Page 23 of Warped

CHAPTER 22: TRAVEN

B inx’s eyes tell me everything I need to know.

Okay, maybe not everything , but enough to know that I’m on the right track.

As soon as she sees the datastick in my hand, those blue eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open in a pretty pink O of surprise. Under other circumstances, that sight would make my dick rock hard. Well… harder than it already is after watching her sleep for the past several minutes. But right now, sex is the last thing on my mind.

I want to know what secret Binx has been hiding, and I intend to find out, one way or another.

“Where did you get that?” she asks, staring at the datastick.

“Where do you think?” I gesture toward the walk-in closet on the other side of the room. “In the pocket of your coat.”

Binx’s expression shifts. Her face, which a moment ago was blanched with shock at seeing the datastick in my hand, now takes on a rosy hue of anger, and the fear in her eyes makes way for that look of hot defiance that never fails to make my nuts throb with desire.

“You can’t just go through my stuff like that!” she shouts.

“I can,” I tell her, “and I did.”

I rise from the chair and walk over to the edge of the bed. Binx does her best to hold my gaze, but she lets her eyes drop briefly to my hard cock jutting out in front of me as I stride toward her. She swallows nervously, then she recovers and meets my gaze again.

“This is an invasion of my privacy,” she says.

“Privacy? I thought we’d already been through all that. As long as you’re companioning aboard the Nomad , you’re considered a member of the crew, and the crew doesn’t get any privacy. This is my ship, and—”

“ Our ship,” Rek interrupts.

Apparently my argument with Binx has gotten loud enough to rouse him from his slumber. He sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The silk sheet covering his lap is tented over his permanent erection.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

I start to answer him, but Binx beats me to the punch.

“Traven’s been going through my stuff!” she protests.

Rek gives me a questioning look, and I hold up the datastick for him to see.

“Found this in her coat.”

“A datastick? What’s on it?”

“Dunno. Haven’t checked.”

“So what’s the big deal, then?” Rek asks with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “It’s a datastick. Lots of people have ’em.”

“The big deal,” I tell him, “is that it’s the only thing she brought with her.”

For the past few moments, Binx has been staring at Rek imploringly, hoping he will save her from my interrogation. Now she turns toward me, wide eyed.

“You mean…?”

“That’s right,” I tell her. “I went through your suitcase too. It’s empty. Aside from the clothes you were wearing when you came on board, the only thing in your possession was this.”

I hold up the datastick.

“Now, I know damn well that you’ve never worked as a Warp companion before. I also know the reason you suddenly took up the profession is because you’re running from something, and I’d bet my bottom credbit that the information on this here datastick’s got somethin’ to do with it.”

“You’re wrong!” Binx says.

The slight tremble in her voice makes me think that I’m right.

“Listen,” I tell her. “I’m giving you a chance to come clean. I’m gonna find out what’s on this datastick, one way or another. Now you can go ahead and tell me in your own words, or I can plug it into the ship’s computers and have a look for myself.”

Binx scoffs.

“You can’t have a look for yourself,” she says. “The datastick is password protected. And I am not going to tell you the password.”

There’s that defiant attitude again. The same blush in her cheeks. The same blue fire in her eyes. But this time, it’s accompanied by something else: the scent of desire. She’s getting wet down between her legs. So wet I can fucking smell it. She likes provoking me because she knows what kind of punishment I’m capable of meting out. If she keeps it up, she’s gonna get a taste.

Thing is, while she’s good at pushing my buttons and pissing me off, she’s not very good at lying. Hell, even before I met her, I knew her Warpseekers profile was a bunch of BS, and I’m pretty sure she’s BS-ing me now about the password.

I decide to call her bluff.

“Hey!” Binx shouts as I turn away from her and walk over to the other side of the bedroom. “Where are you going with my datastick?”

I open a panel on the wall, revealing an array of sockets designed to accept a wide variety of connections. I find the one that matches the little plug on the end of the datastick and prepare to insert it.

“Wait!” Binx cries, hopping off the bed to chase after me. “Didn’t you hear what I said? That thing is password protected!”

I pause and quirk a brow at her.

“In that case, you’ve got nothin’ to worry about, do you?”

Binx tries to play it cool, but the sudden dilation of her pupils gives her away. She knows she’s busted. Her jig is up. She turns back toward Rek, her last hope of salvation.

“Are you going to let him do this?” she half sobs.

Rek throws back the covers and climbs off the bed. He slowly makes his way toward our side of the room, his hard-on swinging back and forth with every stride. Most of the time, I can tell exactly what he’s thinking, almost like we have a psychic connection or something, but right now his face is totally unreadable. I don’t know if he’s gonna try to whip my ass or put Binx in her place. I’m ready for either option.

He pauses right in front of me and stares at me for a moment, then he turns to Binx and gathers her in his arms. He sweeps her hair away from her face, kisses her. That calms her a little.

“Traven’s right,” he says, staring deeply into Binx’s eyes. “I know you’re hiding something from us. Yesterday, I was willing to let it slide. But after last night, I can’t let it slide anymore. If you’re in trouble, sweetheart, we need to know about it so we can protect you.”

Binx looks at me, looks at the datastick in my hand, then looks back at Rek.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Not when it comes to your protection,” Rek tells her. “That’s non-negotiable. We’re never going to let any harm come to you, sweetheart. None.”

I feel the same way. Yesterday and the day before, my main concern was what kind of trouble she was bringing onto our ship. At least, I thought that was my main concern. But last night changed all that. When I heard Binx’s sweet little voice begging me and Rek to make a baby inside her, I felt like I had finally found my purpose in life. Maybe it was just a game for her, but it wasn’t for me. I intend to make her my mate, I intend to get her pregnant, and I intend to share her with my best bro Rek until the end of our days.

I don’t say any of that out loud, but I have a feeling Binx can see it in my eyes, ’cause after a moment she gives a little sigh and nods toward the datastick in my hand.

“You might as well stick that thing in,” she says. “I could tell you what’s on it, but it’s probably better if you just see for yourself.”