Chapter 29 #2
Cleo is standing by Captain Morley when we enter. Her eyes move to me, and I try to convey calm and reassurance. I’m not sure it works but I can’t do anything else.
“Situational update?” the captain asks without looking up from the ship’s blueprint sprawled out on the observation table.
I look to Cheddar because I’m in no state to answer, not when my mind is stuck on Cleo and not on the fire.
My attention swings back and forth from the room around me and Cleo’s body language.
She still looks tense, but not as bad as when I got to her room.
Hopefully, the captain was able to offer some reassuring words.
Maybe she was able to distract Cleo by demonstrating how the ship deals with such an event.
“Thank you,” the captain says, and I only then realise she’s talking to me and Cheddar. Crap, I need to get my shit together. “You can return to duty.”
As we leave, the captain announces to the ship that we are no longer acting in a state of emergency, which means we’ll all go back to our regular assignments. No doubt she’ll have a team already in the propulsion room investigating the fire.
Adrenaline is pumping through my veins as I head to the fire locker to undress.
Slipping on my gym gear, I decide I might as well get a run in, because there’s no way I can dispel this energy unless I sweat it out.
With the smell of smoke still lodged in my nostrils, I head to the flight deck, ignoring everyone and everything.
There are no flights, and all the aircraft are in the hangar, so for now I have a clear circuit.
Forty-five minutes later, I enter the bunk, sweaty and out of breath. Boot is doing push ups and Kit is calling out her number. Cheddar is on her bed eating Wotsits.
“Ladies,” I pant out as I strip off my sports gear. I’m desperate for a shower and some clean clothes.
“Any news from the captain?” Kits asks.
“No idea, I’ve been up top running.”
“Everything alright?” Cheddar asks.
“She got laid,” Boot adds before I can answer.
“Did you now?” Kit teases.
“Ain’t gonna happen,” I say, grabbing my shower kit.
“Hold up, we always talk about sexy times,” Cheddar pouts.
Shaking my head, I slip on my joggers and tank top for the walk to the showers. “Not this time.”
“Damn,” Kit muses, looking at me with a tilt to her head. “This is something, isn’t it?”
I know she’s not referring to the sex, but the relationship. I nod and then instantly blush.
“Oh my God, look at her,” Boot cackles. “River Dawson is actually blushing. The apocalypse is nigh.”
“Shut it,” I mutter, but I’m grinning despite myself.
“She’s gone soft,” Cheddar says with mock sadness. “Our cocky fuckboi has been tamed.”
“I haven’t been tamed. I’ve been—”
“Pussy-whipped?” Kit offers helpfully.
“Fuck off, all of you.”
“Called it,” Cheddar sings. “I told you someone would come along and knock that obnoxious ass straight to the floor.”
“Yeah, yeah. You were right, congratulations, now can I go for a shower?”
“Go, wash off the stank of super sex.” Boot laughs. I give them all the finger.
There is less chaos as I head to get cleaned up.
I’ve come down from the high of the day and feel exhausted.
I’ll be heading to bed as soon as I’m clean, even if there are still plenty of hours in the day.
Tomorrow I’m back on duty, and even though I’d love to see Cleo before then, we can’t risk it.
I wouldn’t be capable of anything remotely sexy anyway, and there’s no chance I’m risking falling asleep on her mid-shag.
The water soothes my aching muscles, and my heavily-scented shower gel masks the smell of smoke to some degree. I’ve just stepped out of the cubicle feeling a million times better when my day gets significantly worse.
“Grey,” I say as levelly as possible.
She looks at me with piercing eyes. “What are you playing at?” she growls.
Sighing, I drop my towel and begin drying off. “Want to elaborate?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” she seethes with quiet rage.
“I think I should be asking you that, Grey.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and trust me you better think twice before reporting anything you think you may have seen.”
The girls were right, she’s going on the offensive.
“Grey, what you get up to is your business, but you can’t be stupid enough to think it can last. If it wasn’t me who walked in on you, it would’ve been someone else. Are you ready for the fallout?”
She takes a step towards me, but I don’t move. Grey doesn’t intimidate me in the slightest, not physically anyway.
“Like you’re one to talk,” she replies with a knowing smirk.
“Whatever, Grey. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just remember when this blows up and Benson leaves you in the dirt to save his own skin, you could have stopped it from happening.”
“Nothing is going to happen because no one will find out. Especially not from you,” she spits. “Because if you decide to report me, you bet your arse I’ll show the brass exactly who you are, River Dawson.”
“Oh yeah, and who is that?”
“A fuckboi who’s nailing the admiral’s daughter. I wonder how that will go down.”
Licking my lips, I give myself a second to get my rising temperature under control. “Sure, Grey. Whatever you say.”
She laughs and takes another step towards me. Her voice drops low and her eyes sparkle with satisfaction. “The thing is, Dawson, you’ve only got your word about me and Benson, whereas I’ve got proof.”
“Fuck off.” I laugh.
Her grin gets bigger. “Hmmm. You and Cleo do like to text an awful lot, huh?”