Everyone else was sleeping, or at least she presumed they were. She’d tried to, but sleep had eluded her, and in the end she’d given up and come up to the bridge. It was Daisy’s turn on watch, but Tannis had offered to take over and she’d gone to bed.
How had Callum known she would be here? Or maybe he’d been expecting Daisy. But she didn’t believe that. She’d avoided him since their kiss. He’d been trying to get her alone, and had even come to her room last night, but she’d ignored the buzzer, and eventually he’d gone away. Afterward though, she couldn’t get the memory of his kiss from her mind. Or the rest of her body. She’d never felt this way before. Not even close. And she’d done something she’d never expected to do and touched herself.
Closing her eyes, she’d pictured Callum as he’d looked just before he kissed her, his eyes dark with desire. She’d run her hands over the swell of her small breasts. Touched the nipples lightly with her fingertips. It hadn’t been enough, and she’d slid her hand down over her belly and between her thighs and found herself wet with desire. And he wasn’t even there. She’d got up, showered, and come up here, but she felt edgy and restless.
The problem was, she still didn’t know if she wanted to take this thing between them further. She wished she could get to the bottom of why he was the one man who seemed to affect her like this. Maybe she was attracted to the power. He was so different. People usually came on board El Cazador because they were hiding, or in trouble. And she’d end up feeling responsible for them.
But despite finding himself on the wrong end of Rico’s and her fists, she was quite aware that Callum could look after himself. There was a reason he’d risen to be Leader of the Universe, and it wasn’t only the Meridian.
Maybe something inside her liked the idea of someone else taking control, perhaps even looking after her for a change.
After she’d escaped the research center, she’d sworn she would never put herself in anyone’s power again. So maybe she should wait until she’d had the Meridian treatment and they could meet on a more even footing. But he would be leaving, returning to his real life ruling the world. And what would she do? She’d never really thought past getting the treatment. What would it be like having other people inside her head, reading her mind? She had problems enough controlling what she said, never mind what she thought. They’d just have to accept her as she was.
Most of the Collective stuck close together. They lived on Trakis Five and found some sort of position within the government. Or they joined the Corps, the Collective’s private army. Skylar had been in the Corps, the intelligence section. Maybe Tannis could do that, though she suspected she would make a crap soldier—she hated taking orders—she was much better at giving them. Maybe she could persuade Callum to put her in charge. Or perhaps, she would just stay on El Cazador. Why shouldn’t she? Skylar had broken from the Collective and nothing terrible had happened. Yet.
Everything had been quiet on the bridge. Janey had all the scanners working constantly, but they showed nothing. No one had followed them from Trakis Two, so it looked as though they were in the clear. They could keep the rendezvous with this Venna woman tomorrow, and then be on their way to Trakis Seven. It could all be over in a week.
Now, she could see Callum’s reflection in the polished black screen of the monitor. Should she move? Instead, she held herself very still as he leaned in toward her.
He kissed the side of her neck, and at the soft brush of his lips, a shiver ran all the way through her. His warm breath fluttered against her ear and prickles of awareness quivered down her spine.
“So why are you scared of sex?”
The question whispered against her ear, but didn’t make any sense. Was she scared? She was hot, bothered, in danger of melting into a puddle at his feet, but scared?
“Mind your own business,” she said, but the words lacked heat.
“Oh, I think it is my business.” His voice was dark, rich, and full of promise, and then he kissed the soft place where her neck met her collarbone, and she almost swooned.
She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to, and she wasn’t sure she did. Maybe she liked the whole someone-else-taking-control thing after all.
His hands came to rest lightly on her waist, their heat radiating through the thin material of her T-shirt. They slid up over her rib cage, settling on the swell of her breasts. He squeezed gently, as though learning the shape of them, and heat pooled low in her belly. She peered down at his big hands holding her, the skin golden against the bright scarlet of her top. His palms rubbed across her tightening peaks, the friction was delicious, and a funny, little noise left her mouth.