and wandered out. His thoughts churned too much for him to face EJ right away. The second-in-command was right, at least, about how Nokx would react if EJ left him in favor of another Xaravian on the crew. Nokx would kill the other male, and then Faros would have to kill him or perhaps just exile him on some backwater planet in hostile space. Without the female, most likely, as she would be left to fend for herself on a hostile spaceport.
The only way he could advocate for her staying on the Sraibur was if he could be sure of her intent to remain with him. Nokx wouldn’t fight to keep her off the gen ship if it meant another male getting her. The thought alone turned his stomach. He finally exhaled in irritation and shoved to his feet. There was much to cover with the female in a very short period of time if Nokx was going to get to a resolution on her intentions and convince the captain to accept her on the ship permanently. There was no telling how quickly Izyk would be able to identify the Hollbrd’s signature and location, so Nokx had to work quickly. His thoughts still churned as he left the mess hall and headed for his quarters.
He growled in irritation and jabbed at the panel to release the locks. He couldn’t allow the female to distract him with her body yet again, otherwise neither of them would leave for hours. It should have been easy to remember, and yet the moment he saw her naked form, it became almost impossible to think of anything except having her wrapped around him again.
Chapter 17
EJ woke slowly in a tangle of sheets and feeling sore in places she didn’t think even had muscles. She managed to open one eye to squint at the bed and then the room, puzzled. She’d expected to find Nokx still next to her, or at least in the room. She sat up, holding what was left of the sheets up to her chest. Not that there was a reason to hide anything, not in an empty room.
Her cheeks heated. Or from Nokx, if he came back. He’d seen... every inch of her. A couple of times.
EJ groaned and flopped back against the pillow. It must have been some sort of madness or ... craze. She’d never been that demanding in bed with anyone, much less a near-stranger, but good grief, it had turned out well. She uncurled from the sheets and staggered to the bathroom to take an actual shower, since the one she and Nokx attempted hadn’t really gotten the job done.
She felt a little more like herself by the time the water cooled and she found some appropriate clothes in the duffel bag that Violet and Gemma had donated. She’d just started brushing out her hair when the door chimed, then slid open. EJ tensed, wondering if someone other than Nokx might be there, but she started to breathe again when the big Xaravian edged through the half-open door with a tray laden with dishes.
EJ smiled, though her heart pounded against her ribs with nerves. She hadn’t done the whole “morning after” thing in a long, long time. Usually she was the first one to scramble out the window to avoid awkward conversations and pretending to remember what the guy’s name was. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” he said, and his deep voice sent shivers all the way through her.
It immediately brought up memories of him looming over her, spreading her legs, giving her gruff commands and demanding to know what she wanted. EJ bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something really inappropriate, and instead tried to focus on the tray he carried. “Breakfast?”
“This is for you. I already ate,” he said. Nokx put the tray on the small table next to the bed where the chocolate cake had been the night before, and gestured for her to help herself.
EJ felt suddenly shy. She eased around to the couch so she could reach the table, but didn’t know what to say. Nokx’s expression seemed almost guarded, a little distant. Did he regret what they’d done? Or had he only wanted her for sex and a little stress relief, and now that he’d gotten what he wanted, he was just waiting to kick her out? She cleared her throat and picked through the variety of dishes, most of which looked Xaravian in origin. And they all smelled