How the fuck was he supposed to get through this mission with his mind and reflexes intact? He had thought the danger would come from either PRAXIS or negotiating the Smoke Quadrant. Turned out that the biggest threat sat right beside him, in the form of a scavenger with wide-set eyes, silky white hair and a thirst for excitement.
It was a relief when the control panel blared, breaking the moment. Mara straightened and set her mug down at her feet.
Better drain your cup, Commander, she said, all business. Its about to get rough.
He did so, and just in time. They had reached the outer perimeter of Ildens Lash. Giant, shifting masses of molten rock seethed and moved, and clots of partially-formed asteroids careened between them. A hunk of scrap metal drifted through the Lash. The moment it contacted a swell of magma, it incinerated.
Seeing Ildens Lash through the cockpits window sent a bolt of adrenalin through him. A normal person would be frightened. Kell grinned.
She caught his grin, and her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Let me fly us through. He leaned forward, barely able to contain his excitement.
Dont trust my skills?
I want to take a shot at it.
Decelerate your thrusters, Frayne. This is my ship, and my run through the Lash.
He growled his displeasure. Whenever he saw a challenge, he ached to conquer it. But unless he wanted to tie Mara down and wrest the controls from her, he was going to have to content himself with letting her do the work.
I hate being a passenger, he muttered.
Me too. She took the controls.
And then all arguments about who would and wouldnt be piloting the ship disappeared as they breached the Lash.
Calm but focused, Mara angled the ship to swerve through a narrow opening between two protoplanets. The ship shot forward, then banked hard to port when a cluster of asteroids spun toward them. Three asteroids collided with one another, shattering into clouds of jagged debris. The ship shimmied with the force of the concussion.
Having fun? Mara shouted above the rattle of the hull.
Hell, yes, he shouted back.
Goodbecause it gets better.
Someone else, someone sane, might have said that the going got worse, but clearly Kell and Mara had different ideas as to what constituted fun.
They flew toward massive shapes of nascent planets that spewed arcs of magma, stretching like fiery bridges between the protoplanets. Just beyond lay the relative calm of the Smoke Quadrant.
Mara pushed the ship onward, accelerating. Great technique . A lesser pilot would think to slow down when approaching a dangerous obstacle, but those with more experience knew that greater speed meant greater maneuverability. And Mara guided them with a skilled, fearless hand, swooping and diving between the protoplanets. Several times, it looked as though she steered them directly toward a surge of magma, but just as the ship neared the molten rock, the surge shifted out of their path, leaving them a clear route forward. Meanwhile, the clear routes suddenly were blocked by seething columns of magma.
Thats how these wily fuckers work. She laughed like a madwoman. I love it.
He grinned. Unpredictablethe Lash and the woman. It surprised him how much she made him smile.
They were almost through. Mara pushed the accelerator.
Starboard, Kell murmured.
She banked away just as an asteroid flew at them from the starboard side. Then they were out,
Ildens Lash retreating behind them in a fiery red haze. Adrenalin continued to pour through him, even though he hadnt been the pilot. Another day.
Appreciate it, Commander.
Kell. Seeing as how I just saved your ass, you can call me Kell.
You didnt save my ass, she argued, but she didnt sound angry. Far from it. She laughed again, and the sultry sound curled warmly in his groin. I had everything under control. Kell.
Hearing her say his name, his pulse spikedfar more than it had when navigating the dangers of Ildens Lash. Hunger gripped him, and it was all he could do to keep from dragging her out of the pilots seat, having her straddle him. He wanted his mouth on hers, his hands all over her body. His cock felt huge, demanding. It wanted inside her.
Focus, goddamn it.
Well be at Ryge soon, she said, totally unaware of the fact that he wanted to fuck her up against the control panel.
He barely managed to growl his assent. They couldnt get to Ryge soon enough. Even a man as tightly controlled as Kell had a breaking point, and he was getting dangerously close to his.
Chapter Four
Mara studied her reflection in the mirror, a knowing smile curving her lips. It was dangerous,
what she was doing, but she couldnt stop herself. After breaching Ildens Lash, shed seen the raw hunger and need in Kells face, and the same impulse that had her laughing all the way through the band of dangerous protoplanets made her choose the clothing she now wore.
She had gone a little overboarddeliberately. Yes, the scavengers and smugglers on Ryge liked to dress flamboyantly. Calling cards for how successful they were. A drab scavenger clearly wasnt doing well, and they were a collection of braggarts. Nobody respected the soft-spoken, the humble.