Stealing Coal Read online

  He shook his head, keeping hold of her hands. “No.”

  “But didn’t any of those women ever try that to turn you on?”

  “It was never about my pleasure but theirs. They used pain to stimulate my body.”

  Jill jerked her hands out of his and he inwardly winced. He needed to stop informing her about what had, or in this case, hadn’t been done to him. She suddenly lunged at him. He tensed, stunned she’d attack him, but her arms slid around him instead, wrapping around his neck tightly in a hug. Her body pressed firmly against his chest. She turned her head until her lips brushed his throat.

  “I’m so damn sorry for what those bitches did to you, Coal. Any time you want me to do that to you again, just tell me.”

  A sense of happiness flooded him, nearly blinding him as his eyes watered and his arms wrapped around her to draw her up his body until he had her across his lap. He held her and she seemed willing to allow it when her arms continued to cling to him.

  “Thank you, Jill.”

  “How about if I send Arm after those women? He can kick some serious ass.”

  The unexpected laugh poured from his chest. “Arm?”

  She nodded against his throat. “Yeah. Can you imagine their faces when he came at them full speed to get some revenge for you? You should have seen your face when you first saw him. Someone should kick their sorry asses for what they did to you. I’d do it myself but I’m not really a fighter.” She paused. “I wouldn’t order him to kill them but I’d sure like to tell him to break some arms and legs.”

  Coal hated to do it but he released her enough to pull back to study her upturned face. “Don’t even joke about it. I never want my people to have a reason to see you as the enemy. There are far more of them than you’d suspect. I appreciate the sentiment though. They can no longer harm me. I’m free.”

  “It just makes me really mad.”

  “I understand. I would love five minutes in a room with your asshole.”

  The laugh she gave him astonished him, not sure what he’d said in such a serious moment that she’d found humorous. Perhaps the idea of him harming her ex-husband made her that joyously happy. He’d sincerely hunt that human down if it pleased Jill and removed some of the sadness caused to her.

  “I thought you said we weren’t going to have anal sex.” The teasing look glinting in her beautiful blue eyes demonstrated that she’d understood his context but had chosen to joke about it.

  He grinned. “Your sense of humor is growing on me.”

  “Good.” She winked. “I’m not having anal sex with you though.” Her grin faded. “You’re way too big.”

  He laughed. “I can easily accept that.”

  The chair suddenly made a crunching noise and Coal tensed as it collapsed under them. His hold on Jill shifted, protectively trying to shield her from harm with his arms when they hit the floor hard. She landed on top of him.

  Jill gaped at the broken pieces next to them.

  “Are you harmed?” His first concern was to make certain she hadn’t gotten hurt.

  She shook her head. “You?”

  He didn’t mention that a piece of metal dug uncomfortably against his bare ass cheek but he didn’t feel any pain, assessing that the skin hadn’t broken. The seat had remained under him for the most part while the legs and back of it had scattered in a debris pattern around them. “I’m fine.”

  Jill laughed. “I guess we were too heavy for it.”

  Coal looked toward the piece of the chair he’d snapped off earlier and tossed away. He didn’t want to admit he’d probably damaged it, made the seat unstable, in order to avoid digging his fingers into Jill’s lovely red hair when she’d wrapped her mouth around his cock.

  “That’s more than logical,” he said in a serious tone.

  Jill planted a quick kiss on his cheek and then wiggled on his lap. “We should find you some pants and clean up this mess.”

  He hated to let her go but he did, helping her rise to her feet. “Good plan.”

  What he really wanted though would be to sweep her into his arms, carry her to her quarters, and remove the rest of her clothing. He could happily spend days, weeks, even months pleasuring Jill.

  Chapter Eight

  Jill grinned, watching Coal toss the pieces of chair into the trash recycler while she put away the tools. The pants he’d changed into were too tight, revealing a nice ass when they stretched to the point of the seams possibly bursting, and made her wish they would, just to see him bare again. A warm sensation surged inside her chest so strongly it had her heart racing. Her happiness faded to be replaced quickly with sobering realization.

  “Oh hell.”

  Coal turned, his beautiful eyes meeting hers. “What is wrong?”

  A lump formed in her throat and she had to swallow it down. “Nothing.”

  A dark eyebrow lifted. “Jill?”

  “I just remembered I don’t have another mobile chair in here,” she lied. I’m falling in love with him. Deeply.

  “I’m sorry I’m not able to fix it.”

  “It’s fine.” She forced a smile. “No worries. I’ll pick up another one the next time I go to a dump planet. That’s where I got that one. I probably should have left it there considering it obviously wasn’t well made.”

  He gave her a sharp nod, turned away, and continued to clean up pieces. Jill spun to give him her back in case he glanced her way. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

  Don’t do this, she ordered silently. He’s a person, he wants to go back to his cyborg people, and you can’t keep him the way you did the droids.

  “I believe that’s the last of it.”

  She opened her eyes and turned, forcing another smile. “Hungry? I am.”

  He nodded. “I could eat.”

  “Good. I have canned roast beef I’ve been saving for a special occasion. Have you ever had it? It’s not simulated meat. It’s the real stuff, straight from Earth.”

  “I haven’t, but I trust it will be delicious if it’s a special treat you have hoarded.”

  She laughed. “Hoarded?”

  “Saved?” He grinned. “Is that better?”

  “Yes. I also have some―”

  “Incoming traffic,” Fray announced over the speakers. “Two vessels.”

  Fear gripped Jill. Coal’s features tensed.

  “Follow me.”

  He spun quickly and strode toward the cargo hold doors. Jill remained still for a split second and then compelled her body into action, jogging after him. He kept a steady, fast pace and she had to upgrade to a run to keep up with him.

  “Move,” Coal demanded the second he entered the piloting station.

  Fray abandoned his seat quickly and moved to the wall to keep out of the way. Jill had to catch her breath as she hovered just inside the doorway, watching Coal sink into the pilot seat to stare at the readings.

  “It’s not the freighter we attacked,” he informed her. “They are coming into range from the direction we are traveling.” He paused. “Come here, Jill.”

  She pushed forward and came around the chair to his side. One glance at the screen showed her two blinking lights and as she watched, they moved closer to the Jenny, heading right for them.

  “Open communications and demand to know who they are and why they are approaching.” Coal turned his head to stare up at her. “Can I trust you not to send them a distress message that you need help?”

  It hurt that he still didn’t trust her but she pushed it back, her fear stronger than the pain in her chest. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “Your system is so outdated I can’t get a lock on what classifications they are. I hope they aren’t Earth Government warships.”

  “Me too,” she muttered. “I’m probably wanted by them, remember?” She hesitated. “If they are and they decide to board us I want you to hide. There’s a false bottom under my bed where some illegal shit had once been stored. I found it by accident. They’ll