“That wasn’t an answer.”
He loved that she was such a straight shooter. She deserved his honesty. “No, it wasn’t.” He lifted the airship off the dock and eased it out the hatch. “Tara, your father suffered terribly for these past years. He thought his entire family had died on Zandia and blamed himself.”
She went still, twisting in her seat to stare at him. “Why?”
“He saved Prince Zander—got him safely off the planet—but I suspect he always wondered if he could’ve saved you and Talia instead. Or your mother and baby sister. I don’t think it was possible, or he would’ve done it, but that hasn’t stopped his anguish.”
She swallowed, audibly.
“So I’m just guessing he’d be loath to put you in mortal danger again if he can help it.”
She turned away, staring out at the air traffic around them. He maneuvered the ship through the congestion of Ocretian airspace, heading away from the planet, toward free space.
“You’re looking for a purpose, aren’t you?” Finally reaching space, he set the coordinates and powered the ship into warp speed.
Mina’s fingers tightened on the armrests. “Yes,” she croaked. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “You probably dedicated a lot of brain space toward navigating your escape from slavery. Now that you’ve achieved your goal, I suspect there will be an emptiness until you figure out how to fill it.” Mina made a choking sound, and he finally gave in to the temptation of looking at her. Veck. She’d pressed a fist to her mouth, as if stuffing a sob back down her throat.
He swiveled his knees toward her and opened his arms. “Come here. I know I promised not to touch you, but—”
She unbuckled her harness and stumbled toward him. He caught her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, tucking her head under his chin and stroking her silky hair. His heart squeezed for her.
“I’m sure you feel like a stranger in your own life, right now.”
“Yes!”
“You’ll find your purpose. I know you will. A female as smart and capable as you will surely find a way to help the Zandian cause, if that’s what you want to do.”
“It is,” she sniffed. “I can’t stand sitting around the palatial pod doing nothing. It kills me.”
“I understand. You don’t have to.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
&n
bsp; He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. His palm coasted up her back, rubbing a slow circle.
Mina shifted her weight, swinging her leg around to straddle him.
He choked on the sudden intake of breath. What in the hell was she doing?
She rocked her pelvis, rolling the heat between her thighs over the bulge of his cock.
He groaned and palmed her ass, yanking her hard against his heavy length. “What are you doing, little female? I promised not to touch you.”
“Well, you already broke your promise, didn’t you?” Her breathy voice dripped with seduction. Tara had turned back to Mina.
No. He shouldn’t impale her with his cock and make her ride him until she screamed. He’d given his word. And he needed to prove to her he could be trusted. And that—-
Oh veck.
In a single, fluid motion, she pulled her top off and tossed it to the floor, still undulating over his lap.
He squeezed one breast, holding it captive for his mouth. The sound that came from her lips turned him rock hard. He sucked and pulled on her nipple, grazed it with his teeth.
“This isn’t what you wanted,” he managed to say hoarsely.