by Susan Hayes
She grinned. “Then this is going to be fun. I have to be polite to passengers, but if you’re crew, then that means I’m your commanding officer.” She lifted her bag from her shoulder and handed it to him. “Carry this for me, crewman.”
Kit took it from her with without missing a beat. “Yes, Captain Watson.”
Cyn snickered. “I knew I liked you, Zura. Come back safely and have a good trip.”
“Captain? Oh man. I’m sorry I’m going to miss this.” Luke was laughing as he gathered her into his arms for a slow, lingering kiss that sent shockwaves racing through her.
“Behave yourself while I’m gone,” she told him when he finally ended their kiss.
“I will. I’ll see you in a few days, gorgeous.” Luke looked up to meet his brother’s eyes. “Take care of our girl.”
“You know I will,” Kit replied.
Luke kissed her brow and finally released her from the confines of his arms as he muttered, “I hate goodbyes.”
“You better get used to them, sexy. You know what my life is like. I’ll be back before you know it.” Zura felt another unfamiliar pang of regret at having to leave. It was a strange feeling. She was raised as a vagabond, always on the move. The only home she had ever known was the Sun Sprite. Having a second home and leaving someone she cared about behind was all uncharted territory.
“Next time, I’ll go with you, and Kit can stay here. Deal?” Luke asked.
His offer made her happier than it should have considering how much she valued her privacy and quiet time on the Sun Sprite. “Maybe. Wait and see how Kit fares. Odds are good he’ll be bored out of his mind and so would you.”
He winked at her. “I doubt that. I can think of all sorts of things we could be doing to pass the time.”
Kit moved in behind her, one arm slipping around her waist. “I’ll let you know what we come up with. You’ll just have to wait until next time.”
“And on that note, we need to get going. I still need to double-check the manifest, sign off on the paperwork, and apparently, I need to tell my ship’s AI there’s a new crewman on board.”
“You have to log me in with the ship’s computer?” Kit asked.
“Well, I could skip that step, but I don’t think you’d enjoy what would happen. No registration means no access to the computer, the food supplies, or the ability to open any door on the ship.”
Kit nodded in approval. “Then by all means, log me in. I like the set-up, though. I want to see all you can show me about your current security system. There might be a few things I can tweak for you, and I’ll probably learn a few things along the way.”
“Damn right you’re going to learn a few things. If you want to be my security officer, then you’ve got a lot to learn. You’ve been retired for years, but I bet you still know your way around weaponry, so we’ll start by teaching you how to man the ship’s guns.”
“He gets to shoot things? Oh man, I’m jealous,” Luke sulked.
“Frankly, so am I,” Cyn agreed. “I don’t suppose we could outfit the club with a few lasers, or maybe a wide beam neural disruptor for rough nights…”
“I know that look. Forget it, Cynder. Whatever you’re thinking of, it’s not happening. I’ll see you two when I get back, and do not install any weapons while I’m gone.” Kit waved at the others before leading the way out through the main door and into the bar.
He was leaving. More than that, he was about to leave Luke and Cyn behind and go off without them. It was a strange feeling, one Kit was still wrapping his head around as they left the club behind them and headed across the main concourse. He slowed for a moment to look back over his shoulder.
“Have you ever been separated from him before?” Zura asked.
“Not like this, no. We’ve been on different parts of a battlefield, and occasionally one of us has been planetside while the other one was in orbit, but we’ve rarely been apart since the day we were pulled out of our maturation tank. We were created to work together, two halves of a whole. This will be the first time we’ve been far enough apart that our internal comm link won’t work. It’s going to be a little strange. Quiet though. I’m looking forward to the quiet.”
“You don’t have to come with me, Kit.”
“Yes, I do,” he said simply. It was the truth.
She rolled her eyes at him and took his hand before walking toward the docking ring. “I can take care of myself. The Sun Sprite is my home; I’ll be perfectly safe on board.”
“This isn’t about you, Zura. This is for me—and Luke, too. We couldn’t let you go alone. It’s not who we are. You’re too important to me. To both of us.”
Her answering smile lit up her face. “It’s the same for me, but I think we’re probably worried about nothing. Whatever it is Vin wants from me, he’s not going to get it. Eventually, he’ll figure that out and go away again. I’m never going back to him, or that life. I’m happy where I am.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We’re happier now you’re here, too. Besides, I can’t see you as a smuggler. You have too much compassion. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have risked your life to bring that vaccine back. You’re not the kind to risk dying purely for profit.”
She nodded and touched the ring she kept on a chain around her neck. “My father was always saying that luck was a poor man’s only insurance policy. His luck ran out far too soon, and I don’t want to wind up like him. That’s why I wear this. He said it was his good luck charm. It’s to remind me not to take foolish chances… at least, not too many.”
“You mean like taking up with a couple of cyborgs way the hell out here on the dark side of beyond?” he asked.
“Something like that. My father had another saying that I think applies in this case. No risk, no reward.”
They reached the doorway to her ship. She opened the hatch with a wave of her hand over the access panel before glancing up at him. “You ready, Crewman Armas?”
“I’m ready. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. Part of our batch’s programming included a directive that all the others look to Luke and me for leadership. Even Luke is programmed to defer to me if it’s required. It’ll be nice to relinquish command for a few days.”
”We’ll see if you still feel that way by the time we’re back home.”
She stepped inside, still holding his hand, and he followed, ducking his head to avoid the pipes and conduits that ran along the ceiling. He would need to remember to keep his head low, or he was going to have a damned concussion by the time they got back.
He glanced around his new home for the next few days. There was no doubt that this was a working ship and not a luxury vessel. The deck plates were worn, and the walls bore countless scratches and dents. It all felt familiar to him, though. He had traveled on countless ships not that different from this one over the years. The Sun Sprite was smaller, but that was really the only difference.
A closer look showed him that despite its well-used appearance, the Sun Sprite was in good repair, at least to Kit’s eyes. He had been a passenger on far worse ships with frayed wires sparking overhead, while the pipes dripped coolant and released random bursts of steam into the corridors. The corporations hadn’t worried much about their cyborg soldier’s comforts. So long as they were fed, armed, and ready to fight, that was all that mattered.
“C’mon. I’ll take you to my, uh, our quarters. Once our stuff is stowed away, we’ll need to hit the cargo bay and get to work. I’ll give you a proper tour once we’re on our way.”
“Sounds good to me.” He ducked his head and fell in behind her. That was the other reason he had readily agreed to go with Zura on this run. The opportunity to spend time with her, just the two of them, was too good to refuse. If things worked out the way he hoped, then the three of them would be together for a long time. Maybe even a lifetime. Time alone with her would be precious, and he intended to take advantage of every chance he got to be in Zura’s company.
CHAPTER SEVEN
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nbsp; By the time they handed over control of her ship to the computer for the night, Kit was pleasantly tired. True to her word, Zura had treated him as a member of her crew, and he now had a better understanding, as well as a healthy respect, for what she did for a living. Once the cargo was confirmed and their destination set, Kit assumed the work was done. He had been wrong.
Before they even left the dock, she had run diagnostics, calculated fuel consumption, repaired a minor malfunction in one of the air recycling systems, and raced the length and breadth of the ship countless times, making sure that everything was squared away and running smoothly. He shadowed her every step of the way, learning what he could as they went.
Once they were under way, she started teaching him about her ship’s security and defense set up, and he had spent hours learning the Sun Sprite’s complex systems and running simulated scenarios. He hadn’t actually gotten to blow anything up, but it had been a hell of a lot of fun pretending he was. Zura hadn’t been joking when she’d said she was capable of defending herself. The Sun Sprite was fast, agile, well shielded, and even better armed.
It reminded him of his days as a soldier, only Zura was a far kinder commander than any other he ever served with, himself included.
With the ship’s computer handling the ship for the night shift, he had risen from his seat and followed her down the corridor to her quarters. The bed was actually bigger than he was prepared for. There was plenty of room for them both, though fitting all three of them on it would have been a challenge. Not that he expected that would be a problem they would have very often. Zura’s life might be on the Sun Sprite, but his and Luke’s was back on the Drift. While one of them could travel with her, it would affect the running of the club if both of them were gone for long periods of time.
Zura moved to her side of the cabin and started to strip out of her clothes. “Any regrets about coming along? I know my ship isn’t nearly as comfortable as your club.”
“No regrets. I’d sleep on the floor with a rock for a pillow if it meant I could keep you safe. Instead, I’m sharing your bed and learning more about you and your life. This is no hardship, little one.”
“It’s not much of a vacation, either. First a soldier, then a business owner. Have you ever taken time off for yourself?” She dropped her clothes into the laundry chute to be cleaned overnight, and slipped into bed, still naked.
“Time off? Not really, no. You know what it’s like when you are part of a family business and your workplace is also your home. I bet you’ve never taken time off, either.”
Zura laughed and snuggled into her bed, happy to be back onboard again. She was even happier to have Kit with her. So far, having him on board had been fun, and for once, she hadn’t been lonely. “You’d win that bet. My dad took me on day trips sometimes if there was time, but there are some planets I’ve visited dozens of times and never seen more than a few blocks away from the spaceport. Maybe one day, when I’ve got enough money saved up to start feeling like my future’s secure, I’ll take a real vacation.”
“If that day ever comes, maybe I’ll go with you.”
He peeled off his clothes, giving her a glorious view of his naked body before climbing into bed with her. He took up every inch of extra room, and Zura knew there was no way the three of them would ever fit the way things were. She would have to think about how to rectify that. If this worked out, that is. If this whole relationship wasn’t going to crash and burn someday soon.
“I thought you said you had better things to do than lounge around on a vacation?” she asked.
He grunted and pulled her into his arms before answering. “As my family has been pointing out to me recently, we can’t work every hour of every day. I’m entitled to have a life, too. I may have lost track of that idea of late, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
Zura knew what it must be costing Kit to make that confession, and it made her like him all the more. “It might be that I’ve been doing the same thing. When Dad was alive, we were always chasing down jobs and scrambling to make ends meet. Once he was gone, I kept doing what we had always done. It never occurred to me to do anything else.”
“The family business was all you knew, so you kept doing it. I get it.” He reached back to rearrange his pillow, then frowned in confusion.
“What?” she asked, only belatedly realizing what he must have found. He pulled his hand out from beneath the pillow and held up the palm-sized pleasure toy she had forgotten about.
“What’s this, a weapon?”
She groaned and silently hoped for a rogue comet to sideswipe them and save her from any explanation. “That’s not a weapon. It’s uh… personal. Hand it over and pretend you never saw that, please.”
“Personal?” He turned it over and then started to chuckle as he realized what he was holding.
“Give. Now.” She held out her hand to him.
“Nope. I have a better idea. I want to watch you use it.”
The look he gave her had her brain melting around the edges and her breath catching in her throat. He wanted to watch?
“Why would I want to use that when I have you here? Trust me, there’s no comparison.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I still want you to use it on yourself. I’ve always wondered what women do when they’re alone.” He propped himself up on one elbow and held out the toy to her.
“You’ve never watched a woman do that before?” Zura assumed there wasn’t much her guys hadn’t done in their lives. The idea of being able to share something new with Kit was appealing enough to help her overcome her initial shyness.
“Never. I’m no saint. Not even close, but until we were released from service there wasn’t much time for that sort of thing. Since then, there have been a few brief flings and well, Andrea, and you know how that went.”
She nodded. “It went about as well as my relationship with Vin, and they both ended in a fiery wreck. I’m hoping to avoid that this time around.”
“Me too.” Kit brushed his knuckles across her cheek in a tender gesture that filled her with a warmth that had nothing to do with desire. “I want to get to know who you are and how our lives could come together, Zura. I want this to last.”
She blew out a soft breath and smiled. “I’m not sure how we’re going to make this work, but I want this to last, too.”
His smile made her heart sing. “We’ll figure it out, together.” Then he held up her toy, and his smile turned into a wicked grin. “Now…How about showing me how this works. When I’m back on the station, and you’re off on a run without me, I’d like to be able to close my eyes and think about you doing this while I’m not there to please you myself.”
Desire and something stronger bloomed deep in her heart, swelling with every word he spoke. “And Luke said you sucked at seduction and romance.”
Kit laughed as she threw off the blankets, letting him see what she was doing. If she was going to do this, then she was going to give him a show he would never forget. She took the toy and settled it into her hand before placing her feet flat on the bed and spreading her legs wide. With her free hand, she reached between her thighs and parted her lower lips, working her clit with her forefinger.
A low groan had her looking over at Kit, who was staring at her with hungry eyes. “So damned sexy. Keep going. Tell me what you’d do if you were here alone.”
“If I were out here alone, I would turn off the lights, close my eyes, and fantasize about the two sexiest men I’ve ever seen. Big, strong, identical twins who would do all sorts of wicked things to me. That’s what I used to do, anyway. Now, I don’t have to fantasize anymore. I can close my eyes and think back to all the things we’ve done together and all the things we’re going to do.”
“You thought about us?” Kit asked, his voice dropping to barely more than a rough whisper.
“I did. Almost every night, lying in this bed, alone.” She flicked her fingers across her aching clit, teasing herself.
“Show me what you’d do when you thought about me,” he ordered.
“I’d take this and put it up against my clitoris. Then I’d turn it to the lowest setting. That gets the vibrations started, and it sucks real gently on my clit.” She put the toy in place and turned it on. She was already so turned on that even the lowest setting made her toes curl. Within seconds, her pussy was soaked, and her clit was throbbing in time to the pulsing vibrations directed at it, and she couldn’t hold back a soft moan.
“Fraxx. That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Don’t stop. Tell me what you’d do next.”
Kit couldn’t tear his eyes off Zura. Her hair was fanned out over her pillow, and her beautiful body was stretched out beside him, tempting him to touch her. The pattern of blue lines that marked her skin was darkening more every second, and her eyes were trained on him. The low hum of her toy was a steady counterpoint to the soft, breathy moans and sighs that spilled from her lips as she pleasured herself.
“Next, I would turn up the power. Sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once. Depends on my mood.”
“Do it.” He threw back the blankets that covered him and wrapped his fist around his cock. It was the only way he could stop himself from reaching for her. He would need to have her soon, but not yet. He wanted to watch her a little longer, first.
The tip of her tongue swiped over her lower lip as she watched him stroke his cock. “No ordering me around on my own ship. You want this, ask nicely.”
He chuckled, turned on even more by her small act of defiance. “Please, little one. Come for me.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She moved her fingers, and the low hum of her toy grew louder, then louder still. Within seconds, she was moaning, her eyes glazing over as she writhed beside him. Her free hand came up to cover her breast, and she began playing with her nipple, pinching and rolling it between her fingers. He continued to watch, stroking himself as she lost herself in the pleasure of the moment. When her thighs were trembling and her every breath was a ragged gasp, he leaned over her, caressing her hand with his before plunging two fingers into the tight heat of her channel.