When he finally appears in the doorway of the room, I want to weep with joy. "Are we…"
"Safe?" He grins, leaning against the doorjamb. He looks tired—exhausted, actually—and the floppy hair that falls on his forehead is more of a mess than anything, but he's smiling and his eyes are lit up with that excitement that Kas gets when lives are on the line. He heads inside, and instead of sitting on the bed, thumps down onto the ground next to me and Sterre, putting his hands behind his horns and looking rather smug. "Your mate just out-maneuvered both of Lord hs'Serr's remaining ships. I'm sure he'll send someone after us soon enough, but for now, the coast is clear. We can relax."
I let out a breath. "Thank you. I wish I could do more."
"You did fine, Sunshine." He takes my hand and then frowns at the blisters. "Welder?"
"Yup."
Kaspar makes an unhappy noise. "Let's get you to med-bay and get some cream on those."
"Soon," I say. I'm suddenly exhausted. I lie down on the partially shredded carpet next to him, staring up at the ceiling of the ship. Sterre tucks herself against my side, and I hug her with one arm. "Are we…did we really escape?"
"For now," he says. "We'll have to get off this ship and dump it somewhere before the authorities start tracking us, but we've got a few days before that happens. I'll start searching comm channels looking for messages from my brothers. They're bound to be in this system somewhere, probably looking for us." Kaspar takes my free hand, mindful of my blisters, and rubs my palm with light, teasing little circles. "One small problem. Unfortunately, the ship's galley isn't stocked for a long space journey. You know what that means."
"Worms?" I say with dismay.
"Tabs," Kas corrects, shaking his head. "You're just dying to try out those worms, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not." I elbow him gently, since my fingers are blistered. "But maybe we need to explain to Salvotor how they work before he eats them all."
"He came from a lab, not under a rock. How helpless do you think he is?" He pauses for a moment, and then grimaces. "Okay, yeah, we need to tell him."
"Soon," I say. I look over at Kaspar—tired, wired, Kaspar—and I'm hit with a surge of lust so powerful it takes my breath away. I give Sterre a gentle nudge, one she probably recognizes from sharing a bed with us, one that tells her to go away, because dirty business is about to start. She makes a disgruntled sound and pads away, and I take this opportunity to sling my leg over my mate's hips and sit atop him. "I need to reward my captain."
His eyes gleam with anticipation. "What did you have in mind?"
83
ALICE
I'm feeling desperate and needy—and more than a little revved up from all the danger we've been in. Really, almost losing my life or getting captured by the bad guys shouldn't fill me with so much adrenaline. I should be a quaking, sobbing heap on the floor. Instead, I really, really want to fuck.
So I put my hands on Kaspar's chest and grind my hips against his in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination.
"Here?" he asks, his eyes bright. "Now?"
"Right here. Right now."
"The door's open," Kas pants, and I can feel him getting hard under me. His hands roam over my body. I'm covered in mud and sweat, my hands blistered, but I've never felt sexier. "Salvotor might see."
"He needs an education anyhow," I tell him, and lean over and bite his nipple.
He sucks in a breath, his hand going to my hair as I scrape my teeth over the small nub. Mesakkah nipples aren't like human nipples—at least Kas's aren't. Mine are soft and sensitive and tighten up when excited. His are always hard, probably something to do with those fangs his people sport, or the plating on his upper chest and shoulders. Whatever it is, he likes it when I use my teeth and get a little rougher.
I flick my tongue over the spot I've just bitten and then lift my head to look at him. "Wanna fuck here on the floor like pirates?"
Kas groans, a hint of his fangs showing. "I need…to check the nav path soon."
"Oh, I'll be quick," I whisper, and slide down his legs, tugging at the now-creaky auto-fastener that keeps the scraps of his pants together. "Just gotta free the beast and make sure he's good and hard." I pull down his clothing and his cock springs free, already straining and erect. "Well, looks like half the work is done already."
"You're so keffing beautiful when you're being a crazy sex pirate," he murmurs, stroking my face as I slide down to lick his cock. "How did I luck out getting stranded with you and not someone like Helen?"