She wanted it inside her, eradicating this pressure. Alexa lined it up to her sex and pushed. She could do this. She could do anything to herself that Hysterian could do to her.
It was solid, without any give, and there wasn’t any tapering to work herself with. She wiggled and bit down on her lower lip, giving it her best effort. She couldn’t make it fit.
Alexa slumped, defeated.
The water sluiced down her skin as she pulled her hands from between her legs, giving up. Disappointment filled her. She wasn’t going to get herself off, no matter how hard she tried. She wasn’t going to make herself scream in release with all the effort of her fingers. All she could do was spread her legs, and even then, the stall was too small for much of that.
The water cooled. It soothed.
After a time, she pulled herself upright and into a sitting position. She pushed her hair out of her face. The water had long ago gone icy. Lifting her head, she let it cleanse her, calm her, and take everything else away.
Getting to her feet a short time later, noticing the wrinkles on the pads of her fingers, she grabbed the canister and sprayed the contents into her hair. Citrus and flowers invaded her nose. No chemicals, no cheap burn. It slickened her hair like silk.
Resignation was all she felt anymore. But with it came a little bit of peace.
She dressed and tugged her wet hair back into a bun.
“Takeoff is commencing in five minutes.”Hysterian’s voice filled her ears.
She smiled, left her quarters, and sat down at her desk. Raul saluted her. She buckled herself in, ready to leave Titan. To leave, have a stiff drink, and…
Never come back.
Eleven
“Contact Libra station.Let them know we’re coming and that we’ll need to restore theQuestor’sresources and supplies,” Hysterian ordered, tapping his finger against the cloth covering his mouth.
Horace swiveled in his chair. “We’re heading back to Gliese then? Should I contact them as well?”
“No. We’re only laying over at Libra. There’ll be no other stops in the sector.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Horace swiped several of his correspondences away and brought up new ones. For the past few days, it had only been Horace working the bridge with him, and Hysterian preferred it that way. Daniels had done an okay job, but Hysterian preferred not keeping an eye on the bastard.
Overall, there was only minor curiosity in regards to Daniels’s abrupt departure. Hysterian hadn’t needed to provide his other bridge officer anything but the simplest explanation.
That Daniels left.
Horace had shrugged. He even grumped when Hysterian asked him to collect Daniels’s belongings from their shared quarters so they could be dropped off on Earth the next time they landed on the homeworld. Apparently, Daniels hadn't been liked, and morale had…gone up since his disappearance. It seemed that way. It might also have had something to do with the fact that Hysterian promoted Horace to second-in-command, and with that came a steep pay increase.
Horace was good at his job. He never questioned any decisions made, and promptly got his work done. All a captain could ask for in a subordinate.
Unlike some others in his crew.
Alexa was avoiding him.
It pissed him off, but he couldn’t do much about it. She needed time to come to terms with what he’d told her. What he planned to do to her.
What he wished to do to her… It was better that she accepted it on her own terms, in her own time. He had time.
He was going to have Alexa. Especially if she chose to remain in his employment after what he’d said. Hysterian couldn’t live with her otherwise, being tempted, because someday it would get the better of him. A mistake would be made. His mistakes often resulted in dire consequences. His job was dangerous, and if he planned to stay for the entirety of his contract with Nightheart, Hysterian needed to keep his head on straight.
Alexa made that hard as fuck with their current situation.
It may be a while before he found his perfect woman. Having Alexa around to enjoy in the meantime would make the wait immensely more tolerable. She would get whatever it is she wanted from him—if it was a pay raise or a promotion she’s after—and he would get his practice on her.
Hysterian rubbed his brow.
