Free The Bond That Saves Us by Christine D'Abo Page B

ready for this race. The money we’ll earn for placing in the top ten alone will set us up for the next five years. And if we fucking win?” He shifted so he could lace their hands together. “Tyrell’s after the money for himself. I can’t believe you’d let him get away with using this race as a cover for a drug run.”
    Shit, if there was one thing Gaz was good at, it was laying on the guilt. “Well, he’s got half the ships here so scared no one is willing to talk. And I’m not stupid enough to open my mouth without a pile of backup.”
    “Never said you were.” He leaned back and ran a hair through his blue hair. “We just need to figure out how to get Tyrell off our backs long enough to pick up new crew and get our asses in the game.”
    Yeah, that’s all. Simple.
    Gaz let her hand drop and slapped the tops of his thick thighs with his hands.
    “Well, I can hit the bars, see if there is anyone looking for work. I’m assuming we’ll need to replace Roach too if Steve’s gone. Those old-timers were cramping my style anyway.”
    Amy laughed, the first genuine one all day. “Sweetheart, no one could cramp you.”
    “Nope. I drink lots of water, prevents the muscles tightening up before I want them to.” He swiveled his hips in a lewd gesture. “I’ll check back in within an hour.”
    “Okay. I’m going to give the ship a once-over. If we’re not willing to bow down, Tyrell might try to blow us up. I want to give her a good scan before I install some proximity alarms and a nano shield.”
    42

     
    “Bastard. We’ll need to move quick and get this bucket in the sky.”
    They were both moving, and Amy did her best to ignore the doubt in the back of her mind as she started her inspection. Sean had an ulterior motive for wanting to join her crew, but was up front about it. That was more than most of the people she’d hired over the years. Grabbing the scanner and her tool belt, she was completely distracted as she stepped back outside, unaware of the hidden eyes watching her.
    * * * * *
    The next day and a half passed by in a mind-numbing blur. The time she didn’t spend on the Drake , trying to get it up to above-par standards, was used to try to suss out a new copilot. Time was against her. Steve and Roach were less subtle than she’d anticipated and had made it perfectly clear to everyone why they were leaving. It didn’t exactly have people lining up for a job.
    Amy’s arms ached from the strain of working above her head. Fluid from the coolant system had leaked from her hands down her arm, staining her dark skin white.
    She’d have to spend at least a half-hour under the spray to get it washed off. Mind you, it would be worth every credit she’d have to pay to spend time in an honest-to-Gods water shower.
    Sweat clung to her, making her itch and squirm. Her body ached in places it hadn’t in years. They didn’t normally rush these types of repairs, both she and Gaz far too much of perfectionists to allow for it. She was the only one working right then, her engineer off engaged in another round of recruiting. If they didn’t find more crew soon, none of the hell she’d put herself through would matter.
    And then there was the problem of Sean.
    It didn’t help that she could still smell the lingering scent of the man, could remember with precise detail the heady taste of his cum on her tongue. Another curse of the Shay female—perfect recall of their sexual partners’ bodies. It was a genetic throwback to the days when mates didn’t cohabitate, only coming together when it was time to mate. It helped her ancestors find their old partners or reject them in favor of new ones. The ability, while no longer necessary, still lived on in genetic code.
    Everything about his body was permanently etched in her mind. The length and girth of his shaft as her mouth slipped over the crown to stretch around him as she sucked him in. The scent of his body and how when her nose brushed through his