9. Calder

Elodie is not in bed when I wake up.

I jerk up, startled. It’s eight, well past when I’m usually up, and sunlight streams into the room. Elodie is in the refresher, which means she got up, got out of bed and turned off the window dimmer before heading to the shower, and somehow, I’ve managed to sleep through all that.

That never happens.

I’m a little shocked. I drag a hand over my face, shaking my head. It’s not like me to sleep this deeply and wake up feeling this refreshed. I’m normally a light, restless sleeper. I should have woken up when Elodie did.

The water turns off, and she emerges from the shower a few minutes later. Today, she’s wearing dark navy pants and a gray shirt. Her hair is pulled back in a knot at the base of her neck, and her customary bright red lipstick is missing. She looks like she wants to blend into the crowd.

“You look very low-key.”

“Good morning to you too, Calder.” A mischievous look comes into her eyes. “I think the word you’re looking for is ordinary.”

“You couldn’t be ordinary if you tried.” I throw off the covers, get to my feet and stretch. Her appreciative gaze travels from my face down to my hips, lingering for a fraction too long. She likes what she sees. Pleasure warms me, and my cock begins to harden. “Enjoying the view?” I tease.

A flush covers her cheeks, but she doesn’t pretend she wasn’t checking me out. Unlike me, there’s not a lying bone in Elodie’s body. “Don’t get too cocky. You know you’re. . . pretty.”

“Pretty? I think I’m offended. Why are you being low-key today?”

“The reps on the trade show floor are trained to give you the hard sales spiel, but if you want a true sense of what’s going on, it’s better to stay unobtrusive to overhear their private conversations. You always learn far more that way.”

If Raz heard this conversation, he’d want to recruit her. “That’s very sneaky.”

She grins. “I’m supposed to have breakfast with Danica and Maro, and then we’re walking the floor. What about you? What are you going to do with your day?”

Follow Jarel around, hack into his schedule, figure out when he’s meeting the Crill generals. Oh, and find the weapons maker.

“I’m not sure,” I lie. “I might attend the trade show too or maybe try the mothwings.”

Elodie’s eyes light up. “Are you window shopping for your ship?” she asks eagerly. “Message me if you’re going to be at the show, and I’ll walk around with you and tell you what manufacturers to stay away from.” She glances down at her comm again and wrinkles her nose. “Oh, and there’s an Onel mixer tonight for employees and partners. It’s going to be boring as hell, and I’d love to skip it, but?—”

“But Throop will be there, waiting for you to make a mistake.”

Jarel Onel will also be at the mixer, which means I’ll be there too. But even if I wasn’t required to attend, I’d go. By my calculations, Elodie was eighteen when Throop killed her mentor. She was vulnerable then, a young woman who didn’t know how to fight back.

She’s not that person anymore. She won’t let Throop get the better of her again. But she’s still stressed about this dinner, and I want to be there for her. “You know I won’t let you walk into that alone, Elodie. I agreed to pretend to be your boyfriend, and that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, Calder.” Her gaze stops again on my chest. She’s staring at my Rogue Squadron tattoos, the ones I got when I left the unit. I’m starting to wonder if she recognizes them when she takes a deep, shuddering breath and steps closer to me. She traces a scar with the tip of her finger. “What caused this?” she asks softly.

A convenient lie hovers on the tip of my tongue, but the way she’s looking at me, with warm concern in her eyes, I don’t want to lie to her again. “When I was younger, I was a soldier. I got these in Sarna. The Crill used energy whips coated with a chemical that prevented our nanobots from healing us.” It felt like being flayed alive. Twelve of my unit had gone into Sarna to engage with the Crill troops holding the colony there hostage. Only seven of us made it out. If I close my eyes, I can still hear Theo’s screams as he died.

“I didn’t know you were a soldier,” she whispers.

She’s still touching me. My cock aches. I want to feed her chocolate and treat her like the treasure she is. I want to throw her down on the bed, rip her clothes off, spank her ass, and thrust into her body. I want to show her the stars, and I want to fuck her into oblivion.

“Were you a mercenary, or were you in the Karven military?”

Alarms sound through the fog of lust. If I’m not careful, my cover story will fall apart. “Military,” I reply. “But, as you can probably tell, I wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t last long.”

“You joined the military to leave your home planet?”

Distract, distract, distract. Elodie’s smart, and I’ve said enough to make myself vulnerable. She’s seen my tattoos. If she does some searching, she’ll discover I was in Rogue Squadron. And you don’t become Rogue if you’re bad at being a soldier. You’re only invited if you’re very, very good.

She’s still touching my chest. I cover her hand with mine. Blood pounds in my brain as I drop my gaze to her lips, soft, full, and inviting. “Are we practicing physical contact again, Elodie?” I say, soft and teasing. My words are meant to be a distraction, but my heart thumps erratically, and the very air between us seems electrified. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

Desire flares in her eyes. I move closer, my hand cupping the back of her neck. “All I’ve thought about in the last twenty-four hours is our kiss,” I murmur, capturing her lips with mine. “And I can’t wait to do it again.”

She parts her soft lips, and a thrill shocks up my spine. I back her up until she’s pressed against the wall, slide my tongue into her mouth, and savor her taste, her quiet gasp of pleasure, and the way her body melts against mine.

I nibble a path down her throat, and she grinds against me in response, hot and needy. I’m instantly hard, so hard it hurts. “Elodie,” I breathe. “Fuck.”

Her hands trace the lines of my muscles. I groan and cup her ass, pulling her against my erection. Not taking my lips off the beating vein in her neck, I undo the buttons of her shirt and spread it open.

She’s so beautiful. I drink her in, wondering if I’m still asleep, wondering if this is all a dream, a mirage that will vanish as soon as I approach it. Her breasts are plump and round, and her nipples are rose-brown, tight, pert, and oh-so-kissable. I brush them with the tip of my fingers. She bites back a moan and leans into my touch. “Calder,” she whispers.

Any sense of restraint vanishes. I cup her breasts, squeezing them hard, and roll her nipples between my fingertips. She arches in response and whimpers into my mouth. I nudge my knee between her legs, and she cooperatively spreads her thighs. I unfasten the tab of her pants and slide my hand lower. A shiver of arousal runs through her as I part her folds and stroke her hot, wet pussy. Fuck me, she’s as turned on as I am. “You like this, Elodie? Keep your legs open for me.”

I push a finger into her, her muscles clenching around me. Ah fuck yes. I sink another finger into her and grind the heel of my palm against her clit. Her muscles grip my fingers, and she whimpers, soft and sweet.

I’ve fantasized about Elodie for six months, and this is better than anything I could imagine because this is real. This is perfect.

“Spread your legs wider.” I have to taste her. I have to?—

Her comm emits a shrill beep, shattering the mood. Elodie jerks her hand back. “I should go,” she says. “Danica and Maro will be waiting. I’ll see you this evening.”

And then she flees.