Page 61 of Not That Impossible

“He said he didn’t want a relationship.” I held up a finger. “And I was too young.” Another finger. “And I wasn’t his type.”

“He’s as bad as Ray.” Adam’s lips tightened. “I thought men in their thirties were supposed to have their shit together. After all that sweet-talking, you still let him near you?”

I flashed back to Liam holding me, whispering into my ear as I writhed on top of him. “Yeah,” I said. I added miserably, “I’d do it again, given a chance.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if the opportunity came up.”

“I’llstop you. I’ll buy you a chastity device. I know a great online store. I’ll lock you in it, and I’ll keep hold of the key. The next time Liam tries anything, he’ll have to come through me. Unless he gets on fucking bended knee and asks nicely, then he’s not getting his hands on you.”

“Sometimes, I wonder if you know how incredibly domineering you are,” I mused. “I really don’t think most people announce they’re going to lock their best friends in a chastity device. I just don’t.”

“Of course I know. You let me get away with it all the time.”

“Not this time. I’ll pass on the chastity device, thanks. It’s not necessary, anyway. What we had was a one-time thing. He made it clear.” I blew out a hard breath, and stood up. “I’m going to go for a run.”

“You’ve already been.”

“A proper one. I’ve got to shake off this mood. There’s no point sulking. Nothing’s really changed, after all, has it?” I smiled brightly. “Liam Nash doesn’t want me. I’ll live.”

14

“Ihave bad news,” Commander Liam Nash of the Milky Way Alliance Space Fleet announced through the ship-wide audio system.

The mess hall of the battlecruiser was packed with Space Marines from all over the galaxy. We had been fighting the giant alien bugs from Andromeda for a hundred years, and were down to a handful of ships.

Earth and her galactic allies were close to being snuffed out for good.

Everyone in the mess hall stopped eating to listen to the broadcast.

“The latest firefight with the Bugs crippled critical life support systems,” Nash continued. “We are venting oxygen.”

“That can’t be good,” I whispered to Captain Adam Blake. He shushed me.

“As it stands,” Commander Nash went on in his lovely, and yet hard and uncaring voice, “we have just enough to make it to Venus. Once there, we will dock for repairs and everyone will get a month of shore leave.”

I smiled at Captain Blake.

“Unfortunately,” Nash said, “not all of us are going to make it.”

My smile faded.

“There isn’t enough oxygen to sustain all hands for the duration of the trip. Some of you will have to be left behind.”

I frowned at Blake. “We’re in space. How can we be left behind? There’s nowhere to leave us.”

“The only fair thing,” Nash said briskly, "is to hold a lottery.”

“Wonder what the prize is?” I said to Blake.

Two hours later, I stood alone on the cold metal deck of the cargo hold. My send-off party was on the safe side of the viewing window.

It was a good turnout, at least. All the officers were there, with Commander Nash front and centre. They all wore ceremonial dress uniform.

“I just think you need to consider the fact that I’mverygood at holding my breath,” I said. "I couldn’t hold it all the way to Venus, obviously, but I could breathereallyshallowly.”

“A big strapping man like you takes up too many resources,” Commander Nash said. “My engineers have run the numbers. You are too tall and muscly. If you were a slender and pretty twink like Private Ray Underwood, who was exempt from the lottery because of being slender, pretty, and important for general and non-specific reasons, then your name wouldn’t have come up as viable. But you’re not. So. Here we are.”

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