question. Like he'd avoided her all these years “What could be complicated about mates staying together? They don't leave each other.” She narrowed her eyes to glare at him. “Oh wait, you must have missed that memo.” “I didn't miss anything.” “So you knew what our being mates would do when you walked away. To you. To us.” Her voice broke a little this time. “To me.” She'd thought she'd die for a few weeks there. As she'd searched for a man who seemed to have disappeared into the cosmos. “And yet you did it anyway.” He blew out a deep breath. Fingers continued to stroke up and down her arm. “You ever hear of the Gray Ghost?” The change of topic sent her mind reeling a second. “What? What does that have to do with anything?” It was like being at the top of a cliff about to jump and a bird hopping in front of you. She couldn't figure out the relevance. “Have you heard of the Gray Ghost?” He repeated the words without acknowledging her question. “The assassin?” That was the only Gray Ghost she could think of. “Yes.” Who hadn't? “Didn't he die some months back? Some job that went wrong?” “Not exactly.” She still didn't see what this had to do with anything. But she played along. Least they now talked about subjects that she could handle without crying. “What do you mean 'not exactly'?” “He didn't die.” The man was talking in riddles. “So? What does that have to do with anything, Colton?” She needed to stop calling his name. Each time she did so, her stomach clenched. “He's in front of you.” Colton's eyes gripped her in their gray span. His mouth set in a grim line, the color fading.

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“What?” She stared at the man as he nodded, keeping his gaze level with hers. “Who's in front of me?” “The Gray Ghost.” The Gray Ghost was one of the most notorious assassins Union Alliance had ever seen. And he was her mate?

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Chapter Five “No way.” Michipi backed away, and Colton let her. Let her extricate herself from his touch this time. He'd dropped a bomb on her, so it was only fair he let her deal with this in her own way. However, he had no plans to let her get away completely. He missed her in his arms. Missed her coolness against his warmth immediately. He was a Ghost, a race that had a fiery inner core. A temperature far above that of most Quatarians. He'd always welcomed her coolness. Same thing he liked about lying with Larkin. Their difference in temperature always centered him. He didn't say anything, knowing the deluge of comments from her to come. The barrage of denial that he would have to pick his way through. “You can't be. You can't…” She paced around the restaurant. Mincing steps that conveyed her grace. “You're trying to use this. To explain away why you left. And it won't work.” Her face turned and shifted through many different facades before settling on an upset one. He watched her circle him. “It won't work, I tell you. You can't tell me something like this and not expect me to want proof. I can't accept only your word. Not after all that has happened. And you have no way to prove this to me.” She took a step closer to him, eyebrows knit together. He wanted to smooth out the brows. Caress her face. Then work his way farther down. His hand itched to touch her. Soon. Soon. He couldn't rush this. “Actually, I do have proof.” He yawned, tired from the day's events already. She froze in midstep. “You do?” Not the answer she'd expected. He almost laughed but managed to keep his amusement, which she wouldn't appreciate, in check. Instead, he nodded. “I do.” “What proof could you have?” Her voice was as skeptical as a scientist who'd been told heartstones weren't real.

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He walked to her office, motioning for her to follow but not checking to see that she did. He picked up her comm, which had a link to the Mine's computers and a view screen sitting nearby. “May I?” She sank into a chair, having followed him into her office. No matter what she said, she was interested in resolving this. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let him come see her, much less followed him like she had. His chest swelled with a little hope as she said, “Why not?” He plugged the comm into a screen and gave a number of passwords to get where he needed to be. He flipped the screen over to her. It squeaked slightly on the bracket holding it in place. “Here.” She peered, looking at the information presented. “What's this?” She squinted, staring at the screen. Her eyes drifted to the bottom and up again. “Touch the side of the screen to scroll.” “I knew that.” Her snappish tone said she hadn't. She put a finger on the side of the screen and scrolled down. Computers had never been her forte. She'd used computer pens, unlike so many in the fast-paced world. “What is this?” Her eyes lifted to meet his. “Accounts of everywhere the Gray Ghost has been since we…parted ways via news services.” If only he'd been a different person all those years ago. He never would have left her. “Legitimate outlets to show you where the Gray Ghost has operated all these years.” “This proves nothing.” She looked down at her desk but kept her eyes averted from the screen. “Nothing.” “Contact Zelda. Tell her to let you access my files. My Union Alliance files.” He kept his voice measured as he nodded to the comm. “That doesn't prove anything either.” “My files show where I've been the last few years.” He pointed to the screen. “You can call them both up. Do a side-by-side comparison. They will be equal. There's no way I could have planted all the news articles over all these years, nor altered my own files. You'll be going to the Union Alliance site that Zelda has seen, not anything I control. She knows all about me.” He smirked. “She almost didn't let me on board because of it.” Larkin had been suspicious about why Zelda was so particular toward him. Colton had known exactly why.

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“You could have tampered with anything. Made your files match the news. Besides, do you expect me to believe that Union Alliance keeps tabs on their assassins for anyone to see like that?” She sat back in her chair, still not looking at the screen. She folded her arms across her chest. Closing herself off from the possibilities. He had to get her to open up. “Zelda has access to a secured site. You know that. She has more clearance than anyone I know. Word around the galaxy is that she got some chip with Union Alliance secrets. Including passwords. And I know you know that too. I don't know how she did that. But not just anyone can access these files. Everyone can't see them.” Once he'd figured out what Zelda had access to, he'd been impressed. Michipi averted her eyes from his gaze. It was obvious she knew about Zelda's topmost clearances. Michipi had never been able to lie worth a damn. “Still. It doesn't prove anything.” “I thought you might say that.” He grabbed the screen to turn it back around to him. Punched a few more buttons on the comm. “Again, news articles talking about the Gray Ghost and how he was 'killed.'” “So?” “The wound was point-blank in the chest. Phaser.” He unbuttoned his shirt slowly. Parted it to show his skin. “Had I not been wearing a flak vest, I would have died. As it was, I almost did.” His face twisted in a grimace. “Officially, I am dead.” He'd wanted to retire from being the Gray Ghost. So that he could have a future. The only way had been for the Gray Ghost to “die.” She got up from her chair to walk over to him. Her face twisted into a mask of emotion that he couldn't read. He turned to directly face her. His body clenched at her nearness. At her smell. It was all he could do not to growl. He wanted her like he needed to breathe. Slowly. She approached you of her own accord. That's good. Don't push it. “You were wearing a flak vest and still were this hurt?” Her voice drowned in sorrow. She reached out a hand to touch his scar. Flattened her palm and stroked the puckered flesh of the old wound. As always, her skin revealed the purple tint that wasn't very noticeable except against someone else's or when she blushed. His skin tingled at her touch. “If you'd died…”

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His eyes closed as much from what she said as her cool hand on his chest. She'd touched him of her own free will. Another victory. Small, but he'd take what he could get. “If I'd ever died, I had a system set up to…alert you.” She jerked her hand back from him as if he'd burned her. Considering his temperature increase from her nearness, that was possible. But not the case. Apparently, the wrong thing had been said, just like earlier. “You would have alerted me had you died? But not if you were still alive? That's…ludicrous.” “As long as I was the Gray Ghost, I couldn't let you know about me. It put you in danger. Now that he's dead, I'm free to be with you.” She shook her head. “I…don't believe this.” “Believe it. I can have the surgeon who treated me show the dates of treatment and extent of the wounds. He's a colleague of Zelda's, so he doesn't have an iron to burn in this fire. He'll be honest.” He let out a wry chuckle. “McTavish didn't like me.” Knowing what had happened with McTavish was the only reason Zelda had let Colton on board her Mine. “No, it's not that I don't believe what you say. I don't believe you've come back to me.” Her eyes flashed at him. A purple fire lit up, directed at him. “Why now?” “When I left you, I was already the Gray Ghost.” He'd been high on being deadly. So wrapped up in his work that he'd not been able to believe it when his stone had glowed. He'd thought he could protect her. He'd been high, mighty, and young. What a crock of shit the notion had turned out to be. “Do you remember the fire on Abline before we left?” “What does this have to do with any…?” He held up a hand. “Humor me. Do you remember the fire?” “Yes. You said it was a vessel malfunction. It was huge… It…” She broke off. Looked into his face. “It wasn't a vessel malfunction, was it?” He shook his head. “No. I thought I could protect you after we were mated. What happened on Abline proved to me I couldn't.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I…couldn't. I had to protect you from me… The only way was to leave…you.” A part of him had died that day

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when he'd walked away from his mate. A piece of his heart had shriveled up and was only now being reborn. “We could have—” He held up his hand again. “No. I couldn't let you die.” He'd seen so much death, even before the mating; he knew what it was like. “And…I wasn't ready to be with you. Not like I am now.” He'd gotten tired of the killing. Of the drama. Of the plays he'd had to participate in. Of all the lies he'd had to tell, when all his dreams were of a purple-haired, lavender-eyed beauty, who made his life seem like an even-bigger lie. So he'd ended the Gray Ghost's tenure with Union Alliance. “Why now?” She asked the same question from earlier. Her nose scrunched up as she watched his face. “Why come back to me now?” He moved closer. So that the heat of his body was close enough to warm her but not touch her. “Because I'm tired. Tired of what I did for a living. What I did to you. Tired of feeling the want all the time.” He lowered his head to rest it on hers. “I've ached every day since I left you. I don't want to anymore.”

Michipi closed her eyes. Back then, he never would have been this…open. Colton's head heated hers with subtle warmth. “I've ached too.” Goddess had she. Never thought that the distress within would be cured. Not by anything. Yet standing here with him, she could almost feel at peace. As though some kind of closure would be forthcoming. He moved down to press a kiss on her lips. To gently meet her mouth with his. A questioning kiss that asked for more. She pulled her head away but didn't move her body. Wasn't ready for that much intimacy…yet. “You were the Gray Ghost.” She didn't stumble over the words. For what it was worth, she believed him. It would have been too complex a ruse for him to have all these documents faked. “Yes.” “You killed people.” That should be a sticking point. He'd been an assassin. But she'd known worse people who hadn't had the best reputations who'd been extremely good to her. For her. Zelda, for one. She'd let Michipi come in and done her best to look after her whenever she

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could. Michipi had seen Zelda do things for the staff on the Mine that most mine owners wouldn't. Yet her reputation as a bitch was legendary. “Yes. I killed people. Those people generally…well, they knew someone was coming to their door. Most if not all of them did something to bring me there. And not anything nice.” His admission of what he'd done didn't shake her feelings that it should matter, but somehow…it didn't. “Wait a minute. If you're supposed to be dead, how did you get here? Traveling under Colton?” He was here under his real name. Her heart sped up. Surely that was dangerous for him? “Kept my head down and headed straight for Settler's Mine.” “How will your future continue when you're…supposed to be dead?” Awkward way to phrase the question, but she wanted to know. Many things in their world required identification. They required proof of who you were. That you were alive. Even keeping income safe required ID. “I have another identity. Union Alliance helped me set it up long before I…laws ready to leave their service.” He pulled on the sides of his shirt with his fingers. It drew attention to the muscular chest within the perimeter of his shirt. She found herself captivated by the way his shirt hung and the way his chest peeked through the cloth. “Then why didn't you use it? If Zelda hadn't had the…access she had, she wouldn't have let you on board because you're dead, would she?” Why had Zelda let him on with his reputation? Unless she'd wanted to see what he was up to. Definite possibility, knowing Zelda. He'd been up to getting Michipi back. Even with all her doubts, her body warmed. “Because then I couldn't have shown you the evidence I had.” His careful gaze met hers. He was so calm. As though being declared dead happened every day to him. Of course, considering his career, it might have. “Of being the Gray Ghost.” He fiddled with the ends of his shirt. “But…doesn't that put you in danger right now?” A shiver rolled across her. She had had to ask the question. It had to place him at risk. Use of his Colton identity could be tracked. He shrugged. “Probably.”

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Only he could be so cavalier about something so serious. She put her hands on her hips. “Why do that?” “Because I wanted you to believe me.” He rolled his hands forward. His chest muscles clenched, catching her eye again. She dropped her hands from her waist. Her stomach tensed, along with things down low. “Why do that?” He'd put himself in danger for her, simply to get her to believe his story? Being classified as “officially” dead by Union Alliance meant that he could be arrested and charged with impersonation. It limited anything that could be done for him if he were caught. If she knew Union Alliance higher-ups, they would let him fry rather than risk revelations they'd ever sanctioned assassination, even though they had. Despite the fact that everyone knew they had. “I told you why. For you.” His voice deepened. Sounded rougher than it had been since they'd started talking. She shook her head. “You never should have done this. Gone to such lengths to see me.” She couldn't help a tingle along her spine. Never had she imagined anyone doing such a thing. It spoke volumes about what he wanted. Me. “I left you to protect you.” “I'm starting to realize that.” She sighed. To make a life with her, he would have had to pull out of Union Alliance, and that wouldn't have been easy as quickly as they had mated. To get out now had to have required months of planning. “Does Larkin know any of this?” “No.” Colton's smile was rueful. “I figured you needed to be the first to know what I was.” His chest rose and fell through his open shirt. “I met him when I was on my way to see you a few weeks ago. I saw it as a sign.” She ripped her gaze away from his pecs. His muscles didn't look like they'd give a millimeter. From what she remembered, they hadn't. “He didn't know about me either until you told him?” “Right. I wiped away all official knowledge of our mating from public records. It isn't even listed in Zelda's database, so it was a surprise to her too. I didn't do anything to connect us. I did all that to keep you safe.”

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She'd known for years no one knew she had a mate. Hadn't known why. She'd figured he, having left her, didn't want to be associated with her at all. She was finding her world turned on its axis right now. Everything she'd believed would have to be abandoned if she were to believe him. She wanted to believe him. Desperately. “I left my profession. I gave it up to come back to you. I had to make it so you'd see me, so I came here as Colton. I know I can't make up for what I did back then.” His eyes gleamed as though all that heat was burning in his irises. “But I'd like to try.” The Colton she saw before her was different from the one all those years ago. Still arrogant and sure of himself, yes. But there was a peek at vulnerability that hadn't existed way back when. She looked into his eyes and saw they had as many lines underneath as hers did. Probably not from laughter either. He'd always had a hard look, and that was even deeper ingrained now. Despite all the things she saw in him she remembered, there were as many she didn't. He'd changed while he'd been away from her. They both had. Her gaze took in the scar still visible on his chest. The one that had almost ended his life. The one that had officially ended Colton. “What's your new name?” He blinked at her as if that was the last thing he'd expected her to ask. Then he slowly said, “O'Rourke.” “O'Rourke.” It fell from her lips like candy, but not the same way as Colton did. “I like it.” It somehow suited him as much as Colton had. A smile tugged at his lips but didn't take them all the way up. They gazed into each other's eyes, both stilling. She could hear nothing except for the pounding of her own heartbeat. See nothing except the man standing in front of her. The man who'd bared all to her. He moved slowly toward her. Slower than the previous kiss had even been. Gave her plenty of time to pull away from him. There still would be time to pull away after the kiss. After she'd sampled his lips. After she'd felt his body against hers. She needed to feel him against her right now. Needed it more than she needed to be away from him. He'd proven he could be trusted to abide by her saying the word no. She could give herself a brief sample of the man. Enough to make her remember even more. Enough to tide her over.

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His lips were so warm. So commanding against her own. He tasted her like he'd never had such a delicacy as her lips. He kissed her like he couldn't get enough of her mouth and kisses and didn't want to. Yes, maybe any second now, she'd pull away. Maybe. Only why should she? Colton, a.k.a. O'Rourke, was her mate. Her intended. The one the Fates had picked for her aeons before she'd been born. She'd been without him for so long. Why should she deny herself him? Either of her mates. Pride didn't matter in this situation. He was hers, and she was his. Why not give in to him this one time? From the moment he'd told her of the Gray Ghost, she'd known where this was heading. She might still be mad at him on some level. Still be hurt he'd left her. But he'd had reasons. That at least had eased the pain of her soul somewhat. But the fact remained—she was his mate and he hers. To the end of time. To deny him hurt them both. If he'd gone off to dally without reasons like she'd thought, that would have hurt her more. But he'd left as much for her as for himself. She couldn't see denying either of them under these circumstances. Why not give in? Not what she'd intended when he'd walked in. But this…felt right. Like something that was supposed to happen. She'd waited for this for so long. Night after night, she'd longed for only one thing in the dark. Him. She was no martyr. And this was what she wanted. What she needed. There would be time for more talking later. For more anger to escape. This was about need. And desire. As she softened her lips under his, his grew more demanding. More frenzied. As though he'd kiss her into oblivion. And she met him kiss for kiss. Began responding in kind. Giving him back what he gave her. His hand moved to the back of her head. Massaged her, pulling her mouth closer to his. He sealed the distance between them with his body. She didn't realize what his hand was doing until he'd eased out the barrette that held her ponytail in place. He freed her hair, letting it roll down her back in waves.

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She'd hardly worn it free since he'd left. He'd always liked it down. Liked to bury his hands in it when they'd made love. He sank his hands in, much like he'd used to do, rolling them through the strands. A moan escaped his mouth against hers. Her back arched like a cat's in heat. Pressed her body closer against him. His shirt gapped away, letting more of his delicious skin rub against her. Too bad she was wearing clothes. But that could be rectified. Places that hadn't been touched in a long time tingled. Moistened. Wanted. She was covered in heat from head to toe, seemingly almost as hot as Colton. She closed her eyes against the onslaught and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him more against her. As close to her as she could get him. Only it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He shuddered in her arms. Body quaked against her. Pulled his questing mouth away from her lips. She opened her eyes to look up at him. She'd thought his eyes had blazed with fire before. That was nothing compared to now. They glowed a light gray light. Purple caught her eye. Both of their stones started to shine. Each pulsed in time to the other. Much like her nether regions were doing. She'd never felt such longing. Being close to him was her only hope of redemption. He half groaned and rammed himself against her. His erection butted into her middle. “I. Can't. Wait.” Her turn to shiver as though the cold winds blew, only it was heat and not cold making her react. Her voice came with halting words as she tried to force them from her gasping chest. “No one is asking you to wait.” Another groan and his hand gripped the back of her head. “To be sure. You do mean to let me fuck you? Right now?”

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Chapter Six As if she wouldn't. Michipi's stomach bottomed out to her toes. The words made the space between her legs slicken with moisture. Her juices increased. “Yes. Make love to me.” She'd never wanted anything more. Different words. Same focus. He grabbed her by her bottom and pulled her against him. Rubbed his erection against her. His penis. Member. The thing she wanted more than life itself right now. “Say you want me.” He growled the words through clenched teeth. “I want you.” Heat rose throughout every pore in Michipi's body. Came to the surface and popped through every hair on her body, which stood at attention. Was she flushed? She felt flushed. His lips feasted on hers again. He slipped in his tongue to mingle with hers. Trapped it and twirled with it like a dancer gone mad. His hands tangled in her hair again and again. Roamed across her back to her butt before centering on her head. He fisted them in her hair, pulling slightly, so it tugged but wasn't painful. One hand shifted around during a breath break where the kissing had slowed and moved to run down her neck. The hand left warmth behind in its onslaught against her skin. “So soft.” The words were muttered and barely audible. His fingers slipped down the column of her throat. “So damn soft.” Her hands came around him to roam his wide chest. Slid under his shirt to his broad shoulders to caress his heated skin. Played on the muscles that tightened and relaxed with his movements. He released her to slide the shirt off his back. It fell to the floor. He gripped her chin in a sure hand, tipping up her head to look at him. “I've missed you.”

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The words sliced through her gut with as much precision as a scalpel. She'd never expected to hear those words from him. She didn't get to say them back because his lips were blazing a trail across hers again, making talking an impossibility. His kisses lit her like a luminary. Her stone warmed against her chest. His hands moved to her back and tugged on the dress with rough hands. He lifted it up to her hips. She gasped as the cool air moved across her skin. Moved across her most intimate places. She closed her eyes at the sensations tearing her apart from the inside out. He grabbed her butt, with the dress still pulled up, and lifted her on the desk, shoving papers on her desk backward. Some files fell on the floor from the movements of them both with a plop. She cringed. Couldn't help her action. They were no longer stacked neatly but strewn across her floor. It was messy. He shook his head as his lips left hers. He whispered, “I'll pick them up later. Promise.” His hand rubbed a circle around her back. She nodded. Resisted the urge to pick them up herself right now. They'd be all right on the floor for now. So she kept telling herself. Then he did something that made her forget all about the disarray of files. Forget anything logical or illogical. His hand brushed across her breast. A mere skitter of a touch before it left. Her chest arched. Wanted his hand back. Her nipples pebbled, arcing up in a quest to harden. Her nipples swelled. Another pass of his hand. Still a brief touch. She wanted the full grace of his touch. She'd let herself have this moment with him, despite the problems they still had to face. If she was going to let herself have this moment, she wanted it all. “Colton.” She panted his name through her open mouth, with a bit of reproach sounding in the word.

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He chuckled. “Yes?” He knew what she wanted. But he delighted in making her say the words. She blew out an exasperated breath. “Touch me.” His second chuckle raked across her nerves like a fingernail on concrete. “I am touching you.” Another touch she could barely even feel. “Colton.” She would have to learn to call him by his other name. But in this first rediscovery, she'd call him the name she knew him by best. “You know what I mean.” His eyes lit up with a blaze of passion so intense, she felt it down to her toes, which rested on the sides of his legs. “Yes. Yes, I do.” And he did.

Colton slipped his hand around her breast, giving her what she craved. Cupped it hard. No wimpy little touch for her. Instead, he caressed her, teasing the already-elongated nipple to stretch out even more. It rewarded him, and so did she with a gasp. He pressed his thumb against her breast. In all his wildest dreams of how this would go, he'd never imagined that she would take him down this road. He wasn't a fool. He knew there was stuff still to be ironed out between them. But this…this was damn good. She leaned back on the desk, naturally spreading her legs, her hips going wide. The perfect angle. He wanted inside her so badly that he shook. His cock couldn't press into her enough to get what he wanted. What did he want? His fill of her. Or rather her full of him. He pulled up on her dress. It was already out from under her. He'd made sure of that when he'd set her down on the desktop. Her eyes shone like purple orbs as he tugged on the material. She held up her arms, ready for him to take off the long-sleeved, long dress that covered exactly what he wanted to see.

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Her body. Up and over, the dress went. He moved to drop it on the chair rather than the floor. Even folded it over slightly and put it over the headrest. For her. She didn't like anything out of place. A slight smile lit her lips, making his effort all the more worthwhile. Then his eyes were seduced by the loveliness that was his woman. The vision of her sitting on the desk would be one that would haunt him for years. He couldn't breathe, seeing her sitting in her plain-Jane underwear, which was modeled on a woman who was anything but plain. Her breasts were covered by a large white scrap of material, as was her pussy. The material was not as pale as her skin, but it highlighted the purple hue of her coloring. Her delicate skin, broken up only by a few freckles. And a green bruise along one forearm. He could almost see her light pink nipples peeking at him through the thin material of her bra. Inviting him to touch. To taste. Her legs stretched down, long and muscular from the apex of her thighs. Slender calves that blended into warm thighs. She'd put on a slight amount of weight since he'd seen her naked last. It rounded out her curves. Made her all the more desirable. Blood flooded his cock, leaving his brain in an exodus down south. She was so beautiful. He didn't know where to start. Until her uncertain eyes captured his. She looked for his acceptance. His pledge of desire for her. He willingly gave it. Devoured her with his eyes. Leaned back to look at her. Shook his head at how gorgeous the woman was. Thanked whatever god would listen for this moment with her. No matter what would happen, he'd been given this. He looked at her until the uncertainty fled from her eyes. It was replaced by anticipation. Somehow seeing her like this made all the trouble he'd gone through to get here and prove himself to her worth it. 'Course, he hadn't been traveling alone.

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He'd been endangering not only himself but Larkin doing things this way, but it had seemed the best action to take. Larkin. He almost asked her if they should get their third mate but stopped. The two of them needed this reconnection. For themselves. Larkin would get time with her too. Colton would make sure of that. Right now he needed his focus to be on Michipi and her alone. A rebonding. A rejoining. And he couldn't wait. He ran his hands over her shoulders. Enjoyed the satin feel of her skin under his touch. His hands rolled without being hung up on anything. She gazed up at him with this look in her eyes. A flaming look. A look that made him feel like a king among men. He recognized it. From before. He had missed this more than anything. The way she looked at him. Yet even he could see her vulnerability. The hurt that hung shrouded on her face. That he'd put there. No amount of fucking would take it all away. Time would wear away some, but not all. He'd have to learn to accept that. Not an easy thing for him to do. He leaned down to brush his lips across hers. For her, he could do anything. Her hands hesitated at the waistband to his pants. Nervously fiddled with the top, as if wanting to do something but not wanting to ask before they skittered away. He nodded down to her, answering her unspoken question. “Take 'em off.” She didn't smile, but her face tightened nervously. Her hands shook as they moved around again to his front. He moved back to give her access. She licked her bottom lip as she slid down the zipper. Her teeth moved to graze over the same lip. Her gaze met his as she finished moving down the zipper and began to slide the pants from his hips. As her hands met his bare skin, she gasped and looked away. He reached out a hand and put it on her chin. Tipped her head down. Wanted her to watch his pants coming off. He removed his hand from her chin and helped to shimmy off his pants, but made sure she watched every movement. “You're not wearing underwear.” Her voice was breathy. A little shiver erupted when his cock bounced free. She repeated in the same tone of voice, “You're not wearing underwear.”

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“Nope.” “I'd forgotten about that.” Her gaze was centered on his cock, as if she couldn't pull it away. A swallow moved down her throat column. He managed to get his feet from his boots and his pants off his feet. His cock decided to show off for his audience and tightened. Probably even wept. All for the want of the woman in front of him. He plowed himself into the chill of her body. The cool texture of her skin made all of him clench. He rubbed against her. “You're so hot.” She panted into his shoulder as he held her. Her hands stroked his back with frantic caresses. He'd not forgotten the coolness of her body. The softness. Even before he'd been an assassin, few things in his life had been this soft. Larkin, with his muscular build, wasn't this soft. Colton luxuriated in it as he had before. His hands roamed over her back, stopping at the one thing keeping her skin from his. Needed that barrier to come down. When he pulled back, her bra came with him, having been undone by his wandering fingers. He eased it from her front and tossed it to another chair. Not as carefully as he'd done the dress, but he didn't drop it on the floor as was his inclination. Another broad smile erupted across her lips. Her rosy-tipped nipples winked at him. So full. So luscious. He wanted to taste them. He bent down and halfway stooped. Her breath caught in her throat. “I…” He recognized her nervous murmur and rushed to reassure her. She'd always been unsure about her body. Had preferred fucking in the dark. She was wound as tightly as they came about most things. “You're beautiful, Michi. Beautiful.” He winced as he realized he'd used her nickname. Prepared himself for the blast. But she didn't bust him for the comment. Instead, she said in a quiet voice, “I'm not as…well, young as I used to be.” “Please.” He shook his head. “You've not aged. And besides. Neither am I. Young, that is.”

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Her mouth turned up again. He liked making her smile. “You haven't aged, Colton. Hardly at all. Not like me.” He zeroed in on her nipple. Sucked it into his waiting mouth like a torpedo going into the tube. She tasted of berries and cream. His hand came up to clasp her other breast. To play with the nipple and cup her while he feasted his fill. When he lifted his head from her breast, her head was thrown back as if in abandon. Her face had relaxed. Her mouth was open, and her lips were wet. Her tongue slipped out to remoisten her lips. She made a sound like a groan as he dipped his head to her other breast and moved the opposite hand to cup the first breast visited by his mouth. He tugged on a nipple softly with his teeth. Then more forcefully. Then even more, digging his teeth into the sides. Not enough to render excruciating pain, but enough to lightly meld pleasure and pain together. She moaned. He felt her head wobbling as her chest moved with the action. He sucked the nipple into his mouth and suckled on her. Put his free hand up under her breast to position it and get even more into his mouth. Took as much down as he could, though it wasn't much of her bounty. Her back wobbled as he let go of the nipple with a popping sound. He blew at the nipple with cool air, causing it to pucker more. He moved his hands down while keeping his gaze on her face. He was so hard and close to losing himself. Her reactions kept his body humming. His breath moved quickly through his lungs as they struggled for air. Had to keep his control and get inside her paradise. His hand reached her underwear. The promised land. “Lift up your hips.” He pressed his hands, letting her know what to do. She struggled to keep her balance while lifting up her bottom enough for him to scoot the underwear from her body. A flush rose over her. As it always had when they'd stripped in the light. Made him smile. She hadn't changed all that much. He tossed the panties in the direction of the bra, but they didn't make it all the way to the chair.

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He caught her grimace but ignored it. Instead, he parted her slender thighs and knelt down. On his knees, he was about the right height for what he wanted to do. He had to get her hot enough, wet enough. This would be a good way. He felt her shift forward to look down at him. Didn't look up to see her quizzical look but could imagine it on her beautiful face. “I'm going to eat your pussy now.” He didn't wait for her gasp at his crude term but instead plunged in with his mouth, nibbling and licking wherever he could get access. He pushed both her thighs wide to give himself a better angle so he could feast on her. He licked her all over, tongue painting a broad brush. Her taste filled his mouth. Her scent filled his nostrils. His tongue filled her crevices. And it was glorious. He flicked his tongue across her clit again and again. Kept on the tiny bud with persistence until her hips bucked. A spasm rocked her, and moisture dripped from her passage. Her honeypot, as he'd heard one man term a pussy. Had never understood that until he'd tasted Michi's cream. Then it had made sense. He'd always called her sex a pussy, though. Because like a cat, once she'd gotten him in her claws, nothing else would do for him but her. She was better than he'd remembered. She was going to be as tight this time as she'd been the first time. He'd been her first lover. Unless of course she'd had other lovers since then. Not that he cared. Nor would he ask. All that mattered was this moment with her. He'd researched women before returning to her so he'd know how to fuck her correctly if he got the chance. This lovemaking would be a rejoining for them both. He redoubled his tongue's efforts on her clit. Slid a hand under his chin to circle her channel with a finger, and then he penetrated her with the digit. Her hips jumped in reaction. Her body stiffened. Almost as if she tried to push him out, but the moisture that encircled him told him otherwise. She was tight around that finger. As tight as she'd been back then. He sucked her clit into his mouth with explosive results.

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His action sent her over the edge as it was designed to do. “Colton!” Her body continued to contract and spasm as an orgasm washed over her. He waited until the last tremors drifted across her before getting back to his feet. Now she was ready for him. As ready as he could prepare her to be. He kept her thighs parted and came over her body with his. Her coolness beckoned to him again. Made him shiver. She leaned back, and his cock slipped into her as if it were meant to be. A bare minimum, but not where he'd been aiming. He hadn't expected to go down into her this quickly. It made them both gasp in surprise. He shuddered at the feel of her tightening around his tip. “Oh goddess. Colton.” He gritted his teeth together, trying to find his will. His arms shook with the effort of holding himself back. He wanted to plunge into her depths. To take himself fully into her sweetness, but she wasn't ready for that fast a penetration. Instead, he moved slowly against her. Went farther down into her, but not like he wanted to. His back arched. She was so wet around him. And this part of her was hot. Even with his core temperature, it was like being dipped in molten wax. He wasn't going to last long. He couldn't. Too pent up. He closed his eyes, trying to hold off the moment. Trying to slow himself down. Trying to make it last for her. Wanted this to be good for her. But then she moved against him. Thrust herself up, taking him down deep into her. Moved back and forth, wiggling her hips toward him. Managed to capture his earlobe for a brief nip. He lost himself to the feelings swept up by her movements. Her pelvis rose against him, and he met her this time. Back and forth, he rocked himself into her, getting faster with each downturn of his body. And stroke for stroke, she met him. He couldn't get close enough. Couldn't drive himself deep enough into her sweetness for any sort of satisfaction.

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Until it felt like he broke in half, bursting apart at the seams, and shot his seed into her. Each aftershock spun his head around like a planet in orbit. Puffing breaths sprung from them both. Sweat cooled his superhot body as he tried to regain control of his breathing. His heart beat so loudly, she surely must hear it. She looked at him as he disentangled himself from her with eyes full of promise. He stretched and offered her a hand to pull her up. She clasped it, and they both breathed a sigh when their bodies touched. She glanced idly around the office. “I need to get things together for opening.” He nodded. “Yeah. I guess so.” He watched as she walked sideways to the chair with a little grimace. “Larkin is going to want some time with you. He's chomping at the bit. And I…I have a lot to tell him.” He bent over and picked up his clothes. Walked to the files and picked them up to put them back on the desk as he'd promised. She nodded somberly. “Maybe he could come by to see me after I close here.” She pulled her underwear up her slender legs. “That'd be good.” One hurdle down. A giant hurdle to go.

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Chapter Seven Larkin hesitated outside the door to the restaurant without knocking. Blew out a breath. His first time alone with Michipi. He wasn't ready for the experience. Found himself distracted standing here outside her door. “I was an assassin” still echoed in his ears in Colton's cool, deep voice. Larkin would never forget what those words sounded like. He'd known there were secrets that Colton had kept from him. He hadn't expected that one. Never would have guessed that his quiet, seemingly mild-mannered lover was also a cold assassin. Guessed that was the whole point. Wouldn't want someone who looked the part. 'Course Colton wasn't exactly a pussy either. Larkin had always known that. Colton hadn't minced words. He hadn't tried to hide anything once he'd started talking. He'd done what he'd done, and that was that. Now it was up to Larkin to deal with the situation and the dangers it presented. Along with this new woman he didn't know. Yeah, it was a lot to take in. Larkin raised his hand. Should he knock? She flung the door open wide. “Come on in.” Michipi wore a long, dark dress that fit her curves like a second skin. He liked the way it clung to her tightly, showing off all her assets. She turned around and walked to the center of the restaurant. He blinked at her retreating ass. And what a nice ass it was. He stepped over the threshold and into her lair. Was she a spider? Would he be the fly? He could only hope she'd eat him the fun way and not the deadly way. He shut and locked the door behind him, then turned toward her again, taking in the vision of loveliness. “I've got some paperwork to finish up, but the cleaning is already done and things are ready for tomorrow, so good timing.” Her hips swished back and forth as she walked toward the office.

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He found himself entranced by her movements. Sucked into staring at the swell of her hips as she glided across the floor. His cock engorged, and he found himself struggling to push breath in and out of his lungs. She hesitated and looked back over her shoulder with a frown. “Is something wrong?” One of her hands balled into a fist. Nervously? Was she anxious about being with him? He'd never contemplated that. He'd have to take her emotions into account. She arched a brow. He'd stood there, watching her walk instead of moving forward toward her. He shook his head, suddenly at a loss for words. And that never happened. He could always find something to say. A smile took over the frown and reached out to him. “Are you coming into the office so we can talk? Get to know each other…I guess.” “Oh yeah.” His feet found enough blood and control to walk forward a few steps. “Yeah, I'm coming.” If only. As he followed behind her, he delighted in her scent, which was strong in the office. So flowery. So sweet. Did it suit her? He didn't know but would have fun finding out. He found himself more at ease as she went behind her desk. Yes, still a lot to deal with, but she was his mate. So was Colton. Larkin would find a way to make this work. A grin sneaked onto his lips. He always found his way to what he wanted. She sat down. “I should be finished with this in a minute. I hope you'll stick around…” “I will.” He focused on her thin lips and pretty mouth before tuning into the parts of her body that he could see behind the desk. Of course the images of following behind her were ingrained in his memory. Burned inside to linger forever. Was she hot like Colton? Would her skin scorch him? He didn't know what race she was, other than of Quatarian descent due to her heartstone. Her body looked so…delicate. So soft. He'd not been with a woman in a long while. He'd forgotten how different they were from men. Swells in different places. He liked the way her

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breasts jiggled up and down when she moved and breathed. Different lines than a man. Not so hard and muscular. Her curves beckoned to him to mold himself around them. Her melodic voice drew him. Soothed him. He wasn't even listening to the words, only the tone of her voice. She had a slight accent. Her voice was husky, not high-pitched but still feminine. A sharper tone caught his attention, and he listened to the words this time as she repeated them. “Are you even listening to me?” He winced and drew his eyes up to meet her stormy purple gaze. “Sort of.” He'd reacted to others with arousal before, but not this strongly. His nose twitched. Under her floral scent and the drifting of food odors, he could smell something else. Sex. Colton. They must have had sex in here. He'd been so focused on her, he hadn't noticed that before. He'd smelled her on Colton when Colton had come back to the room. His cock twitched as the knowledge rushed across him. Colton had taken Michipi here. Probably up against the desk? His skin tingled with awareness of what they'd done here. He could almost picture them. Maybe they'd done it against a wall. Or on the floor. In a chair. He shifted in his seat, cock hard and aching. She shook her head with a look of amusement as his gaze lifted to meet hers. “So you've been mated to Colton for a few weeks?” He nodded and leaned back in the chair. “Yeah. It's been a crazy time.” Had it ever been. He'd never expected to find two mates at once like this. “Everything happened fast.” One minute he'd been delivering a shuttle to someone. The next, he'd been mated. “What were you doing when you met Colton?” She must be in tune with Larkin. “Delivering a shuttle. I work on engines. Our stones glowed immediately. There was no going back.” “Then he told you about me.” Her writing instrument, which looked like a stick, hesitated. What was she using to write? He'd never seen anything like it. “That must have been a shock. To find out you were also mated to a woman.”

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He shrugged. “A bit.” “I take it”—the straight stick she used to write made noises on the desk as she continued to work with only a glance thrown in his direction—“he told you everything tonight before you came to meet me? About…his job—his former job?” Had he ever. “Yeah. Colton told me everything. About his work. Why he left you.” And a future of a new identity for Colton. “How are you dealing with that?” Her writing instrument paused again before continuing on its way across. She used broad, even strokes. “That he was an assassin. That he left me because of that. It puts us all in a lot of jeopardy.” She looked down and didn't attempt to meet his eyes, nor look around. “He's my mate. I have to deal.” “You make it sound so simple.” Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper. “So easy.” Her chest rose and fell with effort. “It is.” She laughed and shook her head. “It's not.” “It is.” He folded his arms across his chest. “You know…people try and make things more complicated than they are. We are mates. Mates. That makes it simple.” He'd never understood why the world wasn't boiled down to those facts. Mates were so vital to their society. To everything. Their whole lives were shaped by the stones and finding a mate. Yet some people went out of their way to make that difficult. Like Colton with Michipi to start with. The solution shouldn't have been to leave her. He'd never tell Colton that. But that was how he felt. She gazed at him, closed her eyes for a brief second, and then opened them. “You're so different.” That sounded better than Colton saying he was “fucking young” or “fucking naive.” But Larkin had a feeling that's what she meant. “Different than Colton, you mean?” She nodded with a light laugh that sounded rueful. “Oh yes. Much different than him. And me.” “I probably am.” He leered slightly. “'Course I'm different than you. And glad of it.” He waggled his brows afterward, letting her know he was being suggestive.

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She rewarded him with a light blush that moved up her high cheekbones. Her hands wavered on what she was working on. He sobered and kept his gaze on her hands. “Are you planning to stay with Colton and me?” She stopped writing altogether. “You are direct.” She stared at him until he lifted his head. He nodded. “I've found it saves time.” He let a moment of quiet linger. “So are you?” She'd tried to distract him. Unless she stripped naked here in the office, he wouldn't be held off from the answer to that. She pulled her hand away from her papers. Set the writing instrument into the holder. Looked to the computer screen on her desk as if checking something. It must transfer automatically to her computer from what she'd written down on the desk. There must be a screen pad he couldn't see. He'd heard of such technology but never seen it in use. Would have to try that out later if she'd let him. Her voice was smooth and unhurried. “I don't know.” “You and Colton made up, though. You…well, you…” How do you tell a woman that you know she fucked someone else? “You had sex with him.” No sense not being direct now. Might as well get things out in the open. Another lovely blush rose on her pale skin. And that's when he realized something. “Your skin—it's a light shade of purple.” Only a hint of it. But now that he'd noticed it, he couldn't believe he'd missed it before. She blinked and looked down at her arm. Her gaze then lifted to meet his. “Oh yes. I'm a Violetian.” She pursed her lips in an attempt not to laugh. “Our skin tones are more purple than pale, but not as colorful as some.” Some Quatarian races were more strongly hued shades of color. This was so light, it was almost unnoticeable. He couldn't remember anything he'd heard about the Violetian race. He'd have to learn about her as they went along. “I hadn't noticed it before.” Earlier he'd been preoccupied with Colton and what would happen. In the restaurant he'd been preoccupied with her body, but only in motion. He'd not looked closely at her skin. “Larkin, I…don't know what I want. Yes, Colton and I”—she hesitated for a long moment of silence—“made love.” Her eyes simmered over with emotion. This hadn't been a casual

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joining. No matter what she might claim later. The evidence told Larkin the truth. “And we talked about a lot of things. I don't know what will happen now. I'm not that far in my thinking. I don't know what I want from all this.” Larkin was sure what he wanted. They all rode off on a shuttle, assumed new lives, and lived happily forever together. He'd never been surer of anything. Colton and Michipi were his, and he intended to keep them. She continued after scanning his face. “I don't know what I want to do yet. I've mostly forgiven him, and I do understand why he did what he did. But I have a life here. A good one. I don't know.” Larkin leaned back in the chair with a huff of breath. He didn't say anything back to her. What could he say? She shuffled some papers and put them to the corner of her desk. He'd noted everything on her desk had a place. Nothing was scattered about. He'd never seen such a neat office. She liked things ordered. What chaos he and Colton must have brought to her life. “If your life here is more important than being with your mates, more power to you.” He stood up and looked to the door but didn't move toward it. “Maybe I should let you finish your work.” He didn't want to leave, but what was he supposed to do? Her lips pursed again. “You can't make me feel bad about this. About not knowing what I want. You two waltzed in here and expected me to drop everything. Life…doesn't work that way.” Her face hardened. A minuscule reaction but one that Larkin noticed. She wasn't entirely comfortable with her decisions. He gritted his teeth. “I dropped everything to come with Colton here. I had a career. Friends. A life. I left it all. For my mate. That's what mates do.” Her eyes lowered and then sparked with something akin to fire. “Bully for you. But I've already dealt with Colton disrupting my life once. I was ready then. To let him come into my life. I'm not sure what I'm ready for now.” Her arms folded about her beautifully curved chest. “I may decide to go with you two. I may not. I don't know right now.” Her voice began to crack. “I know with your surety you can't understand that. But I can't afford to be…naive. Again.” She didn't want to get hurt. Her posture and words conveyed the meaning behind the actual sentence she spoke.

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Blood roared through his ears at the use of the word that Colton so often tossed at him. “You and Colton both think I'm young. I'm younger than you two. But I seem to know what's important better than you both.” “What's that?” “Living your life.” He got up and walked two strides around the desk to her side. “You have to live your life to the fullest. Be who you are and be with whom you are meant to be with. Otherwise you might as well die before you've ever lived.” It was a motto he'd held before Colton ever came into his life. One that he intended to keep forever, no matter what happened on Settler's Mine. She'd turned to face him when he'd approached. Now she stared into his eyes. Her mouth quivered. “Pretty words.” “They're how I live my life. Take now for instance. I could get mad and stomp out of here, never giving you a chance.” He almost had but had caught himself. He didn't want to do that, so he shouldn't. He slipped ever closer to her, so that their bodies almost touched but not exactly. He could feel the warmth emanating from her. “But that's not what I'm going to do.” He shook his head as he spoke. Her eyes grew wide. Her lips parted slightly with a tremble. “What are you going to do, then?” She sounded so unsure of herself. So lost. He wanted to reassure her she'd been found. The best way to do that was by what he was about to do. He drew closer to her, so they were millimeters apart, and leaned down over her. “This.” His lips sank into her sweetness with a kiss that made his body flame into a thousand different fires that only she could put out. The only question was, what would she do now?

Michipi's head swam at the press of his mouth against hers. He kissed her with a ferocity she hadn't thought possible. His lips demanded hers open and offer him reception. She could taste coffee and something chocolate as his lips plundered hers. He moved in closer, bringing that big body in full contact with hers. He slid against her like he'd been made for her.

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Her head arched back at the feel of him. Not as big as Colton, nor as hot, but a force to be reckoned with just the same. Her whole body shuddered. She felt him fussing with her shoulders, and the next thing she knew, he'd put his hands under her arms to pull her from her chair. Had she resisted, he wouldn't have gotten her up. But why would she resist? She went with his pull even as she asked, “What are you…? Ermfh…” Her mouth was captured in yet another pulverizing kiss before she could ask her question. His tongue slid across the seam to her mouth and then demanded entrance, which she hesitantly gave. His tongue twirled around hers, teasing and playing. Tapping hers and rolling around it in abandon. He kissed her as though his life depended on her returning the embrace. As though he could reach her soul with his kiss. It stirred something deep within her. Feelings that swirled around low in her belly and below. In and out, his tongue pressed, touching hers, then darting away, before finally coming to encircle hers with his. Over and over, they rolled. He claimed her mouth with ease and kept the kiss swirling. Continued to deepen it until her knees grew weak. Her hands clutched at his back as her front pressed against his body in an attempt to secure her position. His hands roamed her back, stroking in fine little circles before rising to the bun of hair and playing with the clasp. He didn't take it down. Left it up but crept his fingers carefully in to tangle in her collected locks. His other hand went down to her butt and clutched her. He pressed only softly against one cheek before pushing her even more against his body. She could feel his hardness, shoving up against her. The hardness caused by his want of her. His need. Her kisses became frantic. Frenetic. Her hands tangled in his hair the way they'd always wanted to play in a man's tresses. She tugged on it. Pushed with her hips against him. Couldn't get herself close enough to the man in front of her.

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Panting, he pulled away from her lips. Without a word, he stepped back and shimmied his pants down. Pulled them off with his shoes. His brown skin glowed under the lights. He was much darker than her or Colton. His member rose from his body. As he turned toward her, his rigid member turned with him. He was long and prodigious, surrounded by a light smattering of hair. His rod was colored red. Had a tip that shined somewhat, as though it had been spit upon. He was leaking. Her throat closed up. Chest constricted. Her whole body tightened like a spring had been coiled inside of her, ready to go off any second. He leaked for her. He yanked his shirt over his head. Exposed his beautiful, broad, tanned chest. A small amount of hair trailed down to his belly, bringing her eyes down to his member. He was muscular and lithe with trim hips. No scars. His beauty took her off guard. She'd expected roughness, not this body of art. He gazed lazily at her. Bedroom eyes. Eyes that invited her to do so much with him. She couldn't look away. Couldn't breathe. “Like?” “What?” “Like my body? My cock?” She blinked back at him. She'd heard a man's member referred to as such before. By gossipers on the Mine. Heat rose up her body from his use of the term. “What do you call it?” She'd never called “it” anything. She'd never been close enough to a man other than Colton to see his member, and she hadn't been with Colton long enough to get a handle on terms. She managed to whisper, “Member.” A low chuckle came from his lips. “It's definitely a club. Only you and Colton get to have it.” Her hands shook. She still stood behind her desk, not more than a foot away from him. But it was too far. She wanted his body up against hers. Now.

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Apparently she was going to get what she wanted from him. He didn't say any more about his member or her lack of terminology for sex. Instead, he walked toward the desk without her having to ask. Looked down at her with those smoldering eyes. He grasped her hips and pushed her to the wall, following her all the while. Her movements were jerky because she didn't know where he wanted her. He mimicked her direction but was more graceful than she was. Her back hit the wall. Not hard, but enough to know it was solidly behind her. She welcomed its cool hardness against her. She looked up at him. Her lips trembled. Where would he take this? Suddenly she was unsure of herself. She was backed up to a wall with a naked man she'd only met a little while ago. One who wanted more from her than she could give. He wanted everything from her. All her emotions. A commitment. Not anything she could promise today. It must have shown in her eyes, because he shook his head. Leaned over to give her a gentle kiss. After the last one, it seemed tame. Yet it was also sweet. He tasted wonderful as his lips delved in but not deeply. It was a kiss that rocked her for sheer gentleness. “This moment.” His hands slid over her sides to drift down to her hips. He yanked up the skirt of her dress. He meant to take her, and she was only committing to this instant in time. She relaxed. Having sex with him, she could commit to. Cool air radiated underneath the flimsy material. She felt it ride up her skin to her middle, driven by his hands. She let him do what he wanted. Holding the skirt in one hand, he used the other to take down her underwear. She gasped as the garment traveled over her hips down to her thighs. He released it, and it fell to her ankles. His hand traveled back up to her hips. He stole his mouth from hers. “Take them off.” His voice sounded deeper. His hands tightened on her hips. A shiver rocked her body from top to bottom. This was going to happen. She did as he told her, kicking them off her feet.

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His lips met hers again. This time more violently. More explosively. He claimed her lips as though she were a hole and he intended to drill himself down into her core. Which, of course, he did. Her stomach clenched. He was going to have his way with her. Sex. With her mate. With Larkin. It wasn't going to be easy. Or soft. It would be hard and furious. And she welcomed it. He shoved his member against her middle. Thrust against her. His actions told her of all the things he wanted to do to her. Her back plastered against the wall, as she tried to maximize the volume of her skin against his. She wanted him touching everywhere on her body that he could with his body. Her head connected with the wall. She pressed back against it, grateful for the feel of it behind her head. It centered her. His hands gravitated to her hips. Clutched her. Slowly, without breaking his mouth away from hers, he began to lift her. Slid her up his body. She welcomed the contact. Was eager for it. Almost couldn't wait. He pulled back to adjust himself and lift her higher, breaking the kiss. His face tightened, muscles stretching. She barely had time to catch her breath before he slipped back in with his body against hers. Molten heat slammed against her throbbing core. His tip knocked on her entrance. Was at the right height for what they both wanted. He slid himself into her body with ease. Before he reclaimed her mouth, he whispered, “Wrap your legs around me.” His hands encouraged her motions. She nodded, even though he wasn't looking for a response, because his lips immediately sought to reclaim hers. The slide of his lips against hers was almost more than she could bear as he slid farther in at the same time. Oh, how good he felt. She moaned against his lips. His mouth captured hers, and a pulverizing kiss maximized her pleasure. His mouth dominated hers from first contact. This wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a mad mesh of mouths. She slowly lifted her legs toward him. Her legs found purchase around his waist as he shifted his arms.

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He readjusted his hands so that he gripped her tighter around the middle. Brought his body closer. The move changed his position of penetration. Drove him deeper within her depths. At more of an angle. He slid into her with ease. He pressed forward, driving himself still farther inside, and then backed out a little before doing it again. His muscles bulged from the efforts of his body. His big body. His cock stretched out the nerve endings because of the angle in which he penetrated. Her skin tingled from the sheer pleasure. Each move pushed her into the wall, then tugged her out away from the hardness against her back. Then she'd be pushed right back into it. She angled her legs against him, trying to encourage him to move faster. Harder. She wanted all of him. She'd permitted herself this and would take full advantage as she had earlier with Colton. That was all the encouragement Larkin needed. To pound into her. He held her tightly against the wall as he barreled inside of her to press down again. Faster and faster, he edged in and dug out before taking himself against her again and again. His fingers bit into the skin of her butt. His muscles all tightened, probably from the strain of holding her and penetrating her at the same time. She couldn't have concentrated while doing this to him. She couldn't focus on anything now, except the actions and the motions of their bodies. She tried to meet him stroke for stroke as much as she could move. Each time he went inside her, her stomach jumped. Her heart fluttered. He slammed down into her with a particularly deep thrust that made them both groan. Then he did it again. A swell of pleasure rose over her body like the crest of a wave. Hair prickled up, and goose bumps erupted. She rode the sensations all the way to the end. Broke the kiss. “Larkin.” Her whole body straightened out in an exclamation point. Even though she'd known it was coming, the climax caught her off guard. All she could do was clutch at him until it was over, panting in its wake.

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When she thought he couldn't go deeper than he already had, he pressed into her or changed his angle or something, and deeper inside her he went. He continued to move at a breakneck pace. Her lips sought his again, needing that contact, and he commanded the kiss with masterful sincerity. Her body had broken into a sweat and now cooled with the air. If only her dress had been pulled off. But she wasn't stopping now. She needed this too much. Then his body shuddered. Once. Twice. Three times. Rocking him. He broke the kiss as his head arched back. A climax gripped him in its silken clutches. She watched the emotions spiral across his face. She didn't shy away but kept herself pumping him until his body relaxed. As soon as her body calmed, an aftershock rocked him. He slammed into her again. Made both of them say, “Arrhhh.” She clung to him, her lifeline, as they both panted against each other. Her heartbeat began to slow from the furious pace. She'd not imagined having sex this way. Nor with a man she barely knew. Even though he was her mate, she'd known him only a short time. When she'd asked him to come see her, she'd had no idea this would happen. Hadn't even considered the possibility. While it felt right, it also felt wrong. She didn't know how to sort this out. Heat moved across her body with the emotion. They'd knocked files from her desk in their haste. She looked at them on the floor. Disarray. Like her life. It seemed to be what Colton and Larkin would bring into her days. Disruption. Mess. Could she handle that? He slowly let her down, letting her slide against his body. Her gaze shifted back to him from the white files lying across the dark floor. When he pulled away, a slippery feeling graced her down below. They both jerked and moaned with the freeing of his member sliding from her depths. She felt so…wet. So…used down in places she'd never been this used before. What did you say to a man you'd done it with? Whom you'd had sex with up against a wall? Whom you weren't even sure you were going to continue a relationship with? A man who might be passing from your life soon?

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She moved away from him, and her dress fell down to cover her body. It was now wrinkled, and she pushed down on the material, trying to smooth it out. Her underwear lay on the floor like a marker of what had happened. “Larkin…” He smiled at her. An easy, boyish smile that instantly set her at ease. “Damn.” His expression didn't match his expletive. She wasn't sure exactly what he was cursing. Nor did it matter, because at that moment, noises came from the front of the restaurant. The sounds were soft. Almost indiscernible. But still there. Noises like someone was inside her restaurant. She tilted her head. Listened again. Would have thought she was hearing things, but Larkin froze too. Definite noises came from the restaurant. Did she hear someone saying, “Shhhhh”? The doors had been locked… But that didn't mean it was impossible to break in. Look at Colton when he'd come to see her earlier. She whispered while backing away from the door, “Larkin. Someone's in here.” Whoever it was, their presence couldn't be good. He grabbed for his pants but didn't put them on. Instead, he dug in a pocket and pulled out a phaser. Her body tensed. He was preparing for trouble. Her throat closed up. They both stepped toward the door. He shoved her behind him, blocking her with his body. Hushed her when she protested. She listened. There were soft footsteps moving down the hall. Toward the office. Her heart pounded. She looked back to her underwear. Did she have time before whoever it was burst in? No. They were right outside the door. Larkin motioned with one hand for her to be quiet. Waited with his phaser trained on the door. A kick broke in the door to her office, splintering wood everywhere.

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Chapter Eight Larkin blinked at some big man and Zelda, who both had phasers trained on him and Michipi. Michipi's scream still rang in his ears from when the door had busted in. He'd have to talk to her about high pitches. And how they hurt ears, even ones that weren't known for being sensitive. Zelda's voice could have cut diamonds. “Michipi, move away from him.” She glared at Larkin. “Lower your phaser.” “Not likely to happen.” Larkin wasn't sure what was going on. But he didn't intend to stop defending. Not even when facing down a ruthless mine owner known for having an itchy trigger finger. The big man's phaser came up to more directly aim at Larkin's chest when Larkin didn't lower his phaser. “Now.” “When you two lower yours.” He wasn't about to leave himself exposed like that. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid. Lowering his weapon when two were trained on him would be suicide. “Michipi, move away…” Zelda's voice trailed off. Her gaze snapped around the room, taking in the office, which was more disheveled than usual. Not to mention there was a pair of underwear lying in the corner. Had she noticed Larkin was naked yet? She gave no indication she had. Michipi took one step toward them. He felt her move and heard the step. “Zelda. Bren. Everything's okay.” A younger, softer-looking man barreled into the doorway. “What happened? I heard a scream.”

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“That's what we're checking on, Amory.” Bren's deep voice boomed in the small office like it was a cannon. “Making sure everything's okay here.” His weapon didn't twitch but remained trained on Larkin. “Next time, call me. I am part of security.” Amory's mouth pursed into a deeper frown. “You always like to handle things on your own, but I should have been notified.” Zelda didn't waver. “There wasn't time. We had to make a quick decision while walking by, based on the noises we heard.” Larkin had to admire her coolness. Even as the phaser remained trained on him. Michipi stepped beside Larkin. She touched his arm with cold hands. “It's okay, Zelda. I'm…fine.” Zelda didn't lower her weapon or blink an eye. “There was a lot of bumping. Sounded like someone was being beaten in here. It was the best conclusion we could come to, considering the circumstances and who had been seeking you out. You cried out. Multiple times. Sounded like someone slammed you against a wall. That's why we came to check on you.” Her gaze wandered again. “Maybe our worry was premature.” Bren's lips twitched as his gaze shifted to the corner where the underwear lay. It was as if he had noticed it for the first time. He looked as though he was holding back a smile as big as he was. He lowered his weapon but didn't reholster it. Michipi flushed even more when she noticed where Bren's gaze had shifted. She smoothed down her dress. “I…well…I'm fine.” “Apparently more than fine.” Zelda arched a brow. “I knew you had mates on the Mine, but never expected…well…this.” A deeper flush spread across Michipi's face. She didn't say anything, probably because she couldn't get anything out. Bren's lips developed a tic from trying to hold back a grin. Larkin kept glancing back and forth from Michipi to Zelda as he waited for Zelda to lower her weapon.

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She still didn't lower it. “Are they both your mates, for real? Those two clowns who I saw earlier?” She glanced around the office. “Where's the other one? I thought they might both be in here with you.” “He's back in our room.” Larkin blew out a breath, tired of holding his phaser up. “Can we call a truce now? Lower weapons? I wasn't hurting her.” Far from it. He'd been bringing pleasure. She'd brought a lot to him. He couldn't wait to take her with Colton. That would be even better than this had been, and it had been pretty damn good. His hands tightened. Oh yeah. Couldn't wait for that. It was only a matter of time before they convinced her to be with them. He'd sensed her wavering when he'd initiated sex. Who'd have thought so much would come out of the encounter? Zelda threw one last glare at Larkin, as though she wanted to shoot him anyway, and then said, “Fine.” She didn't lower her weapon until he did. Even then, it went down as slowly as molasses ran down a pancake. Amory frowned, still hanging back against the door. “That other one is Colton, right? The other man you said was Michipi's mate?” Michipi spoke up with a firm voice. “They are my mates. Long story, but Colton and I were mated first. It'd been a long time since I'd seen him.” Bren nodded to Amory. “Yeah, Larkin and Colton came on board together. Presumably to see Michipi.” He shifted his gaze to Zelda momentarily, who shrugged. Somehow Larkin got the impression they'd been pointed out to Amory and Bren to keep an eye on. That their story of seeking out Michipi hadn't been believed. His lips quirked. Couldn't imagine why. Only Colton being an assassin of extreme caliber would cause such scrutiny. Colton had explained that Zelda had the most clearance of a civilian he'd ever seen. No wonder they'd gotten lectured. It was a wonder she hadn't shot them on sight. Amory shook his head. “Colton's not back at quarters.” He folded his arms over his chest. She swung her head his way to look at him as did Larkin's. “What?” Her mouth pursed up into a frown. Larkin echoed her question. “What?” “He checked out of Settler's Mine. About an hour ago. By himself.”

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***** Larkin paced the small quarters. He picked up a bag and threw it across the room. “There's nothing here.” Michipi sat on the small bed, her arms around herself. Cold kept seeping into her bones, no matter how much she tried to push it aside. “Did you expect there to be?” Did she sound tired? She thought she did. Her eyes hurt. Her face hurt. But goddess be, she wasn't going to cry. She scrunched up her eyes some more, as though doing that would help. Larkin swung back toward her. “He didn't leave us!” His face contorted as he growled after the words. He looked inclined to beat something. She wanted to beat someone. For getting her hopes up. “Didn't he?” She pulled her feet up under her. She'd put on her underwear after Amory's bomb had dropped. Larkin slapped his hands against the wall. “He couldn't have. He wouldn't have.” He turned toward her, rubbing his hands. “He didn't leave us.” She had never felt so cold in her life. Had someone turned down the heat in the Mine? Had Colton taken all the heat with him when he'd left? The latter was a real possibility. “I know you think he did. But he didn't.” “He left before.” Much like he had this time. Without a good-bye or a look back. He'd seemed so solicitous, giving her and Larkin time together. Instead, he'd been planning his big escape. She bit her lip. “But that was…” Larkin blew out a breath and stopped. She undid her teeth from her lip. “That was with me.” Her heart slowed down. “Yes, that was with me. But that doesn't mean he can't leave you too. And it looks like he has.” “No.” Larkin growled again. He stalked toward the bed. “He wouldn't leave us. He couldn't.” “He did.” “You were waiting for this, weren't you? For him to leave?” His voice thundered across the room. She had been. In her heart, down deep, she hadn't expected him to stay. Of course he hadn't disappointed her. He'd left. Again. Left them both high and dry. Gone away to leave them to pick

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up the pieces. She didn't know how she would pick herself up this time, much less help Larkin deal with this. “Maybe.” “Colton wouldn't leave.” “What else are we supposed to think?” Her voice rose. “He checked out. His stuff is gone. Not your stuff. Just his. Face it; he left us.” Her voice did crack at the end. A minuscule amount. She couldn't believe she was in this place again. Hadn't she told herself she wouldn't let him hurt her again? Yet here she was. Hurt. Larkin slumped on the bed. Sat beside her. “I never thought he'd leave us. He said…well. You know what he said. I…I can't believe that he'd take off like this.” He took her hand in his. Stroked it. He was warm. Not as hot as Colton would be. Now she'd never feel Colton again. Even if he came back, she'd never let him do this to her again. And this time, she meant it. Another breath puffed from her. She had to stop thinking about him. He was gone. He didn't deserve her thoughts. “I never thought he'd leave me back then. But he did. I know…you want to believe that he's not left us. But look at the evidence, Larkin. He's gone. The only explanation is that he left.” She squeezed his hand. At least she had Larkin this time. Maybe they could help each other through this. His thumb spread across her hand. “I don't know. I'm so…” He leaned over toward her. “Ow.” He pulled back and looked in the messed-up covers on their bed. She blinked as he pulled out a syringe. “What's that?” He held it carefully in one hand. “I don't know. It poked my leg but didn't get in my skin.” He tipped the syringe up and down. “Something clear.” He pulled it close to his nose and sniffed. “Be careful.” The last thing they needed was for him to stick himself with some unknown substance. What could be in the little cylinder? Why was the syringe in the bed? “I am.” He sniffed again. “I don't smell anything.” “Let me.” He leaned the syringe over to her. She took a whiff. A nutty smell assaulted her senses. She pulled back as though it might bite her. “You don't smell that?” He took another light sniff. “Nothing.”

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She breathed slowly through her nose. She could even smell it from over here now that she concentrated. “It smells like some sort of nut.” “Really?” He sniffed again. Seemed frustrated that he couldn't smell anything. “Yeah.” Her heart pounded. “It's nutty smelling.” That brought up something in her mind. What was it? “Colton and I didn't have any syringes.” Larkin looked down at the instrument in his hand. “Or any nutty-smelling stuff.” “I figured. He didn't like shots.” He'd had to get one once during their brief time together. He'd been a baby about it. She blew out a breath. What she'd been trying to recall clicked in her brain. “Sebolium smells nutty. I know that because I had surgery once, and they used it on me. They injected me with it. I smelled like nuts for a few days because it excreted through my sweat glands.” Her race had a hard time processing drugs like that. It had been long before she'd been with Colton. She'd been a young child. She'd never forgotten the experience, though. “Huh. Sebolium.” His eyes suddenly flashed. “Sebolium is an anesthetic.” He gripped the syringe tightly in one hand. “I know.” Her throat dried out. “Is anything out of place here? I mean, before you tossed everything around.” She didn't want to pin too much on this needle, but it was odd. Larkin's gaze surveyed the room. “Well, everything was. I thought it was because he was…packing. Things were all moved around. That table for instance was on the other side—” He broke off. Looked. “There was a clock on that table. It's gone too.” She pulled her arms in closer to her body. “Colton wouldn't take a clock with him.” That didn't make sense. He laughed. “No. He doesn't care about time. But why would someone else take it?” She sucked in her bottom lip. Let it come free with a pluck sound. “I don't know. Is anything else out of place? Did he leave anything that was his?” She didn't know what she was looking for. But her heart continued to race just the same. Larkin stood up and paced the room, looking at everything closely. “Yeah, he did. He left that shirt. It was lying by my bag, not with the rest of his stuff.”

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Her hand passed over her mouth. “Colton's thorough. He wouldn't leave anything of his behind.” He'd missed nothing when he'd left her. She'd not had any mementos to remember him by. “Unless maybe it was by my bag, he was in a hurry and didn't see it.” Larkin shook his head. “But he is a thorough packer. He remembered stuff I would have forgotten when we were on the way here from my home.” “Exactly.” Her heart thundered in her ears. “Let's look at what we know. Colton left. But there's a syringe full of something that knocks you out. A clock is gone. And he forgot a shirt.” The clues didn't make any sort of a logical process. Nothing made sense. “Not much to go on.” She tapped her fingers on her chin. Here she was advocating for a man she was sure had left them a few minutes ago. How things had changed. But she couldn't help feeling as though these clues were important. “Let's speculate. What if someone knocked him out?” “Okay. What if they did? What about the clock?” “Maybe they struggled before he was knocked out. That broke the clock, which they packed.” “And the needle?” She did some more tapping on her chin. “They were in such a hurry, they didn't notice the syringe. Or even maybe they had to use two of them and lost track. It takes a lot of drugs to knock Colton out. More than the average Quatarian.” Larkin looked dubious but didn't argue. “They packed for him. Leaving behind something of his.” The shirt. Her gaze darted around the room. It sounded ludicrous. But maybe it could be. Her heart hammered. She was looking for an excuse not to believe he'd left. How ironic was that? “But why would someone take him? I mean, he's an assassin and all that, but he's incognito.” Larkin got up to pace the room again. “Zelda knew who he was.” “But she's somehow gotten access to that special database.”

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“If she has access, someone else does. Or even they stole access.” She jumped from the bed. They needed more to go on. “Zelda has some cameras installed.” Larkin's eyebrows rose. “Oh? That could get interesting.” She ignored him. “Not in private rooms or in my office.” He deflated with a laugh. “I want to see who told Amory that Colton was leaving.” Maybe Colton hadn't left them. She tried to tell herself that she was getting her hopes up for nothing. But she couldn't help it. Something was out of whack with the slight evidence they'd found and what had happened. She was a stickler for logical order, and this didn't have that. She had to follow this trail to find out what might be. She might find out that Colton had left of his own free will. While it wouldn't destroy her, it was going to hurt. But she might find out something else entirely. Which would put Colton in extreme danger and meant they had to find him quickly. She would find him. If someone had tried to take him from her and Larkin, she'd not rest until Colton was back with them. She vowed it to herself. “Think she'll show us?” Larkin followed behind her. “She will if I ask.”

***** Larkin watched the screen carefully from where he sat. A man approached the destination desk, where you could book passages from the Mine to anywhere. A hat was pulled across the man's head. He wore a jacket with the collar turned up and tunic pants. The clothes were all familiar. They were Colton's. His heart fell to his stomach. So much for what they were hoping. At least what she was hoping. Knowing that Colton had left had pretty much blown apart all his hope. How could he have been so stupid? “Go spend time with Michipi, young one. Let me fuck you one last time before I leave.” The signs had been there that Colton would book, and he'd ignored them. He'd been a fool. Because they weren't what he had wanted to see. “Is that Colton?” Zelda's no-nonsense voice sounded from behind them. She stood behind at the rear of the room as they all peered at the small screen.

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Michipi squinted one eye from her position in a chair by Larkin. “I don't know. I can't tell for sure.” Amory spoke from where he stood behind Zelda. “I told you it looked like his picture, not exactly, but no one looks exactly like their ID picture. I'd not met him before so…” Larkin's chair slid forward on wheels as Amory continued. “He was wearing that hat like I said earlier too. Glasses. Had the collar turned up. It made it hard to see his features. But he had the ID.” “It's hard to tell if that's him right now. It's a back of a man.” Larkin's hand gripped the arm of the chair. “But it's his clothes.” He hated to admit that. He'd been so determined before that Colton hadn't left them until he'd finally collapsed by Michipi as they'd searched their room, admitting defeat. The small amount of evidence they'd found had boosted the hope that Colton hadn't left them, but it was not completely back up to where it had started. “Well, there you go.” Zelda rocked back on her heels. “All his clothes were gone except the shirt.” Michipi leaned forward, pointing to the image on the screen. “Anyone can wear Colton's clothes. Is that him, though? His features. I can't tell.” She didn't want him to have left them. Maybe she never had, despite her calm acceptance when Amory had told them Colton had left. In spite of her insistence in the wake of Larkin's protests. The alternative was scary, but at least Colton hadn't left her. Again. That had to be what she was thinking. Larkin could almost see the hope alive in her face. While he didn't want to accept that Colton had left them, the alternative was out there. If someone had taken Colton, that was bad. Either way, things didn't look good. The man spoke with Amory. Put down an ID card. Colton's. Not the new identity card but the old one. Larkin didn't comment. Anyone could use the ID card too. Amory hadn't been concerned it wasn't Colton because the man had an ID and enough of a face showed to look like Colton behind the attempts made to obscure the man's featuresfeatures. The man turned to face the camera. Finally. A good shot of his face. Blurry and far away. But more of a shot than they'd had.

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A click of a remote. The image stopped. The face stilled. Wasn't looking directly at the camera, but they could see his features. Larkin stared at the image, willing something to tell him it was or wasn't Colton. Enough desire brimmed in him to hope that it wasn't Colton. Like Amory said, it was hard to tell exactly. The glasses, upturned collar, and hat all made it hard to tell for sure one way or the other. And Colton was known for dressing like that, so it wasn't exactly out of character either. The slanted nose. Did Colton's nose slant like that? He tried to picture Colton. Could barely do it. Maybe his nose had slanted like that. Had his jaw been so square? Yeah, it had. Colton was so much more observant of these things than Larkin was. If only he were there. He'd know if someone wasn't who they were supposed to be. He'd probably be able to pick out something that would say definitely so or definitely not. He'd know. But he wasn't there. Larkin needed him. Terribly. He wasn't ashamed to admit that to himself. He rubbed his face with his hand. “I'm not sure. I can't tell with all the stuff he's wearing.” “The hair is silver under the hat and obviously short.” Zelda's voice was matter-of-fact. “Like Colton's.” “Yep.” Larkin looked to Michipi, who studied the picture intently. She frowned much like she had when she'd been considering the smell of nuts. “The build? Is it…?” “It's similar.” Larkin sighed. “Okay, it's the same.” The man looked about as tall as Colton and had the long, lanky thing going on. He was muscular but not overly so. Lean hips. Long legs. He glanced again at Michipi. She still seemed lost in thought. “We can't see the eyes, but the glasses are Colton's?”

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“Yeah. He had a pair like those. With the lightning bolt on the side.” “That's his jacket.” Zelda hemmed. “I recognize that.” “Yeah. And the rest of the clothes are his.” Larkin pushed a hand through his hair. This wasn't looking good for any hope Colton hadn't left them. “Do you have a picture of Colton? One you could bring up? His ID picture would do.” Michipi rubbed her hands together. “And keep that one up too.” “Yeah.” Zelda brought up a scan of his ID. She enlarged the picture so it was as big as the one on the other screen. The two images rested side by side. Michipi leaned back in the chair. “It's not him.” Her voice blew out through her mouth as her hand moved to cover it. “It's not him.” Her voice sounded so breathy and relieved. “Which means we have to find him. Fast.” Larkin looked at both images. “Uh, Michipi…” He didn't see a difference, other than one person was more hidden in the image and the other one wasn't. She looked at him and then said, “Oh. Oh. Explanation. Look at his earlobes.” Larkin did. Stared at them. Didn't see anything. “And I'm looking for…what? They both have piercing holes.” Colton had taken out his earring. “A hole can be added or covered up. That's not the important thing. But one thing on the ear can't be changed. Whether the lobe is detached or not. Well, I guess you could change it, but it would be…difficult. Colton has a detached lobe.” She pointed to his ID picture. “I always liked to nibble—Never mind.” Her face flushed to a light shade of pinkish purple. “This man, whoever he is, his lobe isn't detached. See how close it is to the skin of his neck? It's not Colton.” Larkin stared. Extended his neck to look closer. “Damn. She's right.” He blinked at her. “You notice detail.” Even more so than Colton. Larkin wasn't sure if Colton would have noticed that. “She's right.” He got up and turned to Zelda with a spring in his step. Colton hadn't left him. His spring faded. That made the situation more deadly. “We need to find this guy.” Michipi pointed again. “Find this bastard, and we find the man who has Colton.” He blinked at the first curse word he'd ever heard Michipi say. “We'll find him.” When they did, he'd take the man apart if he had to, to find his mate.

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Chapter Nine Colton cursed himself. Fluently in the nine languages he spoke, even as he struggled against the bonds that continued to hold him. He ruminated against both the ropes and the remnants of the drug that had knocked him out and still had him reeling. He should have been watching more than he had been for the past few days. Should have paid more attention. He'd been lulled by the fact that most thought he was dead. Now he might end up dead for his inattention. He'd been focused on his mates and being with them rather than the danger that had lurked on the sidelines. Alazar leaned back in the chair across from the one that Colton was tied to. “You know I could have killed you outright. You weren't paying attention, except to the boy and the stuck-up bitch.” Colton growled. Michipi was many things, but a bitch wasn't one of them. Nor was Larkin a boy. Not in the way that Alazar meant the term. “Growl all you want. This part of the Mine was sealed off in a takeover bid a while back. I managed to get you in here unobserved. For our last dance. They won't find you for years down here. You'll be bones by then.” Colton scaled back his reactions. He wouldn't give Alazar the satisfaction of anything more. He doubled his efforts with the ropes. But they were secured tightly. He wasn't getting them off without something to help him. “I thought since you'd tortured me for years, I'd play with you a little. Before I kill you.” Alazar snapped a leather strap against his own leg. Not hard enough to hurt. Just enough to make noise. He was trying to intimidate Colton. “It doesn't have to be this way.” Not that Colton thought he could reason with the other man, but it was worth a try. He had to keep trying. He had too much to live for.

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“Doesn't it? With you completely out of the way, I'll be the number one assassin for Union Alliance. I'll keep accumulating kills while your numbers stay frozen. I'll make all the cash.” Of all the things he'd thought he'd be killed for, Colton hadn't thought it would be money. Alazar was a rival assassin. One who'd obviously not believed Colton was dead and come after him. “I'm retired anyway. Everyone thinks I'm dead. I'm out of the game. You can beat me like that.” “This way, your being out of the game will be permanent.” Alazar laughed gleefully. “Like the hair? It's inspired by you.” It was the same color and length as Colton's. “Don't expect a rescue. Both Larkin and Michipi think you left them. Poor sods. They think while they were fucking, their other mate boarded a shuttle for parts unknown. They will never look beyond that.” Colton's eyes closed. He was about to face death. But all he could think about was letting his mates know he hadn't left them of his own free will. Alazar was right. They'd believe that he had abandoned them. There was no reason for them not to accept the lie. Michipi in particular would be quick to think he'd skipped out on them. After all, he'd done it before. To her. If only he could let them know he hadn't abandoned them. He swallowed as he opened his eyes. “I can make letting me go worth your while. I have lots of savings.” Alazar continued to tap the strap against his leg. “Only your death is worth my while. I'm tired of living in your shadow. Your real death is the only thing that will do away with that.” Then, he slammed the strap along Colton's leg. Colton faced down the other man's gaze. “Don't let them think I left them.” It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to ask in his life. He would die, but it was important to him for them to know he'd not deserted them. He'd beg if Alazar made him. He'd do anything so long as they didn't keep thinking the worst of him. Alazar laughed again. The sound echoed in the small space. “Not going to happen. Does that disturb you? That they think you went away?” “They don't.”

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The voice came from the back of the cavern toward…well, Colton didn't know what it was toward. He tried to look but couldn't get his head tilted back enough to see. But he recognized the voice. Michipi. What in the hell was she doing there? While he was glad to hear her voice and that she knew he hadn't left her, Michipi wasn't a fighter. “Yeah.” The second voice chimed in with audible glee. “What she said.” Larkin. They both knew the truth. But neither one of them was trained to fight. Colton was still tied up. He'd be of no help to them. Alazar was a trained killer. This couldn't go well. “Michi. Larkin. Get out of here.” His voice rose as he struggled against his bonds again and again. His heart pounded. He couldn't get them loose, dammit. Sweat broke out across his body. He couldn't watch this, but he couldn't do anything either. “Leave them alone.” “Oh come on, Colton. Let them play.” Michi's voice sounded as cold as he'd ever heard it. “I'm not playing. Step away from him. Now.” “Or what? You'll take that scary gun and shoot me?” Alazar cackled with arrogance. “Oooh, I'm shaking. Do you even know where the trigger is?” “You should be shaking.” A baritone, familiar-sounding voice. It was Bren. Colton couldn't tell where his voice came from. His breath sighed out in relief. Michipi and Larkin hadn't come alone. Where Bren was, Zelda was sure to be. The two of them were fighters. They'd protect Michipi. “Five phasers are now trained on you.” Michi's voice came steady and still hard. “So I say again, put down your weapon. Now.” Colton saw Amory emerge from a crevice in a rock in his direct line of vision. That was the five. Zelda now had to be there too, because both of her mates were.

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Alazar glanced all around him, waving his phaser wildly. He dropped the leather strap to the floor. Footsteps. Michipi ordered, “Give it up.” “You might shoot Colton.” Now Alazar's voice sounded nervous. He must have spotted everyone emerging from the darkness. “Or I could shoot him outright.” He trained the gun on Colton. “Unless you put your weapons down.” “Or I could kill you.” Zelda's voice echoed, and Colton couldn't tell where it came from. “For coming on board my Mine under a fake ID. Bastard.” And blam, phaser fire sounded with a streak of electricity. Damn if she hadn't shot him. Point-blank in the chest. Colton watched the man tumble to the floor beside him, saying, “What the fuck?” He hadn't expected Zelda to fire, even as she did it again. Colton hadn't either. Alazar never had a chance. He fell on his stomach and tried to crawl away. Zelda marched in front of Colton. She finished off the once-brutal assassin. Her eyes met Colton's. “He won't be causing you any more trouble.” If they'd let him live, he never would have given up. He would have pursued Colton until the end of time. Alazar had been that crazy. Zelda hadn't hesitated. Not for a second with her reaction. Colton was now in her debt. Michipi and Larkin both arrived at his side. Michipi struggled with the bonds on the right while Larkin made quick work of the bonds on the left. “How did you find me? How did you know I didn't leave?” Colton stretched out his one free arm, flexing the sore muscles. “He didn't have detached earlobes.” Michipi pursed her mouth as she tried to loosen a knot. She wasn't having a lot of luck. “Free earlobes like yours. His were attached instead.” “Huh?” That made no sense, or at least not as much as Michipi thought. Colton watched her continue to fight with the bonds. He waited patiently. He thanked whatever god had looked out for them. And Zelda too, for keeping his mates out of danger.

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“Michipi noticed that the guy who booked your passage off the Mine didn't have detached earlobes. Like you do.” Larkin's mouth quirked with amusement. He leaned down his head to brush his lips across Colton's. It made Colton shiver. He'd not expected to do that again. Larkin caressed his face with a hand that shook too. Michipi finally had him free. “Something I noticed.” She shrugged as if to downplay the moment. Her small words only conveyed half of what she'd done for him. She'd somehow believed he wouldn't run and had found evidence to support that. It didn't matter to him what she'd thought in the beginning, only in the end. Because in the end, she'd come to his rescue. That meant more to him than she'd ever know. Whatever happened, he knew she'd believed in him enough to find him. He pulled her in for a quick kiss. That, of course, spiraled into something more. Mainly because she wouldn't let go of him and seemed to be trying to keep him kissing her as long as she could. She kept patting him, as if reassuring herself that he was real. A cleared throat garnered their attention. They both broke away from each other. Michipi blushed beautifully as always, but she didn't release him completely. Seemed to need that contact. So did Colton. Zelda looked at them. Her eyes didn't soften. “He's not the last.” Her quiet voice rang in the lonely rocks around them. Colton sighed at her words. “I know.” Even with his being dead and having a new identity, others would come. Some for revenge and some to make their own fame like Alazar. The failed assassin had shown Colton that even with the preparations he'd made, it wasn't enough to keep those who wanted him bad enough off his tail. As long as the records existed anywhere that showed he'd been the Gray Ghost, trouble would follow. Union Alliance would help him walk away from that life. But they would never completely delete him from their records. He looked to his two mates. How could he keep them in jeopardy like this for the rest of their lives? Truth was, he couldn't. He wasn't that selfish. He'd been when he'd left Michipi back

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those years ago. Funny how the selfish thing to do now would be to stay. He couldn't ask them to live this kind of life. He looked back to Zelda. “Michipi has a place here?” Zelda nodded. “Always.” “Larkin? Is there a place for him too?” She nodded again. Both Michipi and Larkin said, “What?” at the same time. Both of them looked from Zelda to Colton and back again. Michipi squeezed Colton while Larkin let him go. “I can't keep you safe from these people. It's best if I strike out on my own. For now.” He held up a hand to stop their protests. It would be forever, but they didn't need to know that. Not right now. “Assassins are after me because I was once one of them. There are others who want me dead. For revenge. They will keep coming. I thought a new identity and being dead would end it. It won't even if I use it. And nothing will.” Zelda nodded, and her face took on an odd look. As though she was pleased with what he'd said. She said quietly, “Unless there's a slip of a finger.” Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at Zelda. Did she mean what Colton thought she meant? He hardly dared to breathe, much less ask her what she was getting at. She didn't smile or soften her face in any way to tell him anything about her motives. “If your entire record were deleted from the special database. It would be as if you'd never existed. There'd be no way to track you then.” Colton's body sagged. She did mean what he'd thought. His lungs wouldn't make air. The erasing of his past records would solve everything. It would make Colton a true ghost. Someone who'd never existed. The erasing would free him up to be whatever—whoever—he wanted to be. It wasn't any kind of power he'd ever had. Zelda must have that kind of access. “It would have to be a big slip of a finger.” He waited for her response. “I have that kind of finger.” She turned toward Bren and Amory. “Let's get this cleaned up and the cavern sealed off again.” She stopped and looked back at Colton. “There are still those who know you traveled here. They know beyond what the records say because you did once exist. But once you leave here, no one will know where you go.”

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Michi stiffened and moved away from him. Had she followed all that? He couldn't ask her to leave her home. Was about to say that, when she spoke. “Zelda, I hate to do this, but I need to renege…” She had followed the conversation and the twists and turns it had taken. They could only erase records. They couldn't erase memories. Alazar was evidence that some had known he'd gone to Settler's Mine. Even with the records erased, they'd come to the last point he'd been to if they wanted him bad enough, and some would be that desperate. However, once he left Settler's Mine under an identity even Union Alliance didn't know,, they'd never be able to connect him with the man he'd been. But it meant leaving the Mine behind. For good. It was the only way to slough off who he'd been. “Clyde and Angelica have been talking about expanding the bar or maybe opening a restaurant. I'm sure they'd make you a decent deal.” Zelda didn't turn to face Michipi but kept her gaze on her mates, who were cleaning up the body and preparing to seal up the cavern from this end. “Thank you, Zelda.” Zelda waved one hand but barely acknowledged Michipi. Michipi turned back toward him. Her eyes shone in the low light. Colton's throat closed up so he could barely speak. “You'll give up the restaurant? For me?” His heart thundered in his ears. He'd never expected her to do that. “I don't expect that of you. I'll understand if you want to stay here.” “I'm going with my man.” Her voice lowered. She amended, “My men.” Her grin grew across her face. “After all, we are mates. That's all that matters.” Larkin grabbed both their hands in his and squeezed them with all his careful might. “Don't ever leave me out.” “Never.” Michi squeezed Larkin's hand back and took a step forward. “Never for either of you.” Hand in hand, they headed for the opposite exit of the cavern. The cavern where it all could have ended. Instead, it had been the site of a new beginning.

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Michipi ran a brush through her hair. Peered in the mirror. Not bad. The darkening red sky shone behind her. They had landed on Ione, after leaving Settler's Mine almost immediately after Alazar had been killed. The trip hadn't been but a few hours, but already it felt like days had passed since she and Larkin had had sex and Colton had disappeared. Larkin hoped to get a job on Ione working on shuttle engines. There was a plant not too far away from where they'd found a place to rent. Maybe she'd open a restaurant. There weren't that many on the red planet. Might be a good new start for her. Colton had no idea what he'd do. Only that he wasn't killing anyone. Ever again. He'd acquired another new identity, thanks to Zelda. Quulten. It was pronounced the exact same way as Colton. So calling him the wrong name wasn't a worry. Michipi had never in all her dreams imagined leaving Settler's Mine with two mates in tow. But Clyde and Angelica had gotten and given quite a deal on the restaurant. And here she was. Two mates and a world away from where she'd started. Ah well, she could build another business. With two men's hands to help her. Soon those hands would be all over her. A shiver raced down her spine to the place between her thighs. It slickened. She could think of nothing else but the bed behind her. She'd barely been with one man at a time in her life. Now she was about to do it with two. Do it? Have sex. Make love. She couldn't bring herself to call it anything that her men would call it. As if on cue, Larkin and Colton filed into the room. They had rented a two-room, hotelstyle suite. They'd search for a house once they were more settled. Somehow the idea of a future made her smile. The three of them keeping a house. Who would have thought? They both gave her a once-over. Both sets of eyes snapped fire. “You look delectable.” Larkin set down his bag and started over to her.

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“Doesn't she?” Colton's eyes ate her up. He'd hardly been able to stop touching or talking to them since the ordeal. It was as if he'd been about to lose all that he wanted. That had made life that much sweeter. For her too. “What did you bring back?” She stood up from the chair in front of the mirror. The room had a dresser, night table, and a mirror over a second smaller table. A bed. Mustn't forget the bed. “Some fruits. Pasta.” Larkin stopped and went back to the bag. “You must be starving.” He dumped the contents on the dresser. She was. “You guys must be too.” None of them had eaten in a while. Colton's low voice almost startled her. “I'm only hungry for one thing.” His stormy, passionate gaze rocked her. She met his stare. “What's that?” “Both of you.” Her heart skipped several beats. “Oh?” He nodded. “Oh.” She closed her eyes for a second as swirling emotions overwhelmed her. She wanted to be the source of such passion for them both, and apparently she was. She'd never expected to hear it announced like this. So blatantly. Larkin grabbed a fruit from the dresser and moved to the table. He pulled out a knife and started peeling. Colton stared at him with a frown. “What are you doing?” “Getting ready.” Larkin didn't pause in his actions. “For what? A feast?” Colton's voice snapped. He was on a thin trigger. They all were. She smoothed down her skirt so that the wrinkles didn't show as much. “Maybe some food will do us all good.” Her stomach twitched. If she'd be able to eat anything. She was suddenly nervous, and the food seemed a good way to put off the inevitable.

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Colton's face fell, but he nodded his assent. Blew out a breath and straddled a seat nearby where Larkin worked. Larkin grinned. “I think we can combine some things.” He motioned with a finger to Colton. Colton's eyebrow rose. She gasped with the dawning of comprehension. Surely he didn't have in mind what it seemed? At least to her? Her mind must be wicked to be going down this path. Must be the influence of Colton and Larkin. Larkin finished peeling the large red fruit. “It's a Darjeeling. Sort of tastes like an apple if you've ever had one. But it's much softer. Pliable.” He slowly wound the knife around the middle. “It does have a core, though.” He cut out the entire midsection, making a perfect hole in the fruit. “Where certain things will fit.” A large hole in a large fruit. Where certain places of a man's anatomy would fit perfectly. “You've got to be kidding me.” She ran a hand through her hair, which remained down. Colton looked back at her. “I don't think he is.” He blew out another fast breath. “He's inventive. You'll find that out.” “I'm not kidding.” She looked to Larkin as he began peeling the second fruit. “You want me…to eat…that…from…” She couldn't bring herself to say the word. “Our cocks? Yep, I do.” Larkin grinned again. A full-bodied one that curved his whole face. “It will get you some food and get us a blowjob.” He waggled his eyebrows at both her and Colton. Colton shook his head and shrugged at Michipi. A light smile graced his lips. He stood up and began undoing his pants. His cock would be free momentarily. Her mouth went dry. She'd get to see him again. Larkin too. And get to taste. She tittered. She'd only given oral sex a couple of times with Colton a long time ago. Would she remember how? She was going to do this. Have two men at the same time.

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Her mates. The men she couldn't go wrong with. Her body drooped in relaxation. Colton took off his boots and dropped his pants. Yeah, he was as big and hard as she remembered. Beautiful. Dripping. And she'd soon be tasting. Larkin was still working on peeling the second fruit. “Give me the first one.” Colton pulled his shirt over his head. Larkin looked up. “Impatient much?” He tossed over the first fruit. “It's a little cool but not cold.” “Good to know.” Colton carefully positioned the fruit against his member and slowly slid it up himself. Girded himself in the soft fruit. He gritted his teeth. Sat back in the chair. Crooked his finger to Michipi. “Come here, Michi.” He waggled his brows. On legs that shook slightly, she went to his side. Looked down at him, covered in fruit. “I… It's been a long time.” “I know.” He smiled at her. Reassured her with his expression and his eyes. His smile turned her knees to jelly and her bones to jam. “I know.” That made it easier. A little less nerve-racking to proceed. She wasn't even sure why, other than Colton was trying for her. Carefully, she knelt in front of him. She couldn't even see his member. There was no hole cut in this side. Pushing her hair back, she took a careful bite from the top. The succulent flesh felt good in her mouth and tasted sweet. It did taste like apples. He sat back in the chair. Spread his thighs more. She carefully began removing the fruit from the tip of his member. Nibbled it away millimeter by millimeter. Ate the flesh bit by precious bit, cautiously, so as not to nip him. It was good, and revealing his hard cock was even better. Her tongue touched him through shallow fruit walls a few times, and he jerked. She liked making him react.

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She pushed on his thighs to part them even more fully and finally got the last bit off, exposing him completely. His breathing quickened. “Now to clean you up.” She sat up and took him into her mouth as deeply as she could. Suckled him down. He groaned. A mumbled noise made her look to the side to find the source, but she kept her mouth around Colton. Larkin sat in a chair much like Colton. With a fruit now encircling his member. His face looked pained as he watched her going down on Colton. A few more passes up and down Colton's member, until he was rising up to meet her mouth, and she released him. His breath caught at the end of a large moan. His head had been arched back, but now he peered down at her. He frowned at her as his chest heaved. She blew him a kiss before she turned and moved to the front of Larkin. He gazed down at her with passion in his eyes. “Hi.” His legs popped open like he was a wishbone about to be pulled apart. “Hi.” She made even-quicker work of this fruit, having had the practice. She could be less careful. And found she was no longer hungry. At least, for food. She was hungry for both of them. She sucked Larkin's member into her mouth, suckling him down as deeply as she could, much like she had Colton. Larkin was wider. Even the fruit didn't taste as good as they did. Didn't satisfy her the way they did. She liked the way Larkin felt across her tongue as she caressed him. A body butted up against her back as she continued to suckle Larkin. A big, hot body. Colton.

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He pulled on her dress, pulling it up in the rear, then pushing her butt up in the air. What was he up to? The position was uncomfortable, but she kept her mouth on Larkin. Her underwear slid down her legs, helped by his hands. She felt something dripping into her hole. Her back hole. She shivered with the sensations. Lube. He was preparing her back hole. For him. For penetration. He would be breaching a hole that had never been tried before. She suckled tightly on Larkin's member. He twitched. Colton drizzled lube on her back hole and slowly wound his finger down into her depths. Gently. Her body did short little thrusts forward. She couldn't help it. She'd never felt such sensations before. Not pain. Pressure. Pleasure. She wasn't sure if she wanted to escape the finger or keep it coming. After a moment, a second finger breached her. It slowly slid down, deeper and deeper. Then a third entered her. Along with more lube. She panted around Larkin's member. She didn't know what this new sexual experience would feel like. Had no idea of the nerve endings that could stretch and pull on her senses. This was an intimate torture. Larkin's hand was suddenly on her head. He pushed her away from his member. “Let's take this to the bed.” Colton's fingers withdrew. He stood and helped her up. And carefully peeled her from her dress and out of the underwear at her feet with Larkin's aid. She didn't even notice where Colton put the dress. Only focused on her destination. The destination that would bring her closer to her lovers. She shook as both their bodies brushed her on the way to the bed. Their silken skin. Larkin felt cooler while Colton was a raging fire.

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She wasn't nervous anymore. Only full of anticipation. What would come would knock her socks off. If she were wearing any. “Lie on your side,” Larkin commanded her as he lay down, shifting all the way to one side of the bed. She curled up next to him, on her side like he'd asked, and slid her front up against him. He was cooler than Colton and inviting against her. She was suddenly aware of both of their nakedness. Even though they'd been naked before. He looked back at Colton as if confirming something. “This the plan?” Colton's voice was guttural. “Yes.” His body came against her back, much as it had when she'd been sucking Larkin's rod. Unbelievable heat scorched her. Set off wildfires across her skin. He was so hot, he burned her. Made her all the more aware of Larkin's cooler temperature against her. Larkin dipped his fingers into her core, playing with her most private place until he had her whimpering. Colton continued his assault on her back hole, pushing in fingers slowly and carefully. Using lots of lube. Stretching her out. Making her squeak with the pleasure of being played with on two fronts. She screamed when the first orgasm rocked across her body, pulling and pushing muscles in every direction. How long they played with her, she wasn't sure. She lost count of anything but the fingers and what they did to her. But it felt like forever and only a few seconds at the same time. She was lost in the bliss that they had wrapped around her. She whimpered, the sensations almost too much. Colton removed his fingers as Larkin did too. They couldn't see each other, nor had they spoken. Somehow they seemed to time things simultaneously. They worked together as if they'd been doing this all their lives. She gritted her teeth as Colton moved against her, and she felt his member poking at her backside. Tensed herself.

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“Relax.” He murmured the word against her back. Nipped her shoulder. Then suckled, marking her. Larkin moved against her front and slowly slid himself down into her wanting core. Her body arched back, and Colton's tip penetrated her backside. Hot pain heated her butt. He didn't move but let her adjust to him. Larkin would move forward a little; and then Colton would move with him. They worked her between them in tandem. A true sandwich of their bodies. Back and forth, they sawed against her. Penetrated her. Thrust in time with the other in motions that left her dizzy. Until a white-hot point of pleasure stole her vision and rocketed through her body. A blinding climax left her weak and shaky. Sweat broke out, and all her hair stood up as the orgasm faded. Larkin's body suddenly stiffened. His muscles went rigid, and his face creased up in a wanton look of passion. She milked the thrusting of his cock with her body. Colton gripped her and pounded for several seconds. Then his body straightened against her back. His seed was hot as he pumped her backside full of it. Lying like a puddle of goo, she rested before curling up to both of them after they extricated themselves from her. She'd taken two men at the same time. Enjoyed every minute of it. Colton's voice sounded far away. “We'll shower soon.” “So you say.” Larkin's voice sounded drowsy. She closed her eyes, listening to their banter as she drifted off to sleep. The man who'd come back into her life along with the one she'd just met had completed her in one fell swoop. And she wouldn't have her life any other way.

Loose Id(R) Titles by Mechele Armstrong Another Night, Another Dream Dinah's Dark Desire Dinah's Christmas Desire I Heart That City: Body Shots Solstice Spell The Collector 1: Magical Chances Veterans: Nothing to Lose The BLOOD LINES Series Currents Blood Kiss Conduit Crimson's Rose Night's Journey Bitter Love Surge The SETTLER'S MINE Series The Rivals The Lovers The Woman The Wolf The Man The SIX CURSES Series Six Curses of Christmas The Sixth Curse of Spring The Sixth Cursed Halloween

Mechele Armstrong Have you ever wondered, "What if crayons have a kingdom?” Mechele Armstrong did at age five. Now, turning the imagination of a wide-eyed child into intense spellbinding stories for adults, she is winning over new fans every day. Writing stories and poetry as a hobby, she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Religious Studies and Social Welfare. Although there were challenges with work and family, the need to write and be published, to share her passion for books was always there. During a rainy weekend at the beach reading several romance novels she fell in love, not with the hero, but with the genre again. So began a two-year adventure of doing what she loved most, creating worlds with strong heroines and enchanting heroes that will keep you turning pages until the end. Using the Internet and the local Romance Writer’s Association, she learned and refined her craft. Living in Virginia with a husband, kids, dog, and fish, she finds time to share her vivid imagination and ability to tell stories of adventure, love, lust, and everything in between. Visit Mechele on the Web at http://www.mechelearmstrong.com, or email her at [email protected].