Chapter Seven

M enace enjoyed watching Naya sleep. Her relaxed face showed the slightest hint of a smile. Considering the way he'd ravished her after she'd finished that orange, he wasn't surprised. Hell, he'd had a smile on his face when he'd finally drifted off with her secure in his arms.

He studied her full lips and dark hair. The first soft rays of faux sunlight spilled out of the recessed lights above the bed. His people had long since mastered the art of longterm space living by fooling the body with specially filtered UV lights set on timers that mimicked a daily solar cycle. By eating a specialized diet high in vitamins and exercising regularly, the Harcos lived in space for years without suffering negative side effects.

Menace wondered how well Naya would take to her new lifestyle. Hallie had struggled with living in full-time orbit. Vicious sent her to see her sister in the colonies whenever possible so she could have a few days with her feet on solid ground. If Naya needed that, he'd find a way to make it work. There were years of vacation days banked in his account waiting to be used.

He trailed his fingertip along her collarbone to the very tip of her throat and then lower to the valley between her breasts. Their discussion from last night still troubled him. That she had a criminal past as a juvenile delinquent was the least of his worries. The women of Calyx were faced with ugly choices. To survive, Naya had made the choices she felt necessary. He would never hold those against her.

No, what troubled him most was the way the people who should have protected her had treated her so abominably. A mother who ran out on her and a brother who left her behind to struggle for survival? It was an absolute disgrace.

He now understood what he faced in earning her trust. It wasn't going to be easy, but then none of the things in life worth having ever were. Naya was worth it. He had to make her see that she was truly a person who deserved happiness and love and security. If it took his last breath, he'd show her that.

Remembering a promise he'd made about giving her time before they took a step toward parenthood, Menace carefully slipped out of bed. To his amusement, she reached for him in her sleep. He patted her seeking hand until she settled back down. Smiling, he headed into the bathroom and went through his usual morning routine. Before returning to bed, he opened up the med kit in one of the cabinets and found the thermometer.

He slid back in bed and activated the thermometer. Before she'd gone to sleep, Naya had explained that her temperature had to be taken at roughly the same time every morning and after at least four hours of sleep. Considering the routine he kept, she would likely wake near this time every day.

Menace pressed the flat, circular tip of the thermometer to her temple. A split second later, Naya's eyes flew open in sheer terror. She grabbed his wrist hard enough to leave bruises. "Get that off of me!"

The thermometer beeped and he carefully tugged it away from her head. "Easy, Naya. It's just a thermometer."

Wild-eyed, she smacked at his hand and sat up. "The hell it is!" She rubbed the spot where he had taken her temp. "What did you do to me? Did you inject me with some kind of drug?"

Her misunderstanding would have been humorous if she wasn't so clearly gripped by paranoia. "Look," he said and thrust the thermometer into her hands. "It's just a temperature-taking device. You hold it to the forehead or temple and it takes a temperature in three seconds."

She took the device with trembling fingers and studied it. Her fingertip traced the flat probe and then the digital display. She swallowed hard as color crept into her cheeks. Obviously embarrassed, she refused to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," he said softly and tipped her chin. "It's all right. I should have woken you first. I can't imagine how scared I would have been if some woman I'd only known for a day was jamming something strange against my head while I was in a dead sleep."

"I guess."

"Let's start this day over, okay?" Menace leaned forward and captured her lips. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Happiness filtered across her beautiful face. "Good morning, Menace."

"Smile for me," he murmured and brushed his knuckles across her cheek.

"What?" She laughed nervously but couldn't squash the bemused smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Why?"

He kissed her forehead. "Because I like to see you smile."

Before she could ask him why he liked that so much, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that grew increasingly passionate. Mornings had always been the time that he was the most easily aroused. Having Naya's soft, warm body in his arms made it impossible for him to think of anything else but possessing her again.

He pressed her onto her back and threw a leg over her hips. Pinning her smaller body beneath his, Menace pushed up onto his knees and planted his hands on either side of her face. She gazed up at him with such apprehension on her face. He nuzzled her neck and nipped her sensitive skin. "Relax, Naya."

"It's hard sometimes," she admitted, slightly breathless. "I know you won't hurt me, but you're just so damn big. I've spent my whole life keeping away from big, scary men."

He couldn't blame her for experiencing an ingrained response. Not wanting her to be uncomfortable, he lifted off her and started to move to the side. To his surprise, she wound her legs around his waist and shook her head. "Stay on me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She bit her lower lip and then admitted, "I like the way it feels."

Now they were getting somewhere. "But it makes you feel conflicted?"

She nodded. "I feel like I shouldn't want to be powerless to you. I feel like I should be the one in complete control."

Menace caressed her naked breast and brushed his thumb over her nipple. The dusky-brown peak tightened under his touch. "You respond so wonderfully to being submissive to me, Naya."

"I know." She didn't sound happy about it.

He kissed the side of her neck and nibbled her earlobe. Coaxing pleasured sighs from her lips made his dick throb. Her hands roamed his sides, setting his skin alight. "I gave you a safeword, remember?"

Her hands went still on his ribs. "Blue?"

"Yes." He gazed down at her. "You have the power to make everything stop, Naya. Even if I have you cuffed to my bed and your feet suspended in midair, you're the one in control."

Interest flashed in her eyes. "Could we do that?"

He tilted his head. "You want me to cuff you to my bed?"

She gulped hard. "Yes."

"You're sure?" He was ready to pounce on her request but didn't want to regret it later if she wasn't absolutely certain.

"You said I'm in control, right? If it's too much, I can use the safeword you gave me."

He nodded. "It won't get to that point, Naya. The first moment I detect any true fear from you, I'll cut you loose."

A sweet smile brightened her face. "I know you will."

She hadn't said the word trust , but they were getting there. She trusted him not to hurt her. She trusted him to behave honorably and abide by the rules. Knowing her history, it was a huge step forward in their relationship.

Menace kissed her deeply. "Wait here. I need to get some things."

"Um, may I use the restroom first?"

"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "I shouldn't have jumped on you the second you woke up, but you're just too tempting."

She laughed. "Well with an apology like that, a girl can forgive her big, sexy sky warrior for making her do the potty dance."

Menace frowned at her while she bounced off the bed and scurried to the bathroom. "The what?"

She touched the frame and opened the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she presented such a stunningly erotic picture. Her bare bottom and smiling face were the things of fantasies. "You haven't spent much time around toddlers."

He shook his head. "Children aren't very common aboard the Valiant yet. We've only just started an elementary school program for five- and six-year-olds. I understand it's a class of seven."

"Well, someday when you have a handful of rotten little Menaces running around this place driving you insane with their yelling and wild antics, you'll understand the term."

She disappeared into the bathroom and left him thinking about the very real possibility of such a thing happening in the not too distant future. An image of a young child with the same honey-brown skin and dark hair as Naya but his pale eyes appeared before him. The idea of someday walking into a noisy home to be greeted by the sounds of his wife and children filled him with the most desperate sense of longing.

For so long, he'd fought to preserve the Harcos way of life from those insurrectionists who wanted to ruin everything that was good and right and true about their society. He'd gone into battle ready to die to defend the lives of the men who stood on either side of him. Grabbing Naya had given him a chance to build something even greater to protect and defend—a family, his very own family.

Emboldened by his desire to cultivate a lasting, trusting relationship with the young woman he'd caught in the forest, Menace climbed off the bed and made his way to the playroom attached to their bedroom. He quickly chose the items he needed for the sensual torment he had in mind.

When he returned, he found Naya kneeling in the center of the bed. The ends of her hair looked damp. Had she showered that quickly? Anxiety and excitement radiated from her in waves. She chewed her lower lip and picked at the sheets. Telling her to relax wasn't going to help. The sooner he had her bound and completely at the mercy of his hands and mouth, the better.

"On your back," he ordered and dumped his armful of supplies onto the bed.

Her curious gaze scanned the items he'd dropped. She pointed to a slim, short anal plug he'd chosen on a whim. "Do I even want to know what the hell that is?"

"Probably not," he said with a teasing smirk.

To her credit, she didn't instantly refuse to even consider the plug. She did as he'd asked and moved onto her back, her hands fisted at her sides. Gently he took her hands in his and pulled her arms up over her head. He hoped that in time she would grow to trust him enough not to tense up so badly. For now, he was willing to work around her fear. After the life she had lived in Connor's Run, he couldn't expect anything less from her.

When he pulled free the leather, padded cuffs hidden between the mattress and headboard, Naya's eyes widened. "Is that standard bed design around here?"

He laughed. "Yes. There are points along the bedframe that allow restraint connections."

She was quiet. "Is our bed the only place I need to worry about you whipping out the chains and cuffs? I mean, the dinner table is just a dinner table, right? It's not some weird piece of sex furniture?"

Menace snorted. "It's just a table."

He didn't tell her that even a simple table could be a perfect prop for some impromptu rough loving. He expertly applied the cuffs to her wrists and hooked the chain to a ring attached to the very top of the headboard. He pulled the chain taut, ridding it of any slack so she wouldn't be able to jerk her arms and potentially hurt her shoulders or wrists.

He checked the cuff tightness again. Vicious had been right about buying the extrasmall cuffs. The supply shop had started carrying them not long after Vicious Grabbed Hallie. They were much more expensive but provided such a good fit for Naya's slim wrists.

Menace swept his fingertips along the exposed undersides of her arms. She shivered and tried to squeeze her knees together but ended up squeezing his hips instead. He continued to tease and torment her with ticklish caresses and featherlight kisses as he moved down her body. The sight of her hard nipples and deepening breaths told him all he needed to know.

Skimming his way down her body, Menace became aware of the bright, fresh scent of the citrus soap he had bought especially for her. She had done more than just brush her teeth in preparation for their morning tryst. He found her actions a bit curious but wondered if this wasn't one of those slight cultural differences. He had heard that the women from Calyx were incredibly sensitive about cleanliness. Considering the attitudes many of the men down there held toward women's bodies, it wasn't surprising.

While he wouldn't blink twice at making love to his woman after a torrid night together, Naya clearly felt more comfortable after tidying up a bit. He made a mental note to start tomorrow morning by carrying her into a steamy shower. Just the thought of getting his soapy paws on her wet body made his balls ache.

But right now he had her bound to his bed, willing and ready. Menace grasped her ankles and latched the second set of padded cuffs around them. He hooked one end of a restraint to the ring dangling from the front of each cuff. The other end of the restraint he attached to connection spots on the headboard.

"How do you feel?" He inspected the ankle cuffs and the restraint straps to ensure her legs weren't bearing any unnecessary weight.

"Vulnerable," she admitted.

"Good." He caressed her outer thigh. "Relax your muscles, sweetheart. Let the restraints do the work."

She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. Menace sat back on his heels and let his needy gaze rake her sexy body. Trussed up in his restraints, she looked absolutely delectable. Her wide-open thighs invited him to delve between them and explore her slick, tight pussy. He couldn't wait to hear her moaning and panting and shrieking his name. If ever there was an ego stroke, it was the sound of his woman gripped in the throes of passion.

"Menace?" She spoke softly and uncertainly. "What happens now?"

"Now?" He let his fingertips trail along her inner thigh. "Now we play."

Naya gulped down her anxiety. There was no mistaking the impish glint in Menace's eyes. With her wrists cuffed overhead and her legs in the air, no amount of wiggling or jerking would set her free. His searing gaze roamed her naked curves. He looked at her as if she were the most perfect and beautiful woman in the whole universe. No one had ever made her feel as craved and needed as Menace.

When he swept his rough, calloused palm along her skin, she shivered with desire. There was something about his big, warm hands on her body that made her lose control. His touch short-circuited the side of her brain that demanded she be tough and brave and dominant to the point of off-putting. There was a reason men back in Connor's Run weren't beating down her door. She came across as cold and aloof out of necessity. Showing weakness was the quickest way to becoming a victim in her neck of the woods.

But here with Menace, under his loving hands, she was slowly learning to accept her submission to him as a special kind of intimacy. She couldn't imagine any other man she would willingly allow to master her. Those honest green eyes showed no malice. Naya had always prided herself on being able to read people. Only once had she ever been truly fooled, but that instance was complicated by her sisterly affection and her childish belief that blood meant something.

Menace wasn't Nattie. Oh sure, she'd only known Menace for a day and yes, the mere sight of this feral beast of a man made her clitoris tingle with some kind of primitive need, but she believed with every fiber of her being that at his core Menace was honest and loyal and kind. Even though her heart raced and her gut clenched with nervousness, she recognized that Menace wasn't going to harm her. He considered her a precious gift that should be protected and cherished. Frankly the idea that someone wanted to protect and provide for her was more unsettling than being cuffed and bound to his bed.

"Menace," she whispered as he skimmed his lips over the swell of her breast.

"Naya," he replied just as softly, his amusement evident. A moment later he tugged her nipple between his lips.

She moaned at the sharp sensation his mouth caused. "The things you do to me…"

He chuckled against her breast. "You like them."

"I do." Admitting it aloud made her current predicament seem even more surreal. Had she really asked him to do this? To tie her up and use her? Just a taste of the sensual eroticism last night in the playroom had been enough to whet her appetite for Menace's brand of loving. She had no doubt that he would make good use of this opportunity to show her just how good he could make her feel.

Menace kissed his way down the sloping plane of her abdomen until he was between her thighs. Her lower belly pitched when his lips grazed her mound. She held her breath and silently willed him to put his tongue on her again. Already her clit throbbed incessantly. Menace had awakened a wanton sexual creature within her. She had gone from the girl who couldn't come to the girl who couldn't stop coming.

"Ah!" Head thrown back, she curled her fingers toward her palms. Menace had parted her silken flesh with his fingertips. His tongue invaded her secret place, dipping and swiping and driving her crazy. He flicked her inflamed bud a few times but didn't linger. His tongue moved even lower and entered her pussy. "Oh! Oh! "

He groaned with excitement and thrust his tongue in and out of her. The overwhelming sensation scared her a little, but she couldn't slam her thighs closed to force him to stop. Not that she really wanted him to stop. What was it he'd said last night? Sometimes we say stop but we really mean go? Oh hell. This was one of those moments.

Menace licked two fingers, moistening his skin, and penetrated her carefully. She bucked her hips and welcomed the thick digits filling her. His tongue fluttered across her clit as his fingers thrust deep and slow. Pulling at her bonds, Naya lifted her head and peered down at him. The sight of that big, strong man between her thighs sent her reeling over the edge.

Mine. The word echoed in her mind as she climaxed. Just as she belonged to him, he belonged to her. Moaning and crying out, she rode the waves of ecstasy. "Menace!"

He hummed against her clit and sucked the pink pearl harder. Her hips popped off the mattress and she shouted his name. His fingers curved inside her, the tips of them rubbing that spot inside her pussy that made her toes curl. He went wild on her clit, sucking the small bud and rolling his tongue across it until bliss burst inside her again. "Menace! Yes! Yes! "

His leisurely licks brought her down from the heights of ecstasy but she sensed he wasn't done with her yet. Limp with pleasure, she sagged against the bed. Menace's fingers slipped out of her. He drew a few circles around her clit and then allowed his fingers to glide down through her folds.

Her breath caught in her throat when his fingertips moved even lower. She clenched her butt cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"Stimulating your erogenous zones," he said matter-of-factly. "How does it feel?"

"Weird," she said. Her eyes widened when his wet fingertip circled the pucker hidden there. It still felt weird but it also felt… good ? Naya licked her lips. The forbidden nature of his fingertip touching such a taboo place made her head pound.

"Your body is a treasure trove of erogenous zones. Not just the obvious ones like this," he said and licked her clit a few times. His fingertip tapped her anus. "This is another erogenous zone. This area is packed with nerve endings. You'll enjoy having it stimulated."

He spoke with such certainty. Voice trembling, she asked, "Stimulated how?"

"With my fingers, with toys," he informed her. "Someday maybe even with my cock."

She gasped and shook her head. "No, Menace. You're too big. Way too big."

"Easy, honey." Menace lifted his head so she could find his reassuring gaze. "You're nowhere close to being ready to penetrate that way. You may never be ready—and that's perfectly fine." Kissing her thigh, he said, "But let's not throw it off the table completely. There's no reason we can't explore it."

She was reminded of her fear of the nipple clamps. They'd been awfully pinchy at first but had started to feel really, really good once Menace touched her clit. He'd been right about the clamps bringing her pleasure. Maybe he was right about trying new things down there . He was the sex expert in their relationship, after all.

"You have your safeword, Naya. Use it."

"Now?" She glanced at him and frowned. "But I'm not ready to use it."

"I'm going to touch you here." His fingertip moved between her cheeks again. "I'm going to use a small plug on you. If you don't like it or if it hurts or if you just need to stop because it's overwhelming, you say blue ."

The reminder that she was in control helped her face the unknown. Menace reached for the pile of things he had brought from the playroom. He picked up a tube and flipped open the lid. He squeezed a dollop of clear gel onto his fingertips. "Lubricant."

"Oh."

He picked up the strange black thing she had spotted earlier. "This is an anal plug. It's very slim and small. It also vibrates."

Naya couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of having that thing inside her. The detail about the vibrating confused her. "Vibrates? Why?"

Menace laughed. "You'll see soon enough."

Annoyed by his non-answer, Naya let her head drop back to the pillow. Menace slid down between her thighs again. He smeared the clear, cold lubricant on her rosebud. His tongue returned to her clit. All that talking had killed her arousal level but Menace's firm, flicking tongue soon ratcheted it right back up.

Sighing, Naya relished the feel of his tongue on her clit. When a well-lubed fingertip finally breached her virgin backside, Naya hissed. She tried not to tense. Menace sucked her clit a little harder and drew her attention away from the finger wiggling inside her ass. Heat filled her core. The first twinge of a climax rippled through her.

Menace eased off her clit. His tongue brushed lightly across the swollen bud but he didn't use the rhythm and pressure that would normally set her off. Instead he started to thrust his finger in and out of her backside. She groaned in frustration but he didn't give her what she wanted…yet.

A second slick finger joined the first. She inhaled sharply at the full sensation. Menace's tongue fluttered over her clit, easing the discomfort of having two thick digits spearing her ass. He worked those fingers in and out of her, widening them just a bit. It didn't escape even her inexperienced mind that he was preparing her for something.

What he'd said about nerve endings was proving true. She throbbed and pulsed with need. It didn't seem possible, but the fingers thrusting in and out of her amplified every soft flick of Menace's tongue. Her swollen clit ached, but Menace wasn't about to give her the stimulation she needed to climax. Clearly the bastard enjoyed keeping her on the edge.

He pulled his finger free from her body. His mouth left her clit. She rocked her hips in a desperate move. "Menace, please. I want to come."

"Patience, sweetheart," he urged. "It'll be worth it in the end."

She couldn't see what he was doing but a few moments later the blunt, slippery tip of the plug he had shown her pressed against her anus. The muscles of her legs and arms tightened in an automatic response to being penetrated there.

"No," Menace ordered, his voice firm but gentle. "Relax. It's no bigger than the fingers that were just making you feel so good."

"I'm trying." She bit her lower lip and exhaled slowly. Menace didn't force her to accept the small toy. He applied just the slightest amount of pressure and waited patiently. It entered her at a snail's pace. He was right. It wasn't any wider or longer than his fingers. It felt cool inside her and incredibly odd.

Menace rubbed the back of her thigh. "Okay?"

"Yes."

"Feels weird?" He opened a small package and used the pre-moistened wipe inside to clean the slick lubricant from his fingers.

"Yes."

He leaned down to capture her mouth. "It's about to feel very, very good."

She arched an eyebrow. "Promise?"

"Have I let you down yet?"

"No." The answer came swiftly.

Menace kissed her long and hard. "Prepare to be awed, sweetheart."

From anyone else such a statement would have been silly or even joking but Menace actually meant it. Naya's stomach flip-flopped as Menace rose up on his knees.

His hand slipped down between her wide-open thighs. He touched the base of the toy embedded in her backside. A split second later, a wild buzzing sensation started to ripple through her. She gasped and lifted her hips in shock. "What the hell is that?"

"You asked why it vibrates." Menace's thumb moved side to side over her clit. "This is why."

The delicious vibrations shuddered deep inside her. Menace strummed her clit with his thumb and palmed her breast. He squeezed her sensitive flesh and pinched her nipple. She hissed at the brief discomfort but didn't ask him to stop. The quicksilver flash of pain that accompanied his pinching, pulling fingers traveled right to her clit. The tiny bundle of nerves pulsed. When he finally let her come, she was probably going to pass out from sheer ecstasy.

Menace stroked the length of his massive cock. She panted at the sight of him working his big hand up and down his steely shaft. Gripped with the need to have him inside her, she jiggled her feet and curled her toes toward him. "Please, Menace. I need you."

Lust sparked in his pale eyes. Nostrils flaring, he moved even closer to her, pressing his rigid cock against her pussy. Skin-to-skin, she breathed hard and shifted her hips again. "I want you."

His eyes closed briefly. "Say it again, Naya."

"I want you. I need you, Menace." She wasn't parroting the phrases just for his benefit. She meant it. She wanted this man. She needed him. "Please…"

He planted his hands near her shoulders and hovered over her. "This may be too much for you. Tell me if it is."

"I will," she promised. "Just hurry. Put your cock in me."

He groaned as her filthy instruction registered. Grasping his erection, he dragged the ruddy crown through her dewy folds. She moaned with desire as he used the head of his cock to rub her clit. The vibrating toy in her ass tormented her.

Finally Menace pressed his cock into her. He moved at an achingly slow pace. His shaft filled her to the breaking point. She cried out as the sensation of being stretched and taken by his cock and the toy became almost too much. Menace froze his forward movement but bent his head. He nuzzled her cheek and coaxed a tender kiss from her lips.

Menace gripped the front of her bride's collar. The possessive, dominant action made her pussy clench. "Look at me."

Gazing into his light-green eyes, Naya lost herself. "Menace, I—"

He cut her off with a kiss. "You can take me."

Proving his point, Menace thrust forward just a fraction of an inch and then retreated almost completely. The gliding sensation of his huge cock made her moan. Nipples taut and tingling, Naya arched her back. His lips fell to her exposed neck. He nibbled and licked while rocking in and out of her wet pussy. Slipping his hand between their joined bodies, he found her clit. A few brushes of his thumb and she exploded.

"Menace!" Shrieking his name, she undulated wildly atop the bed. The climax punched the air right out of her lungs. Pure bliss spilled from her core, saturating her from head to toe. "Oh! Oh! Ahhhh! "

Still holding the front of her collar, Menace started to fuck her as if he were some feral beast. He snapped his hips and pounded her pussy. The small toy in her ass vibrated constantly and added to the wickedly erotic experience. Menace changed the angle of his shallow penetration. That was all it took to push her over the edge again.

When she finally surfaced from the deep waters of ecstasy, Naya practically sobbed for mercy. "Menace, I can't. Oh! Please. Please! "

With his lips against her ear, he slammed into her one final time. The force of his last thrust shoved her up the bed. Her name left his lips on a groaned sigh. "Naya."

She could feel his cock quivering inside her. The warmth of his seed eased the ache of his rough fucking. Boneless with pleasure, Naya shuddered with aftershocks. She buried her face against the crook of his neck and inhaled his pleasant scent. Eyes closed, she tried to memorize the feel of his body weight and heat pressing her into the bed. She never wanted this moment of intimacy to end.

Showing some reluctance to leave her, Menace carefully pulled out of her and removed the toy. He left her bound to the bed and made his way into the bathroom. She enjoyed the view of his chiseled backside and strong thighs. When he returned with a cloth and towel, she couldn't stop the goofy smile that curved her mouth. It didn't seem possible that he could be so ridiculously sweet yet so commanding and rough at the same time.

"What?" Menace asked as he cleaned her up and unlatched her cuffed limbs.

"I can't believe you're real."

He shot her a strange look. "What does that mean?"

She rolled her sore shoulders. "You're too good to be true."

"I assure you I'm not." Menace slid onto the bed beside her and leaned back against the headboard. He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her onto his lap. His strong fingers kneaded her shoulders and neck. "I'm just as flawed as any other man."

"I haven't seen a flaw yet."

He chuckled softly and skimmed his lips across the top of her head. "Give me time. I'm sure I'll disappoint or upset you soon enough."

She answered him with a humph and settled back against his broad chest. His massaging hands made her sleepy.

"How do you feel? Are your wrists or ankles sore? What about your bottom?"

Even though the man had just ravished her, she still blushed at his inquiry on the state of her backside. "I'm fine."

"Are you really? If you're not, I need to know."

Realizing he wasn't about to drop this line of questioning, she said, "I'm a little throbby down there but it's not painful or anything."

"Throbby?" He sounded amused.

"What? It's a word."

"I highly doubt that. It's not in any—"

A high-pitched squawk pierced the stillness of their bedroom. Startled, Naya jumped in his lap. Menace's reassuring arms embraced her. "It's just an alarm." She had never heard anything so loud or frightening. "An alarm? For what?"

"Abandoning ship," he answered calmly.

Her heart leapt into her throat. "What!"

"Sweetheart," he said gently, "it's a drill. We have them once or twice a month."

The screeching alarm stopped but only briefly. A commanding voice shouted from the ceiling. "Now hear this. Now hear this. This is a drill. Proceed to your nearest evacuation area."

The message started to repeat. Menace shifted her in his arms and patted her thigh. "We've got to go."

Naya clambered to get off the bed. Shaking with adrenaline, she let Menace tug her into the closet. He pushed a pale-blue outfit consisting of pants and a shirt into her hands. The outfit was cut to fit a woman but one half a foot taller and much heavier than she.

He stated the obvious as he held them against her petite frame. "They're going to be a bit big, but they'll do until I can get you measured in one of the clothing shops."

Naya didn't care. She shook out the drawstring pants and shoved her feet into them. The shirt was just a smaller version of the undershirt Menace had let her wear last night while they ate dinner. She didn't miss the way he dressed so quickly. He pulled on the black uniform pants and a shirt with his insignia printed on both arms and on the left side of his chest. It looked like a more casual version of the uniform he had been wearing when he Grabbed her.

As if reading her mind, he explained, "This is my off-duty uniform."

Naya glanced at the closet. It seemed to be filled with various versions of the same uniform. Looking down at her somewhat ugly outfit, she couldn't help but wonder if she would have such limited choices for clothing too.

"Come on." Menace had shoved his feet into his boots. He grabbed her hand and shot a quick look at her bare feet. "They were out of shoes in the size range that fits your women. I have them on backorder. Just keep close to me. I'll keep your toes safe."

Clinging to his hand and wincing with every squawk of that awful blaring alarm, Naya followed Menace out of their quarters. She had been planning to ask him to show her more of the ship, but not like this. He looked down at her and smiled reassuringly. Naya burrowed a little closer to his side and took a step across the threshold of his home into her strange new world.