I found my attention split between thinking about the mission and thinking there was no way she was unaware that I was throbbing for her. I was only wearing a towel, and she was wearing pajamas so thin they might have been made of spider silk.
I had to get some sleep. There were alternatives to sleep, like caffeine and amphetamines, but I controlled my intake of both. I controlled my actions. I found myself feeling at peace with not being able to control this woman, though. She was tough, strong, smart, courageous, and beautiful. Most of all, she wanted me—right here and right now.
I wondered if she’d be on the ship. I still didn’t know who my crewmembers were. It would be nice to break the ice here and now. That way, if the return trip didn’t go so well, there’d be something fun to do to pass the time. Oh, she’d be fun.
But I didn’t want her to go with me. I wanted her to live. We were combat veterans, and we knew the risks that came with the job. We knew that we had to stand toe-to-toe with those who wanted us dead. It was an acceptable risk, but this mission was so much more. The scientists didn’t understand the portal generators. We could have our molecules spread thinly over a hundred light-years of space. There wouldn’t be time for anyone to gather enough to fill a thimble.
“I’m leaving the station,” I said. It came out in a heavy breath.
“Yeah?” she said as she leaned her full weight into me and pressed her cheek against my chest just under my chin.
Her hair smelled great, and her nipples threatened to gouge me they were so hard. I imagined what they would feel like between my lips and almost lost control.
What are you so worried about? I asked myself. It’s just sex. And this might be your last opportunity. She’s here. She’s available. She’s at least as ready as you are.
I looked down as the turned her big, brown eyes to meet mine. “Me too. I got a sneak peek at the Xeno ship roster. I’m on the crew.” Her expression was grim, determined, lusty, and absolutely adorable. She could kill the average man without blinking an eye or breaking a nail.
Shit. If she was part of the crew, this could be fraternization. I opened my mouth to protest, but she stopped me with a single finger pressed gently to my lips. For a trained and capable warrior, her long, thin fingers were surprisingly soft. Then she slid her hand across my mouth, down my neck, and stopped near my collarbone.
“But I won’t be under your command,” she said. She spoke directly onto my lips, her breath warm. “The command is split. You’ll be in charge of the ship. Joker will be my supervisor. So, no matter what happens tonight, there’s no fraternization. It’s just you and me.” She emphasized the point by pressing her hips against my groin. I felt that my erection might punch through the towel to get to her.
“I don’t want you to go,” I managed to say. “There are too many risks. Too many unknowns. We might not make it back.”
I only realized now how much Reaver meant to me. Our games of cat and mouse had always been a bit of fun, a way of alleviating a little of my desire while still keeping myself in check. But it had also developed my feelings for her, and it was clear I felt strongly for her now. My new mission carried more risks than most, and while any MSM assignment was rife with danger, this one was something different.
“I’m not worried,” she said as she ran her lips across my chin.
“I’m not worried either, but you’re too important to the team here. You know, I could always have you removed—deny you access to the ship. That would be my call.”
She giggled. “You do that, and I’ll kick your ass.” Then she pushed away from me. “In fact, you want to go at it? Want to settle this here and now?”
There were different ways I could take “go at it,” but she made it clear what she meant when she took a big step back and crouched into a fighting stance. I’d seen her fight and felt both threatened and aroused by her aggression.
“I’m going,” she said.
“This mission is more about valor than anything else,” I explained. “Win or lose, whether we live or die, it’s about delivering a blow to the enemy. Hopefully, one they’ll never recover from.”
“Ban me from your ship, and I might give you an injury you won’t recover from,” she explained, still in her fighting stance. She bounced lightly, and I noticed that her breasts hardly moved. I couldn’t help but imagine what they would feel like pressed hard against my chest.
“There’s nothing more honorable than dying for the Federation,” she continued. “If we make it there but don’t make it back, we won’t have died in vain. For the Void Gods, for the Federation, and for Mars!”
I suddenly ran out of reasons to resist. Reaver mistook my change in posture as a refusal, frowned, and marched toward the door, eyes on the panel. She reached out, fist clenched in preparation to punch the thing, and let out a small squeak when I scooped her up around her waist and spun her body to face me.
With the other hand, I cupped her asscheeks and lifted her from the ground. She gasped, raised her knees and wrapped her legs around my hips as if she was holding on for dear life. Our lips met, parted, and I tasted her eager tongue.
Her pearly teeth found my tongue, and a shiver washed over me like a wave. I
