Free Rebel by Aubrey Ross Page A

to
shelter her with his mind and body, protect her from anything that
might mean her harm. And that included her hotheaded brother.
    You don’t realize it yet, sweetheart, but
you’re not alone anymore. Again, he didn’t say the words out
loud. She wasn’t ready to hear them.
    “We really should get some sleep,” he told
her instead. “If the land is half as interesting as the topographic
scan indicated, we’ve got our work cut out for us tomorrow.”
    “Will you release the cuff?” She stared into
his eyes with guileless calm.
    “Not a chance. I’ve seen that look
before.”

Chapter Six
     
    Corry lay on her side in the darkness,
crowding as close to the schooner’s wall as she could get. Ashton’s
big body hugged her back. He’d slipped one of his arms beneath her
neck and their linked hands rested on her pillow. His other hand
cupped her breast, making her nipple harden.
    Was he awake? Could he sense her
restlessness?
    “Ashton?” she whispered.
    “Corry.” He shifted, pressing his erection
against her behind.
    Heat spiraled through her body and lodged
between her thighs. “I’m not usually like this,” she protested as
her core clenched and her clit tingled.
    “Fascinating and unpredictable?” He found a
bare patch of skin at the nape of her neck and gave it a playful
nip. “Or feisty and passionate?”
    She could hear gentle teasing in his tone.
Still, she needed to see his eyes. Squeezing between his chest and
the wall, she rolled to her back.
    “I’m not ashamed of wanting you,” he told
her. “My body reacted instantaneously. It just took longer for my
mind to accept what my body recognized.”
    She shook her head and glanced away. “What’s
that supposed to mean?”
    “You’re special. I sensed it the first time
I touched you. There’s more going on here than two lonely people
wanting to fuck.”
    Dragging her gaze back to his face, she knew
the battle was lost. “Only a fool makes the same mistake
twice.”
    “Maybe it wasn’t a mistake.” He leaned down
and covered her mouth with his before she could argue further.
Denial was a waste of time when his empathic receptors told him how
much she wanted him. She ached for his touch, craving the stunning
release she’d only known in his arms.
    She tried to touch his face, but the
wristcuff brought her up short. He entwined their fingers,
anchoring their hands against the pillow.
    “You need to say it,” he whispered. His gaze
bore into hers, smoldering and caressing. “No more games, no
denials. Say, ‘I want you inside me.’”
    Her other hand clutched the back of his
uniform as he arched over her. This wasn’t about pride or
domination. They couldn’t move on until she stopped lying to
herself.
    “I want you inside me.” Tingles cascaded
through her body with the admission.
    A sexy smile curved his lips and desire
ignited in his eyes. “That’s a good start.” He found the separator
and parted the front of her utility suit. The seam opened down her
torso and between her thighs. Lifting her hips, she allowed him to
divide the material as far back as he could reach.
    “Release the cuffs. I can’t touch you like
this.” She tugged on the back of his shirt, illustrating her
limitation.
    “But I can touch you.” He folded back the
sides of her suit, framing her naked breasts. “We did this way too
fast before.”
    While his fingers stroked her breasts and
rolled her nipples, he explored her features with featherlight
kisses. She refused to accept a completely passive role. Finding
the hem of his uniform top, she slipped her hand underneath and
splayed her fingers. His back was warm, the muscles bunching and
flexing as he held himself above her.
    He moved downward, his mouth teasing a path
along the side of her throat. “Oh Corry,” he murmured, and her
excitement surged.
    “Say it again,” she whispered.
    “Corry.” Her nipples, already hardened from
his touch, gathered into tight, aching peaks. He circled one