Undercover(11)

Ash pulled her dress back into place before stepping back, and Sera wanted to run screaming from the house. If he’d done anything but that, she might have resisted the look in his eyes. But he’d touched her with respect, even as she saw the desire in his gaze.

And then it got worse when Ash reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest and his own nipples. In the one on the left, over his heart, he wore the simple ring she’d given him on the same day she’d begun wearing his. He put the one she’d been wearing in the nipple on the other side after he removed a barbell.

All of this without a word. Brandt watched them both. “Okay then, shall we be off?”

Sera took Brandt’s arm, Ash fell in on her other side, and they left the house. They loaded into the posh limousine that would take them to the portal, and she left her old life behind.





She still wore his ring. Ash sat, head back against the seat, as he thought about the way her nipple looked in his hand. The ring he’d given her when she’d gotten pierced just for him. It had carried a sapphire, but she’d left that with her letter and her collar.

Hope burned deep within him. He saw love in her eyes. Distrust still, and hesitance, too, but she had feelings for him that didn’t all involve wanting to shoot him in the head.

He’d need to be smart about how he went about getting her back. Smarter than he’d been so far, that was for sure. On the ship, he’d have to get her used to his touch again anyway. Originally, he’d planned to work his way into their bed right off. But he rethought that. He’d be more slow and steady, show her she could trust him.

It meant Brandt would forge a physical bond with her first, which was slightly disconcerting. But Ash already had the depth of his memories of her, and they’d share that again. Brandt would help her heal, be the bridge between them.

Once Ash had her back, he didn’t plan to let her go again.





She worked through the briefing information in her head as they drove. It kept her from thinking about how her nipple still tingled and burned from Ash’s touch. It was difficult. The cool stones rested against the bottom swell of her breast. The new ring was thicker than her old one, so her nipple throbbed, wanting to be touched more.

The drive took about an hour, and she leaned on Brandt, letting herself fall into the way he drew circles on the skin of her neck with a fingertip. They were in full cover mode now, so she said nothing as the two men spoke about business and politics. A pretty accessory.

Finally, they arrived and handed over the various necessary documentation. Sera loved the portal on Borran. Loved the sight of the sleek transports next to the battered freighters, all waiting to slide through the portals interlocking the Known Universes. The Known Universes stacked like a deck of cards with the capital universe at the center and the others shuffled outward from that. A portal was like a door through from one universe to the other. They would travel through several portals from universe to universe until they reached Nondal. The transport was a bit like a train. It would travel over special intra-universe tracks connecting the portals together. The trip to Nondal would take a few standard days of pause and slip, pause and slip.

Sera had never actually even been in a private transport. The Federation kept its own mass-transit ships, and that’s how she traveled. The kind of luxury transports like Ash’s afforded was reserved only for the very rich and privileged.

The driver opened the door, and Ash exited, followed by Brandt, who held his hand out to help her from the car. She stepped one very long leg out, letting her skirt ride up just a bit before turning to stand. When she straightened, she looked Brandt in the eyes and winked before pulling on sunglasses.

“This way, sweet.” Brandt motioned with a hand. She put her head on his shoulder as they walked to the stairs leading to Ash’s transport.

The hostess at the top looked over both men with undisguised interest. Sera waited for the woman to look her way, and one eyebrow rose. She didn’t need to say more. A concubine of a powerful man like Brandt would be used to seeing other women ogle him but also have some measure of assurance that she was the first in his regard or she’d be replaced. Sooner or later she would be, or her paramour would marry elsewhere and take her as his mistress.

Still, Sela would not have worried in the slightest about that. Sela would have known without a doubt that she had the appeal to hold Brandt’s eye. And so Sela looked amused at the hostess and handed her the ticket, making sure she saw the ring and the bracelet before letting Brandt guide her inside.

Transport seemed an inadequate word for the majestic, gorgeous craft they loaded into. Sera wished she could actually squeal with delight. Instead, once they were sealed inside and alone, she turned to Ash and gave him a surreptitious wink and a thumbs-up.

Moments later, the chip pinged, and she opened to it.

“I take it you like her?” Even in her head his voice was teasing and proud.

“I do. It’s marvelous.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time on it over the years. Much of the overhaul has been with my own labor. I’m glad you like it.”

He withdrew from her head, and it left her a bit bereft. Touched, though, that he’d be sentimental over a transport.

She retired to their quarters while the men went off to the bridge to oversee the process of sliding through the portal. Sera tried not to be jealous as she worked out.

She found the silence and solace helpful for her focus. Because she had to be Sela when she spoke, keeping quiet meant her silence was a refuge for Sera. She poured her confusion and complicated feelings for both men into her workout until she was nothing but a mass of burning, working muscle.

At some point she’d become aware that Brandt and Ash had both joined her in the workout space. When she’d finally done all she could and had broken her concentration, she saw them both watching her.

She bowed to them before taking herself into the showers to clean up. It wasn’t so much that she was avoiding Brandt, but she knew they’d most likely be moving to a new level of intimacy after dinner, and she needed to steel herself for it. After the morning’s events with the nipple ring, the emotional stakes had risen for her.

She’d meant to take the ring out before they arrived on Nondal so Ash wouldn’t see it. But he had, and now things had changed.

The ring had been with her for a long time, and she’d been reluctant to just set it aside for another ring. She supposed in her own way, it was holding on to the good memories of Ash Walker and what they’d been to each other.

Her entire life as she knew it had been upended in such a short time! But the truth was, she’d felt dead inside in so many ways. When she’d walked away, she’d expected Ash to follow. And when he didn’t, and she saw he meant to go on, she’d been devastated to see the marriage every time she turned around.

For a time, she sought a replacement for him, fucking rough men who didn’t know the difference between mastery and abuse. No one had topped her, and she’d never been able to let go enough to submit. It was self-abuse; she knew that as she looked back. But at the time, she wallowed in it and became another person. It wasn’t something she liked to dwell on overmuch because it was weak, and she didn’t condone what happened. It filled her with shame, but in the end, she’d risen above it and had found something better than an empty life. She’d found a calling.

Work became her salvation. She didn’t become the best at everything she tried. Instead, she worked to be the best she could be at those things she excelled at. Once she focused on languages and culture and martial arts, they took over her existence. She’d been a finely honed tool in the war against the Imperialists. The military became her everything, and over time, she’d stopped dating and even seeing herself as a sexual being except for when the need hit every year or so. She’d engaged in brief relationships for sex only, and when she’d been sated, she’d moved on.

And now she felt it all. So much rage, fear, pain and loss that she would have crumpled to her knees and wept, but the hope burning deep in her stomach saved her. Hope that no matter the outcome with these men, she’d found herself again, the part of her that was more than just a soldier.





Chapter 7

Brandt and Ash knew Sera needed some time to herself. They stayed off the chip and let her rest. When she walked into the dining room several hours later, it was apparent to Brandt that Sela was firmly in place.

Which was good, because the Familial representatives had joined them in the dining room. Ash didn’t trust the people his Family had sent, and he’d advised Brandt earlier to keep aware. They certainly seemed very interested in Sela.

All four men stood as she entered the room.

“Did you have a good nap?” Brandt reached out and hauled her to his body, and his cock, hard and ready, pressed into her stomach. She smelled sweet and heady, lilacs and warm evenings. Like sex, and he wanted some. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. He didn’t have to fake being enamored of the woman he held.

She let her head drop back as he kissed her neck. “Well, I see you missed me. I did have a good nap, darling. Traveling and getting up so early makes a girl tired.” She straightened to look him in the eye. “And I know I need my rest to keep up with you.” She winked, and he chuckled, leading her to the table.