Blue Galaxy (3 page)

She ended the kiss with a gasp and tried to break free from his probing, stroking hands. Eventually she grabbed his wrist just as he was about to discover how wet she was.

He smiled. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s just that things are not…proceeding the way the way they did in the simulations.”

He considered asking her to explain but decided it was time to delve into another part of her entirely. He twisted his wrist and escaped her hands, then plunged his middle finger into tight, hot liquid velvet. Her legs almost gave way. With one arm, he prevented her from falling while he explored her body with his other hand. She kept her eyes shut tight, her face impassive, while her breathing stopped and started in small gasps, and her body trembled under his hand. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her eyes shot open as he swept her into his arms and carried her out of the cockpit.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to my cabin, my lady. I’m inclined to give you something you’ll always remember.” He kicked open the door and deposited her on his bunk, watching her as he undid his belt and undressed. Her eyes widened.

“Captain!” she said just before he covered her mouth with his own, leaving her incapable of speech for quite some time.

They didn’t leave his cabin for more than twenty-four hours, and only then because Javan had to check on the ship. He worked through his routine checklists. The ship was operating perfectly. He returned to find Sola in the galley tearing into a nutripack.

“I’m ravenous! I don’t think I’ve been
this
hungry before in my life.”

He laughed. “We just expended a lot of energy. I’ve no idea how I even have the strength to stand.” He ripped open a nutripack and slumped into the chair next to her. He nuzzled her bare shoulder, delighted she hadn’t seen fit to clothe herself. She was glowing, she was happy and she was his. He allowed his mind to wander to the fantasy of not delivering his cargo, resisting the urge to slap himself.

If he didn’t complete the job, not only would he not get paid, but he’d never be able to return to Earth. Unless he was willing to die. Would her uncle care enough to send a bounty hunter after them? He had to assume the marriage alliance was an important one. She was a Blue, after all. Would she even consider not going through with the alliance? Javan briefly considered every stupid decision he’d ever made. He had the feeling he was about to make another one. He drummed his fingers on the table. “Who is your uncle?”

She almost choked on a mouthful of the nutripack. “I thought you weren’t supposed to ask questions.”

He shrugged. “That
was
the agreement, but I’m curious.”

“Why do you need to know?”

He kept his eyes locked on her, admiring how her long hair barely covered her naked breasts. “I’m just wondering how far he would go to ensure this marriage takes place.”

She looked down and broke the nutripack into tiny pieces. “I have to go through with it. I have to do my duty.”

Javan was struck by her words, particularly by how similar they were to ones his ex-wife had once uttered. “What would happen if you didn’t?”

“I would be cast out. I would have nowhere to go, no one to turn to.”

“You could turn to me. You could go with me.”

She jerked her head up. “You’re not serious.”

“Maybe I’m not. I don’t understand what would be so bad if you were no longer a Blue.”

“You could never understand.”

“Well, I can’t understand unless you explain.”

She sat silently, her lips pressed together.

And Javan was again flooded with memories of Morna. “My ex-wife was, still is, a Blue.”

Sola smacked her fist on the table. “I don’t wish to discuss her.”

“Um…okay.” Javan studied her. Strange that she wasn’t surprised by what should have been a shocking revelation. Was she just jealous?

“I’m not jealous, so don’t even think it.”

“Okay.” He didn’t quite believe her, didn’t know what to make of her response.

She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “I’m just shocked by the misalliance.”

Not jealous, then, appalled. His pride, which he thought had died years ago, swelled up in his throat. “I was once considered alliance-worthy,” he muttered. He couldn’t look at her. The rest of humanity could have comprised rodents and cockroaches for all the Blues cared. And she was one of them. He’d been treating her like a woman, forgetting who she was, forgetting
what
she was. He’d actually felt sorry for her, had even considered putting himself in danger for her. Well, at least it was clear where he stood. Fuck-worthy, but not alliance-worthy. If that was the way she wanted it…

“I’m going to my cabin,” she said and walked away, still quite gloriously naked.

He stared at the heart-shaped perfection of her ass. “Within the week we’ll be putting in at Artemis.”

She stopped with her back to him. “Artemis Space Station? The fabled last port before the dark. Poems have been written about her.” She pivoted, her hair framing her face in soft dark waves. “After that we jump, right?”

He ran a hand through his hair. One minute she was a high-and-mighty Blue; the next she reverted into a dreamy little space geek. He was full of a strange feeling for her that he couldn’t pinpoint. Not love. Even he wasn’t that stupid, but something about her made his heart leap.

She gazed up into his eyes. “You’ll let me see Artemis.”

“No, I’m just putting in to unload my cargo and pick up a few supplies. It’ll only take a couple of hours. I’ll bring you a meal—real food—but you will stay on the ship.”

“No, I won’t.” Her eyes shining, she shoved him against the wall, reached down and unzipped his flight pants.

“You’re not going to change my mind, Sola.”

“Yes, I am.” She dropped to her knees in front of him. He began to stop her but instead buried his hands in her hair. She pulled down his pants and slowly took his cock into her mouth.

She was as good as her word. Within the hour he was promising her Artemis, the galaxy, the universe and everything. Her smile was triumphant as she shoved him onto the table, climbed on top of him and brought him to a ragged, desperate climax, pulling his mouth to her breast as he plunged into her again and again. She gently wiped the sweat from him as his breathing returned to normal.

Javan nipped her neck and watched her body respond. She tried to move away, but he held her firmly, pushed her onto her back and slid on top of her. He pulled her hands down next to her thighs and held them there. She was looking mighty pleased with herself.

“Two can play at this game,” he whispered and pushed her legs apart with a forceful knee. Enjoying her look of alarm, he made good on his word and kissed down her belly before using his tongue to drive her to the edge. Within the hour he had the first name of her uncle, her family name and the admission that yes, she found Captain Javan Rhodes irresistibly attractive. He delivered the orgasm, enjoying how she held her bucking body to the table with clenched fists and how she screamed his name as she came. He gathered her into his arms, and she clung to him, sobbing.

Javan held her tighter, reminding himself that this feeling could not possibly be love, because that would be such an unwise and terrible mistake. Attraction—yes. Admiration—yes. She was clever. And funny. And… He picked her up, carried her to his cabin and laid her on the bunk. She turned away and curled into a ball as he covered her with a blanket. She was utterly exhausted, and he felt a twinge of guilt over how thoroughly and repeatedly he had brought her to the edge of orgasm, only to force information from her, then resume and repeat until finally allowing her release.

He tapped on the cabin control panel, turning on the ultraviolet vitalight. She was already sleeping, her chest rising and falling steadily. He watched her for a while, wallowing in memories of women he’d thought he loved. Morna, married to him against her will. Olympia, he wouldn’t even think about. And that brave sweet girl he had once abandoned to an unknown fate—he wouldn’t think about her either. He reached out to touch Sola as she slept, but quickly withdrew his hand. Not love, he decided. He didn’t even know what it was.

Javan stepped into the shower cubicle and turned the air pressure on high, then smarted as it blasted against the scratches on various parts of his body. He punched in a light layer of antibiotic moisturizer and winced as it sprayed his skin. They would enjoy a water shower on Artemis, though the expense of bringing it up from the planet made the price outrageous. And they would eat at the most expensive restaurant. He would deliver her to her destination, but he would make sure she had the journey of a lifetime. He could at least give her that. He wondered why he was spending his dwindling credits on her, and decided it was out of the kind generosity of his heart and that he really deserved a vacation. No other reasons than that. Nope. None.

“No, you can’t wear that. Take off the cloak.” He rummaged in a locker and handed her one of his extra flight jackets. “Wear that.”

“Oh, can I keep it?” She wriggled into the overly large jacket.

“Sure. Now, I’m doing you a favor by bringing you here. The fewer questions about you, the better. You’ll need to be less of a haughty Blue and more…”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll need to act like an employee. Though no one will believe I’ve taken on crew. People who see you with me will think…”

Her expression did not change.

“There are women, you see, who, not unlike you, are kind of obsessed with space. And they jaunt around the galaxy, hitching rides where they may, not caring too much who they are riding…with.”

Much to his relief, she laughed. “I’d be delighted to impersonate your latest space slut. I think you’ll admit I’ve been doing a rather good impersonation so far, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you certainly have. Here, wear this too.” He handed her a cap and helped her tuck her hair into it. “There. You look adorable.” He bent to kiss her, but she quickly averted her face. “Oh? You’ll only kiss me in the heat of passion?”

“I didn’t like what you did earlier.”

“Really? I was under quite a different impression. You know, while you were screaming my name and scratching me to ribbons.”

She didn’t even blush. “Not the sex. When you were questioning me about whether I had to go through with the marriage. I don’t want to discuss it with you again. I must fulfill my duty, and you must do what you’ve been paid to do.”

“And if I promise not to mention it again, I’ll be allowed to kiss you?”

She smiled, lighting up with pleasure. “I would love for you to kiss me whenever you feel like it.” Using the collar of his flight jacket to pull him closer, she kissed him fiercely.

He broke the kiss. She had said the word
love.
He touched his fingers to her lips, and she kissed them.

Swallowing a sigh, he said, “Let’s go see Artemis, my lady. Quite a few people know me here.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her off to the hold, where bots were already unloading the cases of brandy and a delighted businessman was rubbing his hands together.

“Rhodes, my friend. It’s been far too long. I ran out of brandy months ago. What kept you?” He caught sight of Sola and looked her up and down with obvious relish. “Well, well, I begin to understand. Where did you find this treasure?”

“Eyes off the girl, Theo, or I’ll be loading the brandy back on the ship.” Javan pulled Sola to his side more tightly. She peeked out from under the brim of her cap, glancing around the dock.

Theo smirked. “Relax, my friend. I can see how it is. When I heard you were docking, I came right down to see what I could buy. I want it all! Name your price.”

“You can have it all except for one crate of brandy. For my personal use.” Javan named an outrageous price, and they set to fierce haggling until the deal was agreed upon and the credits had been transferred.

“Ah, you’re a lucky man, Rhodes,” Theo said. “A fantastic payload, a beautiful woman, and it even looks like you got your tub fixed up. Life is good, no?”

“Yes, it is.” He took Sola’s hand and led her off the dock, as happy as he could remember feeling in a long, long time.

They strode down a gleaming metallic tunnel lit by lines of neon tubing. Other tunnels split off from the main one, each a different color.

Sola’s face was enrapt. “Where to first?”

Javan grinned. “I have a plan, my lady. I want it to be a surprise. Just stick close to me. It’s very easy to get lost if you don’t understand the color-coding. And there are some places you do
not
want to find yourself in.”

Sola’s eyes widened. “Like where?”

“Well, Artemis is a law unto itself. The man who owns it employs a vicious cadre of security who turn a blind eye to almost anything for the right price.”

“Destin Grady. He used to be a Blue. He owns Artemis? I thought he was just the station manager.”

“You
have
done your homework. Officially he’s the station manager. Unofficially his word is law. He owns everything on the station and most of the people, including Theo. Grady’s one of the richest men in the galaxy. He collects art, books and, rumor has it, women. Did you ever meet him on Earth?”

“Oh no, I’m from a minor family. And no one is allowed to mention his name. He was famous for something, but then he betrayed us and came here. I remember his name being taken out of the historical accounts. ”

“The war,” Javan said softly.

“What?”

“He was famous for something he did during the war.”

“What war?”

“The Three Worlds War, of course.”

“Oh, that,” she said dismissively.

“Was the war taken out of the history you learned too?” He used sarcasm to mask his growing anger.

“No, of course not. But it was just a minor war. It was a foregone conclusion that we would win. Just a few rebels with delusions of grandeur.”

Her face was lowered, and he couldn’t see her expression. He walked faster, wishing he could walk fast enough to get away from the dictator’s version of history. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Sola. I had credited you with more intelligence than to swallow the blatant propaganda.”