Taking Liberty Read Online Free

hover cart puttering close behind him slashed through the night, periodically illuminating the swarm of sand gnats intent on dive bombing both he and the truffles. Slapping the pesky air invaders away, he scuffed along the desert’s heat-baked terrain. Up ahead, the exterior lights glowed on the Liberty. His steps slowed when he spied Rini’s stretched, lithe form silhouetted against the massive wing.
    She was tinkering with the stupid running light. He’d never known someone so determined. So single-minded.
    So annoying.
    â€œBut she does have a damn fine ass.” His gaze drifted past her tailbone and he licked his lips, imagining his tongue exploring the cute little dimples he’d noticed earlier nestled at the base of her spine. Desire pulsed in his dick and he groaned. Shit . This was what happened when he went too long without sex. The horndog in him started salivating over the last woman he should be sniffing after.
    â€œYou’d think I would have learned my lesson on that one.” Scowling, he kicked away a loose stone blocking his path and crossed the final yards to the ship. He pulled up short next to the debarking ramp. Rather than hassle with the cargo doors, he’d stow the truffles up by the bridge.
    â€œWe need to talk.”
    Sending the hover cart up the ramp ahead of him, he glanced towards Rini. She piloted the ladder beneath the wing. If the mulish set of her chin didn’t clue him in to the argument on the horizon, the stiff hands planted on her hips sure as shit did. He rubbed the back of his skull, willing his headache to find someone else to torture. “Can we do it on the way to Aquatica? We’re still on a tight schedule.”
    â€œWhy in the universe would you jeopardize your pilot license and your ship to smuggle caviar?”
    The pit of his stomach dropped. He stared at her, the eerie drone of desert insects providing a tense backdrop. Just as quick as the cold dread spread through his limbs, it was replaced by sizzling anger. “Who gave you the right to snoop in my cargo?”
    â€œI wasn’t snooping.” She stepped off the rung and stalked towards him. “I found the crate on accident, during my search for the ladder.”
    Son of a bitch . Why didn’t he just fix the damn light himself? Stupid, stupid, stupid . Pivoting, he grasped the debarking rail and trudged up the ramp.
    â€œI’m not finished with you yet.”
    â€œYeah, babe, I figured as much. But you’ll have to do it inside. Like I said, we’re running late.” Without waiting for her inevitable complaint, he ducked inside the ship and grabbed the top box of truffles. Ignoring the staccato beat of footsteps trailing him, he stashed the box behind the pilot’s seat. Turning, he almost collided with Rini when she shoved the second carton of truffles against his chest.
    Her gaze bore into him, accusing and slightly hurt. The expression baffled him. What the hell did she have to feel hurt about? She was the one who’d decided to paw through his cargo—someplace she had no business being. If anyone should be moping around with a look of betrayal, it should be him, damn it.
    Dropping the truffle carton atop the other, he pushed past her and went to seal off the debarking station. His jaw locked in a rigid line when he noticed she’d already beaten him to it. Where did she get off performing his preflight duties? A repo contract didn’t give her jurisdiction to act like she fucking owned his ship.
    Rini sidestepped him and reached for the hover ladder.
    His patience—thin as a monofilament fiber—snapped. “Leave it.”
    She straightened, a frown pinching tight above the ridge of her brow. “But the ladder needs to be secured.”
    â€œWhat needs to be secured is your ass. In the seat.”
    Her eyes gleamed with defiance. Growling beneath his breath, he grabbed her arm. An instant later, he found himself flat on