interesting idea. I didn’t think Xaravians ate dessert.”
“Normally they don’t,” EJ said, as if she were an expert on the topic. It was more because Nokx growled with anticipation as he clutched the tablet until it creaked, and Faros still struggled to breathe. “Or so I’m told. But Nokx seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. With a little encouragement.”
“Encouragement.” Violet tapped her chin thoughtfully, then eyed her mate. “Interesting. I might have to experiment.”
“I recommend it,” EJ said. She squeaked as Nokx picked her up as he stood and held her against his side, scowling at where the dessert would be delivered. EJ swallowed a hysterical giggle. “Even if it’s more calories to work off, they really seem to—”
Nokx smacked her ass with another growl, picked up the dessert, and strode out of the room while she still tried to finish her thought. Violet laughed and called something after them, but EJ didn’t hear anything except Nokx muttering about all the things he intended to do to her. She smiled and teased her fingers under the hem of his robes and trousers until she found his scales and made him jump. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon at all.
Chapter 22
Nokx
Nokx sensed her unease with the conversation and was proud of her for attempting to engage Faros in conversation. Of course, it also made him want to kill his captain when Faros answered in his typical caustic manner. He barely controlled his rage by digging his nails into his thigh, letting the pain distract him from how much he wanted to pummel Faros for being a dick.
He appreciated that EJ thought the crew could do something to make the universe better. They hadn’t always been so mercenary. Faros told the truth when he said they’d given to the poor. The Sraibur previously targeted only Fleet and Alliance merchant ships, then distributed the bounty they didn’t need to the rebellion and other needful groups. Then Faros’s son, Faryl, grew ill and the captain changed completely. His focus went into finding a cure for his son, and that meant money. More money than any of them had ever seen or believed they would have in one place.
Of course, they all loved Faryl and wanted the best for him, so the crew went along with the new focus: steal medications and kidnap doctors, uncover experimental practices, target the rich to pay for another treatment. Nokx tried to focus on the willing female who draped over his shoulder and the heavenly scent of chocolate from the several pieces of cake he held. It was better that Faryl stayed with Faros’s brother and his mate, closer to the rebellion and the advanced hospitals that helped treat the boy, but he knew it changed Faros to be that far from his young.
Maybe it was time to signal the Galaxos with Violet’s secret comms device so Faros could spend time with his son and hopefully lighten the hell up. He’d propose it to Wyzak as a solution for Faros’s increasingly mercenary outlook. In the meantime, Nokx had better things to think about. Like how quickly he could get EJ’s clothes off and cover her in the sweet treat.
Nokx locked the door behind them as soon as he got her into his quarters and tossed EJ onto the half-made bed. He loved that her scent lingered in his room, along with the hint of their mingled sweat and desire. He growled as he loomed over her. He didn’t even need the dessert to want to taste her, although he knew how much she enjoyed the sweets. Before or after they mated, he would make sure she had her chocolate.
EJ bounced out of bed and made like she would get the dessert from where he’d placed it on the small round table in front of the loveseat. Nokx wrapped her up in his arms, inhaling from her hair. “I have wanted to do this all day.”
“You wanted to smell my hair?” She laughed and wormed around in his arms, reaching for the belt of his robes.
“I wanted to feel you against me,” he said. He lifted her off her feet and kept her pinned against his chest as he imagined all the ways their bodies would connect. “Every time you stretched, every time you turned, every time you bent down...”
He couldn’t control the growl or the urge to immediately pin her against the wall.
“Every time I bent down?” she asked, sounding breathless. Her single heart pounded against