Page 54 of Hidden By the Convicts
The woman didn’t need to seduce him if she wanted him. Then again, she didn’t need him, not when she had Harlis and Bowen, who were both in prime shape with endless energy.
Teagen held his hand as she sat next to him. “I wish it were safe to go swimming. It’s so beautiful here, especially at night with the moonlight reflecting off the water.”
“Almost makes you forget you’re on a prison planet. Which is why I like this spot. Nothing to remind me of the guards, the prisoners, or how I’ll never see home again.” He took the flower from her hands and tucked it behind her ear. “The denla is a beautiful flower, but against your beauty, it pales.”
She blushed, a beautiful rosy color that only proved his point. “You’re starting to sound like Harlis.”
“Here I compliment you and you insult me back,” he said, lifting his chin in the air to tease her.
She laughed. “It was a compliment. But you’re nothing like him.” She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. “I think I could get used to being here. As long as I’m with the three of you.”
“Really? I feel like I’m in the way, intruding, when you want to be with Harlis or Bowen.”
“If we were on Argus, it wouldn’t be weird dating two or even three men at the same time. But here. . .”
“I know. There’s pressure on you. You feel like it’s the only way to guarantee we’ll protect you.”
“No, but you’re a team, a unit. It’s awkward being with only two of you.”
“I don’t mind,” he said. “I wouldn’t deny Bowen or even Harlis the chance for some happiness here. Or you. You deserve men who will treat you right, who will love and protect you.”
“I think you have this backwards. I like you, Gavin. A lot. But I don’t want you to feel pressured to be with me.”
He turned to her, stunned. “You like me, I mean, as more than just a friend?”
The gold flecks in her bright green eyes sparkled. “You watched me with Harlis in the greenhouse. I wouldn’t mind if you watched again. Until you’re comfortable with the idea of more. At least then it would feel like you’re included.”
“Included?”
She nodded, biting her lower lip. His cock turned rock hard when he realized she was looking at him in the same way she looked at Harlis and Bowen.
“Teagen, I. . . God help me, Teagen, I’ve wanted to be with you since the day we found you, but I knew that was just lust. But since then. . .” Her eyes widened slightly. “I’ve grown quite fond of you.”
“And yet aside from inviting me to dance, you’ve kept your distance.”
“I’m older. A lot older.”
“Fourteen years,” she replied, well aware.
“Ancient,” he reminded her. “Your words.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was teasing. And I wouldn’t care if you were eighty.”
“Really?”
“Before I came to Narkos, yeah I would have cared. But I’ve learned a lot, the hard way. Young doesn’t mean good. Some of the younger guards were the most vicious.”
The light left her eyes. He cupped her face with his hands, struggling not to kiss her despite the burning need. He hadn’t forgotten the taste of her lips from all those weeks ago.
“I would never hurt you.”
Her smile returned, more radiant than ever. “You’re one of the good ones, Gavin. Sweet, smart, gentle. I’m falling for you.”
“I’d love to be with you, but are you sure you want me?”
“Don’t make me beg, Gav. Just let me love you.”
He wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly her lips locked to his. In all his life, he’d never tasted anything so sweet or felt lips so soft as hers. As he eased her to her back, her hands moved under his shirt, lifting it higher. He broke the kiss long enough to peel his shirt away.
