Chapter 16 Lacy
Lacy
Too agitated to go back to my room, I stomped around the ship. I couldn’t believe he’d just refused to help. A woman was missing. It wasn’t like he didn’t know where all his crew was. What was one little detour?
My steps carried me past med bay, past my room, and down the steps leading to the engine room. I was pissed enough that sabotaging the engine would serve him right—but I couldn’t do that. Wouldn’t do that. Fortuna hadn’t done anything to me. She just had an ass for a captain.
Still, I was curious to see the engine room. It was one of my favorite places to be. Sure, you couldn’t see out into space, but it was the heart of the ship. The engine room got you from point A to point B and deserved all the love and respect for doing that.
While my annoyance at Dax didn’t fade as I neared the engine room, my pulse slowed and my tension eased as the sounds and smells of the ship’s heart worked their magic.
The throaty purr—and occasional clank—of the engines.
Oil and exhaust and that frisson of electricity that shouldn’t have a smell, but did if you were around long enough.
It smelled like home.
I’d missed this. Some nights on the station I would walk through the docks just to try and catch a whiff.
Reaching the upper deck of the engine room, I unlatched the door and stepped over the raised entry and onto the metal grating that ran between the engines at top-of-the-engine height.
A second walkway ran parallel to this one, one floor down.
Closing the door behind me, I tucked my hands in my pockets and closed my eyes.
At first I let the hum just wash over me. The longer I stood there, the more I could pick out the sounds the different engines made. Nothing sounded wrong. Dax hadn’t bought a lemon. Good for him, I guess.
Still, while I was here, I should take a look.
Dammit! I didn’t have my tools. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure where they were. Had Dax left them on the bridge? I hadn’t looked for them, that was how distracted I’d been by my sister’s message.
Had any tools been left on the ship? Had Dax even considered that he would need tools? Did he have a mechanic lined up already?
My eyes popped open. “That’s it!”
Dax was over his head and didn’t even know it. I had all sorts of useful skills that I could bargain for his help.
Feeling lighter than I had before—Mako’s engine room had always brought me clarity too—I practically skipped down to the lower level.
There was a small alcove behind Engine 1, which was where I liked to keep a set of tools. I followed the tiny walkway behind the engine and voila!
Tools were scattered haphazardly over the small workbench built into the wall and there was no tool chest to store them in. My lip curled. That wasn’t great. Improperly stored tools were a hazard in an engine room. A sudden change in gravity would turn any of them into a projectile.
I sighed and shook my head. There should be a little cubby beneath Engine 2 where I could store these until I could properly batten them down.
Gathering up the tools, I slipped them into pockets and tucked them into my belt. I grabbed the rags that had been left on the bench too. Those would come in handy as I inspected the engines.
The Cyclone class ships had four engines. While there were redundancies built into the system, and a ship could limp home on one engine, vessels like Mako and Fortuna performed best when all four were in peak condition. I wanted to verify that Fortuna’s engines were up to the task.
Losing myself in the routine of engine maintenance, I didn’t have a great sense of how much time had passed. But based on the amount of work I’d done—tidying the workspaces and inspecting each engine—it had been several hours.
I’d poked around every nook and cranny of each engine, making small tweaks and bringing each part back to as close to pristine condition as I could. I was under Engine 4, taking one last look, when the light clang of boots and the vibrating metal grates warned me that I wasn’t alone.
Stilling my movements, I waited to see what he would do.
“You breaking my ship?” Dax sounded friendly enough, so I assumed it was a joke, rather than an accusation.
“The opposite, actually.” I tested the last few bolts, then wiped them with a cloth. Rolling the tools into a bundle in the grease rag, I slid out from underneath the engine.
He stepped back to give me room to maneuver.
From my vantage point on the ground, I had a view of his well-worn black military-issue boots. My gaze traveled up his long legs, clad in cargo pants, also black. A gray waffled henley hugged his chest and arms. A firm jaw, roughened with dark shadow, which was definitely not regulation.
Full lips, strong nose, and chocolate eyes that held a hint of amusement when I finally reached them.
I shot him a big grin. What could I say? I appreciated the view.
“Something was broken?” His lips pressed together in a grim line and his voice hardened.
I hurried to reassure him. “No. Everything is fine. I gave her a thorough inspection, tightened a few bolts here and there. All four engines are good to go.”
The tension leached out of his shoulders. A tingle of warmth spread to my belly.
Ignoring it, I braced my feet and tightened my stomach muscles to roll up to sitting. When he offered his hand, I placed the bundle of tools on the ground and grabbed his hand with both of mine.
It felt almost effortless as he pulled me upright.
I stopped just inches from him. He didn’t release my hands right away and I didn’t try to free myself.
I liked being in his space.
The top of my head came up to his lips, so I had to tilt my head back just the tiniest bit to look at him.
This close I could see the tiny scar just below his bottom lip. It would have been practically invisible except his scruff didn’t grow there. My fingers itched to trace it.
Before I could check the impulse, I tugged my hand free and traced that thin white line with my fingertip. “What happened?”
“Bar fight.” His mouth curled into a smile and the move brushed his lips against my fingertips. My skin tingled.
I smiled too and shook my head. “It’s always a bar fight. Never anything as mundane as running into a bulkhead.”
He laughed and the sound teased my insides.
I brushed my thumb over his stubble. The tiny whiskers rasped against my nerve endings like sandpaper.
“What are we doing?” he asked.
“I was tinkering with the engines until you got here. What are you doing?” Was I flirting with him?
His warm hand cupped my cheek. “You know what I mean.”
I stared at him a long moment, my gaze never leaving his. “I don’t know. But I like it.” Too much. I kept that part unspoken.
A half step was all that separated us, so I took it, invading his space and pressing my torso against his. My other hand, the one that had been gripping his, now grasped his shirt.
Using that anchor, I shifted to the balls of my feet, needing those precious inches to match my mouth to his.
His lips were firm. Full. Everything a man’s lips should be.
I brushed my mouth over his. Once. Twice. Three times. Teasing little air kisses.
Dax didn’t react.
My stomach plummeted. Had I just made a horrible mistake?
My body froze while my brain frantically sought an escape plan.
Maybe I’d just faint. Drop to the floor and pretend I hit my head and didn’t remember this.
Yes, that seemed like a perfect plan.
Just as I commanded my muscles to relax, to step away, Dax’s hand, the one that had rested on my cheek, cradled the back of my head. His arm wrapped around my waist.
Instead of melting to the floor, I sort of melted into his chest.
While his touch was gentle, his lips pressed firmly against mine. He nibbled on my lower lip and I groaned.
He took advantage of the moment, encouraging my lips to open a little more.
Not that I needed any encouragement. My fingers threaded through his hair, giving me something to hold on to as I pressed closer. I tilted my head, seeking an angle that gave him—gave me—better access to the kiss.
The arm around my waist tightened, not only pulling me closer, but lifting me a few inches so we were level.
I would have marveled at his strength, but I was already lost in his kiss.
So many physical sensations to process. It had been so long since I’d been kissed this well. I gave into the tsunami of feelings raging inside me and threw my whole self into his embrace.
As if he sensed my surrender, his hands gripped my thighs and he hoisted me higher. His mouth swallowed my gasp. My legs wrapped around him automatically, pressing us closer together.
Damn, could this man kiss.
He devoured me. His fingers tangled in my hair and he tugged my head back, breaking the kiss.
A low whine escaped me, but then his lips were on my neck. His stubble rasping my skin with a combination of tickle and torture.
My panties dampened and I rocked against him.
He growled against my skin and nipped my neck.
“Oh!” That little bite sent another layer of sensation racing through my body. My arms tightened around him, holding him close as he continued to nip, suck, and nuzzle my neck.
“More,” he demanded with a deep rumble. He moved then, sure, confident steps that rubbed his hard body against mine.
I’d never done this before. Never made out in an engine room— “Ow!”
“What is it? Is it your shoulder?” Dax shifted from interested party to alert soldier in the blink of an eye. He released me and I slid down his body, wobbling as I tried to regain my balance. My equilibrium.
His hand on my shoulder steadied me.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “We ran into the engine.”
I pointed to the offender, a pipe that extended out a few inches, then curved around the engine.
He looked at the pipe then away, shoving a hand in his hair. Color tinged his cheeks. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I repeated. Sure, it might bruise a bit, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead, I tried to lighten the mood. “Now I know why I’ve never fooled around in an engine room before.”
No need to tell him that I wouldn’t be caught dead making out with any of my father’s crew and there had never been an opportunity on Mako either because I was always around my sister or on my father’s ship.
“Yeah, me neither.” He laughed and that killer smile spread across his face. It lit up his eyes and revealed that crooked little dimple in his right cheek.
Heat flared in my belly again. Down, girl! You just learned why you do not engage in hanky-panky in the engine room.
Tension still saturated the air around us and I desperately needed to clear it before I jumped him again. “So, uh, this is the engine room,” I said inanely.
“Good to know,” he said just as somberly, though there was still a hint of gravel in his voice.
“There were some tools that apparently came with the ship.” I pointed to the bundle I’d left on the floor. “It’s a start, but it’s not everything you’ll need. And they’ll need to be stored properly.”
He raised a brow and looked at the bundle pointedly.
I straightened indignantly. “I was using them until a few minutes ago.”
“Gotcha.” He smiled and my urge to throttle him transformed back into the urge to jump him.
Swallowing hard, I forced down the desire. “Why don’t we discuss the care and feeding of Fortuna’s engines somewhere else?” Somewhere the air wasn’t heavy with desire.
His fingers swept across my cheek and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I shivered. Heat flared in his gaze and I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one still affected by our encounter. Our kiss.
“Good idea.”
“Let me finish cleaning up and I’ll meet you out there,” I said, when he didn’t leave.
After one last, long look, Dax turned and walked away. It wasn’t until I heard the clang of the door sealing shut behind him that I was able to take a full breath.
Ohmygod, that kiss!
There’d been a few interesting men on Elegium and I’d taken full advantage of the situation, but they hadn’t revved my engine the way Dax Cooper did. How the fuck was I supposed to survive on a ship with him?