Rescuing Rory Read Free Page B

on her bottom lip and Kal barely swallowed a groan of lust. It had been months since he’d gotten laid and his dick was more than ready to remedy that problem. The last time he’d had a woman was in the back room at a dingy bar on Ramos 3. The woman had been a professional and it hadn’t taken that long to conduct business. The encounter had left him cold and Kal hadn’t bothered with a woman since. His hand was more personal than a quick fuck with a hooker. Now his libido was roaring back to life, reminding him he was a man and Rory was all woman.
    “Okay.” She kept one eye on him as she made her way to the bathroom.
    He put his hand on her arm and she stopped. “I’ll be waiting right here.”
    She nodded, stepped into the small room and slid the door shut. Kal heaved out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair. He’d get changed while she was busy. He wasn’t a fan of these rough trousers and much preferred a flightsuit. The battlesuit would stay. They all wore them when they weren’t sleeping. They were always ready to meet any threat.
     
    Rory stood in the small space unable to believe what had happened. For the first time in months, she was free. Okay, maybe not technically free but it was the first step.
    She dragged the hated wig from her head, dropped it on the floor and stomped on it. Her scalp itched and she scratched it. Her own hair was red and cropped short. The captain of the Exos hadn’t liked it so she’d been forced to wear the wig. Not that she’d minded so much when she was in the cage. The length of the wig had allowed her to cover her breasts from view.
    Tears threatened but she swallowed them back. Crying wouldn’t help, wouldn’t bring back all she’d lost. She surveyed the bathroom and practically jumped in the small gel cleansing unit. She shucked the shirt Kal had given her and yanked off the thong she’d been forced to wear.
    As much as she hated the thong, she tossed it onto the floor of the unit. The fabric was so thin it should dry or at least come close. Gel cleansers worked great on skin and hair, not so much on clothes.
    When she was naked, she hit the start button and a fine spray of gel mist covered her from head to toe. It was followed by a blast of heat and then the drying light came on. A minute later, she stepped out totally clean and refreshed. The smells of booze, sweat and desperation were gone from her body, and she felt cleaner than she had for months.
    She wrinkled her nose at the clothes on the floor but she didn’t have anything else to wear. Beggars weren’t choosers, she reminded herself. She pulled on the underwear and shirt, making sure it was buttoned. There was a brush on a shelf so she helped herself to it, smoothing out her hair.
    As much as she might want to, she knew she couldn’t hide in here forever. Kal would eventually come looking for her. They’d obviously rescued her for a reason and she couldn’t help but be curious as to what it was. They’d gone to a lot of trouble and life-threatening danger to get her here.
    When there was nothing else left for her to do, Rory took a deep breath and slid the door open. As promised, Kal leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing a black flightsuit that zipped up the front. It wasn’t tight but there was no mistaking the fit body beneath it.
    She wondered if he was still wearing the battlesuit under it. Some instinct told her he was. Rory didn’t think the men on this ship ever relaxed. There was a hardness, a battle-readiness that clung to all of them. She recognized the type from her years of travel with her father.
    Kal pushed away from the wall and walked toward her. The way he looked at her made her feel more naked than she had dancing in the cage on the Exos . His gaze went beyond her body and peered at her soul.
    She swallowed hard and fought the urge to run back into the bathroom and shove the door closed. Not that the puny panel would stop him.