“I’m not, so stop with this shit.”
Roys, as if sensing a disturbance, turned. He gave a warning glare. Arana stepped back into position. His attention fell on me, wearing a thin-lipped look. I gave him the finger because this was how we functioned. Rolling his eyes, he turned away.
Damn, even staring at his ass couldn’t put me in a good mood.
Taking off my visor, I pulled out a smoke and turned my back to the scientists chattering on and on about sap and photosynthesis and something to do with reproduction. The jungle was quiet when I wished it weren’t. I let the burning ashes fall over the flora, wishing they’d take light. Even took my lighter out to burn a hole in one or two, but the sap cut off the flames.
A hand gripped my wrist.
“Are you trying to start a fire?” Roys asked. The visor made his voice sound marginally warped.
“Yes, it would be more entertaining than standing here listening to them.” I nodded over my shoulder toward the survey team that was none the wiser. They were entirely fixated on using a much larger scanner from their cart to take more detailed information from the flora.
“Am I going to be able to trust you to do your job?” he asked.
“You should never trust me to do that.”
Roys held my wrist tighter, bringing it closer toward his chest where his heat spread through my fingertips. Every nerve, over-fried from this predicament, begged to drag him to the forest floor and show everyone what kind of man our captain was when I had my mouth on him. At least then, I wouldn’t have to think about her or feel like this.
His attention strayed to Arana dozing off while standing up. Ryker had his back to us, flipping the handle of his laser blade in all kinds of ways that could lose him more than a finger. Zavir watched the scientists, interested in their findings. Then Roys was on me again, his eyes brilliant blue under the light.
“Are you ok—”
“Don’t,” I growled because that wasn't what he was around for. Roys was our captain, meant to give orders I would ignore. He was a fuck buddy, meant to entertain when I was bored. He wasn’t there to care, to act like any moment I would break and he would be there to pick up the pieces.
“If you want to talk.”
I yanked my wrist hard. “I don’t, so fuck off.”
He held tighter, and that push had him seeking revenge for all the times I kept pushing. “I didn’t know you had a sister. A successful one at that.”
“You are getting awfully curious about me.”
“Curious about what you’re doing here and she’s doing there.”
“Guess she's got the brains of the lot.”
“You think rather lowly of yourself. I hadn’t expected that.”
“And I hadn’t expected you to think so highly of me just because I gave good head, yet here we are.”
His grip on my wrist became painful, a warning that had me chuckling.
“I never was rewarded,” I said, making him narrow his eyes. “For the patrol. You said if I behaved, I’d get a reward.”
“You didn’t exactly behave, nor are you now.”
“Then maybe I should be disciplined instead.” I winked. He gave no reaction, just stood there, like he was disappointed, like I was theproblem that needed fixing, and I thought I’d be sick right there on the spot.
“Should I schedule you with her tomorrow?” he asked.
My fingers twitched. He felt it, had to with his hand on my wrist. I pulled away, shoving my elbow against his chest.
“You give the orders, Captain,” I said, breathing in the last of my cigarette and flicking the bud at our feet.
Roys crushed the cigarette with his boot before picking up the bud to shove in my hand. “Don’t litter and stop smoking. It’s no good for you.”
“That’s kind of the appeal.”
