After a minute he relaxed and finally enveloped her, his face buried in her hair. “We’ve got to sit down and talk about this. I can’t focus on my job if I’m worried every second you’re out of my sight that something’s going to happen to you.” Relief flooded her, nearly as strong as her adrenaline shock. He wouldn’t send her away. He’d already changed his mind back. He didn’t want to lose her any more than she wanted to lose them.
Because he loved her.
“How did you get there?” she asked.
“I changed my mind and went down to the motor pool to check out a car. Thought maybe I could apologize to you. Ford told him they were taking you to the Dry Port for the first time, and that over half the crews including Rick’s were there. I also remembered overhearing Rick saying that they weren’t chipped yet, so I grabbed a cab.” She clung to him, relaxing as he soothed her.
“What happened, Em?”
She shivered, and he pulled a blanket around them both as she told the story.
His voice hardened. “I’ll call Graymard myself, have him haul Rick and his gorillas in for disciplinary action.” Then his voice lifted, amused. “You really threatened to yank his license?”
“And get them neutered.”
He laughed and her last bit of worry drained from her. She closed her eyes. “Where’s the twins?” She was too tired to try to find them.
“They’ll sleep it off in cargo. Even as drunk as they were, they won’t dare come up here until morning.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Me too.”
“I didn’t mean for you to think¯”
She kissed him, surprised that after the evening’s events she could feel even remotely romantic. They weren’t together alone very often, and any solo time she got to spend with one of the men was time she treasured. Through the scorching touch of his lips, she felt his easing desperation and fear, residual effects of his worry. He took his time, slowly, gently caressing her skin as he cupped her breasts and went from one to the other, circling her taut nipples with his tongue and making her moan.
“I almost left them there,” he whispered against her neck. “I saw the fight, and I panicked when I didn’t see you. Then I realized you were about to get between Ford and Baxter, and I was afraid I wouldn’t reach you in time.”
“You would have left them?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time the MPs brought them back drunk and disorderly,” he laughed. “Would have scared the crap out of them when they sobered up enough to realize you were missing.”
“I don’t think I could have done that. I don’t think I could have left them there.”
“I know.” He nuzzled her ear, sending another dizzying wave of sensation through her body. “That’s why I didn’t. I didn’t think you would let me.”
“You’re the captain,” she teased. “Don’t you get to make that call?”
Aaron raised up on one arm to meet her eyes, now serious. “Yes.
But smart captains also know when to weigh what’s in the best interest of their crew before making a decision. I knew if I did that, you’d be fighting me and screaming to get back in there to protect them, then you’d be pissed at me. I pick my battles carefully.” His hand drifted between her legs, his fingers knowing exactly what to do to bring her close to release. He stopped short before she came, entering her and taking long, sweet strokes that kept her breathless and wanting more.
Then he sat up, still deep inside her. His thumb found her clit, tracing little circles around it. “The only screaming I want to hear from you right now is when I make you come for me. I’ve got you all to myself, and I want you to scream for me.” His deep, growling voice triggered a waterfall inside her. She closed her eyes, her muscles squeezing him as she climaxed, crying out his name.
“That’s it,” he said, slowly fucking her. “Let me hear what I do to you.”
The last spasm left her gasping for breath and he thrust hard, his release not far behind. When he recovered, he rolled to his side and pulled her tight against him, spooned together.
He kissed her shoulder. “Extra training for you,” he mumbled.
“You’re going to be a kick-ass fighter before we leave here.”
“Okay,” she sighed. She would do it for him. “Did you mean it earlier, that we could all stay together after this mission is over?” He hugged her tighter. “Of course I did. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, baby girl. I can’t lose you any more than I can lose those two assholes sleeping it off downstairs.” More than relief¯satisfaction¯washed over her. Wanting to spend his life with her was as good as telling her he loved her, right?
Maybe better. You could love someone and not want to spend your whole life with them.
“Good. Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too.”
Ford and Caph weren’t in the crew area the next morning. Aaron wasn’t in bed, and she found him in the shower. He pulled her in with him and held her.
“I already talked to Graymard. We meet in his office in an hour.” Fear coursed through her. He smiled, touching her cheek.
“Disciplinary action, Em. I won’t cancel your assignment, quit worrying. You’re here to stay. You have to tell them what happened, though.” He smirked. “Personally, I’d like to push for letting you get to neuter those two assholes.”
“What’ll happen to them?”
He shrugged. “Hard to say. They’ll have to go through extra psychological checks at the very least. That alone will cost them time and assignments, not to mention bonuses. And they probably won’t get assigned female crew.”
She snickered. “So what does that mean?” He laughed. “Either they bend over and take it like men, or they get well-acquainted with their hands.” Emi toasted them bagels while Aaron dictated a preliminary report for Graymard. Caph and Ford still hadn’t appeared.
Emi worried. “Don’t we need to get them up here? I should check them over.”
He shook his head. “They cleaned up downstairs, I’m sure. They were howling last night when I hosed them off. They couldn’t have been too fucking hurt. I’m sure they dug into the spare lockers down there for uniforms.” He reached across her and hit the intercom button, flicking the volume up full blast. His voice loudly echoed through the ship, and she winced.
“Gangway, ten minutes, in uniform.” He turned it off and smiled, taking her hands. “Look, Em, I know you’re worried about them.
Chances are they’ll have some pretty good war wounds from what little I saw when I got there. But don’t you dare baby them before we get back, okay?”
“Why?”
His face had transformed to captain firm again. “They put you at risk. I know it wasn’t intentional, and I know it wasn’t their fault what happened. I’m not blaming them. But they are experienced officers.
They should have damn well remembered that one of them needed to stay sober to keep an eye on you. They should have been protecting you. I want you to be very angry and quiet with them this morning, promise?”
Reluctantly, she nodded. “It’ll hurt them.” That’s the last thing she wanted to do to the twins.
“Yeah, but it’ll hammer home the lesson, and they won’t forget it anytime soon.” He touched her chin and turned her lips to his, brushing them with a gentle kiss. “Trust me. This is far kinder for them in the long run. Better they feel horrible for a couple of hours than to feel horrible forever because they fucked up and cost you your life. You need to be the ballsy bitch who stood up to Rick last night.” That made her laugh. “I didn’t feel very ballsy.” Emi couldn’t read his glare. “Trust me, it was. Seriously, please do this for me. Practically ignore them. Don’t break down and hug them. Be very cool and professional toward them. Let them think you’re really pissed.”