He reached up and stroked his fingers along my jaw. Light but sure, his eyes watching where he touched, following the slow progress of his fingertips across my skin. There was no frantic rush, no breaking of a dam as I’d been used to. Hugo had control over his desires, even as his eyes heated with a look of passion I had only ever dreamed about.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It popped out again. My hair seemed to stand on end now, so different from the sleek locks I’d had before I’d chopped them off with a fillet knife. I ducked my chin, wondering again how he could look at me like that. I was a mess. I was nothing like I used to be.

His other hand came up and tipped my face up; fingers soft but firm under my jaw. His eyes found mine. He didn’t say a word, just let me see the desire he felt. I licked my lips. He chuckled. Deep. Alluring.

And then he ran a thumb over my lips. From right to left.

I had never been so turned on.

Hugo was no boy. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was completely in control of his motions, his actions. And he also knew what he was doing to me. His lips tipped up in a little smirk. A self-congratulatory little smirk.

I decided to turn the tables on him. My hands found his hips, ran over his lower stomach. He sucked in a breath of air, his fingers tightening slightly on my jaw, but then quickly softening. I could feel his lower abdominal muscles with my fingertips, but it wasn’t enough. So I flattened my hand, feeling the heat from his body warm me.

I ran my palms over his abs, relishing the tautness, the definition. Most of the Anderson Universal crew were fit and conditioned for spaceflight. Hugo was no different, and I relished it. My hands made their way up to his chest, brushing against his nipples on their trek of discovery.

I wanted him naked. I bit my lip with the strength of that craving.

Hugo hadn’t stopped touching me either, which made it all the harder to concentrate on what I was doing. But he seemed to know how much I could handle and had stuck to light touches of his fingertips across my cheeks and jaw, and down my neck. He cupped a hand on my nape, a thumb stroking up into the mess of my hair.

His upper body inched closer; leaning into my touch. As if begging me to explore further. I’d made it as far as the dip in front of his throat. I ran a finger over it and up over his Adam’s apple. He hadn’t shaved in days, and I wasn’t used to such facial hair. It was softer than I had thought it would be. What I would assume would be called a full beard.

It wasn’t bushy, but it was thick. I found it inordinately attractive for some reason.

A thumb stroked over my cheek, then again, and again, getting closer and closer to my mouth. My eyes flicked up to Hugo’s, but he was looking at my lips.

Kiss me, I thought. Kiss me now.

His eyes darted up to mine, and he let out a slow breath of air. Then slowly, oh so slowly, eyes still locked on mine, he leaned forward. Until his lips brushed mine, almost not there.

I’d never felt so much from so little. I squirmed closer, eager for more.

He let out a huff of breath that could have been amusement, but I was determined not to think about that. And then he pressed his lips harder to mine.

I ran my tongue along the seam of his lips. His body jerked and then his tongue met mine.

He tasted of the toothpaste we’d stolen from someone’s quarters. He tasted all male. Hot and spicy and minty; it was a winning combination. He licked into my mouth and made a soft sound of approval. His hand cupping my nape pulled me closer as the other ran down my back and cupped my hip and the curve of my butt.

We were pressed up against each other; somehow we’d ended up as close as we could manage while still sitting in our respective seats. There were pillows scattered at one end of the pit. I knew where they were in relation to us and I wanted desperately for us to slide down into the gel floor depression and spread out over those cushions and spend the next few hours exploring each other’s body.

I tugged him toward them.

He held me back. Kissed me harder. I forgot about the pillows as I kissed him with every fibre of my body.

I hadn’t realised you could do that. That your lips were a conduit to the rest of you. I could feel his hand on my neck and the one on my hip and butt, but it was the kiss, the sensations, the taste, everything, that swirled through my body and made every single nerve ending tingle.

I felt hot and itchy, and so freaking turned on, and it wasn’t enough, I needed more, I so needed more.

“Adi,” he whispered against my lips, his kiss softening, dragging little starbursts across my cheek and jaw and neck. “Adi,” he repeated. “We can’t do more than this.”

It was like a cold bucket of water on my body. I pulled back, shivering.

“Babe,” he said, gripping me tighter, making it impossible to pull fully away. “We’re not alone,” he whispered, kissing the side of my neck. “I very much want to be alone with you. But we’re not. And I won’t make love to you like this.”

Forget starbursts. I felt like my entire body had been bathed by a supernova. I was instantly flushed, my skin too tight, my body thrumming in all of my most intimate places. I squirmed where I sat, leaning into his touch again. His lips trailed over my jaw and found my mouth, and then he kissed me like I was his everything.

That momentary loss of control on top of him telling me he wanted to make love to me was enough for me to let out a helpless moan.

Hugo immediately pulled back and slapped a palm over my mouth, his eyes wide.

Oops.

Footsteps sounded out. I winced. Hugo shook his head, trying to clear it, no doubt. We separated just in time for Commander López to miss how intimate we’d been. She stopped a few paces away and stared at us, arms crossed over her chest.

“Acoustics,” she said, and Hugo groaned.

Acoustics?

“It’s amazing how words don’t carry, but everything else does,” she added.

Oh.

I looked at Hugo who was offering López a sheepish grin. She shook her head and looked at me.

I didn’t know where to look.

“There’s always the tunnels,” she offered.

“Thank you, Commander,” Hugo said. “That will be all.”

“Just trying to be helpful, sir,” she muttered and turned on her heel.

We sat silently for a while, and I wondered if he regretted it. He was the captain now, and captains didn’t get caught kissing people.

His hand came over and slipped into mine, fingers laced.

“I should have thought of the tunnels,” he admitted.

My lips spread into a small smile and I looked over at him.

He sighed. Then smiled back.

“It’ll make the rounds,” he said. “But at least we’re small in numbers. Not like it’s the entire AU crew in here with us.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

He blinked. “What for? That was the best make-out session I’ve had in my life; I don’t regret it.”

“You don’t?”

“Adi,” he said, cupping my cheeks. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for days now. It feels like all I’ve wanted ever to do; kiss you. And it was better than I could have hoped for.”

He kissed me again then. Softly, slowly, tenderly. He pulled back, though, before I could make a sound.

“I’m twenty-nine,” he said.

I stared at him.

“Nine years, that all. It’s not that big a deal.”

“But I’m a Price. I’m his daughter.”

Hugo nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah, but we can’t be blamed for the sins of our fathers, babe. My father was a long haul trucker. I never knew him. Not really. He was rarely home, and when he was, he was out drinking with his mates. My mother had a string of affairs. I was known to call many of them ‘uncle’ when I was a kid. Neither of them were pictures of perfect parenting. I did my time in Deline and then when I was old enough to sign up for the military, I left. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my dad, he was over in Nunavut somewhere, and I haven’t spoken to him since. I’m not sure he would have even known I was gone.”

“Hugo,” I said, not sure what else I could say.

He smiled at me.

“Hey,” he said. “That’s the first time you’ve not called me captain.”

I blushed.

“Should have kissed you days ago,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss me again.