Hours. The answer to her rhetorical question was hours.

Jackson stretched his legs as he sat with his back to the skeleton tank, watching Dev pace outside the door, trying to get in. The man had tried prying it open, smearing blood on it, kicking it, hitting it, burning it with a torch, and nothing had worked. Now he’d taken to glaring at it, as if he could will it open.

Every member of the crew came by at one point. Each cutting themselves and trying to use their blood as Raisa had. Alexis had gone into one of her download trances, as if trying to find a command that would vocally open the door. Again, nothing they tried worked. It was like watching a soundless transmission.

“I vote we start pushing buttons and see what happens,” she said, not for the first time.

Jackson’s training had taught him patience. If he had to, he could sit in a dark room for days not making a noise. As far as waiting went, this wasn’t too bad. He had company, who also happened to be pretty to look at.

The handheld light was on the floor, shining up at the ceiling. It cast shadows over her face, throwing her features into stark contrast. The soft glow of the floating image in front of the door helped a little, and he saw better once his eyes had adjusted to the dark. Her dark hair was cut at an angle, falling longer by the front of her shoulders than at the nape of her neck. He was content to stare at her, liking the way she moved and laughed. She spoke with an animated quality that lit up her brown-green eyes.

“He’ll have to give up eventually, right?” Raisa didn’t sound so sure. She sat across from Jackson, her feet stretched out near his hips. Every once in a while, her foot would tap against him as she moved them from side to side. Each time reminded him of holding her, kissing her, and as uncomfortable as arousal made him, considering the circumstance, he didn’t dare move away from her or else the contact would stop.

“You don’t know Dev,” Jackson said. He couldn’t blame the guy. If it was him, he’d never give up either if he had people trapped somewhere.

They’d discussed the different places they’d been, and strange beings they’d met. She spoke of the nuances of creating dishes for the simulators, and some of the weirder foods she’d tasted in the name of her job. He didn’t understand all of it but liked the enthusiasm in her voice as she spoke of molecular science. He did not speak of his time in the military, beyond telling her he had been a soldier. Those were not stories he wanted her to hear.

“This is boring.” Raisa yawned after a comfortable silence had fallen over them. She didn’t appear scared, and for that he was grateful. “Know any games we can play?” She tilted her head to speak toward the dark tank. “Greg? No?” Then tilting her head back to talk to the woman stuck in hypersleep behind her, she asked, “What about you, Blue?”

“I get Blue, but why Greg?”

“He needed a name,” Raisa answered. “And Greg was this guy I met on a fueling dock who was all hands. He kept trying to grab me so I kicked him in his man bits.”

Jackson frowned. “It is not safe for a woman to travel through deep space alone. Fueling docks are dangerous and—”

“Easy, boy.” Raisa lifted her hands. “If I wanted a safety lesson I would have asked. I am quite capable of taking care of myself.”

“I didn’t mean to imply otherwise, but the fueling docks are—”

“Hey, so, what was that all about back at the decontaminator?” she interrupted.

If she had wanted to disarm his train of thought, she’d picked the perfect topic. He had been trying very hard not to remember the feel of her soft body along his as he’d pressed her against the decontaminator door frame. Every time he caught a whiff of the flower water she’d bathed with it stirred his body anew. He’d been able to stay focused so long as he kept thinking of all the dangers they could face in this secret chamber. If he was focused on protecting her, he wouldn’t think about pressing her up against the wall.

“Are you asking me…?” Jackson frowned, not following what she meant by her question. “What are you asking me?”

“That was my indelicate way of changing the subject while bringing up what happened between us.” Raisa gave a small laugh. “I’m sorry we were interrupted.”

Jackson couldn’t help the smile that crossed his features. He drew his knee up, draping his wrist over it. What man wouldn’t be pleased to hear such a thing from a beautiful woman? “I, too, am sorry we were interrupted.”

He didn’t mean for his voice to drop in tone but couldn’t seem to help himself. His breathing deepened as she sat forward.

“Would it be strange if I kissed you?” she asked.

He shook his head in denial, even as he said, “Maybe a little, considering the company.”

She glanced at Dev. He paced back and forth as if talking to someone. “I admit, it’s not the most romantic of places, but we’re alone. No one can hear us. And there is definitely no chance of anyone walking in on us.” She glanced up at the dark tank. “Greg, cover your eyes.”

Jackson considered himself a practical man, but with the way she smiled at him, he’d have done anything she wanted. When she continued toward him, her lips parting as her eyes dipped to his mouth, he did not need to be convinced.

Her lips brushed his in a soft kiss. The firm pressure gently urged his mouth to open. He didn’t move to touch her as he let her take the lead, curious as to what she would do next.

Raisa was clearly a woman who knew what she wanted. She was confident, smart, and had an adventurous spirit. Confronting the thieves on Torgan proved she was brave, if not a little reckless. She chatted about nothing, easily carrying a conversation. Jackson knew he wasn’t the most forthcoming when it came to discourse. No one ever accused him of being talkative. Raisa didn’t appear to mind. She also had a way of drawing words out of him.

She pulled back, on her hands and knees in front of him. The taste of her was on his lips. Her breath tickled his cheek as she tilted to the side to whisper, “I would say I’ve wanted to do that from the first moment I saw you, but I was beat up on the floor fighting those whatchamacallits.”

“Dokka,” he supplied.

“Yeah, those galactic tear holes.”

“I don’t recall hearing of the whatchamacallits,” he said. “Are they a tribal society?”

“They’re not important.” She pressed her lips harder to his. This time her tongue slid along the seam of his mouth, running slowly back and forth until he parted his lips to allow her entrance.

His leg pressed lightly against her side. Every part of him ached for more but he forced himself to hold still as he let her be in complete control. She gave a soft moan as he rubbed his tongue along hers.

She shifted her weight and the back of her hand moved from his knee up his inner thigh. The slow journey was torture. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe. As she neared the heavy mass of his cock, she leaned over and again whispered in his ear. “What’s a lady got to do to get you out of those pants?” The back of her hand rubbed his length through the restrictive material.

“Unfasten them,” he answered simply.

She reached to his side and did just that. The pressure of the material released. He felt the blood flow down into his shaft, lifting it even more. He glanced at the door, making sure no one could get in. He saw someone’s shoulder, but thankfully no eyes blindly staring toward them. From the way he grew to full length, he wouldn’t be able to refasten the constrictive pants until after he found release.

Her eyes closed and her lips parted wide as she reached between his legs to feel his arousal. Her soft, cool fingers wrapped around him. Her breath caught, and he heard a faint, “Holy space balls.”

The contrast of light and shadows shifted as she moved.

“What’s a lucky guy got to do to get the lady out of those pants?” Jackson turned her words back on her. The light strokes were almost too much. He started to reach to unfasten them for her.

“Wait until the lady offers it,” she answered.

He hadn’t expected that. Neither did he expect her to shift her weight once again and dip her head downward. His hand hovered by her waist. Her breath hit him seconds before her lips slipped around the tip of his shaft. She began to suck, bobbing her head up and down.

Jackson made a weak noise at the intimate kiss. She moaned in response. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve such a cosmic gift, but he thanked all the alien gods ever dreamt up for it. Her hips moved, as if she was putting off her own desire to give him pleasure.

Just when he thought he might explode, she pulled off and quickly stood. She pushed the pants from her waist, kicking off her shoes as she tried to strip the tight material from her body.

Jackson pushed up from the floor, shoving his pants down his thighs. The second she had one leg free, he grabbed her by her hips, lifted her up, and pressed her back against the stasis chamber wall.

Her dangling pants slapped his leg as they clung to one calf. She held on to to his shoulders, caressing him more than using him for support as he held her easily.

He circled his hips as he tried to find aim. The slick folds of her sex called to him like a beacon, warmer than her mouth had been. The tip of his shaft found what it was looking for and he pushed into her. Her tight body provided a little resistance, and so he slowed.

“Sorry, it’s been awhile,” she mumbled by way of explanation.

As far as Jackson was concerned, that was nothing to be sorry for. Knowing she didn’t take frequent lovers made him feel special. “For me, too.”

He couldn’t stop himself. He pushed deeper. Blast, but she felt good.

Jackson seated himself to the hilt. She didn’t protest as she wiggled against him. Her muscles tightened and released over his shaft. He moved on pure primal instinct, pumping into her. All else faded but the feel of her sex and the sound of her pleasured breathing.

Jackson tightened his stomach and held his release. He needed to feel her climax, needed to watch her face while she did it. He fucked her faster, keeping the thrusts shallow.

“Jack—” Raisa tried to say his name but a tremor cut off her words as she stiffened. Her body clamped down on him.

Jackson pulled out of her, letting her legs fall as he tried to support her. He didn’t let himself ejaculate. Her pants still clung to one leg. It took a while for her to catch her breath and she gave him a stunned look.

Her gaze went to his still hard arousal. “Didn’t you…?”

“Take your shirt off,” he ordered.

She blinked in surprise but obeyed the sexual command. She kicked the pants away so she stood fully naked before him. He jerked his shirt off, as his body was overheated.

“How do you want it, because I’m going to take you again.” He left no room for argument. Of course, if she did argue, he’d respect what she said, but he liked the dominant game they now played.

To his surprise, she pushed away from the wall and knelt before him. Her eyes stayed on his as long as they could while she leaned over onto her hands and knees. She crawled to angle her body down the longer length of the corridor, and then spread her thighs and pushed her ass into the air in offering. She hovered over the light, blocking it so that it outlined her from below, haloing her naked body, shining through the part in her thighs like a signal to his arousal to come home.

Fuck being in control. He’d do whatever she wanted.

Jackson fell to his knees behind her, not caring as the metal floor jarred him on contact. He drew his arousal back to her damp sex and pushed in. He grabbed her breasts from behind, holding them as he worked himself into her body. Her peaked nipples were captured and squeezed between his fingers. The harsh light bounced off the walls as their shadows moved.

He tried to hold back, tried to draw out the pleasure, but even a highly trained super soldier could only withstand so much torture. The second Raisa began to orgasm, his body responded. He let go of her breasts and pulled her hips down hard against his. His cock pulsed, forcing release from his body as he filled her with his essence. He jerked against her a few more times, giving her every last drop he had.

For a long moment, he couldn’t move as he stayed buried inside her. He watched his highlighted cock pull out of her, completely sated. Raisa pushed back, breathing rapidly. She smiled at him, both sated and amazed.

“I can’t feel my bones. I think they melted.” She gave a small laugh and sat against the wall naked as she tried to regain her composure.

Jackson fastened his pants before moving to sit next to her. She lazily pulled her shirt over her head and reached for the pants. She rolled the back of her head against the wall until she faced him.

“I take back what I said about being bored.” She grinned. “This is fun.”

Jackson couldn’t help himself as he leaned over to kiss her. “As far as being trapped in a secret alien medical facility goes, I’m glad it’s with you.”

She glanced at the corridor image and he followed her gaze. Dev was gesturing at someone down the hall and waving his hands in irritation. He then looked at the wall before stomping off in the direction he’d shouted.

“Did he just…?” Raisa sprang into action. She leapt up, grabbed her pants and shoes, and his shirt. “Hurry.”

The button on the door began to blink. She rushed toward it and began pressing it repeatedly. The door shifted to let them out. Jackson pressed up against her back and they slipped through to the outside corridor before it was completely opened.