“More than anything?” he leans in and presses a light kiss to the tip of my nose and then moves across my brow, pressing his mouth there in soft touches.
“Okay, I like stroking your penis almost as much, but since I can’t do that in public, I’ll take your kisses.”
He chuckles, pressing another kiss to my brow. “Just don’t ask me to choose between the two.” He moves down my face, kissing my cheek. “Do we need to talk about today?”
“What about today?” I tilt my face toward his roaming mouth, wanting to make sure I get every bit of kissing I can. I love these quiet moments between us, when the world doesn’t exist outside of the two of us. Being on the ship with Adiron and Zebah is fun enough, but these are the moments I’ve waited so long for.
I slide my arms around his waist as he trails his lips toward my waiting mouth. “What about today?”
“Helen, you killed three men.”
Didn’t we go over this in the shower already? “Bad guys,” I correct him. “They are bad guys. They don’t count.”
He pauses, his lips hovering over mine. “I’m not sure that’s the right way to think of it.”
I lean in and capture his lower lip, sucking on it and then releasing it with a satisfying pop. “I was on the Star for three years before this, remember? Everyone we met tried to get something from us. They wanted our ship, or they wanted to pinch, or worse. If someone is trying to hurt those that I love, they’re a bad guy. And if they’re a bad guy, I don’t care what happens to them. If you’re asking me to feel guilty over killing someone that tried to kill you, I don’t.”
He gazes down at me, his eyes dark and thoughtful. “But if you have doubts about anything, you’d come to me, right?”
I nod. “Can we get back to kissing?”
Mathiras grins down at me. “We can. You know we’re heading for Three Nebulas, right? That’s another station and it sounds like we’re going to be digging into some heavy-duty stuff there. We might be there for a while.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and his fingers whisper over the sensitive spot back there, making me shiver. “That means your ooli costume.”
“Will you still kiss me if I’m ooli?”
“I will happily pull you on my lap and put my mouth all over you,” he agrees. “We will shock the entire station with just how sloppy our kisses are.”
I like the thought of that. “Do you think we’ll be in danger? Will I have to protect you?”
“I don’t need protecting, love.” He brushes his lips over mine. “I’m supposed to be the one protecting you.”
But he’s not the one with perfect aim. He’s not the one that’s been genetically changed to be amazing. He’s just going to have to get used to me protecting him, I think, even if he doesn’t like it. “Whatever you say, Matty.”
He pulls back and narrows his eyes at me. “Are you humoring me?”
“More kisses,” I demand, tilting my head back.
Mathiras sighs in exasperation, but he cups my face and then gives me exactly what I want.
CHAPTER 54
MATHIRAS
I keep Helen’s hand tightly in mine as I pull her through the busy tunnels of Three Nebulas. It’s humid and crowded in here, and of all the stations I visit, Three Nebulas usually is the seediest. It’s got a reputation for back corridor deals and shady doings, which means it’s probably the place we needed to be all along.
And of course, Helen wants to see everything, which is why I have to keep a tight grip on her.
“Can I just say that her costume is really convincing?” Zebah announces at my side. “You cannot see a shred of her sexiness through that mess.”
“Can you shut the kef up?” I growl, glaring at her. Announcing it’s a costume is a stupid idea, and Zebah’s not very quiet. How the kef has she lasted as long as she has? I shake my head at the thought. “Try a little subtlety.”
“I’m not sure I know how,” Zebah pouts, and pulls the dark hood over her horns, scowling at me. She’s wearing a cloak to hide her appearance, just in case someone’s on the lookout for her, but overall it’s pretty easy to hide on Three Nebulas. You just avoid the law or make sure you have enough credits to make them look the other way.
“Quiet time,” Helen whispers to Zebah, a finger to her ooli lips. She squeezes my hand and trots behind me happily, eyeing everything around us with wonder. I wish 3N was more impressive looking for her excited gaze, but it’s not. It’s a dump of a station held together by solder and determination and not much else, but it’s rife with the kind of business we need.