The Stowaway Read Online Free Page B

every stubborn, wilful word out of her mouth.
    Devlynn quickly pushed the pain down. He was just too damn grateful to see the old Arek struggling back to the surface. If Rachel was what he needed, so be it.
    And he had to admit he didn’t know anyone who could get away with goading Arek the way Rachel did and live to tell the tale.
    Arek suddenly appeared in the hatchway, looking flustered, and as always after a confrontation with Rachel, a little turned on.
    “Gods damn it, you’d think I set the galley on fire, not left a bloody ration pack out.”
    Devlynn chuckled, earning him a fierce scowl from Arek.
    “We should ask her to stay on. You never know if you don’t ask.”
    “Why in the name of Hellion’s dark moon would I want to do that?”
    “Because you like her,” Devlynn replied simply.
    Arek continued to scowl at him, but Devlynn noticed he didn’t rush to deny it.

    Rachel held her breath. She couldn’t quite believe her ears. Was it possible? Did…did they really like having her around? And what exactly did that mean? Was there something even more interesting waiting just beneath the surface of Devlynn’s words?
    She couldn’t deny that the men were attractive. She might have even indulged in a little fantasy about them once or twice. And maybe she looked a little longer than strictly necessary at times.
    Oh gods! Who did she think she was fooling? Arek and Devlynn were two of the most gorgeous men she had ever laid eyes on. Okay, so one was intensely gorgeous with a heavy dose of dark brooding and a razor sharp tongue and temper, while the other was holovid gorgeous with a sparkle of mischief evident in his warm brown eyes and easy smile. But at the end of the day they were both drop dead, drool-worthy magnificent. Especially to a farm girl who needed to get out more. Hell, they’d be come-get-me appealing to half the supermodels on Centre, and the other half would just be jealous.
    “I’ve seen the way you look at her, you know. And I’ve caught her looking back a time or two.”
    Devlynn’s voice was so low Rachel had to strain to hear it. It sounded hesitant and maybe just a little…sad. She didn’t like it. Not one bit. She wanted to march right in and—
    “I think you got that wrong, Dev. She watches you all the time.”
    Her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. She hadn’t thought she’d been that obvious. In fact, she’d been going out of her way to prove to them she wasn’t a push over. Especially Arek. He was the kind of self-assured, supremely confident male she could so easily see dominating a weaker mate.
    Mate as in crew member, she rushed to clarify. She wasn’t thinking of them in any other sort of ‘mate’ type terms. Her interest in the possibility of ‘something interesting’ happening between them was purely lust based.
    Rachel fought the urge to shift restlessly. Sure, she was stiff and sore after spending days making the little freighter liveable again. But she’d done it with a definite purpose in mind. Not only had the place desperately needed it before she even thought about living in it, but she was determined to make herself a valuable addition to the crew. Arek and Devlynn were her ticket to adventure. To freedom. She might not have specifically asked to stay, but she was hoping to convince them to take her on before they reached their destination.
    I’m not looking after them.
    Shaking off the disturbing thought, she realised she’d lost track of the conversation somehow.
    “Yeah, well, if we don’t get this shipment to Nareen on time we better work out a way to push this hunk of junk through space. There won’t even be enough credits for fuel cells without this payment.”
    “But you’ll ask Rachel to stay on if we do make it?”
    Arek huffed. “You never give up, do you?”
    “Not when I think it’s important. She’s good for us. For you.”
    “Dev—”
    “You’re not nearly such a moody old bastard since she came along.