Krystal
She had made it back to engineering just in time to start her shift. That had been three hours ago and, ever since then, she’d been fiddling with a cleaner bot that just would not behave. No matter what she did, the bot would not do what she wanted. Frustrated, she growled and kicked it. It gave a small, sad bleep.
“I’m so sorry!” She immediately dropped to her knees and picked up the little bot, cradling it in her arms. “I didn’t mean it, really.”
“So you talk to bots, too.”
She froze. The deep voice sending a shiver through Krystal. T’arq. She turned to take in the familiar, albeit sweaty, blonde head that peered at her around the corner.
Oh, dear lord. Of course he was here to witness her talking to a bot.
She had spent the last few hours trying to hold on to her anger, but reason had prevailed and she had admitted to herself, albeit reluctantly, that Laila and Zac had only been trying to help. And T’arq had been trying to do what, exactly?
She didn’t think he was playing games with her, but why else would he say those things? Why would he touch her like that? Her waist had felt cold without the feel of his enormous hands holding her. So, no, she wasn’t angry anymore.
Krystal’s mouth dropped open as T’arq moved into the room. She took in the muscular body encased in a sweat-drenched shirt that clung to his torso. His arm muscles bunched as he lifted an arm to push back his sweaty hair. The hem of his shirt lifted to show a tantalizing glimpse of taught stomach, the edges of which formed a tight vee that disappeared into the waistband of a pair of scandalously short shorts. The fabric pulled tight across those bronzed thighs, the thighs she had dreamed about straddling. He had muscles on top of muscles. Even his calves were worth ogling.
She gave herself a mental shake and bent to put the bot down on the ground. It immediately released a series of bleeps, moving backwards and forward rapidly on its little wheels, and squirted a stream of cleaning fluid all down the front of Krystal’s uniform.
She sighed.
Great, just great. Now she looked like a complete idiot in front of him. Again.
There was nothing for it but to get this over with, soaked uniform and all. “Yes, T’arq? I talk to bots. As you can see.” Krystal stood and pointed at the bot that banged idly against her foot, before scooting away to get stuck in one of the room's corners. She wondered if it was trying to hide, a feeling she sympathized with.
The big Taurean’s teasing grin dropped as she straightened, his lilac eyes darkening as he took in her soaked front. Krystal looked down at herself, only just noticing how the thick fabric was clinging to her skin. She frantically plucked at it, trying to pull it away from herself. A choked groan had her quickly glance up to see T’arq’s face twisted in a pained expression.
“I need to change,” she muttered, still trying to pull the fabric away from her skin.
“Yes, that might be a good idea.” He cleared his throat, staring at a point somewhere over her head.
“What are you doing down here? Was it because of Zac and Laila? You really don’t need to check in on me.” She checked her watch. Oh! It was half an hour after the time she usually ate. The mess would be closed by now. She grimaced. “I thought we agreed I could look after myself.”
He grunted, still focused on her chest. “Yes, of course.”
“Good, so you won’t tell Zac and Laila that I missed lunch?” she added under her breath. “Again.”
“Huh?” He looked up from her chest with difficulty. “No? Why would I do that?”
She breathed a sigh of relief and lifted a hand to push her hair off her face. “Oh, good.”
T’arq choked and averted his gaze.
She must look truly awful to get that reaction. “I’ll need to wash this goop off and get changed first.”
He nodded, still avoiding looking at her. “That would be a good idea. You’ll attract far too much attention like that.” He flicked his fingers toward her.
She looked down again, the cleaning fluid having molded the fabric to her skin so efficiently that her nipples were as hard as diamonds. She sighed, knowing it was completely useless to fix it.
He shot a glance at her, quickly looking away again. “You look…” he began, but stopped, swallowing the words.
“I look…?”
“Never mind.”
She wasn’t sure what possessed her to ask, “I want to know what you were going to say. Tell me?”
T’arq’s hands clenched and unclenched by his side. His lilac eyes darkened as he took a step closer to her. His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, and he swallowed hard before he spoke, his voice deeper than usual. “You are a mess. I want to unwrap you from that hideous uniform and wash every bit of your skin. I want to feel every bit of you with my hands.” He was almost growling by the end, his irises now a deep purple and intense in their hue. “I want to taste you.”
