Mathiras (Corsair Brothers 4)

“Did I do it right?” I ask, needing praise.

Mathiras kisses me ravenously, and again, his thumbs flutter over those nice spots. “Helen, you were perfection. I’m going to be thinking about this moment for the rest of my life.”

I like the sound of that. Smiling, I kiss him back, and when he pulls away and puts his attention to washing himself—and then me—I don’t grab any personal bits and try to make that moment happen again. I can tell by his expression that now it is time to be serious. He washes my hair for me and scrubs my limbs, but his focus is distant. “Thinking about today?”

He nods. “If we go in assuming it’s a trap, it’s safer, of course. I’m just mentally working through some scenarios.”

“Can I have a blaster?”

Mathiras frowns. “I actually don’t think you should go with me for this one, Helen. I don’t know how safe it is.”

“Well this is a terrible idea.” I shake my head. “How can I protect you if I’m not with you?”

“Adiron—”

“Needs to stay with the ship. If something goes wrong I don’t know how to fly it.”

He sighs. “I know. And that’s part of the problem I keep running into in my head.”

“I have the perfect solution,” I tell him. “Me.”

“That’s the answer I keep coming back to, and I don’t like it.” Mathiras’s mouth flattens, and for a moment he looks grumpy. “I want to keep you safe.”

“But I’m awesome,” I point out. “Adiron says I’m amazing with a gun and I have perfect aim. I can bring my rolling pin, too!”

“No blaster, no rolling pin,” Mathiras says. “If I know how this goes, it’s going to be a no-weapons meeting…which they’ll probably violate, now that I think about it. So on second thought, if you want to come with me, we’re going to arm you to the teeth.”

“To my teeth?” I put a finger in my mouth, rubbing my gums, and wonder what that will look like.

CHAPTER 44

MATHIRAS

I don’t like the thought of taking Helen with me, but she’s right. We need her help. With just Adi and myself, one of us has to stay on the ship at all times.

After the shower, we dress and Helen insists I pick out her clothing for her, since she doesn’t know what will be best to wear as a bodyguard. “The idea is not to look like a bodyguard at all,” I remind her, and pick out a simple dress. It’s pale yellow and flimsy, the straps mere wisps over the shoulders and a long slit to show off Helen’s gorgeous legs. It distracts the hell out of me so I figure it’ll work for others, too. “We’re going to bring over blasters with the assumption that they’re going to ask us to remove them.”

“And then I rip their balls off,” Helen agrees gleefully.

“We hear what they have to say, and then if it’s bad, you can rip their balls off afterwards.”

She nods firmly, a determined look on her face. “You can count on me.”

Heading to the bridge, we meet up with Adiron. My brother has a half-eaten bowl of noodles in his hands and he eyes Helen appreciatively. “New clothes. Nice ones. You two sure took a long time to head this way.”

“I showered,” I tell my brother to shut him up.

“I showered with him and played with his cock,” Helen adds, beaming. “But he blew fast.”

“Helen, love,” I murmur, my ears burning. “Maybe don’t tell him that.”

Adiron gives me a gleeful look. “No, go on, Helen, tell me all about it.”

“Sorry, he didn’t blow fast. He blew very, very slow,” she replies solemnly, her eyes wide and innocent. Then, she gives me an obvious wink.

I resist the urge to smack my forehead. This is just something I’m going to have to get used to if I’m with Helen. She has zero filter. “All right, love. Let’s just focus.” Turning to my brother, I gesture at the control panel in front of him that looks as if it has spilled broth on it. “Did you try contacting the other ship?”

“Yup, silence. Which is not surprising, given that it’s probably a trap.” He shrugs and wipes a noodle off the comm station. “I take it that you two are meeting up with our friends and I’m going to be left babysitting the ship?”

“Unless you have a better plan?”

Adi laughs. “You should know I have zero plans at all times.”

I did know that, actually. “The more I think about it, the more I feel that Helen is safe if we have her show up as Helen. No one in their right mind would harm a qura’aki, right? They might try to steal her, but not physically harm her. It’s me I have to worry about getting shot up.”

He nods and shoves another round of noodles into his mouth. “You think they’re gonna try something?”