Besides, Varia has already confirmed that the Kilgari are dual-wielding sword fighters under the belt. That’s a terrible metaphor to use, I’m aware, but I don’t think I need to elaborate on it. I wonder how it would feel to be with someone like that. Judging by Varia’s blissful expression whenever I come across her in the morning, I’d say it must feel pretty damn great.
Before I even know what the hell I’m doing, my right hand wanders down my stomach toward the scorching heat between my legs. I bite on the corner of my bottom lip as I hesitantly reach for my clit and then lean back against the wall as I press down on it, a column of fire rising up my spine.
With Grantian’s image burning in my mind’s eye, I start moving my fingers in smooth circles, stroking myself. I’ve never been the kind of girl who’s consumed by lustful thoughts every waking hour of the day but, after meeting Grantian, it’s as if every single nerve ending I have has become a slave to desire.
Breathing in deeply, I imagine how amazing it would be to peel his clothes off his heavily muscled body. The little glance I caught of him was enough to drive me crazy, and I wonder what other miracles of genetics he keeps hidden under all of his clothes. Every muscle in his body seems to have been designed with savage functionality as the goal, and it’s hard not to think about him applying all of that functionality to my own body. He could pick me up from the floor with those massive arms of his, and there’d be nothing I could do about it.
Sure, he’s always been caring and kind toward me, but I’m pretty sure if things got real between the two of us, I’d get to see a different side of him. A side that sees no boundaries or limitations, that pushes him to take whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
Right now, there’s nothing I’d like more than for Grantian to do just that. I want him to take me, to do whatever the hell he wants with me. I want to surrender to his embrace, to break through his shell and get to know that savage side of his.
This is crazy, I think, but my fingers never stop moving. If anything, they start going even faster than before, every fiber of my being relishing that sweet madness. It feels so damn liberating. Ever since I woke up in the Frontier’s dark cargo hold my mind has been assaulted by anxiety nonstop, and only now am I finding some relief.
Exhaling sharply, I push my inner thighs together as pleasure shoots up my spine. My eyes roll as my whole body tenses up, and pleasure washes over me like a tsunami. Breathing hard, I remain under the running water as my thoughts explode like firecrackers, leaving only a deep certainty inside my mind. I want Grantian, and I want him like I’ve never wanted anyone before.
“I must be losing it,” I mutter under my breath, but a smile remains etched on my lips all the same. I’ve finally found something aboard this ship capable of taking my mind off the shitstorm my life has become. It was about time too. I just have to be careful. No matter the rosy scenarios my mind has come up with, I have to remember I’m dealing with a real person here. The fact that he’s been kind to me doesn’t mean he feels the same attraction I do. Sighing, I promise myself I won’t get too carried away, but I immediately know that’s going to be a hard one to keep.
Feeling like a brand-new person, I try to steer my mind toward something other than Grantian’s chiseled pecs as I step out of the shower. Varia has a lot on her plate right now, and I figure I can help out by checking in with the other girls. It’s a long shot, but Fiona or Ilya might know about Solace. Either way, I have to keep busy. It’s either that or remain in the shower, thinking of Grantian until I have a cramped wrist and a mind as dirty as a gutter.
When I finally leave, there’s a spring in my step.
Chapter Six
Grantian
“What’s wrong this time?” Pushing my way into the bridge, my gaze flies straight to Swipt. He’s sitting behind the navigational console, alongside Lokyer, and the two of them seem to be studying the logs and reviewing our trajectory. “Swipt, if you’re calling me about that damn terminal again, I swear I’m gonna—”
“Someone’s in a bad mood.” Turning his chair around, he drapes his arms over the armrests and cocks one eyebrow up. “What bug crawled up your ass this morning, Grantian? Anyway, I’m not the one in need of your immense wisdom. You want to grunt at someone, grunt at our captain.”
“Right,” I mutter, suddenly feeling foolish. I was enjoying being with Lamira so damn much I’m irritated at being pulled onto the bridge. That’d be understandable if I were some young rookie with more hot blood than common sense, but that’s not the case. I’m this ship’s second, and I better keep that in mind at all times.
Slowly, I make my way toward the center of the bridge. Solair’s standing before the main terminal’s console, a small group surrounding him, and everyone seems to be focused on a holographic map of the quadrant.
“Where are we going?” I ask the group, scratching my chin as I stare at the map.
“We need supplies,” Solair tells me, confirming my suspicions. “Jax has reported that we’re running low on food. We simply have too many people aboard, and we’re not going to last long without a resupply.”
“Can’t we ration the food that remains, just until we have enough credits for a matter replicator?” I offer, but Solair’s concerned expression doesn’t change.
“We’re still a long way off from having enough money to buy the matter replicator, and I figure we’ll all die of starvation before we manage to get our hands on one of those things.”
“Alright, got it. The matter replicator is out.”
“Would any of those Outer Rim colonies be safe enough for us to make port?” He enlarges the map so it focuses on a system known for a large asteroid belt mined by IHC corporations. The gigantic mining crews eventually settled some of the smaller planets on the system, turning them into support bases for the operation. Any other day I’d say it’d be safe to make a quick run on any those colonies, but our situation has changed.
“The Interstellar Human Confederation patrols the area, even if the colonies aren’t technically part of the IHC yet. But as more humans move to them, they know it’s only a matter of time. They may be lawless right now, but that’ll change soon. We’re more likely to run into an IHC patrol who will wonder why we have so many human women on board.”
“So anywhere close to the IHC border with League space is a bad idea?”
I look at the map. “Yes, I think that’s a bad idea,” I finally reply. “The entire system is teeming with IHC ships—whether it’s colony support, security, or military. Even if we’re just talking about civilian ships, it’d be a risk to go there.” I don’t need to state the obvious. Now that the IHC has put out bulletins on all the women aboard our ship, to land in any of the colonies inside or close to League Space would be too dangerous.
“The news bulletin said these women are not just domestic terrorists, but may be involved in attempting to bring down the human government. Those are crimes punishable by execution. My advice is to steer far, far away and avoid taking any chances at all.”
“Aren’t there any other alternatives?” Gripping the edge of the console, Varia leans in, looking at me through the blue holographic map. There’s a cool edge to her voice, and I take that as a good sign. The woman is under a lot of pressure, but she seems more than capable of keeping her head over her shoulders. “Going by Jax’s estimates, we only have a couple of days before we have to start rationing our supplies even more than we already are. And even if we do that, there won’t be enough to last us for more than a week or two.”