by Autumn Dawn
It was Sesame’s turn to make a rude noise. “Yeah, and I’m likely to be voted Galaxy’s Most Eligible. Can you give us a hand today, Quadril?”
If Skye had thought the women had worked hard before, it was nothing compared to the energy they now poured out. They were everywhere, into everything. Nothing was safe from their quest for efficiency. Consoles were overhauled. With Quadril’s help sections of the engine were stripped and reassembled with the speed of a racing pit crew. Quadril even managed to stop cringing when one of the women dug around in his beloved engine.
Most of the time.
With all that increased industry, it was no surprise that something had to give.
Jaide was on the bridge when it happened, running a diagnostic on the weapon’s system with Skye. “Engine alert! Excessive pressure” the computer screeched.
Jaide didn’t need to hear any more. She was sprinting for the engine room with Skye and Quadril right behind her before the sentence completed.
She was too late.
Just as she reached the shut down and threw the switch, a surge of power blasted through the engine, exploding the new component they’d spent so much time installing. Jaide’s face caught the brunt of it.
“Hold still.” Skye grabbed her good shoulder, avoiding the burns covering her other shoulder and parts of her arm. “You’re lucky you flung that arm up. Eyes take a long time to regenerate.” His hands were steady and his voice calm, but the set of his jaw spoke of his tension.
Jaide glared at him and ducked away as he tried to treat the burn on her forehead and cheek. “A week’s worth of work lost, and you call that lucky?”
Since she continued to avoid his hand, he grabbed the back of her head, holding it steady. “Be still,” he warned her sternly when she tried to squirm away. He brought the damp, medicinal smelling gauze to her cheek and began to cleanse the raw wound. It was all he could do not to think about how much worse it might have been.
“It’s my fault,” Quadril said grimly. He was covered in smoke residue from putting out the fire. “I was the one who did the welding.”
Jaide started to shake her head but couldn’t. “We don’t know that. It could have been-probably was-my new design. I knew I should have widened that aperture. Sesame will know after she’s done looking things over in there.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Doesn’t matter, anyway. It’s still a lot of hard work gone up in smoke.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Skye told her, his deep voice huskier than usual. His insides still shook from the scare she’d given him. “We can fix an engine. There isn’t much we can do for a dead body, though. You’re lucky to be alive.” The silence in the room was a testament to that. The ugly burns to her face would heal, but he wouldn’t soon forget this close call. None of them would.
“You’re not taking any more chances,” he said, laying down the law. “You’re going to slow down and take more time on this. This vengeance of yours isn’t worth dying over.”
She hissed in a breath as he sprayed her face with cool antiseptic. Even though he’d given her a pain blocker, it was still slightly sensitive. “It might help if we land this thing. We need at least a week on the ground to complete the modifications. Besides, you’re the ones in the hurry, remember?” When he said nothing, she mumbled, “There’s something else. We’re coming up on Tantalus, and I....need to pay off a creditor.”
Skye’s face smoothed out, and a subtle tension came into his supporting hand. Tantalus was famous as a pleasure planet. Not all of the pleasures of which were wholesome. “Would this be one of the debts your brother accrued with your credit?”
Jaide hunched her good shoulder at the deadly note in his voice. “Don’t badger me about it, all right? Unlike you I haven’t got a warship at my back, or the connections to keep these guys off my tail. Much as I hate it, I have to pay them.”
“You seem to forget where you are,” he answered with cool confidence.
“Don’t get any bright ideas,” she warned him. “Once you’re out of the picture they’ll be right back at my door, only this time they won’t be happy. Your interference will only make it worse for me, and I’ll still have to pay.”
Skye slid his hand down to rest at her waist as he moved on to her shoulder. His touch caused a noticeable increase in her respiration. Leaning forward, he murmured in her good ear, “I could give you a more lasting connection with my name, were you agreeable.”
She shivered.
Chills raced down her spine from his soft breath, so close to her skin, and her stomach tightened. What did he think he was doing, bartering with her like this? Her teeth clenched, drawing the scorched skin tight. “Do I need it tattooed on my forehead?” she said, making certain Quadril and Lore, who’d just stopped by to check on her, could hear her clearly, only too willing to embarrass him in kind. “The only thing of mine for sale is my wrench, Drac. Everything else is off limits.”
“Who said anything about buying or selling?” He controlled it, but she could tell he was angry. “I don’t deal in commerce.”
Finished with her shoulder, he wrapped a bandage on it, securing the edges. Then he turned on his heel, leaving her to deal with her confusion.
She reviewed their conversation. What was he mad about? He’d made a pass at her, hadn’t he? Surely she wasn’t so dim witted that she couldn’t figure out when someone was hitting on her. The way he’d touched her, breathed in her ear....what else would they be but an attempt to get her into bed? Besides, hadn’t he played that game with her once before? Why should she fall for it again?
It hadn’t taken long for her to realize that Skye had been toying with her the night they’d danced. It’d had nothing to do with her and everything to do with being dockside after a long stint in space. He’d been venting steam like everyone else. Hadn’t she seen often enough how men changed once their feet hit dockside? That night had been nothing to him, which was good, because it had meant nothing to her.
Really.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Lore scowled at her.
Jaide looked away. “If I’d slept with every man.…” She shook her head. “I’ve seen what happens to women who sleep with one of the crew. Next thing you know, everybody expects them to romp with them.” Old memories darkened her eyes. “Some of them get really nasty when you say no.”
“And you think we would?” Quadril snorted in disgust and walked out.
Eyes snapping with equal insult, Lore suggested, “Maybe you should make certain of what he’s asking before you turn him down next time.”
“What are you talking about? You heard him! What else would he have meant?”
He raised his brows in mockery. “As I said, ask him, and listen next time.”
A wave of uneasiness curled her toes. A pinprick of an idea flashed in her mind, only to be immediately blanketed before her conscious mind could examine it. Don’t get stupid on me, Jaide, she cautioned herself. You know better than that. That idea had never entered his head, and it wasn’t going to enter hers, either. Still, her fingers curled around the table edge. Suddenly, she found herself wanting the Seti.
Wanting it bad.
She glanced at Lore, who watched her from gleaming, slitted eyes as golden as the ring in his ear. Even his short curls seemed to hold the glow of Draconian displeasure. Still, Seti was a Draconian introduction, and just maybe.…
Clearing her throat, she inquired, doing her best to sound only mildly interested, “So....is there another herb that works like Seti? Something non-addictive?”
An expression of fury unlike any she’d ever seen crossed the mild tempered Lore’s face. She gulped at the discovery that Draconian eyes really did glow as if lit from within when riled. Spit!
These Draconians could be downright spooky.
Still glaring, Lore straightened from the doorway. His eyes flicked her body once, full of contempt. “Someone ought to just tie you up and deliver you to his bed,” he snapped, shocking her into a sp
utter. “You have enough insecurities to power this ship but not a grain of common sense to even them out. Why don’t you go do something useful with your time and learn something about the man, instead of trying to break the speed of time? You’d save us all a great deal of trouble.” Then he, too, strode out, leaving her shaken and more than a little bewildered.
What was it with these guys? Was this one of those incomprehensible man things she’d somehow snarled herself in? All she was trying to do was protect herself, and they acted as if she kept committing some grievous sin. Worse, they all behaved as if they possessed some superior insider knowledge that she ought to grasp, yet no one was forthcoming with the details. How was she supposed to play the game if no one explained the rules?
Well, there was always avoidance, she consoled herself, easing off the worktable. She couldn’t be baffled by that which she avoided. Almost as soon as she’d thought of it, she discarded the idea. The effort of dodging four males on a ship of this size was exhausting in itself, and she’d never get any work done.
Never mind, she thought, shaking her head. There was no point in boggling over it. She’d just have to stick it out until they either got over it or she finished her job, whichever came first.
Yep, just as soon as she’d finished mucking around with this ship, she’d be out of here, free as a bat, able to go wherever she wished.
Somehow that thought didn’t leave her as satisfied as it should have.
Chapter 5
Tantalus was beautiful in the winter.
Unfortunately, they arrived in the middle of high summer.
“98 degrees Fahrenheit,” Lore commented early the next morning, looking up from his control panel. “And that’s in the shade.” His eyes gleamed with pleasure.
Skye grinned as he locked down his own controls. “Sounds like heaven; for a Draconian at least. Shall we see if Jaide’s awake yet? It’s going to take a while to get her ready, and the supplies I radioed ahead for should be here any minute.”
Jaide was indeed awake, though she was rubbing her still pink skin-all that remained of yesterday’s burn-and yawning. Healing accelerators had a way of leaving one tired, even after a long night’s rest. As he’d suspected, she was wearing a white tank top, denim pants, and her sturdy steel-toed boots. Skye shook his head. “You’ll scare the natives if you go out looking like that.”
“What?” she glanced down at herself, seeing nothing wrong. “Why?”
Tugging the band off her hair, he explained, “Only kept women walk around without beads and braided hair on Tantalus.” Lore produced two brushes and a small ebony box. It was gilded with exotic flowers and animals and bore Draconian script.
Skye took her hand and led her over to the couch, seating her on a forest green pillow Lore tossed down. He and Lore both took a seat behind her, brushing out her hair on either side.
“You don’t have to do this,” Jaide protested, even though it felt heavenly. She’d been a child the last time anyone had combed her hair, and she’d forgotten just how wonderful it felt. Still.... “I’ll only be here for a couple of hours, if that, so it doesn’t matter what the natives think.”
“We’ll be longer than that.” Skye separated his section of her hair and began a tiny braid, weaving in ivory, jade or gold beads where appropriate. Jeeves perched on the back of the couch and watched with interest. “We’ve decided to dock the ship until you’ve finished with the augmentations.”
She twisted to look at him, her full lips parting in surprise. “You did? When? What about—”
He stole a kiss, and she flushed and quickly turned back around. Smiling to himself, he continued, “We’ve rented a private bay for you to work in. It’s time the rest of us spent a little time in port, anyway, but we’ll still be around if you need us. We’ve taken rooms at a nearby hotel. You’re lucky they had a suite left. It’s peak tourist season.”
Jaide started to turn around again, then paused, remembering what happened last time. She didn’t need her pulse racing any more than it already did with his fingers tangled in her hair. “You didn’t need to do that. I could have stayed on the ship.”
The backs of his fingers caressed her neck, tickling and sending tiny jolts to her nerves. “You’ll be safer with us. Especially after we pay a little visit to your creditor.”
“What!” Forgetting herself, she turned, only to receive another highly distracting kiss. This time his hand slipped low, hovering just below her collarbone. Charged lightning sizzled to her nipple, pebbling it instantly. He ended the kiss far too soon, leaving her hungry for more. It was all she could do not to whimper.
“For Lore’s sake, turn back around, heartflame,” Skye whispered in her ear, giving her lobe a hidden lick.
Stifling a moan, she obeyed, fighting to remember why she’d been upset. “You can’t go,” she muttered thickly, cursing her hopping hormones. There had to be a herb shop somewhere on Tantalus, didn’t there? She’d spent part of last night looking up several possibilities that might replace her forbidden Seti, and there were a few common herbs that might do the trick, if she could just get to them. Well, as long as she didn’t take Skye, it shouldn’t be too hard, should it?
She needed something, and soon!
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Blast it, Skye!” Jaide fought the urge to face him as her fear and temper mounted. “Didn’t you hear a thing I said?”
“My hearing is excellent,” he answered calmly. “I just disagree with you.”
Cold sweat began to trickle down her back. The man was going to mess with her affairs, then leave her to deal with the fallout. “I don’t believe you!” she hissed. “You’re going to get me killed! What right—”
Skye’s hands tightened on her hair. “By Draconian law I am now responsible for you. The moment you signed that contract you gave us control over your welfare. Since I’ve volunteered to watch over you, I take it one step further. I judge this extortion to be a violation of your rights, and will act accordingly. You have no say over it.”
Flabbergasted, it took her a long moment before she could protest, “What are you talking about? I’m not a Draconian.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He resumed braiding her hair, most of the tension bleeding out of him. “In fact, there’s a number of interesting Draconian laws that apply to you while under my protection. You might like to look them up.”
That did it! She made to stand up, but four unyielding male hands forced her to resume her seat. She settled for informing him instead, “Your ship might be an autonomy under galactic law, but only so long as your crew willingly submits to your rule. As a worker under contract, I only have to keep galactic law.” She paused to lend her words weight. “I never promised to submit to you, Skye.” The very idea of swearing to obey a man filled her with dread. No man was worthy of that. He’d take her freedom and squash her spirit like a bug, then go about his merry way, unconcerned with her hurts. She knew enough to take care of herself, to make her own choices and yes, mistakes, and she’d been doing it just fine for years now. What she didn’t need was some bossy alien thinking that he suddenly had the right.
Embarrassing as it was, she added quietly, “Just because you managed to sneak a couple of kisses in on me doesn’t mean that I wanted them or any other kind of attention from you. When will you men get it through your head that just because there’s a lone woman in your crowd and you haven’t had any in a while, it doesn’t mean you have to prove you’re king of the pack by staking a claim. You can go a while without it, you know.”
The hands on her hair froze. Lore murmured something in his language that sounded like a prayer. Skye said nothing, but she could feel the tension rolling off his legs. His fury tainted the air like metal-laden smoke, so potent that it invaded her lungs until she could taste it on her tongue like copper.
He’d never been more furious in his life.
In under ten seconds the woman he’d been aching for managed to imply not only that she d
idn’t enjoy his touch, but she’d also insulted his honor by implying that his only interest in her was on the level of an unfed animal.
Then she’d mocked his self control, an intolerable insult to the warrior he was.
All he could see for a long, hot minute was a blaze of red. The desire to unleash his passion and prove on her willing body just how much she lied wrested with an almost equally strong need to throttle her. The woman needed Seti tea just to resist him, for the love of space! How dare she imply that any lust between them was only one sided? Did she honestly think he was ignorant of what the Seti did for her?
With that in mind, he leaned forward and murmured with vengeful purpose, “Pretty words from a woman so in need she drowns her thirst with Seti.” Jaide stiffened, and this time he was the one who felt the hot waves of her mortification. Her shoulders hunched as she bowed her head, and for a moment he thought she’d cry. Instantly he was sorry. “I didn’t mean that.” Lore left as Skye placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them privacy. “Please forgive me.”
Shame sickened her stomach, and she could hardly breathe with the weight of humiliation crushing her chest. Oh, how his words had hurt. Worst of all, they were true. No wonder he acted the way he did. Ah, how he must scorn her, thinking she was no better than the lowest skank, willing to take a man even though he loathed her. You’ll never find anyone willing to stick it to you! Fat, disgusting sow.
She pulled her knees up and hid her face in them, wrapping her arms over all to keep the pain inside. Skye tried to take her in his arms but she refused him, lashing out with painful intent, trying to punch him, kick him; anything to make him pay for the degrading tears flowing down her face, reducing her to that despised teen once again. “I don’t want you! I never wanted you!” she screamed. But it was a lie. All a horrible lie.
Because at that moment, she needed him. Desperately needed to feel wanted, truly wanted for the first time in her life. Needed somebody to need her. Even as she bared her teeth, aiming for his shoulder, her body hummed with the need she fought to deny, fought to the point of psychosis. It was the shock of his body covering hers, holding her down as he pinned her wrists and legs to the floor so she wouldn’t hurt herself that finally got through to her. Her nipples became agonizing points of fire trapped against the wall of his chest, and her hips bucked helplessly against him in a seeking she disguised as fighting with another attempt to bite.