Page 44 of Captain's Treasure
“That’s not necessary.” Cyra closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. “What do you need, Dez?” Better to get it over with so she could clear her head and focus on work.
Dez approached her, coming so close she could smell a hint of his musk, the tiny bits of moisture that carried his wild scent. His nearness warmed her. She itched to run back to the salt tank to keep from trailing her fingers along the planes of his muscles, followed by her tongue. He spoke, rattling off details about the food, the recipes, the menu, but all she registered was his low tones deep in her belly.
“Is that acceptable, my queen?”
She shook off the mesmerizing stupor he created. “It’s fine.”
His smile was too wide. Did he know what he was doing to her? She scowled at him.
“Fine. I’ll take fine.” His fine backside as he left held her captive. Damn that male for being so sultry, so smug, so satisfying. In the galley.
Not anywhere else.
She shook her head. She couldn’t entertain even a hint of what her body desired from him, even if her thighs did ache. And she still had one more meal planning session with him to endure this cycle. And three more the next. “When do we reach Cassan?”
Rhysa laughed.
Finally, after several more cycles of cat and mouse, which Dez, the apex predator, won every time, Cassan loomed ahead in the digital display. It was so huge it appeared closer than it actually was. Despite the additional cycles it would take to reach it, Cyra was grateful to nearly be there. It meant more space away from Dez than the ship allowed. His meal planning antics had progressed to includeaccidentaltouches.
She ached to grab him with both hands and do very non-captain like things to him, like stroke his entire body and find out what he liked. But she couldn’t. He was cargo. She had a contract to deliver him. He was cargo. He would be living on Kolben while she would traveling all over the galaxies. He was cargo. And she was so over the moon for him. She couldn’t get off the ship soon enough.
“Rhysa, what’s our ETA?”
“The same as the previous time you asked me minus the few seconds since then.”
“Can’t we get there faster?” The whine in her voice hurt her own ears.
“Not if we don’t want to blast right through the dock. They might be unhappy with us if we rip off part of the station because we come in too hot.”
Dammit. Her skin itched with unmet need. “Call me when we’re going to land. I’m going to the water chamber.”
“You’re going to prune you’re in there so much.”
“It relieves stress.”
“I know of some other things that relieve stress…”
“Not interested.” Cyra paused in the doorway to the bridge. “Oh, and when we get to the station, we need to send out inquiries on a Communications Officer. We did fine this trip, but we need to fill that slot. Now that we have a regular contract, or soon will, I think we should add to staff.”
“What are we doing about galley duties?”
“Nothing.” Cyra left the deck without further explanation.
Cyra found Veda waiting for her in her quarters. Something was up, but Cyra was going to delay asking as long as possible. She walked by Veda and opened her wardrobe. There was nothing in there she wanted to put on. If Veda wasn’t here, she would have had some personal alone time which wouldn’t have necessitated clothes.
“What?” She gave in and asked Veda.
“I was wondering when you were going to acknowledge me.”
Cyra didn’t say anything, she just looked at her.
“I think you and Dez should go to dinner while were on Cassan.”
“What? Why?”
“Because he’s been cooking for us. Because he’s your mate. Because you can’t keep running form this situation. You need to resolve it.”
“How is having dinner together going to resolve the fact that he’s contracted for delivery to Kolben, even if I am his mate.”
