Experiment (Hybrid Book 2) (15 page)

Now this is new, she thought to herself. Not only was he treating her as a person, he was treating her as an attractive, person. Being flirted with wasn’t a common experience, nobody on a Federation ship had ever tried it, and Connor hanging around usually put off anyone on an assignment.

Their short walk to medical was filled with smiles, and wiggles on her part, grins and a pat on her butt from him.

A brief flash of annoyance went through her when she palmed the medical unit panel and found the main room already occupied by two waiting patients, plus the receptionist, who looked up as they walked in.

The pretty blonde receptionist shot her a look of worried confusion. “We have no patients scheduled for you, madam Envoy, maybe you should..”

“I just need a room to check on a patient Ensign Took,” Chesara replied distractedly as she pulled her patient by the hand to an examination room door showing a green ‘empty’ light on the panel. Ignoring the apologetic look her ‘patient’ gave Ensign Took, she pulled him inside and lit the ‘occupied’ light.

Like the other examination rooms, this had a central examination couch and various cabinets of equipment around the walls.  The room firmly reminded her of responsibility, and so she tried to ignore the absurd impulse to kiss him passionately, whilst motioning that he should jump up on the bed. What’s going on with me today? She gave herself a mental kick up the backside, focus Chesara.

Turning to her patient, she noted the bright white smile on his bronzed face. It didn’t look anything like the normal expression she saw on patients, but then again she didn’t usually flirt outrageously with them either. However, today she just couldn’t contain her wicked side. Things that usually stayed in her imagination were actually popping out of her mouth to her significant surprise. But what the hell, she’d been good for so bloody long didn’t she deserve a bit of fun?

“Well, would you like to show me what you’ve got?” she asked, hoping that the line didn’t reveal that she had no idea where his wound was.

His eyebrows rose before his grin widened, and his hands went to the buttons on his shirt.  It revealed a right side of smooth tan skin, stretched over wonderfully developed musculature. In stark contrast, much of the left side was pale pink, raised and roughened scar tissue as a result of some very extensive plasma burns. She was surprised he’d survived.

“Not quite the lady killer anymore, am I? Even Took won’t have me now.” His voice was soft and full of regret as she silently traced a finger over his ruined flesh.

“Don’t worry, I’m not offended,” he said and started to re-button his shirt. The sadness in his voice brought her back to reality. She mentally cooled the excitement she’d been feeling, time to work.

“Does it cause you any discomfort?”

“No pain, but it’s a bit tight, restricts movement a little, but not enough to be a problem. The sensitivity is shot to pieces though, but I’m not complaining. I’m grateful I’ve got the opportunity to feel anything at all after this. I was sure I was about to cash my chips in for good.” He carried on re buttoning his shirt.

“I can fix this, if you promise not to tell anyone,” she said equally softly.

She looked up into his pain filled brown eyes. The look of hope that appeared in them made it entirely the right decision, even if it did get her into hot water with Connor and the Captain. She’d been there before, and it was very likely that this wouldn’t be the last time.

The use of her ability had to be sanctioned by Connor, or the Captain unless in an emergency. This certainly wasn’t a ‘traditional’ emergency, but she justified it by telling herself that his mental well-being was at serious risk. Judging from his confusion about thinking that she’d done the initial healing, it was already as risk. She certainly wouldn’t have left him in this state and she wouldn’t have forgotten working on this fine specimen of manhood.

Looking at the mess in front of her, she was well aware it’d take quite a bit of effort to put it right.

“Listen, do you have anywhere else we could do this, I bet Ensign Took’ out there is already calling in the cavalry.”

“I bet she isn’t,” he said with a grin as he started to button up his shirt. The surge of jealousy as she realised what he meant shocked her. She pulled her hand out of his.

A
s soon as he’d opened his mouth, he knew he’d put his foot in it.

“I’m not going to heal you so she can...”

Why she was behaving as if she couldn’t wait to get into his trousers he didn’t know, but the circumstances couldn’t have played into his hands better, if he could get her to come with him. Besides, if she was with him, she wouldn’t be throwing herself at the next guy she came across. The vision of what Tenset, not to mention Connor would do to him if he knowingly let that happen didn’t bear thinking about. It was definitely time to roll out the charm.

He grasped her shoulders, and as she looked up at him, he noted that her eyes were dilated and she smelt delicious. Without thought, he leaned down and bushed his lips to hers.

“No one is a patch on you Chesara, but you can’t blame me for increasing ship’s moral can you? Besides we’ve only just met, who knows what’s going to happen?”

Her words, “I know what I want to happen,” had his dick coming to life, but her hand went to her mouth as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just said. He couldn’t either, and it strengthened his resolve to help Tenset and Connor get her somewhere safe. Chesara was temptation personified and she was so valuable, and vulnerable, that she was almost screaming ‘use me’ from every pore.

Time to move Dagus, he said to himself and gave her a bright knowing smile.

“Come on, I’ve got just the place,” he said and hopped off the bed. Grasping her hand, he pulled her out of the room and gave Took his best ‘I’m such a stud’ cheeky grin, as he towed Chesara out of the medical unit.

Over the years, Dagus had experienced his fair share of both good and bad luck. He’d been blessed with confidence, good looks, a loving family and a better standard of living because of his family’s association with the Shamir dynasty. Tenset had taught him to fly the small private ship his family owned, which had led him to join the military.

He now knew that his brother had paid the price for his happiness, and if he could go back and change things, he would in a heartbeat. The past was the past, but he could do something about the future. He could help the man who had given him his revenge, his old friend that had secured the future for Dagus’ kin by sacrificing his own bright future on Kalzir, and he could help the wonderful woman who had saved his life.

Before this moment, he’d had only a vague idea of how he would accomplish his goal. As a gambling man, he’d been content to wait, and true to form, circumstances had changed as quickly as the turn of a card in a game of poker.

From a mediocre hand, he now had a potentially winning set of cards, but as usual, how good it was, would depend on what cards the rest of the players in the game held. It didn’t help that he didn’t know exactly how many players there were. Nevertheless, folding was not an option, and it was time to raise the stakes.

Ever since he’d spoken to Tenset earlier, he’d been wondering how the hell he was going to pull off getting both Connor and Chesara into the shuttle and then off the Apollo. What Tenset was planning he didn’t know, but the communication signal had been weak he had an idea he was no longer on Kalzir. However, the man was more slippery than a slime eel, he always had been, and Dagus was sure he’d come up with something.

Dagus had asked to meet Connor in the shuttle bay, but now he had Chesara in tow as well. He tried to pull his mind back to the plan, but he was increasingly aware of the hand he was holding. He’d never thought of Chesara in a sexual way before. Sure, she was exotically attractive, but his thoughts had always run along the lines of admiration for the way she tweaked the noses of the brass and had helped so many people. She’d been firmly in his ‘kid sister’ category rather than his ‘beddable woman’ one.

Today, that outfit and her incredible scent had certainly shifted her from the former, to the latter category. He’d always been a horny bugger, but he’d always been in charge of his desires, but today, he wasn’t sure if his upper brain or his lower one was controlling things. The thought that both Connor and Tenset would kill him if he took her up on her very clear offer, kept him focused, just.

As they walked onto the hanger deck, he found his co-pilot and three members of the flight deck crew hovering around his usual shuttle. Pulling Chesara against his chest to hide her identity, he gave the three a broad grin and a wink.

His co-pilot just gave him a ‘not again’ look. Like the good sport he was, the co-pilot offered to buy the other men a drink in the social area and started to hustle them out of the shuttle bay.

“That’s another one you owe me lieutenant.  Don’t you ever get enough?” He left, shaking his head in wonderment at his partner’s success with the opposite sex.

“It’s all in the smile my man,” Dagus called out after him, carefully keeping Chesara’s face hidden. They’d all had the ‘stay away from the Envoy’ lecture, but in this outfit, unless they saw her face it was unlikely they’d connect this woman with the hots for him with the VIP who’d been in the Med Bay for weeks.

“It’s not your smile I’m interested in at the moment,” she murmured and he looked down at her in surprise.

This brazen hussy was so unlike the Chesara he’d met before, that he almost couldn’t believe it was the same woman. He’d heard that memory wipes could affect the personality for a while afterwards, but this was ridiculous. Ridiculous but good, really really good. Christ she smelt fucking fantastic.

Connor wasn’t due for another half hour, and he had to focus to think about something to occupy them before he arrived. Getting caught in a compromising position certainly wasn’t on his immediate ‘to do’ list. He’d killed two men recently over Chesara, and Dagus didn’t fancy being the third Kalzirian on his list.

“Healing first remember?” he whispered into her ear as he led her into the shuttle. Now that he was on his home ground, it was even more difficult to stay focused.

She also seemed to be having trouble. As he watched, she took a somewhat shaky breath and put a ‘professional’ expression on her face.

“Right then, shall we stick it to the paper pushers and put that smile back on Took’s face?”

“Where do you want me?”

“In the chair, shirt off, arm up so I can touch as much of it as possible.”

Dagus started to recite his flight manual as he unbuttoned his shirt for the second time that day. The way she was looking at him, certainly wasn’t helping ‘little Dagus’ to go back to sleep.

When she grinned, sat astride his lap, and placed her hands on his chest, alarm bells started ringing, but this was probably the only chance he’d have to get the scars removed. As much as he’d put on a brave ‘I don’t care’ front about them, they mattered. They mattered to him a great deal.

“This could be a terribly bad idea,” he murmured, but he closed his eyes, and didn’t stop her when she bent over, place a soft kiss on his lips and murmured, “shhh, don’t be such a baby. Do you want me to put a nerve block in? It’ll take a little longer, but it won’t hurt if I don’t, but it could be a little uncomfortable.”

A distraction from the feel of her firm, pert backside on his thighs, was just what he wanted.

“I think speed is probably more important.”

“If you wiggle, I’ll put it in anyway, so if you insist on being macho, you’ll have to keep still.”

He rested his left hand on the back of his neck, so he’d be able to keep it still for a considerable amount of time and nodded.

“I’m ready when you are.”

She laid both hands on the scarred area, shutting her eyes to concentrate.

Almost immediately, he felt a prickling sensation in the area underneath her hand, it was rather like pins and needles, unpleasant but not painful as such.

Concentrating on the discomfort, he tried to ignore the way she was rocking and shifting slightly in his lap as she worked. The thought of her open thighs, so close to his groin had him gritting his teeth, and the return of the sensitivity to his left side didn’t help his growing desire.

When she started rocking gently, he knew that even deep in concentration, part of her wanted him as much as he wanted her. He hoped Connor would bloody well hurry up, because if he didn’t turn up soon, he didn’t think he could be responsible for his actions. He’d never felt this horny in his life, and he started to understand why Tenset had thrown away everything his family had worked for to be with her.

She blew out a breath and opened those amazing eyes.

“How’s that?”

He looked down, and with trepidation, he moved a shaking hand to touch the patch of smooth, bronzed skin that appeared identical to what it had been. The contrast between the area she’d worked on and the small remaining area around his nipple was extreme. Curling his hand into a fist to disguise the tremble he looked into her eyes, trying to convey what he felt, because the words simply didn’t exist.

“You’re amazing, Chesara. First you save my life, then do this. Makes what I’m doing perfect sense.”

A smile curled her lips, and then she circled her hips a little.

“I think I might be able to think of a few things you can do to make it up to me.”

This certainly wasn’t the person he knew, and despite every fibre of his body screaming at him to take the obviously desperate, beautiful woman, immediately, he didn’t. Perhaps he was finally growing up. He knew his friends would be falling over in shock if they could hear him now. The old Tenset would have laughed his head off; the new Tenset would probably take his head off if he did anything.

“I can take a little more healing first, if you’re up for it.”

He heard her mumble ‘focus, focus’ to herself before she took a deep breath and resumed working on the remaining area.

Repeating ‘focus,’ might be helping her, but he found his pre and post flight check procedures a better distraction. He wasn’t sure that healing him strictly required her to drag her fingers along the waistband of his trousers, but he found himself wishing that her hand would move lower.