Atlas let out a soft growl, almost inaudible.
He wanted her on his smorgasbord. He wanted her in every way one could want a woman. Since she’d caught his eye, Jerri had not been far from his every waking thought. At first he’d imagined it was because she was the most in need of discipline ensign he’d ever encountered. Then he realized that his attraction ran deeper. She was, as the ancient Earth people might have put it, the yin to his yang. Every trait of hers sat in diametric opposition to his own personality.
“You haven’t cut your hair yet,” she observed. “Would you like me to do it?”
“No. I am going to wear a hair prosthetic.”
“You mean a wig.”
“I mean a hair prosthetic.”
She was smiling in that insolent way of hers, teasing him, inviting him to push the boundaries of protocol. It was tempting with the two of them very much alone. Nobody would ever know what had transpired between them. He could ravage her all the way to Dinavri space.
“So you’re going to have to get me promoted to commander before you can touch me. Or catch yourself a demotion.” She was grinning broadly, enjoying each and every moment of his struggle with desire. This was more teasing. More insolence. More plausible reason to strip her from the waist down and punish her bottom until she released that sweet human nectar and writhed in orgasm.
“I can take care of you as you are,” he said, hoping she understood the subtext of his words.
“You want to take care of me?” The teasing smile was still there, but there was hope in her eyes. Atlas had thought very deeply on what his relationship with Tessil was, and why it existed in this hot flash of necessity and instinct. She needed to be taken care of, and he was a creature who needed someone to care for. As different as they were, there were some ways in which they were a perfect match for one another.
“Yes. You are my subordinate first, and my duty of care is to you.”
“And what am I second? The dirty little secret hiding in your quarters while you talk to the captain?”
She smirked broadly as he growled. She was enjoying teasing him, that much was obvious, but she also clearly needed to know where she stood.
“We have been together,” he said carefully.
“Yeah. I know. I was there. Being filled with your cum.”
She could be so brazenly filthy sometimes. He wondered if it was a defense mechanism. If she talked like a slut, she couldn’t be hurt when she was treated like one. He sensed a lot of heavy sadness in this young woman, sadness he wanted to kiss better. But that would take time, and would require actions more than words, so he changed the subject to matters of work. “When we enter Dinavri space, you will be seen as my mate. You understand that? You will be taken for my own.”
Taken for his own… that phrase got all the way into her soul and made her flush hotly.
“Right. I got it. The Dinavri think women are good for fucking and nothing else.”
“That’s an oversimplification of their culture.”
“That’s what people always say when they’re trying to excuse something heinous. It’s an oversimplification. Ignore the beheadings, you don’t understand the complexities.”
“Maybe,” Atlas admitted, surprising her. “But we are there to deal with that culture, and not to change it. The prisoner we are retrieving will be very glad for his freedom. We cannot do anything whatsoever to jeopardize his release. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Good. I am going to do my best to ensure you have zero contact with the Dinavri, but if it cannot be avoided, you will have to convince them you are my submissive mate.”
She laughed, blushed furiously, then laughed again.
“Yes,” Atlas deadpanned. “It will be a challenge for you.”
This whole mission was going to be a challenge for her. Atlas obviously had an agenda that exceeded the simple matter of retrieving a desperate prisoner of war from Dinavri clutches. He was planning to work on her somehow.
The way he’d growled when she talked about being his smorgasbord still resonated inside her belly. When she was around him, nothing was the same. Life was more intense. The highs were higher. The lows were, well, more painful.
“The computer is going to do most of the work getting us to Dinavri space. This shuttle isn’t the fastest. The Audacity would have been a lot faster.”
“Given the way you pilot the Audacity, I am sure this shuttle will be more than enough for you to play with,” Atlas replied. “Besides, I intend to keep you busy.”
“Oh, yes?”
“Your education,” he reminded her. She felt the disappointment to her core. All she wanted was to get laid. Why was he insisting on being so professional about all of this? He could have had her naked and up against a wall by now if he wanted.