The Pleasure Principle

What a disaster that tumultuous affair had turned out to be. D.T. was hotter than rocket boosters, with just as much thrust, but it was dangerous to think of him so she pushed him from her mind.

What she did need was someone to help her recover the largest lost treasure in Andromeda’s history. Yet, this wretched planet was already wreaking havoc on her senses. Something about the thick, sultry air wove a spell on her, heightening her sexual awareness, teasing her erogenous zones, drawing out all her physical needs, and making her think too much about her much-neglected wants and desires.

Every one of which a man as strong and virile and masculine as her new friend, Trey, could fulfill.

But she wasn’t on the Pleasure Planet for sex. She was here to recover a treasure that would yield a substantial bounty capable of supplementing the resources needed by the collective, galactic Protective Forces to continue fighting the war in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Gizelle shoved a hand through her long, light brown hair and lifted the thick mass off the back of her neck. The gentle breeze caressed her skin like a lover’s fingers after a long night of slow and easy lovemaking. She ignored the titillating sensation that shimmied down her spine. Tried to keep her mind on business instead.

“I appreciate charitable gestures when it comes to helping the war effort,” she said. “Just so you know, your life’s in danger if someone other than the two of us is hunting for the gold and believes we’re poaching on their territory. Those bars are valuable. Whoever’s searching for them will do whatever it takes to get their hands on them. Still want to work on a voluntary basis?” She knew her look challenged him. “Because I’d pay well to keep you from turning tail and running.”

Trey’s soft lips tipped at the corners in a cocky grin. “I’m hardly the ‘turn tail and run’ type.”

Her gaze slid to the laser gun strapped to his thick, powerful thigh. She was inclined to agree with him, actually. He didn’t appear to be afraid of much, including pirates who would easily blast a hole through his head to protect a recovered fortune of this magnitude.

When her eyes returned to his, she caught the hint of determination in them, overshadowed by the unmistakable look of lust flashing in his obsidian irises. Gizelle had to add “Pleasure Planet Atmosphere” to her list of current occupational hazards, because her body responded to his dark, edgy looks. His tight-set jaw. His black-as-midnight eyes, which were fringed by long, sooty lashes. And all those rigid muscles and bronze skin….

Hands that were made to pleasure a woman….

By all that was holy, how could she not think about sex with this man? Damn this wretched planet!

She dropped the thick mass of hair she’d been holding off her hot neck and clenched her fists at her sides. Concentrate on the task at hand. Remain focused. Her mission meant everything to her. More than the sudden need to satiate some longstanding desires.

Having gone so long without so much as a quickie in the cargo hull with one of the galaxy roamers she transported for a nominal fee, she was probably experiencing some sort of bizarre transference of lust from D.T. to Trey.

And why are you even thinking about that selfish pirate? D.T. Vaughn was a temptation best avoided.

She frowned, wondering if he was the one following her and Trey. But as she continued to survey the immediate surroundings, there wasn’t a rustle of leaves, a snap of twigs or anything else to signal that D.T. or anyone lingered in the shadows, waiting to follow them into the cave, hold them up and hover away the gold.

Her gaze returned to Trey, a man she’d known for mere hours, a significantly shorter time than she’d known the pirate D.T. Vaughn. Yet something told her she could trust him.

“I said I’d help you,” he told her. “So let’s find the booty.” His tanned skin gleamed in the light of the four moons circling PX330. The golden glow outlined his strong, tight muscles. His thick black hair shone almost blue as the beams of light hit it at an angle. D.T. would look this magnificent in the perpetual twilight, too, and it bugged the shit out of her to be thinking of him like that.

Because D.T. was the enemy more often than not.

Stifling a sigh, Gizelle pressed on. Trey kept pace next to her despite the fact that his long legs carried him much faster than her somewhat shorter stride. Not that she wasn’t stalking across the grassy plain at a good clip, heading toward a tall hillside that likely housed the entrance to the cave she sought.

As she stole another glance at the tall, hunky stranger by her side, a tingle of exhilaration and good old-fashioned lust inched up her spine. Trey was intriguing on so many levels. Gorgeous beyond words, with hands that kept drawing her attention, causing her to imagine what they’d feel like on her naked body, squeezing her breasts, stroking her clit.

And by the stars! If she could have D.T. and Trey together, for just one night….

Get a grip!

Clearly, she’d been on the Pleasure Planet too long. How could she be thinking about sex at a time like this? When so much was at stake?

“Humph.”

Trey’s garbled sound drew Gizelle’s attention from her errant and oh-so-wicked thoughts to the hillside they’d reached. Or rather, the gaping hole that had once been part of the hillside.

Gizelle’s temper exploded.

“That son of a bitch!” Her fists balled at her side again as anger tore through her, chasing out all of the desire that had been building within her.

Clumps of dirt and weeds framed the top of the wide hole, roots dangling, debris falling. And on the ground, in the soft mud from the recent rain, were more of the third-party footprints Trey had spotted earlier.

“Something tells me you know the culprit who swiped the gold from under your nose.”

Trey’s observation made her angrier. “I have a hunch. D.T. Vaughn, a man I never should have let anywhere near me, let alone trusted,” she seethed between clenched teeth. Gizelle did not have to explore the cave to know the gold bars had already been removed by her new nemesis. Forcing her jaw to unlock, she said to Trey, “I just might have to kill him for this.”