Five Zantharian jaws dropped in unison. “You’re kidding,” one of them said.
“The command comes from the Supreme Regent himself.” Jeffrey bristled at her apologetic tone.
“I’m sure you’ll find me a fair and capable commanding officer,” he said, giving a winning smile. “Our highest priority is finding my ship before it disappears into Hareema control permanently. Since we have no time to waste, I suggest we depart immediately.”
The Zantharians stared. Kat gave a nearly imperceptible nod of the head, and they, at last, were spurred to action.
Jeffrey found an unoccupied seat and proceeded to strap himself in.
“Course heading?” the navigator requested.
“Make for the place where your ship originally captured mine,” he told Kat. “We’ll start our scans there.” It was the only place that made sense, in part because it was the only place he could think of.
“Quadrant 4-3, section 19.”
The navigator nodded at Kat’s words and the ship moved toward the membrane. “Hold on tight,” Kat said.
The ship burst out of the membrane and sped forward at a breakneck speed. Jeffrey watched the view screen, fighting against nausea. The world was a blue-green blur around him.
Suddenly the ship burst through the waves and headed high into the air. They were in the upper atmosphere in a matter of moments, and not long after, they were in the open blackness of space.
“This ship is among the fastest in our fleet. It won’t take long to make our way back to our previous position.”
He glanced at his companion. She wasn’t looking at him, but was watching the view screen instead.
There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he was unsure of how to start. She was still raw and angry about what had happened on the flagship, and being put under his command had not done anything to abate that anger. Perhaps some light flirting would be the best way to breach the gap between them.
He kept his voice low, intimate. He didn’t need the crew to overhear his wooing. “I’m not sure if I’ve told you this, but you look so lovely in starlight.”
He saw one perfect brow arch in her gorgeous face. Still, he barreled onward. “It’s like you were made for space. An alluring jewel in the ideal setting.”
Her expression remained neutral, but he thought he noticed a slight change in her skin tone. Jeffrey decided to press on with his seduction.
“And your eyes, they match their surroundings. Like an eclipse, the darkness ringed by blinding light.”
She finally turned to him, her face cold. “There’s no need to resort to flattery. I’ve accepted your command. I can behave like a professional if you can.”
Jeffrey wanted to laugh. “You might be able to behave like a professional, but I’d prefer if you let your hair down, so to speak. You weren’t very professional back on the flagship.”
“Will you never stop throwing that up in my face?” she asked, her words coming out in a harsh whisper. “It was a mistake. I was confused. Let’s move past it.”
“Confused? You didn’t seem confused when you were writhing beneath my tongue.”
Kat glared at him. “Don’t flatter yourself, Lieutenant. Like you said, it gets lonely out in space. I hadn’t enjoyed male attention for too long, so I let myself be seduced by you. But believe me, it was nothing worth repeating.”
“Ouch, that stung.” He put his hands over his chest in mock agony to hide his hurt. “And I was just going to say that I was barely getting warmed up before. I should have held you there until you climaxed a half dozen more times.”
“That wasn’t necessary,” she said, pinning him with a haughty look. “Once with you was more than enough.”
“Once was enough for you to lose control,” he reminded her.
Kat rolled her eyes. “The only control you have over me is the control the regent gave you. Otherwise, you couldn’t handle me.”
Jeffrey laughed. “I handled you pretty well on that interrogation table.”
Kat crossed her arms over her chest, making her cleavage swell. Jeffrey licked his lips at the sight of her lush breasts peeking over her tight top.
“It seems like it was much more memorable to you than it was to me,” she said, giving a yawn. “I’m already bored talking about it.”
