A rhythmic thumping began then, as the head of their bed slammed against the wall. The woman’s cries grew louder, drowning out her partner’s. She begged, groaned, and screamed—and Jenna listened, envy spiking through her chest.
Lucky bitch.
Whoever the woman’s lover was, he clearly knew what he was doing.
Jenna’s mouth compressed as unwelcome memories surfaced.
Sex with Tian had been an ordeal, right from their wedding night. Unlike her previous lover—a delegate she’d met on a diplomatic mission—he was rough. They’d shared some wine on their first evening together, both unnerved after their disastrous wedding day. There had been a short spell when Jenna had dared believe she might be attracted to her husband. After all, Tian was good-looking, his body toned from a career in space fleet. But the moment he started undressing her, the sparks of attraction died.
He hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t shown any desire to please her or put her at ease. Instead, he’d torn off Jenna’s wedding dress, pushed her back on the bed, and mounted her. Then, without any preliminaries, he’d thrust his way inside his wife, and pumped away until he collapsed.
It had hurt.
In the aftermath, Tian rolled off her and promptly fell asleep.
Meanwhile, in the next room, the woman’s pleading reached a sobbing crescendo before a male cry finally echoed through the wall.
And then everything went silent.
Jenna exhaled sharply.
It was over, thank the Gods.
The door clicked then, drawing her attention.
It swung open, and a tall, cloaked figure stepped inside. Her bodyguard carried a bag over one shoulder.
“I was wondering where you’d gotten to,” Jenna muttered, climbing off the bed and rising to her feet. “You missed the show.”
Captain Malik pushed back his hood and cocked an eyebrow. “What?”
Jenna nodded toward the wall. “Our neighbors,” she replied, lowering her voice lest they overheard her. “They’re both screamers.” She halted then, arching an eyebrow. “This is a hotel, isn’t it … you didn’t accidentally check us into a pleasure house?”
The captain’s mouth curved. “The Spacers’ Retreatis a hotel all right, My Lady.” His gaze glinted. “However, lovers often choose hotels like this.” He glanced at the wall, his expression turning speculative. “They’re likely upper-side nobs who want their affair to remain a secret.”
Jenna made a face. “You don’t know that.”
Captain Malik lowered his bag to the floor and shrugged off his cloak. “I grew up in a pleasure house, My Lady … you’d be surprised what I know.”
He turned away then and hung up his cloak. Underneath it, he wore black, close-fitting body armor. The captain then undid his heavy utility belt and laser-pistol holster, hanging them up too. He had a soldier’s orderliness—a habit drilled into him after spending years living in barracks.
“How is it you grew up in a pleasure house?” Jenna asked.
Her bodyguard glanced over his shoulder, his expression shuttered now. “My mother was once a priestess at the Temple to Jidea in Melor … but after she took a lover, she was cast out. Eventually, she found work as a whore. I was brought up by all the women who worked in the house … and became their errand boy when I was old enough.” Bending down, he picked up the bag he’d brought with him and carried it over to the bed. “I spent the rest of my time looking for trouble in Melor’s backstreets.”
Jenna met his eye. “And now you’re Captain of the Lord’s Watch.”
Captain Malik snorted. “Growing up in the gutter turns you one of two ways. You either become part of the underworld … or you try to rise above it. I joined the Melor Guard when I was sixteen and later managed to get an assignment to work at Mir-Brennan Tower in the House Guard. Two years on, I applied to join the Lord’s Watch … and I was accepted.”
“You must have been young?”
“Just twenty.”
Jenna stilled. She would have been in her teens when Malik Mir-Draven joined her father’s bodyguard. He’d been with them for years, but she’d never noticed him until he became captain.
Captain Malik was watching her in that frank, direct way she found unnerving. Jenna cleared her throat and motioned to the bag. “What do you have there?”
“Food and drink.” He flashed her a disarming smile then. “And our way off Aura Terminal.”
