Wild Ones (Wild Ones 5)

Wild Ones (Box Set)
Zoey Daniels
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2014 Zoey Daniels
Excerpt from Prowl

Lainey closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sun. Had any sun on any world ever felt so fine? She thought not. Leman's sun caressed her skin as gently as an accomplished lover, but it was no weakling. Its rays burnished the world brown, carried forward over fields of gold in heated breaths of wind that reminded her of hot kisses traced down her body.

A fine world to live in. She'd like it here.

"It hits us all that way at first," Rosemary remarked. Lainey could hear the smile in her voice. "Don't ever get used to it. Then it'll lose most of its charm."

Lainey let her eyes drift open and let out a soft breath of satiated desires. She gazed across the gold and brown of the fields and unpaved roads, the green tops of trees already afire with the reds and golds of autumn. It was only natural to take her hat off and rest it not over her heart, but her hip, as a woman of her professional background might in a sign of respect.

"I don't ever plan to take this for granted," she said. She wished she could strip naked in the sensual warmth of this world and stretch herself out in the grass to let it saturate her through and through.

Rosemary chuckled; she had an infectious laugh and she was around the same age as Lainey. They'd probably led the same kinds of lives before they came here, to the world no man wanted and every woman dreamed of. Any woman with any sense, that was.

"Good," Rosemary said. "Let me check once more to be sure..." Proprietress of the small mercantile that was the only place one could buy supplies without traveling a few hundred kilometers in any direction -- not that that bothered Lainey -- she indicated they should get back to business by removing the stylus she'd tucked behind her ear and pointing it at her digital slate.

Lainey knew as well as Rosemary what she'd need and wouldn't need and that she hadn't forgotten a single thing on that list, but no harm in letting the woman do her job. She stood by with her hat at her hip, half-daydreaming through the double-check. "I have gold, not credits," she reminded Rosemary.

"Good. Gold spends; credits are almost worthless out here." Rosemary patted the side of the wagon. "Right, then. I'll go total up your bill."

Politeness, that. Lainey watched Rosemary retreat inside the mercantile and approved of it. She'd have the bill already totted up on her tablet, of course, but it would have been bad manners indeed to stand by and watch a lady retrieve her money from its hiding place. Even if she likely already knew where that'd be after packing the sturdy farm wagon with everything from seeds to vegetable growth supplements to pitchforks and a tin washtub big enough for Lainey to stretch out in.

Homesteading on a new frontier or not, Lainey was stubborn enough and fond enough of her few creature comforts that she'd no plans to give up any time soon.

Though Lainey liked Rosemary just fine, she was glad enough to have the peace and quiet back to herself for a moment. She extended her arms wide, as if she'd embrace the heat from the sun, and let the golden light wash down over her, better than rain.

A slight scuffing sound broke the silence that'd fallen. Not much of a noise, but Lainey's ears were sharp and some training lasted throughout a lifetime. She could tell even without looking that whoever had come visiting wasn't Rosemary, nor any of the other women settlers she had a nodding acquaintance with.

No, this was a Man. Lainey could smell the musk, wilder than most of the polished rich boys she'd dealt with once as mistress and madam in turn, before selling off all that hubris and heading out here to make her way, by her choice.

Not just a man, Lainey's senses told her. A strong man, one who walked with the confidence of a fellow who had no fear of anything, but who stopped far enough away to show her he meant no harm. And -- she cocked her head, intrigued -- another man, not far behind him.

She wasn't afraid of them; they'd given her no reason. Lainey let her eyes drift open and got her first look at this pair from between the sweeping curtain of her eyelashes.

Oh my. Lainey's skin heated from more than the baking warmth of the planet. These were a fine pair to look at, weren't they? One tall and rangy, dark hair clinging to his forehead, cheeks and nape; the other slighter and fairer and springier of step. Both had smiles broad and white enough to rival the sun and the moons, and stood close enough to reach out and touch if she wanted. Teasing her, just a little, by being that close and no closer.

There were no men this far West, not that Lainey knew of. Some fishermen still lived along the coastlines, but not one man who'd come inland to ranch or farm had managed to stay. Bully boys, most of those, or so she'd heard, and it seemed like the land had taken objection to them. Might be a story made up to scare folks, might not be, but for whatever reason, the men had left these prime ranch lands. Left them for women fool enough to try to tame them. And try they had. Leman liked women. Liked them fine. Her sun and moons were kind to the ladies, and they treated her as best as they could in return.

But one look at this pair and Lainey knew down in her gut that while this planet might be kind to the female strangers who'd colonized her... it loved these men without rhyme or reason. They were the sun and moons, somehow.

Lainey couldn't help smiling at that pair. Five seconds' worth of acquaintance or not, they brought it out in her. "Now if you aren't a treat," she said. "Something I can help you with?"

The men glanced at one another, communicating silently in the way long-time friends sometimes developed. A quirk of the eyebrow and the tilt of a wicked grin spoke volumes.

Laughing, the taller jostled the smaller aside. He had a strange laugh, one that made Lainey sit up and take notice. Something between a rumble and a ruff, ruff, ruff. Not unpleasant to hear, Lord no. Quite the contrary. Gave her a pleasant sensation of warmth in her belly not unlike the sun on her skin. It belonged here, same as they did even if they weren't supposed to.

Curiouser and curiouser.

"Need help?" the taller asked, gesturing toward Lainey's loaded wagon. "I Asher. No. I... am, yes, I am Asher. He is Russ. You have long road back to cabin. We help you."

Lainey's eyebrows lifted, despite her years of training. Not supposed to be here and didn't speak the language? Call her intrigued, yes ma'am.

And... they knew where she lived. Lainey figured she ought to be more alarmed about that, but so help her, she couldn't be. She didn't believe these two would hurt her, but if they tried? She had a rifle in the wagon, and she knew how to use it.

The taller took one half-step closer, his shorter companion jostling him in play as he followed. "Help with more than this," the tall man murmured. He reached to touch her face, taking clear care not to startle her but not about to be denied. His fingertips were rough, as tough as paw pads, but his touch was gentle. Almost worshipful.

Lainey's lips parted. So help her if she didn't want to promise them anything for the pleasure of their company. It made her laugh. The shoe was on the other foot now, wasn't it? Good thing for her she liked the fit of it just fine.