looked so worried that she leaned forward to press her lips to his and kissed him tenderly. Those original clones, and how tragically they’d died, would probably haunt him for a long while. But she had something to live for. He was extremely sexy and sitting right in front of her.
She pulled back. “I’m not going anywhere, Big. This is my second chance at life, and I’m taking full advantage of it. I love you, and that love is only going to grow stronger every day we share.”
“Promise me.”
“I swear.” She felt better after purging all her tears. “Let’s eat breakfast and then go back to bed.”
He searched her eyes.
“Not because I’m depressed.” She winked at him. “I love the things you can do with your mouth, and I know you highly enjoyed what I can do with mine. We’re going to celebrate today. That means you and me, naked.”
He smiled, the tension leaving him. “You’d better eat everything on that plate. You’re going to need your energy. We have two days before we have company and must put on clothes again to greet them. Did I mention clones have stamina?”
“You’ve shown me. Or maybe that was just a really naughty dream that I had about you,” she teased. “I might need you to prove that’s a real fact.”
He turned toward his meal and chuckled. “Don’t make me smack your ass again.”
“I might like it. Just not as hard. I’m thinking light taps.”
He picked up his silverware. “Eat fast. I want to find out.”
“Me too.” She dug into her food with gusto.
They laughed together as breakfast turned into a game of who could finish first. Big let her win, but he got all his clothes off before she could when they reached their bed. They both won, though, when their lips met, their limbs tangled, and they fell onto the mattress…together.
Blade
Prologue
Hailey jerked awake, and it took a few seconds for memory to return…
A man had accosted her on the street.
He’d carried her to a ship, where three other men had waited in the cargo hold. It had terrified her when they’d made it clear why she’d been taken.
She’d screamed when they’d eventually removed the gag from her mouth, until she’d been hit again, rendering her unconscious.
Now awake, she was inside a small cabin on a narrow bed. Her hands remained tied behind her back. Her throat hurt but her kidnappers hadn’t done more to her, as far as she could tell. Yet.
She needed to escape.
She sat up and tried to wiggle her arms down enough to bend and scoot her butt under the cuffs. There wasn’t enough slack between the cuffs, giving her no room to maneuver. It wasn’t going to work. She twisted her head, trying to get a better look at them, but it was impossible.
I need to get out of here before they take off! I must escape!
The other option was too horrible to consider. The men planned to use her body in degrading, unspeakable ways, and it would ultimately end in her death.
She stood and made it to the door. It didn’t open when she turned her back to push the button on the wall. Only a beep sounded. They’d locked her in.
“Oh no.”
She spun and scanned the room for anything to help her remove the cuffs. Her fingers assured her the cuffs were metal and not something she could just cut. It was difficult to think in her panicked, terrified state, and she needed to clear her head if there was a chance of surviving.
She bit her lip hard. Think!
Only one option came to mind. It was going to hurt badly, but seemed tame in comparison to what those men would do to her.
She walked over to the end of the bunk and stared at the metal edge of the frame. She turned and lowered to her knees, lining up with it. She scooted back farther and put her right hand under her left, supporting it. Shifting, she touched the side of her left hand to the edge.
Don’t scream no matter how much it hurts.
They probably wouldn’t hear her, but she wasn’t willing to risk it. Walls were known to be soundproof on spaceships, but if one of the men were right outside in the hallway, it was possible her cries would travel if the door seals were faulty. She knew something about space vessels, thanks to her father’s obsession and endless fantasies about traveling on one.
She braced her knees farther apart and clenched her