“Yes,” she said, leaning forward to suck his nipples. “It’s your turn now, baby. I want to feel what we do to you.” He was caught in his passion, quickly rolling toward release, and his loud moan was muffled by Ford’s mouth. But she felt him as he pulled her hips tight against his pelvis, his entire body tensing as he climaxed.
When he finished, he pulled her down on top of him, his arms around her, kissing her. Then he wrapped an arm around Ford and held him against his side as they all napped.
She wasn’t sure how long they laid there when she felt Aaron’s presence. The twins were asleep, and Aaron’s playful smirk lit her heart. He leaned in the open doorway, arms crossed, taking in the scene.
Emi lifted her head and crooked her finger at him. He silently crossed the room and knelt on the floor close to her, leaning over and kissing her.
She raised an eyebrow at him, an invitation to play. Sensing her meaning he smiled again and shook his head, then pressed his lips against her ear and breathed, “Later. Take care of them for now. They need you.”
He kissed her again before leaving, shaking his head in amusement.
When the twins awoke, she led them to the shower and enjoyed the royal treatment of the two men soaping her up. Once they’d been reassured she wasn’t leaving them their tension had dissipated, although she still sensed their guilt. She suspected they would deal with that for weeks, if not months.
The twins spent the day catering to her, doting on her, including cooking her favorite foods for dinner. When Aaron joined them in the galley, the twins looked at his stern face and apologized again.
He nodded. “Don’t ever forget again, guys.” He leaned over and kissed Emi’s cheek, whispering, “Well done, baby girl,” in her ear.
She barely concealed her smile. Emi had a feeling she’d share many moments like this with Aaron over their hopefully many years together. While still crew, he saw her in a different light than the twins, would count on her to be his eyes and ears and a good influence on them in his absence.
Aaron sat at the table. “So what’s for dinner, guys?” The rest of the meal passed in a lighter mood, and by the time they went to bed later, Aaron curling up with Emi while Caph and Ford snuggled close, they were back to whatever passed for normal between them.
Chapter Twelve
With the confidence that Aaron not only loved her, but wasn’t going to refuse her assignment at the end of training, Emi threw herself into her work. Aaron personally went with her to the hand-to-hand combat classes, not holding back as her sparring partner. The twins were good for practice, but both she and Aaron noticed they were too careful, afraid of hurting her. She understood Aaron’s need for her to be effective in this way, and he always felt bad about the bruises she incurred. But after several weeks she was giving back as good as she took.
Most of the retrofits were complete. They’d started major testing of the ship’s systems, including the power generators and life support.
While she wouldn’t say she was confident with her ability to perform her non-medical duties, she was more comfortable with them than she had been at the start.
The men were right that some things became second nature. As her tension eased, she felt her libido rise. There were a few nights the men were worn out from their duties and had fun taking care of her, never failing to leave her satisfied.
A tentative departure date was set, giving them six weeks to finalize preparations. It wouldn’t be confirmed until several days before they left. They would spend two weeks at the orbital docking complex, allowing for last-minute load checks on the systems, real-life simulations with life support and defenses, then an escorted six-week shakedown cruise to the Mars station to ensure there weren’t any problems. There they would pick up their final supplies and equipment before heading out of the solar system to their first destination.
The crew shifted into a nightly watch pattern. In space they would still emulate the twenty-four hour daily cycle, so at night they alternated shifts. The men took turns on watch with Emi, wanting her completely comfortable with the systems before turning her loose on her own. The computer simulated various conditions, benign and dangerous, to give her experience with what to look for and how to respond.
She enjoyed this alone time with each man. While she knew she could easily spend time with any them if she asked, it was a guilt-free excuse to have their undivided attention without worrying if someone’s feelings were hurt. She admittedly enjoyed her watches with Ford the best, his body slim enough they could sit side-by-side, tucked snugly into the command seat, cuddled together and talking.
Staying awake with Ford was never an issue. Between their talks and his frequent, playful groping, nights with him flew by. Aaron was always casual with her but took time to go over the different systems, answering any questions she had, making sure she understood the settings. Caph was too willing to let her drift to sleep and do her job for her. She frequently had to remind him to keep her awake, not protect her from what they were doing.
With four weeks left, Dr. Graymard called her into his office one morning. “So how are you getting along, Emi?” Her confidence wasn’t faked anymore. “I’m nervous, obviously, but the guys have been great. I know if I have any questions they’ll help me.”
“No second thoughts about backing out?”
“Not on your life.”
She sensed there was something else he wanted to discuss. “Are you aware of the term bonded crew?”
She stiffened. She didn’t want to hear the story from him, not really. She wanted her boys to tell her, even though she was desperate to know. “I ran across it.”
He nodded, eyeing her. “The men of the Tamora Bight are bonded crew. It’s a very specific designation, meaning they cannot be separated unless they desire it. Since they are bonded crew, they can add to their number if they wish. Now, I have not spoken to Aaron about this yet, because he is the one who has to make the request, speaking for his men. Should he make the request, however, I would prefer to know your answer in advance, if at all possible. I won’t tell him your answer because that’s between you and the men. But there are paperwork issues to take care of, and the more advanced knowledge I have, the easier it makes my job.” She nodded. “I’d like that.”
“It doesn’t make you married to them or anything. It means you cannot arbitrarily be transferred out of his command by outside officers unless you request a transfer.” He made a notation in his computer. “That’s all, Emi. I just needed to talk to you about that.” A few hours later, Graymard paged the ship and requested Aaron come to his office, alone. He didn’t seem nervous, but she was.
Would they be talking about her?
It was her night to cook. She was preparing dinner when the boys walked into the galley, smiling.
That had to be a good sign, right?
Aaron took her hands in his. “Em, we wanted to talk to you about something.”
She nodded, hopeful, expectant.
Aaron glanced at the twins, who were remarkably silent. They nodded their encouragement.
“We’ll be shipping out soon, and we’re going to have one last crew day together in the city, followed by dinner. Someplace nice where they don’t ask if you want fries with that. It’s our tradition. But we’d like to know if you’d start a new tradition with us.”
“What?”
“We’d each like a day and night away from the ship with you, alone. We’ll be together for a long time, and we agree it’d be nice to get a chance to have you to ourselves.” Not exactly what she’d expected, but nearly as good. “I’d love that.”
They set the dates, and each man made his plans. Aaron decided Ford could have the first night, Caph the second, and he’d take the night before their crew day together.