Page 30 of Touch the Stars
“Negative.”
Baatar rubbed his hand over his chin.“Something is not right.”
Please don’t say we’re not going.
If he did, she’d still find a way.She’d steal one of the escape pods if she had too.How difficult could it be to fly one of those?
“Kaitlyn?”
She startled and blinked at him.“What?”
“I asked, what do you wish to do?”
He was lettinghermake the choice?“You know what Iwantto do, but if anything happens to me, then Rocky the Grand Asshole will kill you and your family.”
He jerked his chin out again.“I accept that risk.”
“Youdo?”
“As a warrior, I have learned to listen to my inner voice.”
“What about your family?”
He chuckled.“I believe my mother would agree.She is also a warrior.”
“Yourmother?”Didn’t see that one coming.
“It is she who inspired me, and Ulaani.”He flicked his gaze down her body, then back up.“You too are a warrior, Kaatlyn.”
The ache between her legs flared hotter.Damn and hell, every time he pronounced her name like that, it was like an aphrodisiac.If she didn’t haul ass out of here, she would jump his bones.
“Thank you, Baatar.”Her voice sounded like a dying frog, even to her.She wet her lips with her tongue, then swallowed.“Uh, so, how long until we get to the Bajiki freighter?”
He blinked a few times in rapid succession, as if coming out of a trance.“Roughly five hours.”
“That long?”More than enough time.“You think I could go take a quick nap?My eyes are burning from watching that screen for so long.”
His expression softened.“Of course.Traveling through space can be exhausting for someone who has never done so before.Please, sleep well.I will be here when you awake.”
“Okay.”Too bad he hadn’t offered to come with her, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.“Be back later.”
Baatar.
It should not be possible that after over three hours without Kaitlyn’s inexhaustible presence in the command center, he would be so eager for her return.Impatient for it, almost to the point of walking down the corridor to join her.Which would be rude after all she had been through since he had taken her from her planet.
That is not the real reason.
He reached down to make a slight readjustment to his semi-hard cock, then refocused his attention on the tiny, unmoving gray-and-black image of the Bajiki freighter now on the main view screen.They were still two hours away, but it appeared far closer.The advanced technology of the live visual feed aboard the cruiser surpassed any he had ever seen.
“Cruiser, scan for other ships within range.”He should wake up Kaitlyn soon and prepare her for the rendezvous.
“Scanning.”
In most cases, other ships would not pose a threat, as the imperial cruiser could outrun all but a more powerful imperial ship.Yet, the cruiser’s speed would not protect Kaitlyn if he were caught unaware while aboard the pirate’s freighter.
“No ships within range,” the cruiser reported.
So, why was it floating free out there?Had it been attacked?It was not unheard of for pirates to attack one another, the winner absconding with the other’s ill-gotten goods.He had not dared mention this possibility to Kaitlyn earlier.That knowledge would have caused her unnecessary angst.
