“Oh! I'm coming,” she groaned, feeling her body crest and begin to quake with release once more.
At that, he changed the rhythm and tempo once more, driving his cock into her as he had when he'd brought her to explosive release before, hard, deep, fast. It was the impetus she needed to push her over the edge. Her climax was harder even than before, exploding moltenly through her core. She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the gasping cries of ecstasy she couldn't contain.
He leaned toward her, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he was caught up in his own culmination, shuddering with the force of his release.
Breanna felt so drained she thought she might have melted into a puddle if he hadn't been holding her so tightly. Weakly, she draped her arms around his neck, gasping hoarsely as she struggled to catch her breath.
How long she clung weakly to him she had no idea, but eventually her heart returned to a more normal rhythm and she could draw a decent breath without struggling for it. In time, her focus moved beyond the two of them to the room around them, and the heat from their vigorous sex cooled on her skin.
She shivered, withdrawing, emotionally as well as physically.
When Caleb pulled away to look at her, she stared back at him, trying to decide how he felt about what they'd just done, seeking a clue of her own feelings. She saw that he was wary, as well. Some of her dismay must have shown, however, for after a moment, his expression altered subtly.
Loosening his hold on her, he stepped away, concentrating on adjusting his clothing. Embarrassed now by her lewd display, Breanna focused on adjusting her own clothing.
Her thighs and pussy were sticky from their sex play. The musky smell of their orgasms lingered in the air around her, eliciting a quake of residual desire deep inside her. It would be an uncomfortable reminder of her breech of conduct.
She'd crossed the lines and fucked an enlisted man. It would've been bad enough if he'd been a fellow officer, but this would be looked upon as an abuse of power and position. It didn't matter that he'd been perfectly willing—as eager as she was. In the eyes of the law, it was a clear cut case of sexual abuse by a superior officer.
She hadn't just been fucked. She was really fucked.
* * *
Chapter Nine
Breanna stumbled blindly out of the kitchen, her eyes filling with unshed tears. How could she have been so stupid? She had goaded him into and she knew it. If she had let him go when he had first tried to it would never have happened.
Deep down, she'd known she wanted him desperately. She should have known the only thing that could save her from herself was distance. Instead, she'd initiated an intimate conversation.
Why had he chosen to humiliate her in such a way, encouraging her to unburden herself, demanding it for the sake of everyone under her command, and then taking advantage of her vulnerability when he saw she was in no condition to defend herself? Only because she hadn't fallen over herself when he'd thrown an interested glance in her direction?
Finally, she found her small pallet and plopped down on its thin surface, wiping her eyes with her palms. She despised the fact that he'd gotten such a rise out of her. She should never have told him anything. Doubtless by morning they'd all know—and very likely about her misconduct, as well. Everything she'd worked so hard to cover up would unravel—the career she'd worked so hard to build would go down tubes.
She'd just have to confront him about it before he had a chance to ruin her, she decided.
Settling beneath the thin coverlet, she closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, desperately reaching for the elusive rest and oblivion she longed for. Yet it remained frustratingly out of reach as she relived everything that had transpired between them over and over, searching she finally realized for something that would give her some hope that she'd misjudged Caleb's silence in the aftermath.
She could think of nothing that indicated he had felt one ounce of empathy toward her, any feeling at all beyond the lust they'd shared.
She would never let anything like that happen again.
But how could it have had such humiliating, menacing implications when it had felt so right? Had he been as involved as she had been or was it just in her head that he might have enjoyed it as much?
Maybe he had just enjoyed getting a rise out of the ‘ice queen'.
* * * *
“So ... what happened between you and the ice queen last night?” Angus asked nonchalantly as he sipped at the hot bitter liquid in his cup. Luis sat on the counter close to where the giant stood, barely concealing the grin on his face.
“Yeah man. Tell us all the juicy details,” Luis said, elbowing Angus in the side.
Caleb groaned and arched his back, his joints popping as he did so. He felt like shit. He hadn't slept well last night and didn't want his friends to know why. Breanna was standing across the kitchen, preparing her own breakfast.
Though their questions had been quiet, he knew she could hear every word they said. Her back had slightly straightened at their probing questions. He didn't know what she thought of him now, probably hated him, but he wasn't going to give her any more reason to despise him than he already had.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where the hell did you get the idea that I had done something?” He watched Breanna, satisfied when she relaxed somewhat at his response.
“Well ... uh ... We just thought—you're acting particularly pissed off today, and she's like an iceberg, so me and Luis decided something must be going on between you two,” Angus said, grimacing as he drank more of the coffee. It tasted bad but you couldn't get it anymore and he was determined to drink as much of it as he could while he still had the chance.
“Yeah. I always get like that after me and my lady have a fight. If you know what I mean?” Luis winked at him.
“Well she ain't my ‘lady’ and I don't want you two yahoos walking around thinking she is. Okay? Why don't you guys just go away and leave me alone for a little while."
Luis and Angus exchanged a look and straightened up to leave him. They weren't accused to seeing Caleb in such a foul mood, but figured there was a first time for everything, and it was usually best to leave someone alone when they were in a foul mood. “Whatever you say man."
Damn them for being so observant. Was it that obvious that he was miserable? He'd like to think not.
It was time he stopped thinking about that anyway. Time to deal with Hunter. He looked around the kitchen then at the other squad members. Something was wrong, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was at first.
The realization struck him like a punch to the solar plexus. His scanned the room again in disbelief. Why hadn't he noticed earlier?
Caleb jumped off the counter, landing lightly on his feet. Strode purposefully toward the door that led from the kitchen into the cafeteria, knowing even before he went through it what he would find.
The cafeteria was empty. He checked the five foot wide barrier/alarm they had constructed from the crumbled debris. It was still perfectly intact.
Damn it! He should have questioned Hunter when he'd had the chance. Caleb kicked at the debris, cursing himself for his stupidity. At the noise, the other members of the squad rushed out, weapons ready for possible attack.
“What are you doing?” Breanna asked, relief evident in her voice when she discovered it was him who had caused the commotion and not something else.
“They're gone God damn it,” he gritted out, annoyed that no one else had noticed.
“What? Who's gone?” Breanna asked. She looked around at the group surrounding her and Caleb.
“Hunter and Osborne."
* * * *
Keith Hunter trained his weapon down the stairwell. Behind him, Osborne followed his lead as they proceeded slowly into the darkness.
“It's got to be here somewhere. They said it would be,” Hunter whispered.
Osborne grunted in response, disbelieving.
They had followed their orders to a
tee, except for one ‘mishap', but they had been prepared to expect anything. It was too bad Zane had been killed, but there was nothing that could be done about that now and they were better off without him anyway. He was too stupid to have played the part for long. He would have slipped up and given them away sooner or later. It was probably a good thing that he had been killed. It saved them the trouble of having to do it later.
Hunter stopped in the dimly lit corridor at the bottom of the stairwell. They were in the bowels of the ship now. Examination of the bridge had yielded nothing and, truthfully, he had expected as much. No one would be stupid enough to hide it in such an obvious place as that. He'd been pissed, though, to discover it hadn't been where it was supposed to be, in the labs one level above them. He hadn't actually expected it would be, but he'd been damned hopeful and figured one never knew when you'd luck out and things would turn out just as you'd hoped. Now they were going to have to waste time hunting the damned thing.
He checked his watch. “Shit ... it's almost time for them to be up. We've got about one hour to find it and get back before they find out we're not there,” Hunter whispered.
Osborne grunted again.
Damn if it didn't irritate the hell out of him what a pig the furry man was—almost as bad as Benson. He shouldn't let it bother him though, he decided after a moment. They'd be outta here soon enough. Home free.
Osborne quickened his pace, taking the lead. He didn't like being down here. God only knew where that thing was. It could be anywhere—and they expected them to bring it back. He didn't want to even think about what it would look like let alone to have to touch it. It was bound to be horrible—anything that could get rid of that many people had to be. He shuddered at the thought. They had been looking for hours and still hadn't figured out where all those damn bodies were. Nothing was worth this.
“Osborne,” Hunter let out a fierce whisper and stopped.
Osborne turned to see what the red head wanted. “What?” he whispered in response.
Hunter pointed at his ear and then at the corridor ahead of them, indicating for him to listen. Osborne craned his head in the direction indicated. He jerked and brought his weapon up as he heard the familiar raspy clicks scraping almost noiselessly on the floor not fifteen feet in front of them. How Hunter had heard them he didn't know, but he was glad he had.
Hunter crouched low, bracing himself for the attack. He listened for the clicks, but they had stopped as if it had sensed they'd heard and was now planning a different tactic to ambush them. His head pounded with each heartbeat, as if his heart was located there instead of in his chest.
Cool air brushed lightly over the two tensely waiting men, carrying with it a hint of ... what? ... danger ... excitement ... fear? Or maybe all three. Hunter felt the achy pounding of his heart and head slowly subside as each breath of air caressed his heated body, stroking and cooling him as it sighed lazily by. He looked slowly at Osborne who seemed to be affected much the same as himself.
The breezes felt almost ... sensual ... like a woman, a living, breathing entity . Hunter sighed gustily as the light touches became heavier, like hands moving over his face, his arms, his body.
It felt as if something were pulling him forward. He didn't want to go in that direction, but going back forced the breezes to release him. He didn't want that. It felt too good. As he moved forward the light caresses became more solid. The two men walked slowly forward as each wave of energy became stronger.
Hunter closed his eyes. Reaching out with his senses he could almost believe there was a woman there, running her hands over his body in slow deliberate circles. He was walking faster now, the danger ahead completely forgotten. Nothing but the pleasure filled his thoughts, consuming his mind.
It was almost painful now. Breathing became more difficult. He was choking, but he didn't care. It was so good ... so damned good. Was this what it was like for the others? The one thought lingered briefly in his mind before it was clouded out by the warm, enveloping darkness of oblivion.
* * * *
The squad searched the barrier for signs of how Hunter and Osborne had left but couldn't find any, not that that mattered much anyway. What was important now was to find out where they were and what they were up to. Breanna stroked her chin thoughtfully. They were barely up and day had already been as full of surprises as the previous one.
It seemed obvious Caleb had been right about his suspicions that Osborne and Zane had been working with Hunter to sabotage their mission. Still no idea of why, but it was only a matter of time. Once they laid their hands on the pair, they'd have some answers, and very likely a way off the ship, as well.
She glanced at Caleb on that thought. It seemed as if she'd been wrong about him. He'd had the perfect opportunity to divulge all her dirty little secrets and he'd passed it up, but she couldn't be easy. She couldn't dismiss the possibility that he just hadn't wanted to do it right in front of her face. A lot of people preferred back stabbing. That way, they had deniability. They could insist that someone else had discovered it and told.
She needed to have a serious talk with him, but that was out unless they could find some time alone, away from prying eyes and ears.
Dismissing her personal concerns for the moment, she focused on the business at hand. “OK people, let's form up,” she called out to the squad, which was rapidly dwindling in size—ten total, herself included.
They glanced at each other, but moved up willingly enough.
“I don't think we're going to have much luck finding out what happened to them in here,” Breanna said. “We need to check the ship, search out every possibility. We have no choice but to pair up."
“Yeah, but Captain ... Look what happened last time we split off into pairs. Somebody got killed. What if it happens again?” Angus asked.
Ordinarily, she would have instantly called a man down if he questioned her orders, but these were not ordinary times. “I know, but we're running out of options. We need to find Hunter and Osborne as quickly as possible to find out what they know. They obviously know something or they wouldn't have left."
“I always thought they was up to no good, little pissants. Prob'ly let Io go too,” Ahmad muttered, ignoring the fact that until now he had never suspected anything of either man.
“Well, let's get a move on then. We'll all head over to the bridge to find a layout of the ship. It's bound to be easier to search it with a map. After that, I want one group on each level. Caleb, I want you to go with me.” Angus and Luis exchanged a glance when they heard her request Caleb as her partner.
* * *
Chapter Ten
Amy Clayborne bit her lip in frustration at Breanna's words. She had hoped she would get a chance to speak with the woman early on so that she could confront Luis later when they prepared for camp. She wouldn't get to speak with her for hours now.
Maybe she should still try, she thought as she walked hesitantly to where Breanna was preparing to leave. The captain looked anxious. Not that she could blame her. They had to go searching through the ship after those two jerks, so she probably wasn't feeling the best she could right now.
Amy stepped back a space when she saw Breanna look angrily at Caleb, who was speaking in low tones. Maybe now wasn't the best time after all, but she didn't think she could wait.
She walked behind the taller, dark-haired woman and tapped her lightly, shyly, on the shoulder. “Uh ... Captain."
Breanna swung around. “What? Oh, Amy.” Breanna's face softened when she saw the petite blonde. She seemed like a genuinely nice person and, in Breanna's opinion, they were a rarity. “What's up? Did you have a question about what you're supposed to do?"
Amy hesitated a moment. “No. I just had something I wanted to talk with you about."
“I'm really busy right now. If it's quick, I can spare a minute, but if not....” Breanna shrugged her shoulders.
“Well ... I guess it could wait. You will talk to me later though, right?"
> “Sure. Later. But Amy,” Breanna grasped the shorter woman's shoulder as she turned to leave. “..be careful today. I don't want anything to happen to anymore of my squad, alright?"
Amy bobbed her head in agreement. “Don't worry about me. Angus is my partner and there's no way anything could touch him. But ... thanks for the concern.” She left then, feeling better even though she hadn't solved anything. At least the Captain was concerned for her. That meant she cared, and if she cared, she could help her.
Amy walked to where Angus stood waiting impatiently. He frowned menacingly down at her.
“Are you ready now?” he demanded in his booming voice. He didn't like to be kept waiting when there were important things to do—not that he really wanted to find Hunter and Osborne. He just wanted to know what they were doing.
“Sure thing Hon!” Amy said, chuckling when he turned red at her expression. She couldn't wait to talk to Captain Delaney. Everything would be okay now. She just knew it.
* * * *
They were alone now. The others had left to begin their search a short time before. Unfortunately, the moment she discovered that they were, Breanna's nerve deserted her. It suddenly seemed like a much better idea to simply pretend nothing had happened. Caleb had certainly seemed at great pains to do so.
The trouble was, she wasn't certain if that was only because the others were around or because he'd considered the inadvisability of pursuing a matter as potentially devastating to both of their careers as their lapse was.
The search for maps had effectively distracted her in any case. She sat before the main console, resting her head on her palms. “I just don't understand. The lab isn't marked here on the map. I can't figure out why it isn't."
Caleb studied the layout of the ship over her shoulder. “If there was ever one on board it would be marked in the plans. They can't just wipe it out. Maybe there just wasn't one."
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