“You’re going after him?”
He yanked the T-shirt on. “Of course. I can’t have him traipsing around in the dark, shooting off rounds. It might attract unwanted attention.”
She frowned. “He wouldn’t randomly shoot off his gun, would he?”
“When it comes to this wolf, Ry loses his fucking head.” Connor headed for the door, then halted as he realized that when a woman just gave you a blow job, it was probably rude to run off without saying… something. But what came out of his mouth was, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Or…” She bit her lip. “I can wait here until you get back.”
It was a tempting offer, but he knew better than to go too far, too fast. Hudson hadn’t even been out of the city a month. She needed time to adjust, to ease into the outlaw way of life without losing herself in the addictive taste of freedom.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day,” he said gruffly.
A little grin played on her mouth. “I’m greedy, remember? I don’t know the meaning of enough.”
No, she didn’t. She wanted more, each and every time. She tested his control, distracted him with her pussy and her eagerness, until he dropped his guard without even realizing it.
“And I call the shots, remember?” With a smirk, he strode to the door, pausing only to repeat his earlier words. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
10
“Jesus fucking Christ!”
Hudson turned in amusement as Xander’s expletive floated toward her. The two of them were on opposite ends of the lodge, fiddling with their respective electronics. Obviously Xander wasn’t having any more luck than she was.
“Everything okay?” she called out.
“No,” he grumbled. “Goddamn satellites are ruining my life.”
Intrigued, she wandered over to Xander. His gaze was focused on a laptop screen, but Hudson couldn’t figure out what she was seeing. Lines and lines of code, a nonsensical jumble of letters and numbers that made her eyes cross. She assumed it had something to do with the two mobile phones next to the computer, which were a lot bulkier than the razor-thin cell phones people used in the city. She couldn’t fathom what use they’d have in the free land. It wasn’t like cell towers were readily available to the outlaw population.
“What are you doing?” she asked curiously.
“Nothing much.” He sounded distracted. “Just trying to hack into the city’s defense system and peek at their satellites.”
“Uh-huh, nothing much. So those are satellite phones?”
He nodded. “Could be useful on runs, or if we ever need to separate. Our radios don’t have too far of a range.” He typed something on the keyboard. A green error box popped up immediately, causing him to slam his hand on the desk. “Jesus Christ!”
She wrinkled her forehead. “Why do you say that?”
“Say what?” He frowned. “You mean, Jesus Christ?”
“That’s the name of that god, right? The one people used to worship?”
“Not exactly. He’s actually —” Xander stopped, a wry smile crossing his lips. “Nope, no point in getting into a theological discussion with a citizen.”
She froze for a second, until she realized that of course Connor had told his men where she’d come from. She didn’t imagine there were many secrets among the men, which only deepened the guilt already gnawing at her gut. They were providing her with shelter, food, protection, and she was lying to them. It didn’t feel right. But she’d given Connor all she could. If she wanted to survive, the rest needed to stay hidden.
Still, the back of her neck tingled as she thought about the half-truths she’d told him. Her tattoo was concealed under layers of makeup, the waterproof kind that ensured the summer heat didn’t smear it. As insurance, she always made sure to wear her hair down or in a braid, but she was still terrified Connor would discover the proof of her deceit.
But the thought of Knox tracking her down and forcing her into marriage terrified her more.
Swallowing, she forced her panicky brain to focus on Xander. “I don’t get why you use a god’s name as a curse.”
“Because that’s pretty much what it’s become. It’s a phrase now, more than anything. A way to voice frustration, or anger” – his dark eyes twinkled – “or something to say when you’re coming. Trust me, you’ll hear it a lot during sex.”
A blush rose in her cheeks. Rylan had said it, in some form or another, when his cock had been in her mouth. So had Connor, when he’d come all over her breasts and then kissed her as if he were a starving man and she was his only source of sustenance.