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Couldn’t fault that cyborg stamina either.

Kori tightened the grip of her thighs around their hips, her body a taut line of winding tension as Wrex swiveled that perfectly manufactured cock inside her body like they were signing the secrets of the universe. Another mind-shattering orgasm bore down on her while Wrex’s hands and tongue and cock created an ideal equation of ecstasy. They lavished attention on erogenous zones she hadn’t known existed, giving equal homage to her kiss-bruised nipples as they did the simple indent above her collarbone.

The two of them were a panting sweaty mess and Kori no longer regretted drawing the short straw for the crew’s shore leave. Luckily, there had been no further proximity alerts or patrons seeking repairs. The hours passed in physical bliss, though Kori knew their time together was running out.

The building crescendo stalled for a moment. Kori stared down at Wrex’s beautiful face, caught in the throes of genuine pleasure. She touched their cheek, meeting their mesmerizing silver eyes as the enormity of the moment stole over her. Once the crew returned, would Wrex leave for Vega Surong? Would she ever see them again? She’d never had a partner so in tune with her body and needs, or one that she wanted to give pleasure to in equal measures and more. The knowledge that Wrex had gone so long without, used by this despicable Consortium, fostered a deep need to give them those experiences. To see the chords of their neck muscles tight, their expression lost to the sensations of their body, renewed and relearned.

In sixty-nine rotations of fucking and chatting, she’d grown to know Wrex better than partners she’d had for years. Their leaving would hurt, but Kori knew they needed the freedom to make that choice.

“What will you do once we’ve tested all these wonderful devices of yours?” She brushed a hand down the side of their face, the metal plate along their jaw the same temperature as their skin. A smile tugged at her lips. This amazing being chose to be with her, a fact that humbled her as much as it thrilled her. No matter what Wrex chose to do next, she would carry their time together for the rest of her life.

They paused in their ministrations, one hand squeezing her thigh while the other cupped her chin. Wrex studied her face, their expression somehow more intimate than the cock throbbing inside her. “What place would there be for me here?”

The question threw her, a lance of ice through her pleasant buzz. A sensible question, one she couldn’t flippantly answer with something selfish and thoughtless like “in my bed.” Wrex had spent years in a terrible contract, servicing countless patrons who didn’t give a damn about them, their body, or their mind. She didn’t want Wrex to feel indebted to her for fixing what those bastards took from them, nor did she want them to feel like the only place for them was in the bedroom. Kori didn’t have a ready answer, but before she could mitigate the situation, her comms burst to life.

“Kori, why is there a wrecked pod in my bay?” Vox’s gravelly voice thundered through her room via the intercom, a rumble that shook her back to the reality of the present.

“Ah, fuck,” said Kori, frantically gesturing for Wrex to put her down. She whimpered as they withdrew, her final orgasm truly thwarted and her emotions a tangled mess. Scrambling into her clothes, she couldn’t quite look at Wrex as she explained. “That’s my boss. Which means the crew has returned from shore leave. You can stay here, if you want. I’ll take care of this.”

Wrex hesitated, slowly pulling on their trousers. “Could I come with you?”

She nodded, though she didn’t relish a witness to the epic chew-out Vox was about to give her. “Vox is rough around the edges, but he’s secretly a softie. Don’t let his bluster fool you.”

Kori shoved her feet into her regulation boots, barely taking the time to fasten them properly as she counted the seconds in her head. She barreled out of her room with Wrex on her heels approximately seventy-six seconds after Vox called for her, which meant he’d spent at least forty-six of those seconds getting good and steamed.

Hurtling out into the repair bay, Kori winced at the audience waiting for her, the entire crew milling about like the cluster of gossipy ninnies they were. Vox scowled at her entrance, but his expression turned to confusion when Wrex appeared. Despite that, the mighty glower returned in full force once she rocked to a stop in front of him.

He gestured to the pile of scrap metal Kori had inconveniently left in the middle of the floor. It had been a busy sixty-nine rotations. “What is this? And why is it here?” His gaze flickered to Wrex who stepped up beside her, ready to answer. Vox squinted at them.

“Report, Mechanic Ross!” Vox barked. Wrex jumped at the boom of his voice and Kori sighed up at the seven-foot gray-skinned Titanae.

“The pod tripped a proximity alarm, sir,” she said. “The navigational drive burnt itself out and the planet’s atmosphere was about to tear it apart. I brought it on board to assist any passengers.”

Vox raised a thick brow, pointedly examining Wrex. “Your shirt’s on backwards, Mechanic Ross.”

Kori closed her eyes to the chorus of snickers behind them. It didn’t matter; she knew where they slept.

Vox glared at the crew. “Don’t you lot have duties to catch up with?” He addressed Wrex as the others scuttled out of the bay. “This is a Class S escape pod, but there aren’t many permanent orbital stations in this quadrant.”

They both flinched. Vox had years of knowledge and experience over her, and he likely had a firm idea from whom and where Wrex had fled.

Continuing the pattern of inconvenient timing, the proximity alarm shrilled through the bay. Vox rolled his eyes. “Mechanic Reeve, what is that nonsense about?”

Reeve hustled to the console, still wearing a thick smear of sunscreen down his nose. “Uh, some spiky-looking vessel, sir. Don’t recognize the make of it, but they’re hailing us.”

Vox folded his arms, not taking his squint off her. “And what do they want, Mechanic Reeve?”

The beleaguered Reeve squinted at the screen, clearly wishing he was still enjoying the sun on Vega Surong. “An envoy from something called the Consortium. They demand the return of their contractual property.”

Horrified, Kori shot Wrex a look, shaking her head. “I didn’t, I swear I didn’t?—”

“Of course you didn’t, Mechanic Ross,” Vox snapped. He kicked the wrecked pod. “All Class S escape pods have an internal tracking device.”

Kori wanted to shake herself at her own stupidity. Even if she’d delayed her report, she should have checked the craft for such devices. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to Wrex.

“It’s not your fault,” they said, reaching for her hand. Vox caught the gesture, inhaling deep through his nose.

“Right,” he said. “Reeve, get your unit and make that craft disappear.”