He grabbed my wrist to get my attention.Tingles danced over my skin where we touched.“It’s a good idea.Making a list, I mean.I wouldn’t have thought of it,” he said.“Or even ordering supplies.”
I smiled back at him.“Little things like that can make the time in space feel not so bad.Some stuff will be fresh, some will probably be frozen.Once we have cargo loaded and booked, we can plan the meals out.”
“How do we order supplies?”
“It’s easy.You log on to the station’s system and send your order.The software will direct it to the appropriate sources.They’ll send a quote and once you approve it, they’ll deliver the supplies to the ship.”
“Show me.”He stood up and gestured me into the captain’s chair.“Enter the order and show me how I accept a quote.”
I sat slowly.This had been my seat onMako.Part of me missed being in charge, making all the decisions.Except for when my sister tagged along, I hadn’t had a crew on board.Long term, I preferred spending my time in the engine room rather than on the bridge.
I walked Dax through how to safely connect to the station’s network, then showed him how I connected my tablet to it.
“First we need to create an account.”I swiftly keyed inFortuna’s name.“Now create a password.”
He leaned over the back of the chair, arms going around me to the keyboard and typed one in.His breath feathered over my ear and I shivered.
His shoulder brushed mine and I fought the ridiculous urge to lean into him.If I turned my head, I could sink my teeth into his meaty biceps.
Wait, what the hell was I thinking?
I shoved that thought away and tried to find a semblance of professionalism.That struggle wasn’t helped when his hands brushed over my upper arms.
Or when Burn muttered, “Just when I believed you weren’t sleeping together.”
Dax rested his hands on the back of the chair.I kept my back ramrod straight so I wouldn’t accidentally brush against them.“What now?”he asked, his deep voice sending butterflies through me.
“Now we just transfer our list.”With one click, the list on my tablet populated on the screen.“Sorry.Let me remove my clothes from this.I’ll place that order separately.”
“Leave ‘em,” Dax said.
“What?”I swiveled my head to look at him.“I’ve got an account.I can order them from there.”I’d just have to be careful that they didn’t see it.I couldn’t afford the questions they would have.
“Consider it payment for the work you’ve done on the ship.I noticed the sink in the mess isn’t leaking anymore and the air purifier is running smoother, too.”
My cheeks warmed.I’d wondered if anyone had noticed the tweaks I’d made while keeping my distance from the two of them.“Ah, thanks.”
“Does that mean I can order clothes too, Sarge?”
I sensed, rather than saw, Dax draw up to his full height.His hands released my chair.I tilted my head back to watch him.He glanced at Burn.“Are your clothes covered in grease from making repairs?”
Burn shook her head.
“Then buy your own damn clothes,” he said with a laugh.
“It was worth a try,” Burn said.“What’s the shopping like?”
I thought back to the times I’d wandered the station with my sister.When my father hadn’t been in a hurry.“It’s fine, I guess.Pretty utilitarian.You’re not going to find much fancy stuff.”I gestured toward her high-heeled combat boots.“What you do find will probably be either legit but expensive, or a cheap knockoff.”
Burn rubbed her hands together.“Good hunting, then.I can’t wait.”
“Burn...”Dax dragged out her name with exasperation.
“It was one time, Sarge.I’ve never been late for a shuttle since you left me on Sardo.”
While the two of them negotiated, I removed my clothing from the master list.It felt weird—intimate, even—for Dax to purchase my underwear.I subbed in a dozen coveralls in a range of sizes and requested customization with the ship’s name on the breast pocket.I figured that was something neither of them would have thought of.
Then again, maybe they were tired of uniforms.Either way, they’d probably be grateful to have them at some point.I finalized the order and sent it.I could show Dax that part later.
