Page 25 of Hidden By the Convicts
“I should have fought my boss harder, reported him when he was making my job difficult.”
He grabbed her hand and swung her around until she landed against his chest. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what your asshole boss did. That’s all on him. I realize you don’t know me very well, princess, but please believe me when I say I’m not reckless with my chemicals. My buddy from Argus University blew himself up by ignoring safety protocols. It’s the one thing I take seriously. I don’t fool with my chemicals.”
Teagen shifted her fingers through the thick blond waves above his ear. “Whatdoyou fool with?”
“Oh, princess, there’s only one way to answer that.” His lips found hers and pulled her in with a fire she didn’t expect, not from Harlis. And while his tongue did wicked things to her that she didn’t know were possible, his hands tenderly cupped the back of her head, making her feel very much like a princess. Delicate. Cherished. Maybe even loved.
Without warning, he lifted her up and carried her across the greenhouse. Her legs wrapped around his waist, a thrill going through her at how he looked at her.
“We can’t,” she whispered.
“We can, but it’s up to you. Or are you worried about getting pregnant?”
“They gave me a birth control implant before sending me here. I guess they knew what would happen, with the guards.”
“They were probably thinking with over two thousand prisoners on Narkos, the chances were high you’d be taken. Based on what Bowen said the other day, I think giving you to the guards was all Dresden’s doing. His way of rewarding his guards and keeping their morale up. I’ve had bad managers before, but he’s the worst. Self-serving, manipulative. . .” Harlis shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about him. Not when I have a beautiful woman in my arms.”
“You’re only saying I’m beautiful because I’m the only woman here, Harlis.”
He stared at her, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice low.
“I don’t lie. Except to the guards. Never to you or the others in our unit.”
He meant it, all of it. Helikedher, and she had to admit, she liked him as well. Harlis was sweet and genuine, even if he was brash and impulsive. Most importantly, hecared.
She looked right and left. Gavin had disappeared.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he added, with his chest puffed out in a dominant way that she’d never seen from him before. “I may not be the fighter Bowen is, but I can hold my own.” He set her down on the edge of a table.
“Let me see you,” she said, running her hand down his chest.
With a grin that made her laugh, he tore off the white t-shirt in record time. Her eyes trailed down his magnificent chest but wandered lower to the large bulge in his pants, and she froze.
He tipped her head up. “Look at me, Teagen.” He’d never called her by her name before, which gave his serious tone more weight. “How about for now you just let me make you feel good, okay?”
She nodded. Words were too hard at the moment.
“My pants will stay on. But yours. . .” He tugged at her pants as he ran his tongue across her lips.
Did he mean to. . .
Before she could even think of whether this was a good idea or not, Harlis got down on his knees and looked up at her with those amazing hazel eyes, his expression somewhere between a plea and excited anticipation.
“Are you sure?” she said. “What about after?” She couldn’t imagine he’d like doing what he was proposing.
“After? We get you dressed. Then, maybe I steal a kiss?” The grin that slid onto his face made her heart clench and it almost felt like a weight had been lifted. He wasn’t asking for anything in return.
She nodded, giving him the permission he seemed to want, though he didn’t need it. When it came down to it, she was at the mercy of these men. If they mistreated her, there was no one to go to for help.
She lifted her hips so he could slide her pants down. “And what if I said no, Harlis?”
“Then I leave you to the boring job of sorting seeds or whatever the hell Gavin does in here all day long.”
He stood up again and leaned forward until his forehead touched hers. It felt so simple and genuine that her throat tightened.
“Nothing changes if you say no. We still walk you home after dark, eat dinner, hang out, and go to bed to start another day on beautiful Narkos.”
“And if I say yes, but change my mind?”
