Page 12 of Master (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #3)

Clara blinked slowly, as if coming out of a trance, fumbling awkwardly with her cup and bowl.

“So, you said earlier that you were a w eapons master? What does that mean, exactly?"

I bit back the amusement at her obvious deflection. I could wait. For her, I could wait for eons.

“I design and repair weapons.”

“Like guns and swords?” Her naivete ... like everything else about her... was adorable.

“Guns, swords, rockets, laser cannons, ship weapons systems....”

“Is that how you knew how to disable the Kerzak ship?”

“Yes. Part of my job is knowing the weaponry of other species and how to defend against it." I topped off our glasses, emptying the bottle. It, as well as our empty bowls, went into the disposal for recycling.

“On Earth, we have people doing the same job. Engineers mostly." Clara settled deeper into her chair, balancing the cup of wine between her fingers.

“Yes. I trained as an engineer.”

“You did?” She looked shocked, which made me smile.

"I did. My father was a renowned engineer who built cities for the Alliance. I followed in his footsteps from an early age.”

“Designing weapons is a long way from designing cities,” Clara probed over the rim of her glass, violet eyes narrowing curiously.

“I enjoyed building things.” I shrugged and winked. "But I enjoy blowing things up even better."

“Typical man.” Clara’s faint snort was musical.

“You mean all human men are like me?” I teased, watching the flush on her cheeks deepen.

"No," she admitted. "Not at all." The grin tweaking the corners of her mouth made my heart thud erratically.

“That almost sounds like a compliment.”

"Don't get excited," Clara scolded with a giggle that morphed into an enormous yawn. "Sorry!"

"I’m not surprised you’re tired," I told her.

Rising from the chair, I reached across the width of the skiff, snagging the long nylon pull that dropped from the edge of the ceiling.

With a yank, the small bunk bed hidden behind a wall panel slid into view.

"I'm sorry the ship isn't large enough for private rooms, but the bunk is very comfortable.”

Clara stood, but hesitated. "What about you?"

“Are you asking me to get into bed with you?”

"Stop that," she blustered, but the smile remained. "What I meant is, aren't you tired too?"

“A Vaktaire warrior can go days without sleep," I told her, adding a flex of my biceps for good measure.

“Not needing a lot of sleep is pretty handy,” Clara considered as she studied the bunk, considering its comfort.

“In more ways than one, darlin’.” I said, giving an over-exaggerated wink.

The violet eyes rolled again, but this time, along with a giggled. "Stop." Her eyes danced back toward the cockpit. "Are you sure I can’t help with something?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, regarding her like any fledging warrior. "Do you know how to read an energy diagnostic or test engine output?”

“Not this week.”

“Get some rest,” I ordered.

Clara climbed into the bunk, rolling onto her back.

The shock of the mattress's softness registered on her face.

Her expression of pleasure made my cock jerk.

I popped open an overhead storage panel, pulling out a blanket.

It was thin, but the fabric sustained warmth despite being lightweight.

I gave the material a good shake before laying it over Clara.

Her smile as the fabric settled around her nearly stopped my heart.

“Good night,” She murmured, rolling onto her side, and facing the wall.

I stood like a noob recruit on my first day of warrior training, unable to do anything but stare at her.

Get it together, Tarook!

It was just sex. You've had sex hundreds of times with dozens of females.

She was special.

Nope, not listening to that shit. She’s beautiful, yes. She's fun to be around and tease. Her spicy floral scent was a drug to my senses. But special? Nope, I'm not going there.

I strode with purpose back to the cockpit, settling myself in the pilot's chair and refusing to look over my shoulder at her.

Refusing!

The diagnostic pulled up exactly how I’d expected.

The protective shields covering the ship pulled energy from an internal source.

What damage the Kerzak inflicted had already repaired itself.

The engine was at ninety-two percent, which was within normal output range.

The thrusters gave me pause. The port thruster was running at maximum capacity.

On the starboard side, the output was down to eighty-five percent.

Despite the anomaly, we should still manage hyper-drive and make it to Tau Ceti within the next twelve hours.

I pulled up the star charts and set the skiff on course before engaging hyper-drive and autopilot.

The ship's computers would keep us on course, automatically avoiding obstacles.

The faintest shimmy and the vastness of space seemed to undulate, folding in on itself before going dark.

Only an infinitely small bright spot remained visible in the distance.

Standing, I stretched, feeling each of my vertebrae pop. I’d lied to Clara... sort of. Vaktaire could go days without sleep and still perform at optimal levels. We felt like shit during, but it could be done.

Moving about the cabin, I secured the few loose objects and engaged the bunk's protective mechanism—a guardrail made of pulses of warm air. Clara was asleep, rolled onto her back, her beautiful face ethereal in relaxation.

I’d given my word. I’d promised not to touch her again unless she asked. For a Vaktaire warrior, breaking one's word was disgraceful. Yet I did it with pleasure.

My fingertip lay against her cheek, just close enough to feel the softness and warmth of her skin. Her lips twitched at the touch, the corners pulling upward.

Clara was right. I shouldn’t have taken her on the Hartouk Lenaii. But at that moment, I didn’t have it in me to stop. I couldn't resist her, just like now. I stood for minutes, or perhaps it was hours, watching her sleep, my fingertip stroking over her perfectly round cheek.

She is special.

Dammit.

Pulling my hand away, I slugged back to the pilot's chair, settling it back into a reclining position, and gave a last check over the gauges and output readings. Traveling along at the speed of light was hypnotic. I nodded off, dreaming of Clara's warm, supple body writhing in my arms.