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I tried to force myself to focus on Nali, but my gaze kept going back to Jaya. I liked the way her sinewy arms flexed as she hammered and yanked and fastened. I liked the way she removed her hat in the shade and then tied the longest parts of her hair up in a knot on the top of her head, exposing the elegant line of her neck. I liked the way her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth when she was concentrating very hard on something. A wet, pink point that made my breath hitch and my cock throb.

Being with her, getting to observe her at her work, left me ensconced in the hazy quality of a dream. Time moved differently that it should have – feeling slow, but going fast. So fast that I was jolted by her eventual call of, “OK! It’s done!”

“Done?” I asked, feeling as if I’d just been dragged from hypnotic slumber. The moment before, I’d once again found myself entirely preoccupied with that exposed slip of skin along her abdomen and lower back. Every time she leaned over, or stretched, the hemline of her top crept even higher, and a hot thrill flared in my belly. I hadn’t even noticed that the sun was now diving towards the horizon.

“Well, notdone, done,” she replied, wiping her hands on her trousers. “But done enough that she won’t blow up in the two minutes it’ll take to fly to your place.”

“Blow up?” I asked, rattled by the image. “Is that a possibility?”

“Not anymore.”

“Good,” I sighed. “Well. I suppose that I will begin the journey back with Nali. We will meet you there.”

“Sure,” she said slowly, her eyes intent on me. “Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you wanted to come along.”

Come along. In her ship.

She wanted me to come with her.

“I do not think that the warden would approve,” I said, even though I was already striding towards her.

“Warden, schmarden,” she said. Her lips curved conspiratorially. “I won’t tell him if you don’t.”

“Yes,” I said on a ragged exhale. “Yes, I will come with you.”

She wanted me beside her. At least for this short stretch. And I refused to let it go to waste.

I’d lost too much, too early in my life.

I would not lose out on this.

It took only a moment to collect our hats, the waterskin, and to usher Lala and Nali on board. As we crossed theLavariya’sthreshold, Jaya briefly took my hand to pull me all the way inside.

When she touched me, I did not breathe.

“Welcome to my home,” she said, releasing my hand and moving further into the space. I could sense the happiness in her, the pride for what she had here. And for some reason, it made me want to hold her.

To distract myself from the urge, I turned my attention to examining my surroundings. TheLavariyawas certainly a small vessel, but it was more than adequate to house one or two adults. We were in the centre of the ship. To my left lay the ship’s controls and the pilot’s chair. To my right were the living quarters. I could see appliances, boxes of supplies, sets of tools, the suit and helmet she’d had on when she’d landed, and another compartment beyond that I assumed was storage or perhaps a water closet.

“This here,” Jaya said, rapping her knuckles against a large panel, “is my bed. It folds out from the wall. The bathroom is back there, in case anyone needs it.”

I risked a glance at Nali, silently commanding her not to urinate or defecate anywhere she was not supposed to.

“There are other seats that fold down from the walls, too,” Jaya continued. She pulled at a latch near me, extending a seat with a safety harness from the wall. “You sit here for the flight.”

I did so, and Jaya immediately leaned over me, securing the harness across my chest and checking the buckles. As she worked, I was afforded a glorious top-view of her bosoms, thanks to the way the neckline of her top gaped at this angle.

But then I remembered she’d mentioned last night that staring at a woman’s bosoms was rude. Sadly, but silently commending myself for my strength, I pulled my gaze away.

“Should be a pretty smooth ride. And super short,” Jaya said as she headed for the pilot’s chair. Because Lala went with her, Nali tried to follow. I shot my tail forwards and looped it around Nali’s body, pulling her to me and placing her upon my lap.

“We cannot distract her,” I admonished quietly. “Jaya has important work to do.”

She got right to it. Her fingers flew across various buttons and boards at her disposal. She seemed calm, confident, entirely at ease.