Chapter 10
Maya
The space was clearly meant for sleeping, with what looked like a soft surface raised from the floor in the approximate shape of a bed. But it was, indeed, one bed. One large, comfortable-looking bed that would easily accommodate two people.
“She doesn’t understand typical social conventions,” I said, trying to keep my voice light.
“Apparently not.”
We stood there for a moment, both of us staring at the sleeping space the Sola had created with obvious good intentions and complete cultural ignorance.
“I can sleep on the floor,” Rykar said finally.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The bed is big enough for both of us.”
“Maya…”
“We’re adults, Rykar. We can share a sleeping space without anything inappropriate happening.”
Even as I said it, I wondered if I was being entirely honest. The attraction I’d been feeling toward him had only grown stronger as I’d watched him step into his role as the Sola’s lord.
There was something compelling about seeing him finally accept his destiny, finally believe in his own worth and capability.
“All right,” he said, though he still looked uncertain. “But I’ll sleep on top of the blankets.”
The Sola had thoughtfully provided what looked like soft covering materials, though they had the same organic quality as everything else in her interior.
We arranged them on the sleeping surface, and pretended this was fine and normal.
We did some more exploring. There were so many hidden spaces in the Sola.
We put off sleep as long as we could, but after acknowledging the time on my data pad, and the exhaustion in my body, we settled down to rest. Rykar had indeed positioned himself on top of the blankets at the very edge of the bed, as far from me as possible, while still technically sharing the sleeping space.
“You can relax,” I said, amused by his rigid posture. “I’m not going to attack you in your sleep.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he muttered.
I found myself curious about what he was worried about, but didn’t press. Instead, I tried to settle into sleep, but found myself too aware of his presence to relax properly. Eventually, I gave up on the pretense and rolled onto my side to face him.
“Are you asleep, yet?” I asked.
“No.” He turned toward me. We were now facing each other across the small space between us. “Too much has happened today. My mind won’t quiet down.”
“Tell me something about your life outside of all this,” I said. “Something that has nothing to do with transport runs or lost siblings or ancient Solas.”
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I like to collect music,” he said finally. “From different worlds, different species. Most transport pilots have hobbies that don’t take up cargo space, and music files are basically weightless.”
“What kind of music?”
“All kinds. Traditional Destran harmonies, Earth’s classical compositions, the percussion ensembles from Rigel Prime.
There’s this one piece from the Kentauri colonies that uses instruments made from crystallized gas giant atmosphere.
It sounds like…like what I imagine starlight would sound like if you could hear it. ”
I could picture him alone in his ship, surrounded by the vast emptiness of space, listening to music from a dozen different worlds. It painted a picture of someone who was curious about the universe beyond his own grief, someone who found beauty even in isolation.
“I’d like to hear it sometime,” I said.
“If we ever get out of here, I’ll play it for you.”
“When we get out of here,” I corrected. “The Sola won’t keep us trapped forever. She just needs time to stabilize.”
“You’re probably right.” He shifted position slightly, bringing him a few inches closer. “What about you? What did you do when you weren’t surveying alien worlds?”
“I read,” I said. “Voraciously. Fiction, mostly. I love a good murder mystery. And thrillers. I’d garden, if I didn’t live in the city. And if I was home long enough to keep something alive.”
“You’re growing a Sola,” he said. “Not quite the same, but still a life.”
I laughed. “True! Though I have to say, this is a much bigger project than I could’ve imagined.”
We talked for another hour, sharing stories and memories that had nothing to do with our current crisis.
I learned that Rykar had taught himself to cook because ship rations were terrible, and that he’d once spent three days trapped in a nebula with a cargo hold full of live plants, leading to a brief career as a botanist. I shared that I’d wanted to be an artist before I discovered science, and that I still sketched the landscapes of every world I surveyed.
As the conversation continued, I found myself leaning closer to him. He had moved forward, too. The space between us had shrunk to perhaps a foot, close enough that I could see the subtle color shifts in his skin as his emotions changed.
“Maya,” he said, his voice softer than before.
“Yes?”
“I want you to know that whatever happens next, these past few days have been…” He paused, searching for words. “You’ve made me remember what it feels like to care about someone.”
His skin was shifting from a relaxed blue-green to deeper shades of red and purple, colors that seemed to indicate strong emotion, and possibly even desire. I’d read enough about Destran physiology to know what those colors meant, and my pulse quickened in response.
“Rykar…”
“I know this isn’t the time or place, and I know we’re in an impossible situation, but I needed you to know.”
Instead of responding with words, I closed the remaining distance between us, bringing my lips to his in a gentle, tentative kiss.
The contact was soft, exploratory, but there was something about the careful way he kissed me back that made a tremor run through my body.
His hand came up and cupped my cheek. That reverent touch of his hand on my face was so personal, like his mouth wasn’t enough. He needed to touch. He needed to feel.
I pressed closer, my hands sliding over the fabric of his base layer.
We were both wearing that damn base suit and taking it off would be a challenge, as it was tight to the body and meant to stay in place.
He responded by pulling me against him until there was no space left between us.
The solid warmth of his chest and the rapid beat of his heart matched my own.
Thomas’s kisses had been pleasant enough, but this was something entirely different.
This was the spark of a desire that had the potential to incinerate.
His light groan made my head spin. When Rykar’s tongue traced the seam of my lips, I opened for him without hesitation, and his soft sound of approval sent heat rushing through my veins.
I wanted more. My nipples had hardened to sensitive peaks.
I shifted my thighs to deal with the ache that had started up between them.
I shifted my hand from his chest, downward. My fingers had just skimmed his upper abdomen when he suddenly pulled back. “What?” I said breathlessly.
He looked at me with want, but also wariness. “Maya, we should stop.”
“We should?” I asked, trying to understand the abrupt change. “Why?”
Instead of answering directly, he shifted on the bed, pulling me down beside him and wrapping his arms around me. I found myself nestled against his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head.
“After everything we’ve been through today, we need sleep more than we need sex,” he said, his voice rough with the effort of restraint. “And when this finally happens between us—if it happens—I want it to be because we choose it, not because we’re trapped in an alien ship with nothing else to do.”
I wanted to argue, to tell him that I was choosing this, choosing him, right now. But there was wisdom in what he was saying. We were both running on adrenaline and emotion, making decisions in a crisis situation that we might regret later.
“All right,” I said, settling more comfortably against his chest. “But for the record, I wouldn’t regret it.”
“Neither would I,” he admitted. “That’s what scares me.”
I was just starting to drift off to sleep when I felt something new through the Sola connection.
Not her consciousness, but something that carried the flavor of Rykar’s memories.
Fragmentary images of the ground transport crash that had killed his siblings, but seen from a different perspective.
I saw myself through his eyes during our first meeting, saw the way he’d been drawn to me even in the midst of crisis.
The connection was allowing me glimpses into his past, his emotions, his deepest fears and hopes.
It was intimate in a way that went beyond physical attraction.
As sleep finally claimed me, I wondered if he was seeing my memories too, if he understood how completely he’d managed to capture my attention in such a short time.
I woke to the sound of my comm system chirping with an incoming transmission. According to the time display on my suit, we’d been asleep for nearly eight hours, though it was impossible to tell day from night in the environment of the Sola’s interior.
Rykar stirred beside me, his arms tightening briefly around me before he seemed to remember where we were and what had happened the night before.
He was hard and pressing up against my back.
I did my best to not rub my spine against it, but when I stretched and rolled to face him, I did so with as much feline grace as possible.
His skin shifted to that now-familiar shades of desire as his gaze moved over me.
“Good morning,” I said, smiling silkily.
“Morning,” he replied, his voice slightly rough with sleep. “You should answer that before they start worrying.”
I activated the comm, and Zara’s excited voice immediately filled the chamber.