Ariston followed Mick around the boulders and toward her ship. She’d helped him round up the members of the salvage crew left down on the planet before heading this way, but now she strode along with intent. He smiled at the way she clutched the converter close.

He supposed he should return to his shuttle full of prisoners and take them back to the Pleasant Journey while she fixed her ship, but he wanted to make sure she could do so. Besides, everyone in the shuttle was drugged unconscious, and he’d gotten everyone on the ship into the brig before leaving, so he hoped he had some time.

He’d found the captain’s younger brother, who served as first mate, tied up in the mess hall. Apparently, the man had been less affected than the others and had been attempting to persuade the captain and the crew to spend time in sickbay instead of roaming the corridors with weapons. To his detriment.

Ariston had showed him his tattoo and promised leniency in exchange for cooperation. The first mate had promised to help him fly the ship back to civilized space.

Mick, who had watched the exchange, hadn’t thought he was lying. Since she seemed better at detecting that than Ariston, he’d been willing to rely on her instincts. It had been a long time since he’d relied on anyone for anything, or had anyone watching his back. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it. It would be fun going on adventures with her.

After this, thoughts of retirement flitted through his mind more strongly than ever. But what would he do if he retired at forty-three? Would Mick want a bounty-hunting partner? He’d never imagined himself pursuing such a profession, but one could choose to be an honorable bounty hunter, surely.

Mick knocked on the hatch. “Anyone alive in there?”

“Absolutely,” Dev said on their comms. “Come on in. The shower’s waiting.”

“Are you truly worried about stray microbes after all this?” Mick asked dryly.

Ariston had a different response to the shower announcement. A thrum of excitement went through him as he imagined Mick removing every iota of clothing, her body glistening with water.

“No need to introduce more problems,” Dev said. “And we believe we’ve figured out what’s causing the imbalanced adenosine levels in our brains. Hurry in, and I’ll explain everything.”

“Now they figure it out.” Mick looked at Ariston and shook her head.

“Hm?”

“Aren’t you hearing her?” Mick asked.

“Yes, but I was thinking of showers.” He decided not to wiggle his eyebrows at her since he’d nearly knocked himself out running into a wall the last time he’d done that. But he gave her his best smoldering gaze.

“Oh?”

“You mentioned instances of wildness, naturally leaving me intrigued.”

“This is an open comm,” Dr. Lee said, his voice disgusted.

“Good,” Mick said, “then you’ll get to listen in on us having hot steamy sex in the decon shower.”

“Disgusting.”

The comm clicked off.

“Apparently, your scientists are not voyeurs,” Ariston said.

“They just don’t admit it.”

The hatch opened, and Mick stepped inside.

Ariston followed her in, removing his helmet as soon as the hatch closed behind him, sealing them in the airlock chamber. Would she mind if he didn’t turn around this time? Or should he be a gentleman? They could get to know each other better on the flight out of the system and to Talon Station. Though maybe that wasn’t true. He would have to fly back on the Pleasant Journey. The first mate might cooperate as long as Ariston was there to keep an eye on him, but there was no way he would trust the man to fly back on his own. And Mick, of course, would have to fly her own ship to Talon Station.

Or would she do that? He couldn’t be in both places at the same time, so he would have to trust her to fly after him, to come to the station and explain her actions to the authorities. What if she didn’t, instead going straight back to Gaia? She might drop off her passengers and disappear from his life forever.

He looked sadly at her. After all they’d been through, he didn’t think she would do that, but in that moment, he wished he weren’t a Star Guardian, sworn to report people he’d witnessed breaking the law. Her crime had been so minor, and he believed the scientists had taken nothing more than a few soil samples.

She had that chip in her head, but surely, that theft was the most extenuating of circumstances. He suspected she would be more than happy to give it back, if possible. He believed she could walk away from this a free woman if she simply came with him and explained herself, but what if she didn’t see it that way?

By now, Mick had shed most of her armor, and as more of her body came into view, his thoughts grew less concerned about the future and more focused on how amazing she was. Beautiful, sexy, competent, and quick to make jokes. And smiling at him. What more could a man want?

“Are you going to stand there and stare or also undress?” Mick asked, laying out her pieces of armor, bending as she did, showing him her thin underwear and her round ass.

He swallowed. “Can I do both?”

“I don’t know. Would it be a challenge to that big brain you told me you have?” Mick pulled off her shirt, still smiling as she stood before him in only her bra and panties.

“I’m not sure the brain is what’s responsible for my thinking right now.”

The water came on.

Feeling silly standing in a shower in full armor, Ariston proceeded to unfasten everything. And, being up to the challenge, he did it while watching Mick.

She watched him back, waiting for him to catch up to her state of undress. Her finger ran up and down under her bra strap, teasing him.

He grew transfixed by that finger, by the way her hand brushed her breasts, and knew he had to see all of her. And to touch all of her. Thoughts of being a gentleman and getting to know her better disappeared from his mind.

What if she did flee the system in the opposite direction? Shouldn’t he make a memory with her before she left? And maybe if he gave her a great time, she would have more of a reason to risk the ire of the courts. If she returned to Talon Station with him, he would stand up for her. He would make sure nobody tried to punish her for one mistake. Truly, it sounded like she couldn’t be blamed at all for her presence here.

Ariston stepped out of the last of his armor and peeled off his shirt, tossing it to the deck. He reached for his underwear, but Mick stepped forward, resting her hands on his chest, making him pause. The small wound on her temple where the chip had burrowed itself in looked raw and sore, but the rest of her looked… amazing.

“I don’t have a roommate,” she said.

He licked his lips, his entire body buzzing with sensation at her light touch. Her thumb brushed his nipple, and it tightened. Other things swelled.

“You want one?” His voice surprised him with its huskiness.

“Yeah.”

He bent and found her mouth as he wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her close. Water spattered down from multiple heads, leaving their skin moist and gleaming. He barely felt it. All he felt was her heat and her curves as they pressed against him.

Her fingers curled around the back of his head and dug into his scalp. Delicious tingles ran down his spine. His cock hardened, and he imagined tearing off their remaining clothing, ramming her against the wall, and giving in to the fantasies that had first erupted in this very airlock chamber.

But after everything they’d gone through together, he couldn’t imagine treating her so crudely. She’d become a friend, a colleague. A lover? He wanted more than mindless sex.

He wanted something that would last. He wanted them to last. And he believed she deserved far more than the hard wall or gritty, textured deck of the airlock chamber.

Despite the thoughts, he couldn’t bring himself to let her go and step away. He kissed her long and hard, until they were both breathless.

She ground into him and dragged her fingernails down his back, and all his noble thoughts disappeared from his mind. Growling, he picked her up, pressing her shoulders against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him, her core pressed against his cock, the thin wet material of her underwear a scant barrier between them. If it hadn’t been there, he might have thrust into her right then.

A faint beep sounded over the spraying of the water.

“Uhm, Captain?” came Dev’s voice from their helmet speakers. “The computer says the decon shower can’t be completed because you haven’t removed all your clothing yet.”

Mick kept kissing him, her mouth as hungry as his, and he thought she would ignore the comment altogether, but she dragged her lips away from his.

“Must be a malfunction,” she said.

He grinned when the words came out breathless. He was breathing hard himself, and he longed for even more vigorous activities, more reasons to breathe hard. He bent lower and kissed her neck while cupping her breast through her wet bra. It was black with lace along the edges. The feminine touch amused him, considering she’d been wearing combat armor over it.

“The hatch won’t open,” Dev said. “And we want to go out.”

He brushed his thumb over Mick’s nipple, then followed the lace to the strap and slipped it down her shoulder.

“Out for what?” Mick gave her helmet an exasperated look, clearly not appreciating having their moment interrupted.

He stroked the side of her face as he kissed her collarbone.

“To get more pictures and samples before you and Cecil finish repairing the ship,” Dev said. “We’re not sure how much time we have left, so we want to take advantage of it.”

“We also want to retrieve Dr. Garcia’s body,” Dr. Lee said.

Mick slumped in Ariston’s arms, and he knew that grim reminder of reality meant their moment was over.

“All right,” she said. “Give us a minute.”

Ariston loosened his grip and stepped back, though he let his hand linger on the side of her face and gazed at her. Even though his lower region wanted nothing more than to drag her into the first cabin inside to have sex, he decided the interruption might be for the best since the rational part of his mind was conflicted about this.

If she showed up at Talon Station, and if the court there exonerated her, then he could ask her for a date. Or sex. Or both.

“You all right?” Mick asked.

“For now.”

He decided not to think about how he would feel if she disappeared and he never saw her again. He realized that at some point during the last day and night, he’d stopped comparing her to Zya, and he’d stopped thinking of Zya. Oddly, it didn’t seem like as much of a betrayal to his wife as he would have believed. She would have wanted him to find someone again, to have a partner and confidante again.

Could Mick become that? Dare he get his hopes up?

Oh, even if she flew the other way, he supposed he could find her again. But he didn’t want to have to chase her down. Her modest and accidental crime surely didn’t warrant that.

“Are you sure?” Her eyebrows crinkled together, and he wondered what his expression looked like.

He did his best to smooth his face. “Yes, I was just thinking.”

“Using your big brain?”

“Indeed.” He smiled. “We have a saying. If you keep something by your side by leashing it, you’ll never know if it’s yours. You must remove the leash to see if it stays of its own accord.”

“Hm, we have a similar saying. If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”

“Yours is more poetic. It probably wasn’t written about svenkars.”

“No. I don’t imagine svenkars inspire much poetry.”

He wondered if she’d seen the four-hundred-pound, leathery-skinned, long-fanged predators in person before. Before he could ask, someone knocked on the hatch.

“Er, Captain? Are you still in there?”

“Yes, almost done.” Mick sighed and removed her bra and panties.

Ariston reminded himself that they were disrobing to walk out, not to have sex. Too bad. His penis hadn’t gotten the message that sex wasn’t happening. He took off his wet underwear with some discomfort, then looked for his shirt to use as a shield. The shower had stopped, but everything was still sodden.

“I’m forever having to cover up my penis on this ship,” Ariston said, figuring they were at the stage in their relationship where he could say such things. It wasn’t as if Mick was a shy, flappable girl.

“I didn’t realize my ship got you that excited.”

“Just some of its occupants.”

“Occupants? Plural? Who do I need to be jealous of? Dr. Lee?”

“Cecil and I did spend some quality time together.”

The hatch opened, and Ariston expected the harsh light of the corridor shining in. But it was atypically dim in the corridor.

At least that helped with his problem. He draped his shirt over his arm—and other parts.

Two figures in yellow hazmat suits stood in the hatchway, wearing extremely odd-looking goggles behind their clear masks.

“Just when I thought that fashion choice couldn’t get any more dubious,” Mick said.

Ariston peered curiously past them, hoping the darkness inside the shuttle didn’t indicate a short circuit.

“We think we’ve figured out what’s causing our problem,” Dev, one of the suited scientists, said. She pointed through the dining area and toward the cockpit, where the view screen and displays were oddly dark.

The other suited scientist looked to be the surly Dr. Lee. He carried a black camera kit with him.

Ariston was no longer that worried about the Gaians stealing artifacts. He believed they were what they purported to be, a research team. He would still have to report their presence here, but he doubted they would find piles of artifacts to abscond with in the few more hours they stayed on the planet.

“Oh?” Mick prodded her temple. The small gouge the chip had made wasn’t that noticeable.

“It’s the light from the sun. We’re not sure how exactly—there may be something going on in a spectrum we’re not familiar with and don’t have equipment calibrated to check—but it’s definitely something coming from that orange sun. We’ve done some experiments, though not as many as we could have done with some good lab mice—why don’t you stock mice on your ship, Captain? When we concentrated higher levels of the light in a room with a couple of us, we definitely experienced increased excitability and agitation with the adenosine levels in our brains bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans. Some other neurotransmitters were affected, as well. I had another seizure.” Dev grimaced. “I don’t recommend doing scientific experiments on yourself. As demonstrated by Marie Curie, such things are rarely healthy.”

“Sorry,” Mick said. “I don’t know what I was thinking, not packing lab rats.”

“Shortsighted,” Dr. Lee said.

Ariston couldn’t tell if it was a joke, or if he was just an ass. Or both. Maybe he should arrest some of the scientists, after all. Wasn’t Lee their putative leader?

“We turned off the view screen and all the displays in the cockpit,” Dev said. “I recommend minimizing exposure to the sunlight, but since our symptoms didn’t go away overnight, I believe it’ll take some time for the sun’s effects to wear off. They should wear off as long as we stay inside and keep the view screen off and portholes covered. Someone should pass the warning to the ship in orbit too. They may have been more affected since the sunlight isn’t filtered through the planet’s atmosphere, but I believe cutting off all sources of exterior light should work. Getting out of the system should also work.”

“We will as soon as I’ve repaired the ship.” Mick pointed to the converter—she’d set it under her armor so it wouldn’t get wet.

This decon shower wasn’t particularly optimal, and probably not that effective the way it was being used, but if the sun’s light was the problem, Ariston doubted bathing themselves and everything on them would matter.

“We’ll have to report back to Earth that settlement wouldn’t be possible without further study and likely domes that filter the light. I don’t know how willing people would be to live their entire lives under domes.”

“I doubt you’ll receive approval from the Confederation for settling the planet, anyway,” Ariston said. “I assume that after you report the problem, your corporation will plan to approach them for permission or at least advice before sending colony ships out into the galaxy.”

Lee frowned at him, looking goofier than ever with those goggles on behind his faceplate. “We’ll advise them on what we’ve learned.”

“I will have to report your presence here.”

“Good for you.”

Dev elbowed Lee. “Be nice. He’s a Star Guardian. And his arms are bigger than your thighs.”

Lee’s grunted response didn’t sound much like assent. He walked around Ariston and Mick, folded his arms over his chest, and faced the exterior hatch.

“The goggles will keep out the light?” Ariston asked Dev.

“We believe so. We only had enough material to make two sets, so only two people can safely go out at once.”

“Material?” Mick peered at the goggles. “What did we have along that you could use to make them?”

“We took apart your microwave door. We’re hypothesizing that the light waves that are bothering us are close on the spectrum to microwaves.”

“You made goggles out of the microwave?” Mick asked.

“Just the door.”

“A not unimportant part.”

Dev shrugged.

“I guess it’s cold meals on the way home. I’m going to get dressed and fix the ship.” Mick picked up the converter and headed for the corridor. “You two have fun out there.”

Ariston gathered his wet armor and followed her into the corridor. The hatch clanged shut behind him.

Mick paused with her hand on her cabin door and looked back at him. “Do you want to join me?”

“For dressing?”

“Or staying undressed?”

“I thought you were going to finish your repairs.” Ariston waved at the converter. “And get your fallen comrade.”

“Waiting an hour probably wouldn’t make a difference.” Her gaze flicked down his form, and his body started to heat up again, memories of their kiss springing to mind. “Dev and Lee might appreciate having more time to explore the ruins.”

Ariston groped for a tactful way to turn down her offer. 

Seeing his hesitation, she said, “This isn’t about protection, is it? Because we do have condoms in sickbay.”

“What? No, uh—that wouldn’t be necessary. We—fleet and Star Guardians—receive shots as part of our physicals to ensure we won’t accidentally leave… baby Star Guardians around the galaxy.” 

“Ah.”

“Your offer is tempting, but I have a ship full of villains up there who I’m certain are trying to break out of the brig as we speak. I need to head back up and fly the ship to Talon Station.” Ariston spread a hand. “I just wanted to make sure you got back all right and that your ship would take off again after you replaced that. If it doesn’t, I’ll give you a ride on the Pleasant Journey.”

He supposed it was immature to wish for that scenario, the two of them riding together on the same ship for a few days. Mick and her people being forced to come with him to report in to the law.

“Oh.” Mick’s hand still rested on the door. Had she believed it a foregone conclusion that he would join her inside? Maybe after their kiss, one that had almost led to much more, she’d expected it.

If they hadn’t been interrupted, he might have had sex with her in the airlock chamber, but now that he’d had time to reconsider things, he believed it was better this way. As her saying went, if he freed her and she returned to him, she would be his. Or she would at least be available to pursue a relationship with. Especially if she showed up in time for a court appearance, and the judge absolved her of any guilt by association.

“Do you need help installing the converter?” he asked.

“No, I’m sure Woodruff and I can handle it. If he isn’t busy making goggles from my microwave.” Her lips twisted wryly. “Do you think that’ll actually do any good out there?”

Ariston hitched his shoulders. “I haven’t seen their science. They better hope there aren’t many of Eryx’s men left roaming around out there. They’ll probably trip over their yellow boots if they try to run while wearing those goggles.”

“A fair point.”

Ariston looked at the airlock hatch. “I should put my armor back on and return to the Pleasant Journey.”

“You’re leaving already?”

The disappointment in her voice made him feel appreciated—he was glad she would miss him—but also made him hesitate. Would it be so bad if he stayed? If he accepted her invitation?

“I’m nervous about those fools being alone up there,” Ariston said, and it was the truth. Besides, he’d already made up his mind about the rest. He believed his choice was the right one, even if giving in to carnal desires sounded extremely appealing.

“Why’d you come in then? And deal with all that?” Mick waved at his nudity and his armful of gear. “You could have just walked me to the hatch.”

“I would have missed a chance to see you naked one more time. And feel you naked. And kiss you. I enjoyed that.”

“You could keep enjoying it if you wanted.” She tilted her head toward her cabin.

“I do want that. That’s why I’m inviting you to follow me through the gate and to Talon Station. I’m honor-bound to report that your ship was here and who was in it. If you come and explain the situation, with me there to explain that you worked with me to detain real criminals, I believe the judge will be lenient. If you don’t come, the law may make assumptions that won’t turn out in your favor. Your scientists may simply want to return to Gaia, so it wouldn’t matter much for them, but if you wish to continue flying in Confederation territory, you’ll find your way ahead much easier if you’re not a wanted woman.”

Mick leaned her shoulder against the hatch and crossed her arms over her chest, an arresting image since she was still naked. Ariston’s lower regions stirred again, and he found it difficult to stand there and play the part of the noble and honorable Star Guardian who had a greater mission to consider.

“What part of that explained when and where we get to have sex?” Mick asked.

“Well, if you were to show up and be exonerated, there would be no reason why we couldn’t go for dinner afterward. And more vigorous activities.”

“And if I don’t, what? The next time we meet, we meet as enemies?” She arched her eyebrows.

Ariston couldn’t tell if she was seriously contemplating that or curious about the hypothetical. He supposed it was possible her passengers would pressure her to return to Gaia. Though they called her captain, she had admitted she wasn’t in charge of the mission.

“I would not care to have you as an enemy.” Ariston looked past her shoulder and down the vacant corridor. “But if you were to be labeled as a criminal, whether fairly or not, it is possible my superiors would send me after you. Though I think I might retire if they tried.” He wondered if he should mention that he’d considered retirement numerous times, most recently with the notion that he could join her in her bounty-hunting endeavors.

“I see. Does this mean I’m not your prisoner anymore? That you’re leaving it up to me?”

“You haven’t been my prisoner for a while.” He smiled faintly. “I’m not sure you ever really were.”

“You figured that out, did you?” She walked toward him, her breasts jiggling and her hips swaying as her bare feet padded across the deck. She laid her hands on the sides of his face, rose on her toes, and kissed him.

With his arms full of armor, he couldn’t gather her up for a hug, but he returned the kiss enthusiastically, if a touch warily. He wasn’t sure if it was a goodbye kiss or a promise that she would meet him on the station.

Too soon, she broke it, heading into her cabin. She left the door open. An invitation?

Though temptation flirted with him, he returned to the airlock, to his duty.