5. Maddie
5
MADDIE
“ N o fucking chance,” I said, staring at the lone bunk, far too small for us to share without being intimate. Even then, we’d have to get him out of his hardsuit.
I felt the heat on my cheeks, a prickling that intensified as, unbidden, images flashed through my mind. His skin against mine, our bodies intertwined, for some reason we were both naked, what the fuck am I thinking?
At least Kahdrex hadn’t noticed my distraction. He was too busy staring at the bunk with an indecipherable expression of his own, a deep blue blush on his own cheeks. Were his thoughts going the same direction as mine? His tail flicked from side to side, quick jerky motions, and he rumbled something under his breath before speaking.
“You take the bunk,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the…um.”
We both looked around the cabin. None of the furniture was large enough for me to sleep on, let alone him. The decking looked hard and uninviting. Two chairs, neither built with comfort in mind. A breakfast bar, narrow and short. A bathroom in which I could curl up if cold tiles appealed. I caught myself biting my lip.
Is this fate? Are we meant to sleep together? A ridiculous idea, of course, but that didn’t make it any less tempting as an excuse. Flustered, I took a step back, looking anywhere other than at the towering alien hunk. We were rivals, enemies, temporary allies at best.
And yet, I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me. To pull off my spacesuit, to step out of his hardsuit, to ravish me.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. It’s the adrenaline, that’s all. No need to do anything rash. We both survived a fight, of course we’re both horny. Tomorrow we’ll be back to hating each other.
“I don’t think so,” I said to myself. Unfortunately, Kahdrex’s hearing was too good, and he turned his head to look at me, eyes sparkling.
“It would be more comfortable to share,” he said. “If you trust me.”
I swallowed. Fuck no, I don’t, I wanted to answer. I wouldn’t trust you with a single Credit Imperial . Something held me back, leaving me silent as I tried to work out what.
Did I trust him now that we’d shared a deadly peril? Or did I want him badly enough to risk it?
“Why do you think you can trust me?” I answered finally, grinning as though the question was a joke.
He started to reply, then fell silent and lurched toward me with an unsteady step. Shocked by his uncharacteristic gracelessness, I stared at him, seeing concern in his eyes, then alarm. Before I could ask what was wrong, he swung his arm at me in an arc, fast enough to crush bones if it connected.