Chapter Twenty-One
Only an hour had passed when Roth practically leaped out of bed, completely refreshed. Maggie, on the other hand, regretted ever closing her eyes, because an hour-long nap wasn’t nearly enough, and she felt sluggish, as though hungover or drugged.
He dragged her out of bed and put her in the shower, joining her when she swayed on her feet, and her head began to bob. Employing dirty tactics like fingers rolling and tweaking nipples and his mouth between her legs to revive her, he also managed to wash her from head to toe.
After an early dinner at the only full-service restaurant in Ariad—this fact alone she’d called barbaric and appalling—they walked hand in hand the few blocks to the shuttle-port and maintenance shop on the edge of town. Once there, he began his final checks, completed some pre-departure inspections, and met one final time with his captains. He did this with Maggie in tow, who ate it up.
Through it all, she stayed riveted, not only with the alien technology, but watching him interact with his men. Looked up to by all, Roth was respected, knowledgeable, and led with a quiet authority. She’d also seen the powerful, dominant commander take control when the situation warranted, and been on the receiving end of his potent stare and resolute determination. The image of his face on the thirty-foot screen demanding her surrender still sent a tremor up her spine. She’d been petrified, although she’d tried not to let it show, the most difficult part was keeping herself from melting into a lustful puddle on the floor because her man in full commander mode was h-o-t.
Thank goodness, he rather liked her these days. Much more conflict, her bottom couldn’t take, or could it, she thought with a smile. The last sensual spanking had given her an off-the-charts climax and made her think more of that brand of “punishment” might be in order.
“Are we boring you, mate?”
His question made her head snap around to where he stood talking with his lead mechanic. She flushed furiously at the naughty path her mind had traveled. “What, um… Uh, I mean, no. I’m not bored at all.”
With a slight tilt of his head, he searched her face, his gaze lingering on her heated cheeks. Clearly skeptical, he went on to ask, “Is something troubling you, then? You’ve been staring at that control panel for several minutes now.”
“New technology interests me.”
“That came out of the Odyssey this morning, Maggie. The components were bad and the screen, as you can see, is cracked.
She blinked, instantly recognizing the communications panel that Britta had complained about for months. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured.
Roth dismissed his man, which left them a relative amount of privacy in the large indoor hangar.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she fibbed. “I’m just thinking of the challenges ahead once we get to Earth. Some of our leaders can be quite stubborn.”
“As can we, as you’ve pointed out repeatedly,” he countered, bringing her in close by, wrapping his long arm around her shoulders.
“Why are you still working on the Odyssey? I thought the upgrades were finished already.”
“The improvements we originally planned were completed. They didn’t include necessary preparations for deep space and extended missions. If so, we would have already addressed your weapons systems, which are subpar, quite frankly, and the living quarters which are more cramped than we prefer.”
She eyed his long frame and nodded. Traveling for months in a tiny tin can for veritable giants would not be pleasant.
“In light of recent events, the entire plan had to be changed, although some of the other issues had to wait, blowing out walls and raising ceilings in some sections, for example.” He nodded at a passing technician who was coming down the ramp of the shuttle behind them. “Is everything ready for me, Tigo?”
“Yes, Commander. Will you need a pilot?”
“No, I’ll see to it myself.” He extended his arm for her to proceed to the shuttle while he continued his explanation. “Our fleet is equipped with three fully equipped battleships, built for interstellar flight. We also have several dozen fighters made for defense. They need a space dock or a home base for frequent refueling and the repairs that are inherent with their purpose.”
She didn’t want to think of that purpose, but she understood and nodded.
“There are many other smaller craft meant for short distance transport, to and from the dock or ships, or planets within close range of Primaria itself.”
“It sounds impressive.”
“Not compared to some, although with our uladite powering all that we need, including our weapons, we are known for quality over quantity. We ran into a small snag, however. The upgrades to the Odyssey postponed some needed repairs to the Reliant, and with the Intrepid on a trade mission, we have no choice except to use the Dauntless as the second ship.”
“Second?”
“Yes, we’ll need it to go home after we return your ship.” After lobbing that volley, he walked up the ramp and disappeared inside.
She didn’t know how long she stood frozen in shock, staring at the spot she’d last seen him, but it was long enough for him to holler impatiently from within, “Little captain, I’m preparing for departure. Move it.”
Somehow, she managed to scrape her jaw off the floor and rush up the ramp. Inside, she found him at the controls.
“Strap in.”
In minutes, after setting a few dials and communicating with the control center, he lifted off through the retractable roof and set a course for the space dock that orbited Primaria.
They traveled in silence for a while before she finally broke free of her shock. “You’re returning the Odyssey?”
“That is the plan.”
“After performing all these upgrades? Why?”
He punched a few numbers into a keypad before leaning back and rotating his chair to face her. “Because, as you’ve told me numerous times, it was not ours to take.”
Maggie had a sudden desire to crawl into his lap and kiss him. But he was piloting their craft, and it would be foolish. She controlled herself and instead whispered in awe, “You have been listening.”
Reaching out, he traced her cheek lightly with his fingers. “Of course, I have.” A sudden gleam appeared in the lavender depths of his eyes, and his lips twitched ever so slightly. “Everything you say interests me, and on occasion, you make sense, for a female.”
“Roth!” she protested, grabbing his hand. She was about to shove it away and follow it up with a blistering rant about his sexist attitude when she saw his teasing grin.
His hand turned over, and he grabbed her wrist. With a tug, he pulled her out of her seat, across the distance between their two chairs then spun her half around and set her down in his lap. She resisted at first, though not to the extent she would send them careening back toward the planet in a fiery death. In the end, reminded of that dreaded fate, she sat stiffly with his arm around her waist, instead.
“I’m teasing you, Maggie.”
She glanced at him with a frown before turning to stare out the front window, watching as the purple-tinged Primarian sky gradually merged into blackness as they exited the planet’s atmosphere. In the distance, the space dock was a speck on the horizon.
“Don’t you need to pay attention to what you’re doing?”
“No, when we get close enough, the autopilot will engage. Now answer my earlier question. What’s wrong? Surely you’re not upset with my playing?”
“I don’t know what to think. A few weeks ago, you believed what you just said.”
“That’s not true. Our women’s roles are different here, but that certainly doesn’t mean we think our females are stupid, nor does it diminish their worth. They are mothers, daughters, aunts, and grandmothers, and when we are fortunate enough to have them, they care for our young, as well as our elderly. They provide homes for our warriors to return to, teach our children until they are old enough to attend school, bring joy to lives that would otherwise be mundane. Others work in their family business, like in our merchant’s stores, or create beauty by the side of their artisan mates, or tend gardens like our Prima. Shall I go on?”
“No, I see your point.”
“Don’t you have women who do such work on your home planet?”
“Yes, most of those tasks you describe are traditional female roles, and we have many who still choose to do that as a career.”
“So, it is a choice. Good to know. Are they maligned for their choices?”
“Well…” It was still a point of contention.
“What? All this talk about how we violate our females’ rights and freedoms and you condemn their right to choose?”
“I didn’t say we were perfect.”
He shook his head.
“Back to the point?” she suggested, while he grinned.
“Kerr and I debated the pros and cons of taking only the Dauntless.”
“I don’t recommend that. Going in with that behemoth alone could be seen as an act of aggression.”
“That is why he agreed with my suggestion to make the Odyssey the lead ship, with the Dauntless acting as an escort and providing protection.”
She exhaled a sigh of relief. “It’s a bit like David leading Goliath, but it will offset the overwhelming size and perceived threat. Believe me; I almost lost it.”
He stared at her blankly for a moment. “I do not know these men you speak of, are they two of your generals?”
She wasn’t entirely successful in quelling a laugh. “No, they’re from a tale from the Old Testament.”
He shook his head having no idea what that was, either. She tried a different tack.
“It’s a story about a man who took on a huge giant. Over the centuries, the names alone have come to represent an underdog going up against a stronger, superior opponent.”
“Ah, you say we tower over most of your men, I understand.”
“I was referring to your advanced technology and weaponry, Roth. And you didn’t let me finish. In this story, the underdog wins.”
“Is that a cautionary tale, little captain?” He posed this question while he leaned back, his arms snaking around her waist as he brought her into his chest.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she replied while squirming beneath his assessing gaze. “Maybe I should go to my seat for docking.”
His free hand made a directional shift downward and clamped firmly around her bottom. “Roth,” she yelped, her hand moving up to press flat on his chest.
With lightning-quick reflexes, he caught her wrist and brought it behind her, transferring his hold to his other hand, and pinning both arms there. With a shift of his thigh, he tipped her over his arm, causing her back to bow and pointing her breasts upward. He leaned down until his face hovered above her own. “Let me disavow you quickly of any notion that you can best me, Goliath.”
She couldn’t suppress the laughter that floated up from her throat at his mistake.
“Did I say something funny?” he asked as he began disavowing her of something else, her clothing, which he did by tugging at the ties on the front of her dress.
“Goliath was the giant and the loser in this scenario.”
He grunted. “An irrelevant story because in our case, that isn’t going to happen.” His gaze swept over the open front of her gown, using his chin to separate the material and bare her breasts. “Primarily, because we are never the underdogs.” He tweaked one nipple and rolled it gently as his mouth descended toward the other. “And secondly, because we always win. Case in point, you’re lying over my lap because I want you to be.”
His lips opened over one taut peak, and he sucked it inside. Waves of lust rippled through her body and surged hot between her legs at the same time his hand slid beneath her hem. Without a stitch on underneath, he quickly located her already-damp curls. She parted her thighs, arching into his hand as his thumb stroked her clit and two fingers slid home.
“I hate to argue, Commander, but with your fingers inside me and your mouth on my breast, I’d say that makes me the winner.”
An alarm beeped suddenly as a green light lit up on the control panel. Roth grinned more wickedly than she’d ever seen him.
“What?”
He released her hands and lifted her astride him, letting go of her waist to unzip his uniform pants. Rigid and fully erect, his cock sprang free between them. “Mount up, Maggie. Let’s see what we can do to make us both victors.”
“Now?” Intrigued by the notion, she was also shocked, especially when she looked over her shoulder at the space dock growing larger by the moment as they drew near.
“Yes, except you have to be fast. The green light and alarm just now, mean the autopilot has engaged, which gives us five minutes before we are close enough for them to see inside.”
“Roth,” she said, shaking her head. “No.”
He raised her up and brought her down on his cock, gliding in smoothly thanks to her copious wetness. “First one to come is the winner.”
Unable to help herself, she began to move.
“That’s it, purrada. Ride me.”
“I can’t believe we’re having a quickie in the pilot’s seat of your shuttle.”
He thrust up inside her, pulling her down by the waist as he did so and groaned, “Four minutes, you need to hurry.”
Knowing him well enough that arguing was futile, she decided it was safest to win his spur-of-the-moment contest. She slipped her hand between her legs and started moving the outcome more to her favor by rubbing her clit.
“Cheater,” Roth rasped, leaning back to watch. “But by the Maker, that’s hot. Next time, I’m going to spread you out on our bed with those lovely legs wide apart while I watch every stroke and swirl of your fingers as you bring yourself to climax.”
Maggie’s moan broke free, jagged and coarse in her suddenly dry throat at the image of him propped between her thighs with his dark-purple gaze fixed on her pussy as she brought herself off.
“Three minutes,” he warned.
More frantic with the need to come than to avoid being seen, she rode him double time as she added the swirls he’d mentioned. Still, she needed more. With her free hand, she caught a nipple and began to twist and tug. Working herself into a frenzy, she bucked and undulated on top of him.
His hands slid up her back and brought her forward to capture her other nipple with his mouth. When she felt the rasp of his teeth, nipping firmly, her cries mixed with his low growl of pleasure, as she surrendered to him and the moment.
Her body clenched around him as he arched his neck sharply; his head fell over the high back, his ass coming off the chair as he pistoned deep inside her. She hung on, her frantic hands gripping his shoulders as his cock slammed into her one more time. A split second later, his hoarse cry of release coincided with the sizzling-hot climax that raced through her.
Collapsing forward, she sprawled limply over his chest, the only sound in the cockpit, the beating of her heart in her ears. Roth, recovering first, shifted beneath her.
“One minute, sweetness. You gotta get up.”
She tried, jelly legs and all. In the end, he had to lift her off him and set her on her seat.
“Straighten your clothes and strap back in. Hurry, now.”
Nodding dazedly, she saw him tuck himself into his pants. Once covered, he rose and speared his fingers through his hair, quickly gathering and retying what had become mussed during their frantic joining.
He cleared his throat as he leaned forward and switched on the audio. “Shuttle three to space dock, locked on and ready for landing.”’
“We have visual, Commander, and are ready to engage auto-navigation for landing, unless you’d like manual, sir.”
“I’ll work on my basic skills another time, control.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice said with a chuckle. “Assuming shuttle command in three, two, one.” Another alarm sounded, and a row of green lights flashed in succession. “Auto-navigation engaged, Commander. See you in a few minutes, and may I say, welcome to space dock, Maggie.”
Her head whipped to the side, and she glared at him.
“Time’s up,” he announced with a grin.
“I can’t believe you.”
His low, husky laugh rolled over her, making her body react like she hadn’t come just seconds ago.
“Neither can I; we ended in a tie. I guess we’ll have to keep trying until we have a clear winner.”
“Roth!” she sputtered in outrage, her face heated to scalding.
“No one saw a thing, mate. Relax.”
“How do you know? Your countdown could have been off.”
“I don’t know, never will, and they wouldn’t dare say if they saw anything.”
Maggie groaned.
“I’m playing; your gown covered everything. If they caught a glimpse, which they didn’t because I had an eye on the controls, it was nothing more than you in my lap, sharing a tender moment, no skin.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Yes. I wouldn’t embarrass you or let my crew see what is mine.”
She shook her head at her incorrigible mate, but let the tension slip away.
“You’ve got to admit, dueling the clock added to the fun.”
“Your idea of fun and mine are light-years different. Next time, I’m strapping into the very last row in the rear.”
“Excellent. Those seats fully recline.”
“Roth!”
“Maggie!” he teased while reaching for her hand. He brought it to his lips and pressed an endearing kiss into her palm.
“Risky sex in random places. I can feel the gray hairs popping out as we speak. At this rate, I’ll be white-headed before I’m thirty-one and will be mistaken for your grandmother.”
He waggled his dark brows at her as he grinned. “Matria Kiri and Tria Mora only dreamed of looking so good.”
She frowned at him in question.
“My grandmothers, of course.” He eyed her hair at length.
“What?” she asked.
“Your hair is so fair; it’s nearly white already. I’m just picturing it in my mind because we’re having a rematch on the return trip, Tria Maggie.”
Disrespectful or not, the comment justified an eye roll.
As they set down in the landing bay, his amused laughter echoed through the small craft.