Page 107 of Auctioned to the Convicts
“None, I suppose.”
“Exactly.”
His eyes narrowed as if he were struggling to understand her. The man cared. He didn’t want to admit it, but he cared.
“I’d take them if I could. I have nothing against any of them, even Ky’Li, sort of. But I can’t take them, Hannah. It’s taken me years to build this ship. I can’t just expand it like I can slap on a quick addition to the house.”
She pasted a smile on for him. He should be able to leave unfettered, guilt-free because he hadn’t done anything to anyone. Not intentionally. Except the unit would be affected. They depended on Ren, for more than his engineering genius. Oddly enough, in some ways, he was the glue that bound them together. He spoke his mind, did what needed to be done, challenged them all in ways she would never have anticipated.
Ren pounded the buttons on the access panel, closing the rear ramp. “I’m leaving with or without you, Hannah.”
He was giving her an impossible choice. Ren versus Ky’Li, Sersie, and Vaughn.
If she left Vaughn, maybe he’d miss her somewhat, but he’d survive fine without her. After all, she didn’t mean much to him. By Ky’Li. . . he’d be crushed, see it as a betrayal. He’d already been betrayed, as had Sersie. Oh, God, Sersie! She’d promised never to leave him. What if he blamed himself or started using?
And she wasn’t sure she’d survive without them. She’d come to depend on them so much already. Sersie with his sweet gestures and intense desire, Ky with his fierce protectiveness, and Vaughn with his quiet love of life and the care he showed everyone. They were the closest she’d had to family in a long time. And Ren. . . her intense engineer whose life centered solely on his dream of leaving. She had no right to steal his dream.
“I-I can’t leave them, Ren.”
“You’d be free,” he replied, tempting her.
“Somethings are more important than freedom.”
“What’s that, Princess?”
“Family.”
He chuckled derisively. “We’re not family. We’re strangers to one another. Always will be because there’s nothing that holds us together.”
He was wrong about that, he just couldn’t see it.
He ran his hand along the lower hull of the ship. “I’m sorry you’re not coming. We could have had fun together, Princess.”
“Where will you go?”
“The ship will only get me as far as Menza or Yarkon which is all I need. Both have large shipyards. I’ll steal another craft, one with long-range capabilities. And from there. . . I haven’t really decided yet. Someplace out of Company territory.”
Ren wasn’t a criminal when The Company sentenced him to Narkos, but they were making him into one. The Company had framed him, and now Dresden was screwing him over every chance he had. Ren had already been on Narkos for twelve years, with at least another four years to go.
Ren was right; he was too valuable for Dresden to lose. Ren deserved this chance, and she wouldn’t stand in his way.
She clasped her hands behind his head and drew her eyes up, not sure what she’d see in his face.
Calm. Ren was calm. He’d made up his mind. He was really going to do this.
His mouth overtook her without warning, but it was so damn right. Pulling away from those warm lips, the heat of his tongue as it danced with hers. . . That wasn’t going to happen.
A firm hand slid down her back, settling just above her ass. Warm and possessive, but not rushing anything, and not the least bit threatening. This was the real Ren, the one she’d known was hiding, trying to protect himself from those on Narkos who would destroy him.
“I was right about you,” she whispered as his thumb glided over her lips.
His hand settled on the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, sealing her mouth with his.
He tasted like honey and citrus and her body sang at his touch. . . until he released her.
“I need to leave, Princess.”
“I know,” she whispered. Knowing, understanding, didn’t make it any easier.
