STORY EXCERPT

Kos and Rite stepped into the ship. Mitch followed them. He watched their every move. They kept their hands at their sides. Dean took them to the rec room. He pointed to the table and the two chairs around it. They had extra seating, but didn’t think they’d need it. This meeting shouldn’t take long.

“Now, tell us how you knew our location and what you’re after. Don’t expect us to believe you’re here to help. You work for another company. They wouldn’t approve.” Dean leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.

“We are here to help. The company we work for has nothing to do with it. We’re hunting a bounty for them. That’s all they care about. We found someone to hunt here because Grant asked us to be here to back you up.” Kos stopped near the table but didn’t take a seat.

Mitch couldn’t be happier that his mask hid his face. His mouth hung open. How the hell did they know his father’s name?

“‘Grant’ is supposed to mean something to us?” Dean’s voice sounded calm and void of any recognition of the name.

“You know your father’s name. You are also aware he’s the man who co-owns the company you work for.” Rite shook his head. “Don’t be such a suspicious ass. We may have enjoyed giving you a little trouble in the past, but this is something else entirely. We found you because he’s worried about you. Nothing more.”

“And why would you care if he’s worried?” Mitch voiced the question that kept popping into his head. His father had never spoken of Kos and Rite. How did they know him?

“Because he’s one of the few men I respect. Give me a moment. When you see who we are, it will explain everything.” Kos reached up to the fastenings that secured his mask.

That didn’t look like it could be ripped off. If he thought it necessary to secure it against being taken off by others, Kos would key the fastenings to his DNA or biorhythms. Mitch used a similar method on his mask.

From what Kos said, they knew these people by sight. Who could it be? Mitch couldn’t think of one person who had the build and short stature to be either of those two.

The person didn’t take off the mask like he expected them to. Kos grabbed the mask and pulled out and then up. A full head mask came with it. He hadn’t realized. With the mask on, it looked like the person had blond hair, but as it came off, the disguise became apparent. He frowned. The mask hid more than he’d thought. The stocking-like bottom finally cleared the head. A braid fell out first. The long black hair stymied him, but it could be why the person wore a hood. Some people would use long hair as a means of control on them.

The hood finally pulled free, revealing pale creamy skin. His gaze traced over soft curves of a delightfully rounded face. Recognition slammed through him.

“Brigitte!” Mitch took a step forward. He hadn’t expected to see her. Hell, he hadn’t known she’d started bounty hunting.

She had the training. Everyone in both of their families trained for the business, but she’d walked away from the Astral Hunters years ago. He looked at the person standing beside Brigitte. Since Brigitte stood there, the person beside her had to be Aileen. Most of the time, those two jumped into trouble together.

“Now, you know why your father thought we’d be interested in watching your back.” Brigitte put her mask down on the table.

“Is that Aileen?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Aileen removed her mask. “I knew if Dad worried, he had a reason.”

Mitch shrugged. He didn’t know what worried his father. They’d handled multiple captures before, but his father’s doubt in their abilities didn’t hold his attention at the moment. Brigitte had all of it with her mere presence.

“Yeah, seems he doesn’t think you two are working so well together lately. Plus, there are a couple of your marks he’s afraid are going to team up together. He wants you to have someone watching your back.” Brigitte caught Aileen’s mask as it sailed through the air.

He hesitated. He’d said a lot of hurtful things to her. Well, both he and Dean had. They’d been stunned and off-balance. They shouldn’t have believed her brother, Carter’s, accusation. He wished they could avoid the more awkward part, but they did need to apologize for giving her such a bad time.

“You said you had a bounty to hunt and you wouldn’t be stealing from us. Who are you after?” Mitch asked. Nothing like avoiding the issue, but he didn’t want to see the smile wiped away from Brigitte’s curved lips.

“Our mark isn’t your style. You go for the violent criminals. We knew the white-collar criminal we’re after wouldn’t be on your list. Part of why we picked her.” Brigitte shrugged.

“And the other part?” Dean asked.

“The fucking huge bounty.” Aileen grinned. “If we can get her, we’ll have a nice chunk to play with even after the company gets its piece.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“I made sure we tied up things on our end. We won’t be interrupted. I had a couple more checks to finish up when he decided we’d waited long enough. If it took him too long, I would have followed to help him,” Mitch said. With his body pressed against hers, she felt his muscles shift against her. “But you’re here and we don’t have to wait any longer.”

“Well, then take me to your room. I’m more than ready to enjoy the time with both of you.” She squeezed Dean’s hand and leaned back against Mitch.

Dean tugged. Brigitte stepped forward to follow his urging. She expected Mitch to release her, but his arms tightened and he lifted her off her feet. She clutched at his arms and laughed. Dean led the way, opening the door. Mitch followed. He stopped and lowered her to the floor, before turning her to face him.

“Stand still for us. We’ve got something planned for you.” Mitch’s hands cupped her shoulders.

His gazed bored into hers. She stared back at him, before realizing he expected a response from her. She nodded. He stepped back and began unfastening her shirt.

Dean moved in close. His eyes followed the ever-widening gap as her top opened beneath Mitch’s hands. When it hung loosely on her, Mitch pushed it over her shoulder. He dropped a kiss there as his hand traced the path of the sleeve’s descent down her arm.

Dean tugged the shirt down her other arm. His lips pressed to her neck. His teeth grazed and nipped. He guided the material downward until it fell free. His fingers skimmed up her arm. Her skin tingled, and she longed to reach for them. She held back. They wanted her to remain unmoving. She could give this to them. At least for a little while.

Standing half-naked before them made her feel vulnerable. The slightly cool temperature in the room seemed to sensitize her skin. As their mouths drew close to her skin, she felt the warmth of their breath, just before the press of lips or the scrape of teeth.

Dean trailed his fingers over her stomach. They smoothed and pressed over the flesh. His lips and tongue traced a path over her neck and shoulder. He seemed content to tease and torment the spot for a moment. Mitch’s mouth moved down her chest. She felt a press at the waistband of her pants. She glanced down and saw Mitch’s fingers working on the fastening while Dean’s hand continued to stroke her belly.

“Let us peel you out of these clothes and give your body the attention it deserves.” Mitch licked the slope of her breast.

Their gazes locked on her as if she was the most beautiful thing they’d ever seen. She would lose the battle at some point. She knew it. Their touch drove her mad with desire. At some point, she’d grab one of them and climb him if she had to.

“That would be great, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stand here while you kiss and stroke me. I long to hold you and make you as wild as you do me.” She glanced down at him and watched the smile spread across his face.

“You make me hungry simply by standing there, Britt. The trust you’re giving us and you letting us play makes me so hard I’d like to push you against the wall and fuck you right now.” Dean’s lips lifted, and he breathed the last words against hers.

“Why don’t you?” Her mouth went dry at the description. She’d love to have his cock driving into her right now. Her inner muscles clenched.

“We’re both taking you tonight, baby. Together. You’ll know how strong our desire is for you.” Mitch pushed the pants and underwear down her thighs.

He stepped away from her to take the last of her clothes off. She watched hungrily as he rose to his feet. He remained fully dressed. She felt a little wicked standing between them naked while they wore clothes.

Mitch’s lips returned to her breast. His tongue flicked over the hardened peak. Her back arched, pressing the flesh against his mouth. As breath feathered over the tip, she felt fingers brush across her thighs. She drew in a shuddering breath and glanced down.

Dean’s fingers danced across her pussy. His mouth pressed against her neck and his teeth scraped. His mouth moved up, and he nuzzled her hair away. Moist air puffed over her earlobe.

“We’ll show you how much you mean to us,” Dean said.

She moaned. He flicked his tongue over her earlobe.

“By the end of tonight, you won’t have any doubts about what we want.” Mitch ran his hand up her ribs. He cupped her breast, lifting it to his lips.

As Mitch’s lips closed over the peak, she felt a brush across her pussy. She tensed. The fingers pushed between the lips. Dean’s fingers stroked over her clit. Back and forth, they flicked over the sensitive flesh.