Accidental Bounty (Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunter Book 4) Read online

  Then a crash caught his attention.

  Looking up, he saw that a trolley with multitude of bags had been knocked over. Several people were yelling at a teenager, who was apologizing. The teen stood back up and started walking away, in his direction. Her hair was in multicolored pigtails. She wore a baggy t-shirt and jeans and was blowing bubble gum. Cute, but far from his type.

  As she got closer, Drake could see that her face was pretty, delicate and innocent looking. She glanced at him with big blue eyes and smiled. She went from cute to gorgeous in two seconds. Damn, she was definitely jailbait. His body responded for some reason, which frustrated him. How long had it been since he had been laid? He glanced away trying to look at anyone but the tempting teenager approaching him.

  “Hi! Are you here for me?”

  He blinked looking down at the slip of a girl. Her voice didn’t match her looks at all. She had an innocent angelic face but her voice was husky and hinted at sexual promises. “Excuse me?”

  She hefted a suitcase way too big for her. “Vic texted me that he was sending one of his men to pick me up since he was at the hospital.”

  “Is your dad coming?” He looked behind her.

  The girl snorted. “If you see my deadbeat dad, tell him to go to hell.”

  “Should you be talking like that?” Drake asked. “Vic said I was picking up a guy named Jinx, but didn’t say he had a kid.”

  She tilted her head and sighed. Putting her suitcase down she reached out her hand to him to shake. “I’m Jane Jean Alexander. Call me Jinx. I’m not a kid; I’m twenty-six years old. I get that a lot. Can you take me to my hotel now?”

  Drake took her small hand in his and felt an electric current run through his body. He was confused over his response to her. What the hell was she supposed to be doing at the office? Answering the phones? There was someone that already did that; they didn’t need a second receptionist. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he figured he would start with his name. Suddenly he realized he was staring at her silently.

  “I’m Drake Miller.”

  She smiled at him, “Nice to meet you Drake.”

  He had to ask he was just too curious. “Are you a new receptionist?”

  “No. Can we leave? This thing is getting heavy.”

  He quickly reached for the luggage and plucked it out of her hands. It wasn’t that heavy for him. She looked up at him in frustration. Well good. He was just as frustrated. His long legs made her jog to keep up with him, so Drake consciously made an effort to slow down. Glancing down at her face, a splattering of freckles caught his attention. She was probably shorter than Shy who was maybe five feet three on a good day. This female was simply...adorable. He felt oddly protective of her as teen boys and full-grown men checked her. He growled his displeasure.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, looking up at him curiously.

  He got lost in her blue eyes and didn’t look at where he was walking—big mistake. He walked into the next set of doors causing him to bounce backwards. He was more stunned than hurt.

  “Oh my goodness!”

  “I…”

  “Here, let me take my suitcase back.”

  “No, I’ve got it. I’m fine. I was just distracted.” Distracted by your beautiful blue eyes, he thought to himself.

  “Which hover car is yours?” she asked as she opened the door for him.

  “The red truck.”

  She looked at him, then the truck. “Of course.”

  *****

  Jinx wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. Glancing up at Drake, she licked her lips. Damn, he was a well-built man. He was probably as tall as Vic’s six feet seven inches. She bet he had to duck to fit through most doorways. He was all muscles, and so yummy. Wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes framed a chiseled face to perfection, like a Greek statue sculptured for a woman’s fantasy.

  “Are you Decaros?” She had a thing for Decaros men. She fantasized about traveling to Decaros and dating one of their males. Full Decaros had those sexy horns that came out of their head when they were extremely angry, or extremely horny.

  “No, I’m half human half Palmedian.”

  “Oh.” She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.

  “Are you Avyrian?” he asked.

  She laughed, “No, I’m one hundred percent human. All five foot one and one hundred ten pounds of me.”

  Shit! He was twice her weight. He could crush her if he had sex with her. Why was he thinking about her and sex at all? He just needed to get laid. Maybe after dropping her off, he could swing by Lexi’s club and pick up a fuck mate for the night. That sounded like a solid plan.

  “Where are you staying?” he asked, finally pulling out of the parking lot of the shuttle port.

  “Little Bee’s motel.”

  He glanced at her incredulously, “Are you serious? That place is a dump and in one of the worst neighborhoods.”

  Jinx shrugged. “The hotel I booked had a fire while I was traveling here. They called me mid flight. Little Bee’s was the only thing I could book in such a short notice.”

  “Why didn’t you put a deposit down on an apartment?”

  She felt heat rise to her face at the tone of reprimand from him. “I was planning to get an apartment, but I want to check it out in person first and make sure that it’s close to where I’ll be working.

  He didn’t seem happy with her answers—too bad. This was the best she could do for now. She was fine with it, so that was all that mattered.

  They were quiet while he drove her to the motel. She took the time to check out her surroundings. Fin-Dieskau was known as a pleasure and vice planet. Many different species came there on vacation to visit. It was what Las Vegas used to be on Old Earth. Green spaces were carved out in the midst of the cities. Hover bikes and hover cars passed by, and the two moons were shining above. Fin-Dieskau was supposedly the liveliest place to live; Jinx’s excitement was renewed.

  He pulled into the parking lot but didn’t stop, just pulled right back out. “What are you doing Drake?”

  “I can’t let you stay there. Did you see the broken windows and the guy taking a piss on the side of the motel?”

  She had seen all that and it did fill her with fear, but she would have sucked it up and stayed there at least one night. “Where will I stay?”

  “You can stay the night at my place. I have a pull out couch in my apartment.”

  Jinx bit her bottom lip. She wasn’t sure this was a good idea. She had already felt attracted to him, even though Drake thought she was a teenager. Besides, they would be working. It might cause a problem.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Look, Vic asked me to take care of you, and that’s what I’m going to do. He would never let you stay at a dump like that.”

  “Okay, but I’ll look for an apartment first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “No problem.”

  Jinx felt butterflies in her stomach. She was spending the night with a perfect stranger, but at least he was a sexy as hell half Palmedian. What did she recall about Palmedians? They were extremely strong, very sexual, and had animalistic instincts. What all that meant, she had no idea, but she was about to find out first hand.

  Chapter 3

  What the hell was he thinking? He had never invited a female to his apartment unless he planned to fuck her all night long. Drake liked his privacy. He just couldn’t let her stay at that shithole. All his protective instincts had taken control, and now he had an unexpected roommate. It was just for one night. A sudden worry crossed his mind. Had he picked up his dirty clothes off the floor before he left earlier?

  Glancing over at her while he was driving, Jinx looked so tiny and delicate. She was biting her bottom lip, a very plump lip he noted. His body hardened wondering what her lips would taste like if he kissed her. What the hell was he thinking?

  “Mr. Miller—”

  “Drake.”

  “Drake. I don’t want to impose on you and your...girlfrie
nd or wife.”

  He couldn’t help but smile at her, digging for information on him. “You won’t be imposing and I’m single.” Single and ready to give you whatever you like. Get your head on straight Drake!

  “Oh.” Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. It only made her more adorable.

  Tearing his eyes away from her, he concentrated on pulling into his apartment complex. His usual parking space was occupied, which made him growl a little. He had to park further down, closer to where the construction was happening next door. Another apartment complex was going up next to his. Drake had been relieved to find out that he would only have to deal with all the construction noise for another month.

  Drake parked and turned the hover truck off. After he got out, he walked around the back and unloaded her suitcase. Jinx went to take it from him, but he shook his head. “I’ve got it. Come on inside.” He led her through the front lobby entrance, waving at the security guard at the front desk.

  “Mr. Miller, glad to see you’re back.”

  “Glad to be back, Harry.”

  The elevator door opened, and his neighbor Veronica with the long legs got out. He smiled at her. “Evening Veronica. Going clubbing tonight?”

  She threw her long straight blonde hair over her shoulders smiling at him. “Yes, Cole’s club is having a ‘til dawn’ special. You should come and spend time with me. It’s been forever.”

  “I wish I could. I just got back into town and I’m ready to hit the sack.”

  Veronica gave his body a once over lingering here and there. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  She gave a wanton smile then walked away. Drake always thought Veronica was beautiful, but he’d had her once a few years ago when she had come over and they got drunk. She was great in bed, but there was a coldness to her that made it easy for him to walk away. The older he got, the less time he wanted to spend with women like that.

  He punched in the numbers top level and glanced down at Jinx. He had almost forgotten that she was there. She glared at him before turning away from him. Women, he couldn’t figure them out.

  *****

  Jinx couldn’t believe he was flirting with that tall blonde right there in front of her. She wasn’t sure why that bothered her. Oh yeah, the look the blonde gave her made Jinx feel like she was two feet tall and ugly. She shouldn’t let what that woman thought bother her, but it did. It really bothered her that Drake seemed to forget she was even there. Jinx felt jealous and couldn’t understand why.

  She barely knew this guy, he was just picking her up for Vic. Besides, she may have to work with him from time to time; she shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. That was a bad idea. She wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship right now. Her mind was completely focused on starting this lifelong dream of hers.

  Knowing all this, it still hurt a little that he looked at her as a teenager. It was something that she had dealt with all her life. It wasn’t like she could suddenly grow five to six inches and develop a model’s body. Over the years, she had come to accept herself, finding things she liked about herself and building confidence in those things. If a guy couldn’t see what she had to offer, then he wasn’t the right guy for her.

  “Here we are,” Drake said, opening the door to his apartment.

  Jinx stepped into the dark room, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Then the lights flashed on as the technology automatically recognized movement in the room. It was so sudden and so bright it almost blinded her.

  Her first impression of Drake’s apartment was...a major bachelor pad. She stood still, turning her head left to right to take it all in. White walls and black leather couches, the empty pizza boxes on the coffee table, empty beer cans, and she wasn’t even sure what the dark spot on the carpet was. She would just have to keep her shoes on in this room.

  “Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to clean. I’ve been off world tracking a perp. This is the first time I’ve been home in days.”

  Jinx was being ungrateful. She had to find something nice to say. “It’s a big apartment, and we’re on the top floor. I bet you have a great view from the window.” She walked over to the window and pulled up the blinds. He didn’t have curtains. Of course it was too dark to really see anything.

  “On a good day you can see all the way down to the local park,” Drake commented, bending over to grab the pizza boxes and beer cans. He walked over to the kitchen and dumped everything in the trash. He went to the refrigerator and opened it up. “Are you hungry or thirsty? I’ve got...beer and water, and I can order you a pizza?”

  She wasn’t that hungry, “I had something on the shuttle flight. A glass of water would be good though.” Turning around she watched him as he searched for glasses, which he didn’t have.

  “Here you go.” He handed her a plastic red cup full of tap water.

  Their fingers brushed as she took the cup from him. Her heart was racing at his nearness; the slight touch sent electricity through her whole body. Her nipples tightened and her pussy felt a little slick. She took a step back from him, afraid he would sniff and tell she was aroused.

  “Um, so the couch is perfect for me to crash on.”

  “No, you can sleep in my bed; I’ll take the couch.”

  She shook her head not sure she wanted to sleep in a bed that probably had remnants of his previous sexual encounters. “I’ve imposed enough, I’ll take the couch.” She sat down and was surprised the couch was actually comfortable. It was a big leather piece with a button that let out the leg rests. “Wow, that’s nice.”

  He sat down next to her then drank from the bottle of beer. “Yeah, I got a good deal on this and it’s been great for watching sports.”

  “Who’s your favorite team?” she asked.

  “The Decaros Rangers.”

  “Me too. I saved up money to take my grandpa to one of the super play games and it was awesome. It was something that he had on his wish list. He had never been to a live game before and the super play was the ultimate of games for fans.” She smiled thinking silently.

  “I’m sure he loved it because he got to go with you.”

  She laughed, “It was interesting to say the least. The hot dog vendor got hit by a run away ball and had to be carted off by the paramedics. I did manage to get some of the players to sign a ball for him. When he died, my grandmother insisted I take the ball with me. It’s one of my most treasured items.” Why had she told him all that? He was just easy to talk to.

  They spent the next hour talking about her family and how she met Vic and Jagger. He shared that he had been raised by his grandmother so they actually shared something in common. She lost track of time until she yawned.

  “You must be tired.”

  “I could use a hot shower first. Where’s your bathroom?”

  “It’s the first door on the right down the hallway.”

  She opened her suitcase and took out her large men's t-shirt, fresh panties, a towel, and her tiny bottle of shampoo. Not sure what to expect when she entered the bathroom, she was a little shocked. It was immaculate; the shower could fit five people in there. What really had her flabbergasted was the amount of hair products lined up. There was shampoo, enhancer, conditioner, leave in conditioner, pre-rinse…her mind was boggled by all of it. It made her cheap dime store bottle of shampoo look ridiculous.

  The water turned on as soon as she stepped into the stall; it was even at the perfect temperature. Jinx groaned in pleasure as the water hit her tired body. She didn’t bring her own soap, planning to use the shampoo at the motel. She reached for his body wash. It smelled so good she couldn’t resist using it. Cupping her breasts, she imagined Drake’s large hands molding to her body. The thought of his large strong hands running all over her was so hot. Oh man, she had only just met Drake, but he had become her new sexual fantasy. Well, it wouldn’t hurt anyone, and she needed to relieve the tension.

  Decision made, she used one hand to reach down and rub her
fingers over her pussy lips. She was aching inside. Inserting a finger, she touched herself just how she liked it. Her other hand squeezed her breasts and pinched her nipples. She added another finger and lifted her foot up on the shower seat. It opened her up, allowing her to go in deeper.

  “Oh yeah,” closing her eyes, she pictured Drake’s cock pushing into her over and over, his lips on her shoulder and his teeth gently scraping her skin. She had a thing about nips on her shoulder blade. It wasn’t going to...take much. “Oh God!” Her hand left her breast to brace herself on the shower wall as she felt her climax hit her.

  It took a few seconds for her to calm from the shaking. When was the last time she had a release like that? Sadly, a while. Her boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend Steve, was a pilot and traveled a lot. He was much better than Rudy from when she was sixteen. Steve was a hard worker and had aspirations, legal ones that didn’t involve a gun.

  She had been dating Steve for two years, but the past four months had put a strain on their relationship. Especially when she told him that she planned to come to Fin-Dieskau to work for Vic. They had a major fight and she hung up on him. He showed up the day before she left and begged that she stay there so that they could work things out. He even brought a ring, intending to bribe her with a proposal.

  She would have said no immediately, but then he kissed her, heating things up and distracting her. Jinx stopped it before she gave into her needs. Steve used sex or emotional blackmail to get her to agree to things he wanted. She wasn’t going to let him do that to her again.

  Jinx told him that they needed to take a break from each other so that she could pursue her dream and they both could determine if their relationship had a future. He argued with her, tried to bribe her with a big fancy wedding then turned to threatening her that if she left he wouldn’t wait.

  “Fine, go to Fin-Dieskau but know that I won’t wait for you forever! Plenty of women want me I don’t have to take this!” he stormed out.

  He had left her emotionally drained and frustrated sexually. She was vulnerable to any kind of attention which was probably why she was responding so quickly to Drake’s presence.