Turn around, she said.
What?
She made a spinning motion with her finger. He took a breath. Why not? Besides, there was something acutelyexcitingabout having Celene command him. He didnt have to obey, yet he chose to. A deliberate handing over of controlsomething new for him, who liked to be in control of all parameters at any given time. Now he purposefully let go, and a visceral flare of arousal jolted through him.
He turned to face the bulkhead. Her soft, appreciative curse ran like a silk glove down his spine.
Are those tattoos?
Nopigmentation. When people on my homeworld reach sexual maturity, the anahita markings appear.
Does everyone have the same kind?
Theyre different from person to person. Some anahitas are more numerous and thicker than others.
Youre very sexuallymature.
Even his father had been surprised by the thickness and darkness of the anahitas that had appeared on Nilss back. He then bragged to the neighbors about his sons virility, which had made Nils want to find the nearest ice cave and never come out. Hed been self-conscious about the markings ever since then, despite the 8 thWings tolerance for all shapes and colors within its forces. When training, he made sure to keep his back covered. Now, hearing the husky excitement in Celenes voice, he wondered if his shyness was truly necessary. Perhaps not.
Do they go all the way down?
Only one way to find out. He couldnt believe he said that. Yet he was rewarded with her husky laugh, and if his cock hadnt been hard before, it surely was now.
He debated for a moment whether or not to turn back around. Even amongst his colleagues in Engineering, he had a reputation for being reserved, focusing more on his work than on socializing or flirting. He wasnt in Engineering now. This ship drifted in deep space, free from expectations or past behavior. If a time existed to remake oneself, that time had arrived.
Straightening his shoulders, Nils turned. Celenes eyes widened as she saw the clear evidence of his arousal. Instead of moving back, however, she took a step closer. Nils did the same, drawn forward by an instinctive pull.
The distance between them narrowed. Dimly, he had awareness of stepping over debris on the floor, the tangles of wires and circuitry, but all he saw was her. She stared back.
Until only a few inches separated them. They were close enough that he could see the tiny scar at the corner of her mouth, like a beacon guiding him to precisely where he wanted to be.
Slowly, she lifted her hand, and he fought a groan as her fingers skimmed the line between his pectorals and drifted down to rest lightly on the flat of his stomach. He twitched beneath her touch.
Godsneed to touch her.
He curved his hands over her shoulders, the sensation of bare flesh to bare flesh a live current of electricity. She was both resilient and soft under his palms, the texture of her skin finer than Hazada silk, but she had a strength of muscle and will that exiled rational thought.
She tilted her face up, another challenge.
I shouldnt do this. He narrowed the distance between their mouths. I have to do this.
In a moment he would taste her, and
he wanted nothing more.
You two gonna play docking bay and cargo in there, Gabela snapped from the door, or you gonna fix my ship?
Nils and Celene spun around, releasing each other. They stepped apart.
She scowled at Gabela. An overflow of gratitude, smuggler.
Drifting out in this sector makes me nervous, he shot back.
Nils suppressed the urge to put his boot in the smugglers plentiful stomach. Your ship will be operational in twenty solar minutes. A patch job, but youll have enough power to get to a station for comprehensive repairs.
Setting my chrono now. Gabela lumbered down the corridor, his artificial limb making almost as much noise as the smugglers grumbling.
Several moments passed as Nils and Celene stared at one another. He was torn between wanting to lunge for her and jettisoning himself into space. There were arenas in his life in which he was bold and took riskswomen had never been one of them. And now hed done just that. Would he ever have the balls to make another move on her?
She scowled at the space where Gabela had been standing. Mara didnt mention that her old friend was an ass.
He could teach the Okenial Trick Flying Squad something about timing, as well.
She let out an exasperated breath. We should finish here so we can pick up where we left off.
The mission, or?
Her answer was an inscrutable smile. Puzzle it out, NerdWorks. Let me know your findingsafter we fix this ship.
With that enigma buzzing through him, he quickly got back to work. He repaired the climate controls, allowing his inner and outer temperatures to come down from nuclear levels, and then restored functionality to the propulsion and guidance systems. He welded a panel in place to cover the rupture in the external bulkhead. In less than fifteen solar minutes, the ship became operative.
And five solar minutes to spare. He pulled on the top of his uniform, but did not miss the gleam of disappointment in her gaze as he did so.