Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“This is it. I’m afraid it’s not much—just a bedroom and a bathroom,” Turk remarked. “At least it should dispel any idea you might have had about the captain living in fucking palatial splendor.”
“I never thought about it,” I said quickly—though I had often wondered about where he slept and how he lived when he was out on deep space missions. He didn’t go into those details when he visited and talked to Slade.
The bathroom was nothing but a shower unit and a toilet—nothing to see there. I turned my attention to the bedroom.
The bedroom was small and extremely neat without a single thing out of place. The bed was covered in a dark blue spread. It was large compared to the bunk in my former room—but not really large enough for two—especially if one of them was a seven-foot-tall muscular Brute clansmen like Turk.
“I, uh, guess I’ll be sleeping on the floor,” I said, looking at the narrow strip of floor at the foot of the bed. At least it was carpeted, unlike the cold steel of the floor I’d been sleeping on in the navigators’ bunk.
“You don’t have to do that,” Turk objected. “I didn’t take you into my quarters to treat you like a dog!”
“Oh, I don’t mind!” I said quickly. I was afraid he might find me out if I slept too close to him. After all, there was only so much the Synth implant in my arm could hide. “I’ve been sleeping on the floor in the navigator’s bunk,” I added. “And at least your quarters is carpeted.”
“Sleeping on the floor?” He frowned. “Why the fuck did you do that?”
“Well because, Gurflug claimed the top bunk,” I explained. “And the springs on his mattress sagged so much I was afraid he might fall through and crush me. Also, there was the smell when he…” I trailed off, not wanting to go into details about my former roommate’s excessive flatulence.
Turk’s face grew grim.
“That fucking entitled asshole! There’s no way someone his size should take a top bunk—especially with another crew member below.”
“I tried to tell him that but he wouldn’t listen,” I said. “And it wasn’t like I could roll him out of the bunk and claim it myself. He’s about three times bigger than me.”
Turk frowned.
“That’s true, but just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t defend yourself.”
“I tried…with Jerx, I mean.” I felt myself go cold all over as I remembered the awful attack. “He was just…he was too strong.”
“Hey now…” To my surprise, Turk put out a hand and cupped my face. I felt him wipe my cheek with his thumb and realized that I had started crying—or at least, my eyes were leaking a little.
“Sorry, Captain.” I pulled away from his gentle touch and hastily swiped at my eyes. “I just felt so…so helpless when he came for me like that. It…I guess it made me realize I’m the smallest and weakest one on this ship.”
“That’s true, but it doesn’t have to mean you’re helpless,” Turk told me. “Look, now isn’t the time for it but I’ll show you some close-quarters self defense moves later on. In the meantime, let me see this.”
He reached for my hand—the one I’d scraped in the shower—and brought it to his face.
“Oh, I…I’m okay, really.” I wanted to pull away from him but also, I wanted him to keep touching me. I couldn’t help it—I felt the pull of my Fated Mate. I wondered if Turk felt it, too.
“How did you do this?” he asked me, looking down at the heel of my hand which was a raw, angry red.
I shrugged.
“Trying to get away from Jerx. I scraped it on the drain in the shower when I fell.”
“Gods.” He closed his eyes tightly for a moment and I saw all kinds of emotions passing over his strong features. Anger, worry, regret…and more I couldn’t name.
“I’m all right,” I offered tentatively. “I mean, you got to me in time. He never actually…actually got it in me.” The words seemed to stick in my throat but I forced them out anyway, trying not to remember the feeling of Jerx pinning me to the wall or the scent of the harsh soap and the feeling of his hot breath on the back of my neck as he shoved—
I cut the thought off abruptly, I couldn’t stand it!
“You say you’re all right but you’re still crying,” Turk said, frowning. “I should have gotten to you sooner.”
I swiped at my eyes again.
“I’m sorry—I don’t mean to.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” he told me. “Here—let me see your palm again.”
I had pulled my hand away earlier but now I held it out again, wondering what he was going to do. I couldn’t have been more shocked when Turk brought my injured hand to his mouth…and licked it.