Laila
Laila’s movements were slow as she finished packing her gear away. Everyone was tired and hungry. Even the talkative CJ was subdued. She straightened, hands on hips, as she stretched out her back.
After the debrief of the sim mission, she had planned to join the team in the mess for a well-earned meal, but she was so exhausted she decided to head towards her quarters and bed.
It seemed as if they were gradually earning the respect of the Taurean warriors, but it was slow going. Laila, despite being an elite fighter herself, had never worked so hard in her life. Today's exercise had been no exception.
That exercise had been a complete waste of time. A situation that nobody could win? Just to see how they handled it? What a joke.
She thought she and Zac had moved beyond that. At the very least he could have given her a hint, and prepared her for it. But there he was, throwing her blindly into situations where she couldn’t possibly succeed, just to gauge her reaction. It was beyond frustrating.
She had tried so hard to prove herself her entire career. First in Space Force, and now here, to the Taureans. To Zac. She needed to prove that she could command the team, that humans were capable and worthy fighters. Right now, these were the most important things in her life. She was here to get a job done, and he was just getting in her way.
She paused in front of the elevators, Zac’s face flashing through her mind.
She shook her head, trying to escape her thoughts.
Did he think the humans would fail? Was he expectingherto fail? Not just in today’s scenario, but in every situation she encountered?
It really didn’t matter what his motivation was, she decided. She had to forget what had happened between them. Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair, messing her tidy braid.
She had survived the Mars attack, for god’s sake, so ignoring one Taurean warrior should be easy. Right?
Wrong.
Somehow, it wasn’t easy at all.
He affected her. She had to admit it to herself. After that first night with Zac, Laila often wondered if what she had felt had all been a dream. He had been so very different.
Which was the real Zac? The up-tight warrior or the relaxed, passionate man she had seen when they had first met?
Either way, it wasn’t worth worrying about. Or so she told herself. Keeping up appearances in front of the team was exhausting, let alone not showing weakness in front of Zac. Who knew what a minor error might cost her?
She huffed in frustration. He had no business being so damned sexy.
Just as she was wondering when the elevator would arrive, it appeared and the doors opened to reveal the object of her thoughts. She froze, staring at the Taurean taking up most of the small space.
“Laila.”
Her gaze trailed down his body, past lean hips and broad, muscular thighs, to his enormous feet encased in huge combat boots. On anyone else it would look comical, but on Zac... no, he was just hot.
“I’ll get the next one.” She stepped back from the doors, but he reached towards her, shaking his head as he placed a hand over the door sensor to prevent them from shutting.
“Don’t be stubborn, get in here,” he said in a low voice.
She sighed and took a step forward into the elevator. She really didn’t want to wait for the next one.
Laila attempted to side-step around Zac but stumbled, bracing herself against his chest, one of Zac’s hands wrapped around her upper arm to steady her.
He moved closer as he bent to swipe the control panel. Heart pounding in her chest, she was excruciatingly aware of the heat of his body. Corresponding heat pooled low in her belly. Laila’s face flamed, and she pulled back, wrapping her arms around herself, eyes dropping and doing her best to ignore him.
What had gotten into her? Had she forgotten how annoyed she had been with him just that afternoon?
She suppressed a yawn and swayed on her feet, waves of fatigue suddenly hitting her. If only she could sleep for a week, she thought, stifling another yawn.
“Alright, Laila,” Zac’s deep voice sounded like it was coming from far away, “You’re dead on your feet. I’ll walk you to your room.”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” she mumbled.
