Ricochet by Sandra Sookoo Page A

there and think about how good it might feel to have Stratton’s muscled length pressed against her, skin to skin.
    “In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t a lot of options.” He wiggled his bound hands for emphasis. “I doubt they’ll change their minds, especially now you’re flaunting the goods.”
    As if I can help that. “Jerk.” She narrowed her eyes. Kneeling, she fastened the extra belt around his waist, ignoring how hard the wall of his chest was against her cheek. “I’ll find a way off, and you can stay here with your new friends. Maybe they’ll have changed their sexual orientation by then and you can have the time of your life.” She stood but had taken only a few steps forward before Stratton sprang at her.
    They tumbled to the ground. Willa landed flat on her back, the breath knocked from her lungs, with his larger body pressing hers into the dust. Stars flashed into the blackness that threatened to consume her brain. The man didn’t need the use of his hands to make her feel so keyed up she might explode out of her own skin. Planting her palms against his sweaty chest, she shoved at him until he budged a few inches. Endless seconds went by as she concentrated on sucking in enough oxygen to even question him.
    “What the hell are you doing?” She hissed the question in his ear, then immediately wished she hadn’t. His clean scent, mixed with man, assailed her nostrils, wooing her down a dark path to the forbidden. Another gasp only accentuated the problem. “Don’t bring them out here.”
    “I’ll try not to. It’s not like they’re excited to see me again.”
    “What, you cheated them too?”
    “Maybe. Long story. For once in your life, shut your yap and listen.” His breath warmed her lips. “The Caringa is standing guard just out of sight near one of the wings. He’ll be tough in a fight, but he’s favoring his right side.” He glanced in the direction of the ship, then snapped his gaze back to hers. “If you and I work together, we have a chance. It’s slim, and I intend to take it. There might be technology here we can use to summon help or at the very least get the ship repaired.”
    Her heart thumped wildly, from the situation or his proximity, she had no idea. Almost as if they had a mind of their own, her hands slid up his arms, and for one insane moment, she gripped his shoulders, anchoring herself to his solid form. Whatever else he’d done, he’d never ignored her. That was more than she could say for the men in her family. “Why did you knock me down?” Somehow, she doubted he’d been so overcome with passion he had to possess her where they stood.
    His expression shuttered, and he assumed the blank mask she’d first glimpsed before they’d been paired at the start of the race, yet it was the fire deep in his eyes that drew her in and wouldn’t let go. “For whatever it’s worth, I’ll do my best to protect you.” His gaze darted to the Caringa crouching at the ready by the wing of the shuttle. She hoped that piece of the ship obstructed the being’s view.
    “I don’t need your help.” The fact that she really did pissed her off. The one situation where being independent would make her shine, but she had to rely on him . The request hovered on the tip of her tongue, yet the habit of looking for her family’s attention all those years, of showing anyone who’d watch she was as good, as tough, as any man, were too deeply ingrained. She shoved at his chest again, more strongly now. He made no effort to move. “When we leave here, it’ll be because of me, got it?”
    “And here come the spikes.” He arched an eyebrow. “Would you rather I said the only man who gets a peek in your pants is me for putting up with your attitude?”
    “You’re the biggest ass I’ve ever met!”
    “Yeah, and you’re a frigid bitch who’ll probably get frostbite from the ice in your heart. Can’t quite let a guy in, can you? If you did, you might have to