Ignite by Tana Stone
Chapter Eighteen
Zoey
I eyed the captain standing in front of the door, his stance wide and his thick arms crossed over his bare chest. I’d thought he was hot in his Drexian uniform with his sash of medals, but this was next level. And it was enough of a distraction with him shirtless and sweaty without him talking about fucking me. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Just like you’re pretending that nothing happened last night?”
I instinctively glanced behind him at the door. It might be steel but Nina and Vekron were still on the other side of it, and I wasn’t ready for them to know what had happened last night. I wasn’t ready for anyone to know. “Would you rather I announce it to the entire station like you seem to want to do?”
He dropped his voice so that it was no more than a rumble. “I’m not announcing anything. It is no one else’s concern.”
I let out a breath, leaning one hand against the metal shelving that lined the walls of the storage room, crates and boxes stacked high. “Exactly what I think. There’s no reason for anyone to know but us.”
He angled his head at me, as if trying to figure something out. “You didn’t tell your girlfriend? I thought females shared these types of things.”
That gave me a moment of regret that I was keeping a secret from Nina. Not only that, but she would have been happy for me. Or at least relieved that I was finally getting some. “Not always. Not yet.” I scrunched my lips to one side. “And you didn’t brag to your Inferno Force buddy?”
He flinched as if I’d hit him. “I do not need to brag to my friends.”
He seemed genuinely offended that I thought he’d brag about his exploits. Maybe that was another way the Drexians were different from human guys.
“Okay, so neither of us talked. That’s good. It means this thing might actually work.”
He rocked back on his heels. “What thing?”
I waved a finger back and forth between us. “You and me.”
The captain stopped rocking and scraped a hand down his scruff. “There is no you and me. We can’t be in a room without fighting. Last night was…”
“Last night was something we both needed,” I cut in and finished the sentence for him. “Don’t even try to lie to my face and tell me you regret it.”
“I’m the captain and you serve under me,” he said. “It can’t happen again.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know the Drexians don’t have any rules against crew mates sleeping together.”
“It hasn’t usually been an issue.” His gaze roamed my body. “None of my Inferno Force brothers have looked like you.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“It might not be a rule, but I assure you that we would both answer to the Drexian High Command if it was discovered.”
A thrill went through me. “Then we’ll have to make sure we don’t get caught.”
His mouth fell open. “You would risk your position on this station?”
I dragged in a breath and spun away from him, wondering how much I should tell him and how much I wanted to tell him. I walked a few steps down the long room, running my hand along the metal crates of supplies and finally pivoting back around. “I know you don’t know me, but it’s been a really long time since I’ve been with anyone. I’m not looking for a boyfriend or even a friend. I just want someone to have some fun with. Nothing serious.”
He studied me for a moment. “And by fun, you mean…?”
I sighed and walked back to him, pressing a hand to his chest. “Just what you think I mean.”
“But you dislike me.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “You do make me want to murder you, but that doesn’t mean I dislike you.”
His eyebrows went skyward then he twitched up one shoulder. “I’ve also considered putting you out an airlock to shut you up.”
I grinned at him. “See? It’s perfect.” Neither of us would ever fall for the other, which meant no chance of me getting hurt or my heart getting broken. No hearts would come close to being involved.
He shook his head. “This makes no sense.”
“It does to me. Now, are you in or are you out?”
He pursed his lips then we both stumbled as the door swung open and hit Kalex in the back.
“They said you were in here,” Serge said, as he poked his head around the door. “But I didn’t believe them. Why would the captain and Zoey be talking in a storage room?”
“You are in here,” Reina said, her head popping in above Serge’s. “How fascinating.”
I stepped away from Kalex. “We were discussing a security issue, and how the captain needs to keep me better informed, if he doesn’t want his precious schedule to be left in the dust.”
Kalex looked startled by my response, but twisted his neck until it cracked, glowering at me and then at the two aliens who’d interrupted us. “And I was explaining to our astro-architect that I can’t change my command style to suit her every whim.”
Even though I knew we were both acting to convince Serge and Reina, his statement still made me bristle. “The safety of this station is not one of my whims.”
“As much as I’d love to stay here and watch the two of you fight like a pair of wet hens,” Serge said, stepping fully into the room, “I have some news.”
“Wet hens?” I mouthed at Reina.
“You know Serge and his Earth expressions,” she giggled.
“Is it the station?” The captain asked, his face instantly alert and his body tensed.
“Nothing like that.” Serge fluttered one hand and then fluffed his lime-green ascot with it. “It’s actually news for Zoey.”
“For me? What kind of news could you have for me?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew exactly what kind of news he meant. Precisely the kind of thing I didn’t want Kalex to know about.
“Why your match, of course.” Serge pulled a tablet out from the inside pocket of his floral-print jacket. “I told you that when I can’t sleep, I work.”
I noticed dark circles beneath Serge’s large, round eyes. “Have you been working on this since last night?”
“Match?” Kalex’s question was nearly drowned out between Serge’s fluttering and Reina’s giggles.
I avoided the captain’s gaze, instead focusing on Serge. Even though the little Gatazoid practically vibrated with excitement, I could tell he was running on fumes. “This is hardly something you should be pulling an all-nighter for.”
“Nonsense. I told you I’d find you the perfect mate, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
I could feel Kalex’s gaze boring into me, but I kept my eyes on Serge. “Why don’t we talk about this later? I need to get to work, and I’m sure the captain needs to return to the bridge.”
“I’m sure the captain can decide for himself,” Kalex growled.
I shot him a look. If he pulled some sort of possessive crap, Serge and Reina would know something was up.
“There’s no time for us to talk about it later,” Serge continued as if the rest of us hadn’t spoken. “I set up a date for you later today.”
“A date?” I asked, my voice cracking. “Today? I thought you weren’t looking for anyone already on the station.”
Serge took my hand. “It’s a video link date. The Drexian I’ve found for you is actually serving on an Inferno Force ship.”
“What?” Kalex’s sharp voice made all of us jump.
“Maybe you know him,” Reina said, drumming her long fingers together in front of her. “I believe you served on the ship he’s on.”
“You’ve set up a video date for Zoey with a Drexian who’s serving on Captain Brok’s ship?” Kalex asked in a voice so calm it sent a shiver down my spine.
“It might be a giant universe, but when it comes to love, it’s a small world,” Serge said. “Do you know Dryx?”
Kalex’s expression darkened. “I know him.”
“I’m not sure this is such a great idea,” I said. Not only were my palms sweaty, my throat was so tight it was hard to swallow.
“Don’t be silly,” Serge said. “I know it’s a fabulous idea because I had it. Besides, we need to do this before the real tribute brides arrive and suck up all my creative energy.” He waved Reina forward as he turned for the door, pulling me with one hand. “Now let’s go get you looking suitable for your date.”
Before Serge could pull me through the door, Kalex caught my arm, leaning down and whispering in my ear. “About your proposal…?”
I looked up at him, trying to get a read on his expression, but his intensity only made me shudder.
He released my arm. “I’m in.”