room to stretch EJ out on the hospital bed and he could move over her. “I need you.”
Her knees parted in invitation, despite their clothes, and he groaned again. He pulled at the front of her shirt. EJ tilted her head back as his mouth found her throat. “Not here. Anyone can walk in.”
“Let them.” It might even be better if someone walked in, because then there would be no doubt EJ was his.
She covered his mouth with her hand when he went to kiss her again. Her expression turned serious. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Nokx grumbled, though her concern warmed his hearts. Too bad it was misplaced. He pushed up over her, testing the strength of his shoulders, then dipped low to bump his nose against hers. “Only way I’ll be hurt is if I have to wait to feel you again.”
“That’s a great line,” she murmured. Then EJ wormed her way out from underneath him, though she tumbled to the floor and landed hard. She sighed and pulled herself back into her chair. “But when I get you naked, I need you at full strength, big guy. I’m going to work you out. Put you through your paces.”
He growled as her words, her tone, went right to his chest. And then quite a bit lower. “Do you promise?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh yeah.”
It just stoked the fire higher and made it more difficult to keep his hands off her. Nokx gripped the edge of the bed so he didn’t grab her hips instead. He couldn’t look away from her: the flush in her cheeks, her lips parted in soft little pants, the delicate sheen of perspiration on her chest where her shirt gapped. He forced his attention back to her face instead of the soft flesh just begging to be licked and nibbled on. They needed to talk about something that had nothing to do with how much he wanted to tear her clothes off. “What is the status of this ship? I do not remember all of what was said the last time.”
“Ah.” EJ retrieved a panel from the wall and ordered food, then started pacing. Which only distracted him as he watched her ass move in the fitted trousers she’d found. She didn’t seem to notice, because she kept walking and swaying her hips and driving him wild as she talked. “The Lovelace is in a holding pattern while the captain and the space chickens determine the next step. They’re waiting for something but they haven’t said what it is they’re looking for.”
“That’s troubling.” Nokx dragged his attention off the way she moved. “And the Sraibur?”
She hesitated, turning to study him. “I’m not sure. They haven’t left this quadrant either.”
“A confrontation?” he asked. He scanned the room for possible weapons. “Are we hostages? Could they be trying to ransom us?”
“Of course not,” EJ said, looking scandalized. “Not that Faros would ever pay it. I’ll bet he’s never spent money on anything except himself.”
Nokx slid to his feet as two trays of food arrived and helped EJ carry them back to the bed so he could use it as a table. He took the opportunity to sit in her chair and drag her back into his lap so they could both eat. He didn’t want to argue with her about Faros or anything else. He wanted to lose himself in her. She grumbled a little as her ass settled on his thigh, but she didn’t pull away.
He concentrated on eating with one hand while the other arm looped around EJ’s waist and kept her as close as possible. “Have they treated you well on this ship?”
“Of course.” EJ nibbled on a small piece of something that didn’t look like meat, so Nokx ignored it. He just wanted protein. She frowned and leaned against his chest. “I’ve worked for Bula for a while. They do a lot of good, Nokx. This ship was captured from the Fleet, some awful captain who was selling Earthers into the slave markets, and the space chickens have turned it into a way to free more people. They spend their time tracking down Slasu, freeing transports, and destroying whatever infrastructure they can find — markets, auctions, safehouses, ships. It’s a good mission. They do good, which is more than I can say about almost anyone else in the damn universe.”
Nokx tensed but tried not to let it show. It sounded as though it was a mission she liked, that she believed