Domik
He hated putting her in this position, but she needed to feel like the decision was hers. It was obvious to Domik that she was struggling with being in the pod with him. He knew it wasn’t ideal. She would probably want to be stuck with anyone else, and the proximity of her firm limbs pressed up against him had him distracted beyond measure.
Not the time, not the place.
And now they were in the middle of a battle, albeit one that had taken a time out, with no weapons or any way of communicating. Every instinct of Domik’s was screaming at him to get CJ out of there. Now.
“What’s it to be?” he repeated, watching as CJ’s pupils pulsed with her erratic heartbeat, the dark dots large against her iris as they fought to take in light in the dark space.
She shook her head before burying it against his chest. “Don’t make me decide, Dom. Every time people rely on me, they die.”
Domik’s brows drew together at that statement. “I’m getting you out of here. I promised I’d keep you safe.”
They had no power, and the EMP had been strong enough to knock out not only all the vessels in the battle above Earth, but what looked like the power grid on the continent below. There was no guarantee that things would be back up and running on their own before they ran out of oxygen, and they were an easy target should any enterprising Xakul get their weapons systems back online. So there wasn’t much choice.
The sudden loss of power had created a brief reprieve. At least there were no more Xakul ships bearing down on them that the autopilot had to avoid.
If they were to get anywhere, Domik had to see if the backup battery was operational. In these pods, there was a protected battery designed for use in case of a solar storm, which could have a similar effect to an EMP. But how to get to it when the two of them were jammed so tightly in the pod?
“CJ?”
“Yeah?” She sniffled, his heart clenching at the thought that she had been crying.
“How far can you move to your right?” If she could press herself against the far side of the pod, she might get access to the panel where the backup battery was located.
“I’m not sure. Do you want me to try?”
He nodded, realizing she was looking away, said, “Yes.”
She eased her hips to one side, the glide of her breasts as she wiggled against his chest, sending a shot of heat right to his dick. He bit back a groan and tensed his hands into fists at his sides, sitting his teeth.
Not the time. Not the place.
The reminder didn’t seem to make it to his cock, which strained against his flight suit, the length of it an obvious bulge along his thigh. CJ paused and shot a glance up at him, one eyebrow raised, a giggle escaping her.
“Your—”
“I know!” he bit back, tilting his head back and looking anywhere but at CJ.
“I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it,” she said.
“We’re in a life and death situation here. And you’re laughing?” He scowled at her, knowing he was being unreasonable, but he couldn’t seem to stop the words.
“Maybe you should have a chat with your not-so-little friend there about life and death.” She smirked, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
Domik sighed. “Just keep moving.”
“Like this?” She wiggled again, obviously trying to elicit a reaction from him.
He lifted an eyebrow and scowled at her.
“All right, all right. I get it. The fun is over. Don’t tease the big guy about his massive erection.” She huffed.
Domik fought to not smile, biting the inside of his cheeks. “You think I have a massive—”
“Oh! Stop it! I’m moving, OK?” she bit out, finally sliding away from him and squeezing her lean body against the edge of the pod.
Focus. You need to get her safely out of here.
