Now that she had them back, she didn’t want to let them go.
Sammuel finally coaxed her into releasing him. He held her hands, kissing them. “Love, we can be with you every night during our journey there, but during the day we do not wish to undermine your status with the crew.”
She shook her head. “I can’t be this close to you now and not be with you.” Her heart couldn’t bear to let them go.
He kissed her. “Perhaps I can stay here during the day then. We can say I am learning about the ship’s systems and technological advancements.”
Ker agreed. “Excellent idea. You are not really needed on the other ship at this time. Caz can escort me back and forth at night.” Aine felt his knot recede. She reluctantly let him turn her over to face him. “Do not worry, love. Jarl is with us, he will help Caz.” He smiled. “A little political intrigue. I have never had a secret affair with a Dreadnought’s captain before.”
His playful expression started her laughing. So hard, in fact, she had to lay her head back down on his chest until she caught her breath, still hiccupping on occasion.
It felt damn good.
* * * *
Caz brought them breakfast. He’d already coordinated with Jarl and retrieved fresh uniforms for Sammuel and Ker. He left them alone to eat and shower, and before 0500 hours, all three were dressed and Aine felt the pang of good-bye even though Ker was only returning to the other ship.
He pulled her close, kissing her deeply. “You have made me so proud, Ki’ato. I would never wish do to anything to jeopardize what you have done, your reputation with your crew.” He squeezed her shoulder, then stepped back and snapped her a precise salute.
She automatically came to attention and returned it.
Caz escorted him from the cabin. Sammuel pulled her to him, then delivered a hard, stinging slap to her ass.
“What was that for?”
He smiled. “A reminder about your mouth. When this is over and we can take some time for the three of us, I have plans for you, Little One.”
“Like what?”
“Like tying you up in our bed and ravishing you so completely that you will understand how much we missed you.”
Okay, she already needed a new pair of panties because the ones she wore were totally damp.
“You said I can fly.”
“Any ship in our fleet you want, it is yours. And I have the rank to grant it.” He soothed his hands over her rump. “Though I am hoping when you see Master’s ship that you will think it a suitable match for your skills.”
She sensed his amused, teasing thought. “What do you have up your sleeve?”
He smiled as he released her. “Just wait. It is a surprise. One you will love, I am sure.”
* * * *
Caz snuck Sammuel out through his cabin after returning from taking Ker back to the Tav’rokian Might. The VIP cabin, fortunately located on the other side of Caz’s room and linked through another door, would provide adequate cover and not force her to have to explain an Act’huran Admiral and Ambassador sleeping in her quarters every night if anyone spotted them coming and going.
By 0600 hours, Aine sat on the bridge in her command chair and went over morning reports. Caz brought her coffee and hesitated before releasing it to her. When she looked up to see why, he winked.
She felt the grin crease her face and barely managed to contain her laughter.
He grinned back. Then he leaned in and whispered in Act’huran, “You’re smiling, sir. Please don’t scare the crew.”
That finished her off. She managed to disguise her laughter as a coughing fit. Caz hurried to bring her a glass of water, but the playful and barely disguised smirk on his face nearly set her off again.
She knew some of the crew situated at stations closest to her command chair suspected something off about her that morning.
Frankly, she didn’t care.
He finally left her alone, but with her triad restored she easily sensed Caz’s amused presence standing behind her.
A few minutes later, she felt Sammuel’s presence even before the bridge doors slid open and he entered.
Oh, boy.
If trying to maintain her Ice Queen persona had been rough with Caz, this would be a sure test of her will.
“Admiral Jorvis, it’s a pleasure to have you on board, sir.”
When she spotted the evil twinkle in his eyes she knew she was in trouble. “Thank you, Captain Lorcan. I am not disturbing you?”
“Not at all.”
“Might I trouble you for a tour of the bridge and ship? There were many things I wished to ask the other night, but we were in a hurry and did not have time.”
She hesitated, then stood. “Not at all, it would be my pleasure.”
He stepped back to allow her to pass, but his gaze on her body scorched her.
“My English is…rather rusty, Captain. I understand you are fluent in Act’huran?”
Oh…fuck. “Yes, I am.”
Ever helpful, Caz chimed in from his position a step behind her. “Only myself and the Captain speak Act’huran, Admiral.”
A slow, sexy grin spread across Sammuel’s face. “Excellent. Would you mind indulging me? I do not wish to miss any details because I did not properly understand.”
Aine took a deep breath and led him over to the life support system panel. “Not at all, Admiral.” She switched to Act’huran and pretended to point things out. “What the hell are you up to?”
Sammuel pretended to nod at the appropriate times and randomly pointed to things on the screen. “I simply wanted to make sure we could converse in private. That way I knew if I wanted to tell you about how hard you are going to get fucked by both of us tonight when we retire to your cabin, I could do so without being understood by others.” He turned to her, smiling.
Caz disguised his own fit of laughter with a coughing spell.
“What happened to not jeopardizing my status with the crew? You could say it mentally, you know.”
“Ah, but this is so much more fun, openly teasing and torturing you like this. Knowing that at this very moment you are dying to drop to your knees and suck my cock, and we are discussing it out in the open as if we are oh, say, discussing life support systems. Why do you think I wanted to make sure only you and Caz could understand me?”
Aine had to suck in a breath to stop herself from doing just that.
“Does the Admiral have any special requests for tonight?” Caz helpfully chimed in.
“Why, yes I do. I believe with your background if I were to ask you to prepare a very romantic dinner for Master and myself to feed to our t’wren after her long absence, you would know exactly what I ask of you.”
Caz grinned. “Yes, I believe I do. I will make sure everything is ready. Say, 2100 hours?”
“Perfect!”
Aine finally regained her senses—and remembered to speak in Act’huran. “What the hell?”
Sammuel leaned in as if listening to her explanation of another aspect of the life support controls. “You shall find out later, love. Until then, allow your mind to freely wander as far as it would like. I wish for you to be so wet you can barely stand it by the time we get you out of that uniform.”
* * * *
Too late. By the time they finished with their “tour” of the bridge systems nearly an hour later, Aine knew her panties were soaked through and hoped she didn’t have a visible wet spot on her uniform trousers.
She didn’t know how Caz managed to maintain a professional, although slightly amused expression. Her face felt supernova hot, her body almost trembling from the effort not to throw herself into Sammuel’s arms and beg him to take her right then and there.
They moved to the lift to continue their “tour.”
Once the door closed, Caz hit the stop button and turned to face the wall. “I’ll try not to listen,” he said, not bothering to conceal his amused tone.
Sammuel pinned her against the wall and kissed her, tongues and
lips mashed together, her arms draped around his neck as he fumbled with her trousers. She couldn’t kick them all the way off without removing her boots first. He didn’t care. He opened his own fly and spun her around, his cock sinking inside her drenched pussy from behind without any resistance.
“Do not come,” he growled in her ear as he fucked her hard and fast, finishing quickly, leaving her whining and desperate.
He leaned over her back and rested a hand on the lift wall for support. “No. You will wait until tonight. I want you so out of your mind with need by the time I let you come that I have no worries of ever losing you to the Confederation again.”
Caz snorted in amusement. “I have a feeling that won’t be a problem, sir.”
He withdrew and turned her around to face him. Nearly out of her mind already, she begged.
“Please, Sammuel!”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Feel free to drop to your knees, if you wish.”
She did, eagerly sucking him in, at least able to temporarily sate that craving. After a few minutes, Caz cleared his throat. “We should get the lift moving again, sirs.”
Sammuel laughed and grabbed her braid to haul her to her feet again. She clung to him on shaky legs as he helped her adjust her uniform. She didn’t want to let go of him ever again.
He tipped her chin to face him. “Love, as much as you want, any time you want, on whatever ship you desire. Master and I will follow you anywhere it is possible for us to go. Please, only go where we can follow?”
Beyond speech, she nodded. Then he kissed her again, tenderly, sweetly, nearly bringing her to tears from the emotions washing from him, the power of his gratitude that she was again in his arms. He stepped in for one last hug before he adjusted his own uniform and turned to Caz. “All clear.”
Caz turned around and frowned. “Not quite.” He stepped over, helped her smooth her uniform and rebutton her coat where they missed a hole and got it lopsided. “Better. Hair’s a mess but no time to rebraid it. I’ll do it at lunch.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re going to be impossible to live with now, aren’t you?”
“No, sir. My captain’s happy, that means I’m happy.” He grinned. “You are happy, aren’t you?”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Yes, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
* * * *
Throughout the course of the tour, Sammuel took her three more times, twice in the lift and once in the engine room. Caz escorted them back to the cabins at lunchtime. Sammuel disappeared through the VIP cabin door as Aine went through hers. Seconds later, he ran through the door leading from Caz’s cabin and tackled her onto her bed.
“Did you miss me, Ki’ato?” he growled.
“Immensely.”
“You are lucky I cannot knot with you like Master can,” he rumbled against her throat as his teeth grazed her flesh. “You would not leave this cabin for weeks.”
“You gonna talk or fuck?”
He sat up, grinning as he quickly stripped her of her trousers and boots. He didn’t bother removing his, just opened the fly before sinking his cock inside her again with a happy moan.
This time he didn’t move. “Oh, love, this is the best feeling in the world!”
She wrapped her legs around him. “Are you really going to make me wait all day?”
He started thrusting, his strokes perfectly gliding along every pleasure point as if no time had passed between them. “Oh, absolutely. Do you think you are the only one who has lived without passion all this time?”
She sat up and put a hand on his chest. “Wait. Stop, Sammuel.”
He looked down at her and fell still but didn’t withdraw. He frowned. “What?”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
He actually blushed. “Without you in our lives, neither Master nor I felt much desire. He would let me suck him for comfort for both of us, but neither of us felt…horny.”
Okay, now she felt even guiltier. “Sammuel, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I figured the two of you would move on and find someone else.”
He shrugged. “Past is past. We are together now.” He bumped his hips into her, reminding her of what they’d been doing. “I am trying to make up for lost time, love.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “Then by all means, Ki’ran,” she said. “Fuck my brains out.” Maybe she could hold on until later, until their little surprise.
He dropped his forehead to her chest and started thrusting again, hard and fast, until she felt his release and his body limply collapsed on top of her. “Oh, love,” he whispered. “Please never leave us again.”
She tried to wiggle her body against him, to rub her clit against his body even though she knew damn well he wouldn’t let her come yet. “I might not be the brightest bulb, but I do learn from my mistakes.”
* * * *
They quickly showered, then ate the wonderful lunch Caz prepared. She felt an appetite like she hadn’t had in years. While she ate, Caz stood behind her and rebound her hair.
“Try not to muss it up again before dinner, sir,” he teased. “You scared the crew enough with your happy mood this morning.”
Sammuel laughed. “Really?”
“Totally freaked them out. They’re wondering what the hell’s going on, what she knows that they don’t. She never laughs. She’s always a solid block of ice. The only time she ever smiles is during battle. The bigger the smile, the more dangerous the conflict.”
Sammuel nodded. “I can see where that would be disconcerting to them, brother.”
Caz finished with her braid and looked at Sammuel. “You’re a little disheveled, too. Want me to rebind it?”
“If you don’t mind?”
He grabbed the brush and stepped behind him. “I swore to serve our Master. I wouldn’t have asked if I minded.” After a moment he added, “Maybe I’ll grow mine out again.”
It struck Aine then that they all spoke Act’huran, and had been for most of the morning.
She really was home.
* * * *
Ker lay in bed, eyes closed, hands clasped behind his head, a smile on his face. He felt his t’wren nearby, both of them happy.
He felt happy.
This was his first pain-free day since her departure on the Calpisi Morgan years ago. He hadn’t slept at all the night before, too busy staring at her face, and at Sammuel’s happy expression. Nothing could blemish this perfection.
Well, it would be easier if they could all be together without worry, but he didn’t want to mar her final days with the Confederation. She worked hard to get where she was, and she deserved that respect.
Jarl entered with his lunch. “I hope you’re hungry, sir.”
“Very. Just put it there. I will eat shortly.”
“Are you all right, sir?”
He opened his eyes. “Absolutely.”
Jarl’s face brightened. “So it’s true? What Caz said?”
“Yes. You now have someone to help keep the three of us in line.”
Jarl breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear she’s back, sir.”
“You are not the only one.”
Ker finally ate, leisurely, savoring the taste of his food. Jarl had provided all his favorites. No doubt the fact that he had an appetite again would please their yeoman. When Jarl came to take his empty dishes, Ker told him to go to the Candola Ryke and stay there with them, to take care of them.
“What about you, sir?”
“I shall be over later tonight. It will be less suspicious if you are also there with the Admiral.”
“If you are sure?”
“I am. I plan to nap this afternoon. I have a long sleepless night ahead of me.”
Jarl laughed. “Very well, sir.”
Alone again, he returned to his bed and lay there, focused on his mates’ energy. So happy. Together again. Their energy flowed through him as strong as before their separati
on.
He napped.
* * * *
Hours later, something awoke Ker. Fearful at first, he relaxed when he strongly felt his t’wren’s energy. He sat up and glanced at the time. Almost dinner time, but he wasn’t hungry. He’d have Jarl or Caz bring him something later once over at the Candola Ryke.
His lips curled in a smile. Unless Sammuel had already made plans for them to welcome their wayward one back with a kam’cerak dinner.
He closed his eyes and focused on Sammuel. Yes, he felt the anticipation flowing through him.
Sneaky, willful man.
And how he loved him for it.
He threw the covers back, got out of bed, and started to cross the dim cabin and to the head when he heard a noise behind him. Before he could turn, a blow struck him across the back of the head and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Chapter Twenty-One
After lunch they returned to the bridge. Aine was pleasantly surprised to see Jarl, even more pleased that he and Caz seemed to hit it off. She’d worried the two yeomen might butt heads over her. Jarl took good care of her while on the Haltoran-dey. As good as Caz took care of her now, even if they didn’t have as close a relationship as she had with Caz.
Sammuel gave her a respite from the teasing, asking in English about their voyage. The Act’huran vessel was little more than a piggyback rider, their engines on only to provide life support, shields, and artificial gravity support to the smaller vessel while the Candola Ryke did the heavy lifting.
“We’ll emerge from our jump in two hours,” she explained. “The rest of our journey will be under normal trans-light and sub-light propulsion.”
“Why is that, Captain?”
She didn’t miss the twinkle in his eyes. He knew damn well why, but he enjoyed playing up to her, giving her crew a show, making her look good. She explained the territory to him, the radiation pockets that dotted this region and made jump travel risky. If their sensors were knocked out during a jump by one of those pockets, they would, literally, be flying blind and in danger of collision, and the jump engines couldn’t just be shut down like their other engines. Once a jump was engaged, it had to complete the cycle.
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