“Let’s go this way.” He moved on, and I absolutely stared at his ass. The best thing about our exoskins was how snug they were. A good view before I died, and entertainment.
“You know, the troop and I have a saying about you,” I continued, focused on his form stubbornly searching for an exit.
Worthless. We wouldn’t find anything. No one would find us.
“That you’re made out of muscle, spite, and a pinch of dick. Arana argues the pinch is a lie.” I caught the glance he tossed toward me. “I think it’s true, though.”
Roys slowed when the scanner took a moment to map out the tunnel. “You may be the biggest enigma of my life. One second you’re telling me off and the next you’re practically asking me to drop my pants.”
“For a bet. I’ll lose credits if I’m wrong.”
“Tempting, but no.”
I kept my eyes on his back, focused so intensely that the world blurred around him. “What? I’m not your type?”
“I prefer partners that wouldn’t leave me to die in a cave.”
“Who said anything about partners? I’m talking entirely about fucking.”
“This conversation took an odd turn.”
While we went through another cavern, his expression soured, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was pointed toward me. Realization crept into his mind, too. We were in our tomb, and nothing would change that.
“I’m greatly enjoying myself,” I said, not bothering to hide a forceful grin.
“I can tell.”
My head knocked against the ceiling. I held out an arm, and my fingers brushed the cave walls. The cool stone made my breath shudder. I hated it. Didn’t want to think about it, so I kept pushing, “You’re evading the question, which means, yes, I am your type. Fuckability wise.”
“If I answer, will you change the subject?”
“No, because if you say no, then you’re lying, and if you say yes, then I’ll have hopes for something to happen.”
He stopped to face me, his gaze less than impressed. “You really are incredibly bored, aren’t you?”
I kicked a pebble. The sound of it hitting rocks echoed through the cavern. A cavern that went on and on, leading to the same inevitable destination. The visor lit up on my belt, not quite a warning yet, but getting therefast.
“Not anymore,” I said.
“Find another way to entertain yourself.”
“You know I’m shit at following orders.”
Roys ran a hand through his short hair. All the sweating made most of it stick up at odd ends, but the dishevelment was even more alluring. He kept trying to call out based on the flashing on his commlink. He was more focused on that than on my teasing.
“Nothing will change no matter how much you try,” I said, earning a sharp glare from him. The hall opened slightly, but was no less suffocating.
He was irritated. We both were. Hungry, exhausted, in pain, albeit him far more than me, and he didn’t hide that pain in his low voice when he said, “A call nearly went out earlier. We should keep checking.”
“That isn’t checking. It’s obsessively pointless. Aren’t you meant to be the smart one?”
“Sorry for wanting to be thorough.” He held his hands up in mock defense. “What would you have us do, take a moment for a quickie?”
“You shouldn’t try cracking jokes. You’ll hurt yourself, although if it isn’t a joke, my answer is yes.” My smile grew when his right eye gave that wonderful twitch. That felt normal, right, and it eased my discomfort, if only a little.
“Now really isn’t the time to be irritating each other.” He reached for another candy, the last piece based on how his hand fumbled in the pocket on his belt.
I snatched the candy. The twitch in his eye worsened. He held out his hand. When I didn’t return the candy, he heaved forward. I backed up.
