Under His Command (4 page)

change my mind, sir.”

He relaxed. All but his aching cock. It kept sending little signals

to his brain.
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
But there was a part of him reluctant

to let the beautiful pilot sitting so rigidly across from him know how

deeply she affected him. At thirty-four he was the youngest

commander in the fleet and he didn’t get into his position by drooling

after officers in his command. This situation was different, of course,

but under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have touched her.

Pleasantly, he asked, “Well, since you seem determined, let me

ask you again, would you like a glass of wine?”

* * * *

He lounged there, larger than ever even in the more spacious

commander’s quarters, his piercing eyes holding her gaze.

The fact he’d removed his tunic shouldn’t have startled her since

he was off duty and in his quarters, but it did.

The material of the undershirt molded to shoulders impressively

wide and emphasized a muscled chest. Raven hair framed the chiseled

features the female officers whispered over, and brushed his strong

neck. Seeing him sitting in a relaxed sprawl, half-dressed, a glass of

wine casually in his long fingers brought home the intimacy of the

situation. He was even barefoot, she noticed.

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Annabel Wolfe

Then she noticed something else. Despite her resolve to stay calm

and composed, Peyton’s eyes widened as she stared at the bulge in the

front of his tailored pants. It was undeniably large but why she would

be surprised was a mystery. He was a tall man and an S-species. With

her inexperience, she really didn’t have a lot to compare him to either.

She could feel the race of her pulse beat in her throat and her

palms were suddenly damp.

“Peyton?”

She jerked her gaze up at the use of her first name. He’d never

done that before. “What?”

The color of his eyes had changed she saw, from the usual icy

gray to more a storm cloud color, darker and mysterious. His lips

twitched into something that might even have resembled a smile,

though she had never seen him anything other than stern and remote.

Shit. He’d noticed her staring at his crotch and that was

mortifying. She had a sinking feeling he might find her relative

innocence amusing, or worse, a nuisance. It wasn’t that she hadn’t

had a few relationships, but they just never developed into anything

she felt strongly enough about for sexual closeness. When she did

finally try, she realized it was more out of curiosity than anything and

the resulting disappointment had caused her to break it off quickly.

Since then, she’d been too busy with her career to really fraternize

with anyone.

But here she was, basically undressed because the skimpy little

garment they issued the females in her position was designed to

arouse, and apparently it worked. The commander looked like he was

going to make sure she served her sentence. S-species males had

enhanced sex drives along with everything else. From the look of his

arousal, she wasn’t going to get off lightly.

An unfamiliar feeling of excitement coiled in the pit of her

stomach and her breasts felt suddenly tight and full. Absently she

rubbed the sore spot on her thigh where one of the medical staff had

given her an injection. It was supposed raise the level of her libido,

Under His Command

25

the young doctor had explained in a pragmatic tone. Peyton wondered

if it wasn’t working because she felt a little flushed.

“I take it you want to skip the drink.”

The statement, said with a cool undertone of amusement made her

realize he was no longer looking at her face, but instead at where her

now taut nipples made hard points against the gauzy material. She

really didn’t want any wine, so she said, “I’ll pass on the wine,

Commander, but thank you for offering.”

His gaze drifted lower, to examine her bared legs. “You have a

very nice body, Lieutenant Valmont. I might even say spectacular.

Why don’t you disrobe?”

She could think of a few reasons why she shouldn’t, the first one

being she never thought she would ever, ever be naked in front of the

formidable ship’s commander but the rules were clear.
Whatever he

wants, whenever he wants it
. She stood and reached for the hem of the

garment but before she pulled it off over her head, she took a breath

and blurted out, “There’s something you should know, sir.”

Ebony brows arched upward over those remarkable eyes. “Is

there? Go ahead then, inform me.”

“I’m not good at this.” That sounded wrong and made her feel

ridiculous, so she amended, “Or let’s say I haven’t had much chance

to know whether or not I’m good at it.”

“Sex or taking off your clothes?”

Who knew the man even had a sense of humor, but there was

definitely a note of what could even be teasing in his tone if you

stretched your imagination a little. Peyton lifted her chin and slipped

off her gown over her head. She said crisply, “The former, sir.”

“I see.” He sat there and examined every inch of her, from her

head down to her toes with a slow, sweeping assessment. “I think

your statement is flawed, Lieutenant. You could have had as many

chances as you wished. You’re a very attractive female. If you lack in

experience, I am going venture an educated guess from a male point

of view that it has been your choice.”

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Annabel Wolfe

He was right, but that option was now gone. Nude, embarrassed

but trying not to show it, Peyton stood there obediently and watched

him finish his wine and set aside the glass on a small console next to

his chair. Then he stood in a leisurely fluid motion at odds with his

obvious arousal and inclined his head toward the doorway to the

sleeping quarters. “I think we can improve the level of your practice

in a very short time.”

The indication she should precede him was hard to miss. With as

much dignity as she could gather—especially since she was naked

and felt infuriatingly vulnerable—Peyton walked past him, aware of

the sway of her breasts with every step. At this point she wished she

was full S-species because then he wouldn’t be so very much larger.

The females were usually almost as tall as the men, and while she

wasn’t as petite as a full-blooded human, she was still a lot smaller.

Males enjoyed that, she’d heard. The disparate sizes of their

bodies meant her tightness would enhance his pleasure.

His pleasure. A shot of that strange sensation twisted in her

stomach again. She gave a small involuntary shiver as she stared at

the bed. It stood on a slightly raised platform, the utilitarian military

issue white linens giving the sleeping area a stark look, the floor

polished tile, the only color in the room a small pile of more antique

books stacked on a small metal table by the side of the bed.

Peyton jumped when she felt a large, warm hand settle on her

shoulder and she realized he stood right behind her. His touch was

light, almost delicate, as he trailed his long fingers down her arm until

he grasped her hand and urged her to turn around. She obediently—

but reluctantly—did as he wished, taking in a breath as she tilted her

head up and stared into his eyes. They held a glitter she had never

seen before.

His mouth quirked at the corner. “Relax. Surely anyone with the

nerve to land a transport on a disintegrating planet and manage to

pilot it back through one of the worst cosmic storms I have seen isn’t

afraid.”

Under His Command

27

“I’m nervous, sir,” she admitted. “Behind the controls I am the

equal of any pilot, male or female. In this situation, you are very

much in charge even discounting your rank. I dislike feeling

helpless.”

It was true. She barely came up to his shoulder so he towered over

her and the width of his brawny shoulders was intimidating. His voice

was a little husky as he said, “You won’t be helpless, Peyton. If at any

time you are uncomfortable with what we’re doing, ask me to stop. I

will. You have my word.”

She found herself staring at his mouth, wondering how it would

be against hers, how his lips would feel roaming across her skin…

“I am not allowed to ask you to do anything.” She almost forgot

and added, “Sir.”

“I really don’t think much about rank in bed.” His breath was

warm against her lips as he lowered his head.

When he kissed her, she fought a gasp, his hard mouth covering

hers in insistent pressure.

It was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced. Hot,

dominating…exciting. Molten heat speared through her body. His

tongue invaded her mouth and she relinquished the battle.

She had to, she excused herself.

But even if she didn’t….

She would have.

He didn’t so much kiss her as possess her. The palpable hunger

surprised her in a male so normally controlled and cold. As he feasted

on her mouth, his hands began to roam. Over her ass, across the small

of her back, to her shoulders, and then downward, so his palms

separated them as he cupped her breasts. The reaction of her body was

instant, her nipples going taut.

“Let’s lie down,” he murmured against her lips. “Standing up is

good too, but this first time let’s keep it simple. I’ve been abstinent

this entire time out. I didn’t think it would be this long because we

didn’t anticipate the problems on Epsilon.”

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Annabel Wolfe

Through his regulation pants she could feel his erection. He was

huge, the long length hard against her stomach, giving her a nervous

quiver. “Sir, I—”

He paused in the act of lifting her nude body onto the bed. “You

what, Lieutenant?”

What hell was she going to do? Try and back out now? “I don’t

know,” she confessed, staring up at him.

“I do know,” he said, that very slight smile surfacing again. “You

defied orders, correct?”

“Yes.’ She gasped as he deposited her on the bed.

Long fingers went deftly to the fastenings on his pants. “And

chose sexual servitude over losing rank or flying status, right?”

Peyton nodded, watching him undress.

“Then you requested to service me and Colonel Naiad. Do I have

this all straight?” He shoved the material down his lean hips,

revealing his jutting cock.

By the stars, she hadn’t really expected he would be so large. She

stared at his erection, fascinated, and squeaked out, “I think so.”

“I just wanted to make sure.” He stepped out of his pants and

climbed onto the bed. On top of her, in fact, settling his weight on his

elbows. Raven hair brushed his shoulders and one stray lock fell

across his forehead, giving him a softer look than his usual icy

command. He kissed her again, taking his time, exploring deep,

licking the corners of her mouth, skimming her teeth. His skin was

hot, smooth, the muscles in his upper arms bulging impressively as he

kept his weight balanced. His mouth trailed a warm, seductive path

along her neck. “Hmm…”

She quivered, excitement mixed with panic spiking through her

body.

“This works better if you spread your legs.”

At first she didn’t register the suggestion, nor did she realize she

had her thighs pressed tightly together. She wasn’t resistant as much

as intimidated. The idea of the latter bothered her. He was right.

Under His Command

29

Hadn’t she risked her life, her craft, and beat the odds just hours ago?

Hadn’t she faced him down and made her own choice: a choice she

still agreed with since it impacted her career in the least harmful way?

She could do this. If she was sure of one thing in her life, she

knew she wasn’t a coward.

Peyton took a deep breath and opened her thighs. Wide. Her

fingers clenched in the sheets but otherwise, she lay acquiescent and

docile. To her surprise, he didn’t position himself at once but instead

went on with his leisurely attention to her neck, moving upward now

and then to kiss her lips again. It was different each time, sometimes

fervent and demanding, then soft and intimate. Gallico lingered over

her mouth as if she wasn’t spread-eagled below him, tasting, rubbing

his tongue against hers, coaxing an unexpected response from her

wayward body. She barely noticed when he shifted position and the

tip of his cock touched her, nudging her pussy, testing the pliant

opening.

“How do you like it?” he whispered in her ear.

“Like what?” she countered, hardly able to breathe after the last

mesmerizing kiss.

He actually laughed. Commander
Gallico
laughed. He said, “Sex,

Peyton. How do you like it? Fast and hard? Slow and soft? I’m not

alone in this bed and no matter the circumstances, I’m not a selfish

lover.”

“I don’t, sir.”

“You don’t what?”

She shrugged. “Like it any particular way. I’m not sure I like it at

all.”

Uh-oh
. More honesty than she intended.