“No. Not with us. I’m not willing to give up my command of the Kismet.”
“What if I were to give up my career for you?”
Jo attempted to hold back the barking laugh that exploded from her, but failed miserably. “There are two reasons a non-Elitian born man joins the Galactic Consulate’s Military. Either you were forced into it, or you volunteered so your family would be fed. I can’t see how you could leave.”
Raiden stepped closer. The heat from his body was nearly overwhelming. Jo tilted her head and caught his golden-brown eyes that were afire with untapped passion. She knew this look. Jo had been victim to it many times before, and she was having a hard time reconciling what she ought to do with what her body wanted to do.
“You have no idea why I joined the GCM. There’s more to me than what you think you know,” Raiden growled as he leaned in.
Jo felt as if she plunged in the icy waters of Elpis’ northern ocean, and she found the strength to push Raiden back.
“You’re right. I don’t know you. Not really.” Jo took a few mind-clearing steps back from Raiden. “Are you done with your inspection now?”
“I haven’t even started.”
Twelve
“Then finish what you need to do, so you can get the hell off my ship,” Jo demanded.
This time the hurt was obvious on Raiden’s face. Jo felt a pang of regret at her tone, but she needed to get the GCM off her vessel and figure out what to do next before anyone figured out that she was harboring one of the most prized females in the Elitian systems.
“Look Jo, I…” Raiden raked his fingers through his hair again. The long locks on top sticking out at various angles made him look younger and vulnerable. “I need you to trust me, okay.”
Jo snorted and crossed her arms. “Why should I trust you? Our history? I can trust that you know what to do when I take you to my bed, but we have had minimal interaction outside of the bedroom. You are a damn Galactic Consulate officer.”
“I know,” he screamed, dropping all attempt at holding back. “Damn it, Jo. I know you’re intelligent enough to have noticed that I haven’t been inspecting your crew’s quarters at all.”
Raiden looked at her expectantly. Jo resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Did he expect her to jump into his arms for his graciousness? Of course she noticed, but the fact he didn’t inspect the crew’s quarters made her trust him less. She was sure it was some sort of ploy to get her to lower her guard.
At her silence, Raiden shook his head with a growl. “You think I’m using our history to trick you into something. Don’t you?”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”
“Dammit, Jo,” Raiden growled as he approached her. Jo backed away in step with him until her shoulders met the cool unforgiving metal of her wall. Instinct told her to reach for her weapon, but her silly heart faltered. It was her head that cast the deciding vote, and just as her fingers grazed the hilt, his hands were on hers. His grip was firm, but not harsh as he pushed her arms away and gripped her waist. “This isn’t a trick.”
His lips crashed into hers. For a moment it felt like the oxygen in Jo’s body had been violently sucked out and then immediately slammed back into her. The powerful reaction to his kiss left Jo breathless for only a moment before she opened to him and returned each forceful kiss with one of her own. This was why she kept coming back to Raiden. The raw attraction that zinged throughout her body when his lips were on hers and the way he knew exactly what she needed.
Jo reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling at the ends and eliciting a sexy groan that vibrated in his chest. He stepped closer, reaching under her knees and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed her against the wall. Raiden trailed kisses down along her jaw, stopping for a moment to nibble on the sensitive place behind her ear before making his way back to her swollen lips.
Raiden softly kissed each corner of her mouth, gently placed another on her lips, then pulled back just enough so Jo could see his expression.
“Can you tell me that is a trick? That we can be so attracted to each other, so well matched it must be a sham.”
“I can’t deny that when we’re together sparks fly, but that doesn’t mean your intentions toward me are good.” Jo pushed back from Raiden. She unraveled her legs and felt the tension in his fingers as he set her down. She noticed how it took him a heartbeat or two longer than necessary to let her go. He kept his gaze on the floor, his jaw clenched. She understood his reaction. It’s hard to stop a fire once it has been set and the flames fanned. “My ship. My crew come first.”
An aching tension built between them, and her muscles burned as she resisted the urge to move back into his embrace. Instead she stepped away. His smoldering eyes locked on her, and Jo had press to her thighs together to ease the ache. She had never before denied herself Raiden, and it was torture. Jo took a few extra steps and hoped the distance would cool the desire still burning in her core.
“One day I hope you will trust me.”
“Earn it and maybe I will.”
After a few tense moments of silence, Jo’s UAB beeped.
“Yes?” Jo growled.
“Captain, your presence is required on the bridge. Have you finished chauffeuring your inspector around?” Jo could hear the teasing lilt behind Haedus’s question. Under any other circumstance, Jo would probably appreciate the underlying humor of her situation, but stress and sexual frustration were fraying her patience.
“Aye. We’ll be there shortly,” Jo answered as she motioned for Raiden to leave her room by tipping her head in the direction of the exit.
He shook his head, not hiding the disappointment on his face before stiffening his spine and trudged toward the exit. Jo clenched her fists, pushing down the aggravation that threatened to boil over. How could he expect her to automatically trust him solely because they’d slept together?
Jo stomped through the corridor. Sure, they had fun together, and not everything had been sexual, but she couldn’t say that she understood him. Raiden slipped in beside her and gently grasped her wrist. She stopped and before she could protest, he pulled her into his chest, hugging her close.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered into her hair.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jo’s voice was muffled by the folds of his jacket.
“You had that look. Like you want to murder someone. I’m guessing, and tell me if I’m wrong, but you were thinking about me.”
“I was, and how do you know my murder look?” Jo should have pulled away and punched Raiden for touching her without invitation, but he smelled so delicious and his warmth surrounding her was calming.
“Remember that time on Hera Station, we were having dinner and that local started flirting with you?”
Jo leaned back to meet his eyes. “Yes. He kept brushing his hand against my ass, even after I warned him to stop. If I recall, you looked rather murdery yourself that night.”
“Yes, well, he was touching you. Am I supposed to enjoy watching another man fondle my date?”
“Date? That’s what we were doing? I thought we were fueling for the night’s festivities.” Jo smirked. She had forgotten that they had decided to start having dinner before their nightly activities after an earlier encounter. Raiden had been suggesting for months that they should spend time outside the bedroom together, and Jo had fought him until he finally wore her down. Besides, she should know more about the man she frequently slept with.
“Yes.” Raiden’s eyes darkened. “It took me a long time to convince you to have dinner with me. I didn’t appreciate the interloper, but I also know that you are your own woman and could handle him if you so chose.”
“So that’s why you glowered until I kneed his crotch.”
“I had never been so proud and turned on.”
“Wouldn’t that make you a sadist?”
“You know what I meant, Jo.” Raiden sighed, brushing a stray
strand of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear.
“I don’t know…” Jo teased.
Raiden beamed as he stepped away from Jo. “Better?”
“Yes.” Jo smiled. “I don’t feel like committing manslaughter anymore. Congratulations.”
Jo turned on the ball of her foot and resumed her trek to the bridge. How had Raiden calmed the fury that had been building inside her? The whole situation made her feel vulnerable, and that feeling was unacceptable. As they approached the door, she held on to that feeling of weakness, letting it remind her that Raiden was dangerous and she needed to be vigilant at all times.
She refused to let him have the upper hand.
Thirteen
Jo pushed past Raiden and clomped over to where Admiral Ruavu stood with Haedus, both staring stoically at the holoscreen.
“You called?” Jo asked as she pushed her way between the two men to see what was keeping their attention. It was nothing but vid feeds of the two crews congregating in the main hangar.
Ignoring Jo, Admiral Ruavu turned to Raiden. “Have you completed your inspection?”
“Yes, sir,” Raiden answered as he stepped behind Jo. She cursed herself for the desire to lean back into him.
“Well?” Admiral Ruavu half growled.
“Nothing,” Raiden answered as he stepped around Jo and stood next to his superior. Jo’s gaze danced between the two men. Ruavu looked angry, but Raiden’s emotionless face stared back at him.
“Nothing?”
“My inspection was thorough.”
Jo studied Raiden’s face as the two men stared at each other in an unspoken conversation. Raiden had spoken his lie as smoothly as he would talk to another person, with no quiver to his voice or twitch of muscle to indicate he had spoken untruthfully. How could she trust him when he lied so easily?
After another minute of silence, Jo decided to speak up. “Are you finished here, Admiral?”
Admiral Ruavu blinked a few times as if he was breaking from a daze before turning to finally acknowledge Jo. His lip rose in a small sneer as he spoke, “Yes. We found no foul play, but the containers received extensive damage and Advisor Eltanin is requesting a military presence to remain on the Kismet as an extra precaution until you have completed your contract.”
Shit. Panic pulled at her throat, but Jo knew that if she gave in to the sensation, she would condemn herself and her crew to the same fate as the containers. She let the image of her crew being ejected from the ship into a star linger long enough for the anger to boil just beneath the surface.
Casually resting her hand on the hilt of her blazer, she narrowed her eyes at the admiral. “You are testing my patience. I have accepted your inspection graciously and have kept my side of the bargain with Advisor Eltanin.” Jo lied, noticing but not caring that her voice carried the same deceptively smooth tone as Raiden’s had. “I don’t appreciate having your men on my ship now, and the idea of you leaving a single man behind makes me feel a little murdery, Admiral.”
Jo heard a soft chorus of snickers from her crew, and as she scanned their faces, she had to fight the urge to smile with them. Raiden’s lips quirked, but if she hadn’t been looking at him, Jo would have missed the minuscule movement before he smoothed his features. When one of the snickers morphed into a coughing laugh, causing the scowl on the admiral’s face to deepen, she couldn’t help the slight curve of her lips.
“Remove your hand from your weapon, Captain,” Raiden demanded. Jo’s small smile melted as she registered Raiden’s command. His voice was tinged with anger and a promise of a slow death. It shocked Jo to her core. She had never heard such malice come from someone she considered a friend. At the very least that what he was to her—a friend and sometime lover. They never shared secrets or had long conversations about life, but he always had given her the comfort she needed. Trust issues aside, she never expected to hear him speak that way to her.
Raiden had stunned her to silence, and while her mind raced to explain away the hurt in her heart, her crew had gathered behind her. Unable to look at Raiden, Jo turned to Sky. She had taken up position on Jo’s right with her arms hanging loose and her fingers twitching over her twin blazers attached to her hip. Haedus was on her left. His massive arms crossed, pulling his shirt tight against his bulging muscles. With the bright red scar running down his face and the menacing smile he was throwing at the GC officers, Haedus looked as murderous as she had felt.
A barking laugh echoed throughout the bridge. Jo didn’t have to turn to know it was Admiral Ruavu, but she turned anyway. “Raiden, boy. You have the entire crew riled up and got their captain to obey you.”
Jo flicked her gaze down, and sure enough, she had removed her hand from her weapon without realizing it. When she lifted her eyes, a quick flash of emotion from Raiden gave her pause. It almost looked like he was sorry.
“She didn’t even realize it,” Admiral Ruavu continued with a chuckle. “I was going to have my commander stay behind, but he couldn’t even manage their security officer. No, I think it would be best if you stay behind instead.”
“I’m at your command,” Raiden replied with a fist to his chest.
Jo stood there, unable to move as the admiral transferred files from his UAB to Raiden’s. Anger simmered on the surface. She was furious at the circumstances that led to her ship being boarded, and that didn’t end with Raiden’s involvement. However, a significant part of her was happy that it was Raiden who had been left behind. He had lied to his admiral for her, and they did have a history. A nervous fear simmered at the core of her turmoil. She feared for her crew. For what would happen if the military corporation and Eltanin discovered that Jo had not only opened the crates, but removed the woman from their cargo. For what she would have to do if Raiden betrayed them.
“Everything is in order,” Admiral Ruavu announced. “Captain, this setback will count against your timeframe, so I suggest you resume your course immediate while your people continue with repairs. Advisor Eltanin does not like delays in his schedule.”
“That will be no problem,” Jo replied with as much acceptance as she could muster. Which wasn’t much. She was more than ready for the GC to be off her ship.
The admiral dipped his head in response before marching off the bridge. Before his men could follow, Jo met Sky’s gaze and tipped her head after the admiral. Sky understood the non-verbal command to follow him. Practically gliding on top of the ground, Sky stepped in line beside the Pursuer’s commander, surprising him enough to slam into another officer. Jo and her crew snickered as he visibly shook until they were out of sight. He would be wise to fear Sky.
Jo ordered the crew through the comm to continue their repairs while she threw glances between the security feeds and Raiden. He had remained in the same spot, looking both fearsome and cocky with his eyes riveted on Jo. Watching the slow procession of the GC’s men to the docking bay irritated her like an itch she couldn’t scratch.
“Docking bay is sealed. Equalizing atmosphere now,” the AI announced.
Jo rounded on Haedus. “Start a detailed security sweep while the crew is repairing the hull. Use the internal and external sensors. I want to know if any of those soldiers left anything behind.”
Haedus nodded before returning to his console. Jo stared at Raiden, unsure what she was going to do with him. No matter what her body said, they couldn’t have the same relationship as before. It was too dangerous to lose any control. Her crew depended on her.
Jo sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. None of that would matter if Raiden found out what was hiding in her father’s safe. With her gaze firmly locked on Raiden, she typed out an urgent message to Sky on her UAB. Jo needed to get away from the bridge.
Raiden took a step toward Jo, but stopped when the bridge door swished open and Sky glided inside. The tension melted from Jo’s shoulders instantly at Sky’s arrival.
“Sky. Show our guest to a room and make sure he has time to settle in without i
nterruption.” Sky stared at Jo for a moment before she nodded. Jo smiled as understanding smoothed the questioning wrinkles in Sky’s forehead.
Without another word, Jo turned her back on Raiden, ignoring the way his voice sounded both irritated and desperate when he called out her name.
Fourteen
Jo raced back to her quarters. Luckily every hand was busy either running security sweeps or repairing the damage from the skirmish to notice their captain running through the corridors.
Once in her room, she activated the security lock barring anyone without the access code from entering or exiting her room. Jo didn’t know this woman, and until she had a chance to figure her out, there was no chance in hell she would let her loose on her ship. The risk of some spoiled Elitian debutant disarming her and going after her crew was laughably low, but Jo decided now wouldn’t be a good time to indulge her natural recklessness.
She was growing as a captain already.
With one hand on her blazer, Jo released the lock on the safe and swung the door wide open, stepping just inside the threshold. The woman was curled in on herself in the corner, shaking fearfully. This was exactly how Jo expected the chancellor’s daughter to behave. For a moment, Jo felt pity for the poor soul, but the moment passed once the woman’s cyborg eyes swirled in a series of psychedelic turns before they stopped into narrowed slits on Jo.
“Did you just scan me?” Jo growled.
“I… uh… yes,” she answered sheepishly. “It’s an automatic response to fear. I’m sorry.”
Jo understood. She really did, since her entire left leg was cybernetic and sometimes the programming that comes with prosthetics couldn’t be changed or even hacked, but that didn’t mean she liked it. Jo struggled to smooth out the sneer that started to curl on her lips.
“Get up,” Jo growled as she stepped back from the safe.
The woman scrambled from her seated position like any other person in her situation, but once standing, she brushed off her gown and smoothed out every wrinkle with the leisure of someone who was used to being in charge. Jo couldn’t help the sardonic grin as it unfurled slowly. This woman was going to hate being on Jo’s ship.
As We Rise: Rogue (As We Rise Saga Book 1) Page 8