Page 35 of Rogue Starfighter

The bond surged hot beneath her hand. I wanted to drag her into my lap. I wanted her bare shoulder beneath my mouth and her thighs around my hips. I wanted things I had denied myself so long the desire moving through me felt violent.

“You are a great deal of trouble,” I said.

“I’ve been telling you that.”

“No. Other people have been telling me. You deny it.”

“Depends who’s asking.” Her grin made my cock leap in my pants. Fuck, I wanted that mouth.

The base comm chimed before I could do anything about it. Captain Wroxxon’s voice came through the room speaker. “Lieutenant Vesh. General Aryk requires you and the Earth girl in briefing. Now.” Priya’s eyebrows rose at 'the Earth girl'. The channel closed. Priya slowly removed her hand from my neck.

“He seems pleasant.”

“Wroxxon has always possessed a gift for diplomacy.” I was more than used to him being an ass.

“If he says that to my face, I’m going to need you to remember I'm not from around here.”

“Why does your origin matter?”

“I'm not part of his little crew. I don't follow his orders. Basically, I can tell him to go fuck himself.”

The implant translated the phrase perfectly and I grinned. “I look forward to seeing that.”

The briefing room was full when we arrived. General Aryk stood at the head of the table with General Jennix beside him. Mission specialists occupied the far seats. Captain Wroxxon waited against the wall, arms crossed, his attention fixed on Priya. She noticed. Of course she did.

“Starfighter Anand,” General Aryk said. “How was your first flight?”

“Short.”

“That was intentional.” The general smiled warmly. "We don't want to, how would Jamie say it—freak you out, on your first day."

“Then it was very successful, General.”

Jennix hid a smile, which was rare for her. The commander of Battleship Resolution and the MCS program, the general was a serious female with a spine of pure steel and little tolerance for jesting. Wroxxon looked at me. “You allowed her to take the Wraith through a debris corridor on her first flight. Dangerous, don't you think?”

“She took herself.”

“You were the senior officer.”

“She was the pilot.”

Priya pulled out the chair beside mine. “I’m also standing right here, Wroxxon.”

“That's Captain Wroxxon. And let's hope you stay alive long enough to discuss this again at a later date.”

The room cooled several degrees. I stepped toward him. Priya’s hand closed around my forearm. “Don’t,” she said quietly. “He is just poking the bear.”

“I am not a bear.”

“I'm not so sure about that. Listen, you can slam his face into the table later. Without all the witnesses."

“I would prefer everyone witness his humiliation.”

She grinned as she tugged on my wrist. “Sit.”

I sat. Wroxxon looked disappointed. General Aryk activated the display. A red planet filled the air over the table, surrounded by shipyards, orbital platforms, and projected fleet positions.

“Xandrax,” he said. “Queen Raya’s home world.”