Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (The Condemned Book 1) Read online

  She barely heard him. “We’re going to tell them about the plants. How they’re able to thrive in harsh heat and dirt similar to Earth’s changing environment. They’re going to agree on the need for further study, and we’re going to give Earth and my sister and my brother a fighting chance at living a full life.”

  “Stop.” He sounded furious. And cruel.

  She shook her head, tears blurring her face. “I’m not listening to you anymore.” Her boot slipped near the edge, but she kept stepping backwards, needing distance, needing a barrier from the awful things he was telling her. “Stay back.”

  The ground gave way beneath her feet.

  She screamed. Just as strong hands seized her forearms.

  “God damn it.” Convict hauled her close, pulling her back from the edge as the sound of falling rocks echoed in her ears. “What did I tell you that first day, female?” He shook her gently. “You need to give up your dreams of Earth. You need to come to grips with the fact that you’re on Dragath25 now.” He jerked her close again. “You have to do that or you’ll never survive.”

  “I thought you meant for the short term,” she shouted back, pushing at his chest. “I didn’t think you meant forever. Tell me you’re lying.”

  “I can’t.”

  “No!” She struggled to get away. From his words. From the sincerity in his gaze. From the awful truth of what this meant for her brother and sister.

  If she was declared missing or dead, Council contracts stated that all dependents would be removed from protective Council housing and resource distribution. Her sweet, young sister and brother would be sent back to the orphan barracks where she’d grown up. A soulless, miserable place where starvation, death, and predators were a way of life. And this time she wouldn’t be there to protect them.

  “You’re wrong,” she insisted. “A rescue shuttle is coming to save us.” She pressed. Shoved. And all the time he held her. His grip firm, but not painful. Just waiting it out. Waiting her out.

  Until her pants gave way to sobs and her arms fell lifelessly at her side. “I don’t…I don’t want to be here forever.”

  Expression grim, he pulled her close, holding her tight. His big, strong hands running up and down her spine, her only anchor. “It’s okay, fighter girl. It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure it would ever be again.

  *****

  Convict held her tight trying to comfort them both. Even on Earth, he hadn’t been so good at it. He’d been a pilot and a soldier, and even when home on leave from Command Council business, he and his wife had led fairly separate lives. He’d understood. He was home so infrequently. She had to make a life for herself. But he hadn’t understood when she’d started sleeping with the married Council representative of their district.

  “Convict?”

  “Yeah?” He didn’t mean to sound so gruff, but she was staring up at him, her gorgeous face streaked with tears, her fingers curled against his chest, and his throat had gone a little tight.

  He’d thought for an instant he’d lost her over the cliff, that he wouldn’t be fast enough to reach her in time, and his heart was still coming to grips with the matter. Which was dumber than dumb. Growing attached to anything on Dragath25 was a recipe for disappointment.

  “No one’s coming?” Her voice sounded small. Not like his fighter girl at all.

  Still, he wouldn’t give her anything but the truth. “They’re coming, but they won’t make it out alive.”

  She shuddered against him. “I can’t just let it happen.”

  He played with the ends of her hair, reveling in the soft brush of silk against his palms. “There’s no way to stop it. Surviving on this planet is hard enough. Trying to take on 225 and his pack will only get you killed alongside them.”

  “But to do nothing….” Her words ended on a sob.

  “Remember what I told you.” He tried to keep the edge from his voice, but it wasn’t easy. Her softness—any softness—reminded him of his initial conclusion that she wouldn’t last long—and that already displeased him more than it should. “Earth rules don’t apply here. Worry for yourself.”

  She didn’t respond. He didn’t say anything more, either. Just savored the pleasure of holding her warm and willing and trusting against him.

  “Convict?” He should have known the silence wouldn’t last. His fighter girl was a talker. “Why’d you say those things before? Why’d you make Winthrop and Ava think you were taking me up here to fuck me?”

  His dick twitched. He liked hearing that word from her full lips. “Because that’s what I intend to do.”

  She studied him, as if she could see to the heart of him. Which was impossible. He’d lost that particular organ a long time ago. “And the part about the pain?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “That might have been a slight exaggeration.” He tipped her chin to meet his hard stare. “But you’re mine now. Not his. And there’s not a fucking thing that Council-asshole can do about it laid out there on the ground so he better get used to it. You both better get used to it.”

  “I don’t want to be with him. I didn’t, even before the crash.” She didn’t even hesitate.

  Something inside him loosened. Something he hadn’t even realized had been squeezing his chest tight. “Good.”

  “I know I have no real ground to ask given the terms of our deal,” her voice cracked, lashing at him like a whip, “but I–I would appreciate it if you didn’t purposely humiliate me.”

  Shit. When he’d seen her hand clasped with that smug, blueblood scientist’s, he’d wanted to blot it out anyway he could. To make it clear as day that she wasn’t the bastard’s to touch anymore. And, maybe yes, to make her feel like shit—as low and dirty and shitty as he felt knowing he’d never measure up to a well-respected, well-paid Council scientist with a bunch of fancy degrees and no criminal record.

  Which made him a grade-A asshole. And stupid, too.

  Because the truth of the matter was, he didn’t want his fighter girl to feel badly about being with him. He didn’t want her to hate it. Or be desperate to get on that shuttle and travel light years away.

  Because the fact was, he liked her.

  He liked the way she smelled. The way she tasted. Like vanilla and woman and light and hope and goodness and all the things he hadn’t had in forever. He liked the curve of her waist and the fullness of her breasts. He liked the little sounds she made when he drove inside her. He liked her spirit. Her courage and the way she looked out for her colleagues and her siblings. He liked her toughness and her tenacity. Her resilience and her sense of fairness. Even her fierceness when he was being an ass.

  Hell, she was damn near perfect. The kind of woman he’d never thought to find. Not only on Dragath25, but anywhere in the universe.

  “I won’t do that again.” He tilted her chin so she could see the sincerity in his gaze.

  She smiled. “And I shouldn’t have lashed out at you for telling me the truth about the rescue shuttle or the way things stand. I won’t do that again, either.”

  “We’ll call it even.”

  It was weird conversing like this. Holding her like this. Like a normal person.

  Weird. And nice. And terrifying. Because he wasn’t a normal person anymore, and Dragath25 wasn’t a normal place.

  “Even.” She repeated his wording. “I like that.” She looked pleased. Just as he knew she would. Then a shadow crossed her face. “Are we safe from this 225 and his pack?”

  “No one’s safe on this planet, but I know how 225 and his pack operate and where they like to spend their time. As long as I don’t bother them, they don’t bother me. They know I could make more trouble for them than they want.”

  “So they won’t come for us?”

  He’d been asking himself the same question. “They know there were survivors at the crash. I did my best to hide your tracks, but those soldiers of yours weren’t so careful. Hopefully, your soldiers will keep 225’s pack bus
y enough and they’ll never realize there were additional survivors.”

  If the pack discovered some of those still alive from the crash were women, there wouldn’t be anything that would keep them away. Which was why he’d been pushing so hard to get as far from the crash site as fast as he could.

  “What if Pogue and the others tell?” she asked.

  He doubted they’d even be given a chance to scream for mercy. 225 and his pack were more feral than tigos. But he also knew that, despite the way those soldier bastards had deserted her, she wouldn’t like to hear his answer. So he went with a distraction. “You trying to renege on our deal?”

  “What? No.” She looked adorably confused, and a little angry. He preferred it to the scared look of a moment before.

  He swiveled her around before she could protest, drawing her up against the full length of his body, letting her feel the hard press of his thickening dick against her ass. “You sure about that?” His mouth skimmed the length of her neck. God, he loved the way she smelled. “Because I might have been exaggerating about the pain, but not the rest. It’s payment time and I want you on all fours. Now.”

  Chapter Eight

  At Convict’s urging, Bella sank to her knees. He followed right behind, his hard body brooking no argument.

  Confusion swirled within. On edge, uncertain, her mind whirled. Dragath25 might be her future forever. She might never see her sister and brother again.

  But she didn’t want to think of that. Or of her colleagues who’d died on that shuttle. Or of the fate of the search and rescue team she couldn’t help. For just a few minutes she didn’t want to think of anything but how good it felt to be in Convict’s powerful arms. How the sound of his voice, low and husky and commanding, made her skin hot and her pussy wet.

  A low moan slipped from her as his callused hands slid beneath her shirt to play with her breasts, tugging her nipples, making her shiver. Her body arched into his touch.

  Then his palm was against her back, pressing her forward until she was on all fours, her elbows in the dirt, her ass lifted. Just as he’d said she would be.

  Air shivered across her lower body as he slid her pants down and off. And for a second, she was alone, waiting, and then his hands glided up her thighs to cover her ass, raising gooseflesh.

  Truth be told, she liked this position. Liked the vulnerability. The fact that she didn’t know what part of her he’d touch next. Still, she started when a warm soft tongue licked the length of her, making her shudder, her body tingled with pleasure.

  “Oh, God.” Every nerve sprung alive. “That feels so good.”

  He gave a low chuckle against her pussy, eating her out, devouring her as if she was the sweetest cream. And with every lick, with every rasp of his tongue against her swollen bundle of nerves, he wound her tighter and tighter. Her legs spreading wide as she bucked against him. Desperate to come and wanting to ride the ecstasy forever.

  Then he slid two fingers inside her, and there was no choice. She splintered apart, wave after wave of pleasure crashing through her as she came and came and came.

  She was still coming, her breath a frantic pant, as he grabbed her hips and held her in place, working his cock deep into her slick pussy, inch by inch, until his balls were pressed against her ass and he loomed above her.

  “You like that?’

  “Yes.”

  His fingers found her clit, claiming, playing. “Things don’t seem so bad right now, do they, fighter girl?” His hand stilled. “Do they?”

  He actually wanted an answer?

  “No,” she gasped, rocking back against him. The stroke of his hand making her desperate for a second release. For more oblivion. “They’re good. Very, very good.”

  “Exactly.” His finger skimmed over her clit and upward through her folds to finger her tight rosebud. “We can do whatever we want here. However we want.” His finger pressed at the tight hole, demanding entrance.

  She let out an involuntary moan. The foreign touch making her burn. The discomfort of being stretched leaving her no choice but to be in the present, to surrender to the here and now of his touch.

  “Pain and pleasure.” His voice was a dark rasp against her ear. “That’s how you know you’re alive, fighter girl. That’s how you know you’ve got something left to give.”

  It was as if he saw to the heart of her struggle.

  Her breath devolved to shallow pants as he worked in deeper until she could feel his knuckle against her ass. White hot pleasure rocketed through her as his other hand worked her clit, his fingers driving in and out in tandem with his cock, filling her, taking her over, making her feel alive, more in touch with herself—with the moment—than she’d ever been.

  “Come with me,” he demanded—and she did. Beyond all burdens. Beyond pain or worry to sheer, white-hot bliss. Her fingers clawing at the dirt as the shattering orgasm ripped through her. Their slick bodies cleaving together as wave after wave of pleasure hurtled them both over the edge.

  Spent, her knees gave out, and she would have buckled to the ground if not for Convict. Catching her, he pulled her up so that she rested against his chest, a sated rag doll, her breathing still coming hard and fast, her body alive with blissful aftershocks. All the while, he thrust slowly inside her, his movement almost gentle now.

  She turned and smiled back at him.

  And was amazed to see his eyes crinkle and his lips turn upward as he returned the grin. That look of wonder back in his gaze.

  Comprehension crashed over her. Sure, they’d fucked like animals, but there’d still been something redemptive, something hopeful in their joining. Brutal. Fierce. But honest. Exciting. Real.

  Ava and Winthrop might not understand, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t even about the deal anymore. It was about her and Convict. About the way he made her feel.

  She wasn’t giving up on getting off this planet and back to her family, but she was beginning to realize there were lessons to be learned in the meantime.

  All her life, all she’d done was try to endure. But, here, where she’d least expected, she’d glimpsed another way. Maybe her stay on Dragath25 didn’t have to be as bleak as she’d imagined. Maybe it didn’t have to be only about survival. Maybe there was room for joy and pleasure, too.

  “Convict?” She waited until his gaze found hers. “I’m glad it was you who got to that crash site first.”

  He sucked in a breath.

  She was still waiting for a response when a shrill whistle rent the air.

  *****

  “Wait.” Convict’s arm around her belly stopped her in her tracks.

  She’d fumbled into her pants and immediately started running back toward camp at the sound of the alarm.

  “Ava and Winthrop are in danger.” She strained against his hold. “I have to help.”

  “Just slow down.” He pulled her against him as if she weighed nothing. “We need to see what’s down there.”

  “But if it’s a tigos….”

  “They’re already dead.” He pushed her up against a rock. “Stay here. I’ll come for you as soon as it’s safe.”

  “No way. I can help. I—”

  “No argument.”

  She ground her teeth in frustration. “Fine. But if you take too long, if I think you’re in trouble, I’m coming.”

  He shot her an annoyed look, but he didn’t stay to debate. Instead, he wedged his pack in a small crevice above her head, smeared dirt from a nearby rock on his face and chest, and took off at a run.

  She held her breath, listening for any sound, but everything was silent, no clues offered as to what he and the others faced below. She kicked the dirt, counted back from one hundred, and was already deciding she’d wait only one minute more when….

  He appeared, his expression ominous. “It’s that soldier bastard and some of his men.”

  Relief sent her staggering back against the rock. “That’s not so bad then.”

  Now wasn’t the time to hold a g
rudge. Pogue and his fellow soldiers had guns. And combat knowledge. With them around, chances for survival had just increased. Plus, they might not be entirely reliable, but they were familiar. She could use a little bit of that right now.

  “I don’t know,” said Convict. “None of them look too happy.”

  It was her turn to frown. “There was little love lost between the scientists and the soldiers even before the crash. I bet Winthrop ripped Pogue a new one for leaving us.” She chewed on her lip, thinking. “What do you think?”

  “I think I’d rather ignore the summons.” He covered her mouth when she started to protest. “But I know you’re only going to badger me until we see what’s up. So we’ll go down. But you stay behind me the whole time. If I tell you to run, you do exactly that. No argument. No hesitation. Understood?”

  She nodded. He hadn’t taken his hand away so there was really no choice.

  Plus, that same dread that had roiled around in her gut right before the shuttle crash was back. Still, she had to go. These were her colleagues. They needed to be warned about 225 and the jamming device.

  “Let’s go.”

  Pogue and his fellow soldiers sighted them before they were halfway down the ridge, their guns training on Convict without hesitation. It was tempting to step out from behind him and shout that neither she nor Convict was a threat, but she didn’t. For all she knew, she might have the opposite effect of stirring things up.

  The second Convict’s boot touched flat ground, the tension in the air ramped up another hundred degrees. Interestingly, there were only seven other soldiers with Pogue now, down from the ten who’d survived the crash. Were they creeping up from behind to surround them? Or off somewhere else? She didn’t even want to contemplate the third alternative.

  “Cadet West, come out nice and slow.” Officer Pogue, his chest puffed with smug self-importance, pointed his gun straight at Convict’s head. Convict’s spear lay broken in half at Pogue’s feet. “This scumbag can’t hurt you anymore.”