Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 135784 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135784 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
But I don't say any of these things, because I don't want her to feel pressured to stay with me. I want her to stay because she wants to stay. So I bury my face against her neck, breathing in her lovely scent. "Tell me about your day. How was your first one on the Jabberwock?"
She hums for a moment, thinking, and then sighs. "Tiring."
That surprises me. "Tiring?"
Sophie nods, and when I lift my head, she settles hers on my shoulder. "I'm trying to be open and friendly because they're all trying so hard. Zoey's in a bad place and so I'm doing my best to keep her company. I feel obligated to help out in that respect, you know? I don't know how to pilot a ship, but I can be company, at least. It's just…tiring." She curls a finger in the front of my tunic. "Makes me wish we were back home, and then I feel like a jerk for thinking that because we're supposed to be rescuing Zoey's brothers. This isn't about fun. It's about getting them home safe. And yet…" she smiles faintly. "And yet I just want to run away and hide."
I rub her back. All of this surprises me. "You looked like you were having fun today? Every time I turned around, someone else was stealing your attention from me."
She lets out a little groan. "I know. There were so many times I wanted to crawl back to our rooms and just hide. Everyone's so nice but…it's a lot." She burrows against my chest, rubbing her cheek against the join of my prosthetic arm to my shoulder. "I like being alone with you."
"I thought you might like it here…more. That you'd prefer to be with a crew than alone with me," I confess. "Living in an abandoned station isn't the height of luxury."
"But it's ours," she says softly. "Or at least…it's yours. It's quiet and peaceful and we can just be ourselves."
Maybe we're more alike than I thought. I smile and wrap my arms around her. "Well, I won't bother you tonight, then. You need your sleep."
"Bother me?" She sits up, studying my face. "Do you mean sex?"
My ears get hot. "Not if you're tired—"
"First of all, Jerrok un'Rok, I'm not that tired. And second of all, sex with you is never a bother. Not ever. It's a joy." Her hand slides down to my cock. "But is it going to bother you if Sleipnir is in the room with us?"
I nip at her lower lip, unable to resist. "Is he looking our way?"
She glances over at the corner of the room, where the carinoux is sloppily and noisily mauling an old wrench. "Nope."
"Then I think we're good." I run a hand down her side, cupping her ass. "If you're good, that is."
Her eyes gleam with promise. "I am…but I should probably be on top."
69
SOPHIE
It's funny how time seems to crawl on the Jabberwock, while it flies past on Jerrok's station. Theoretically both are in space, but the difference is like night and day. It feels as if we're never, ever going to get to the Slatra system, even though Zoey assures me we're on track.
Not that I'd ever let her know how antsy I am. It's just that she hovers over the navigation like a woman obsessed. She's not sleeping much, barely eating, and I know Sentorr is worried. Zoey's response is always the same: "They'd fight tooth and nail to get me back, so I'm going to do the same for them."
Hard to argue with that logic.
The constant “sliding” is a little odd. You get used to catching your dinner bowl as it glides toward the edge of the flat table. You get used to feeling as if you're in a Tilt-A-Whirl when you close your eyes. And it definitely makes sex interesting. Last night, Jerrok paused inside me, and “slid” against my sensitive parts until I came. It was a rather…unique experience that I'm eager to repeat, but then again, all sex with Jerrok is great sex.
I just worry that the sliding is hard on my guy. As the unofficial circuit wrangler, I can't help but notice that his limbs are bothering him more and more. His wires jump more often, the feedback more intense when it does. Yesterday he had an awful headache that took hours to fade, even with a trip to med-bay. You don't have to be a genius with cybernetics to figure out that the sliding takes a toll on those with electrical parts. I noticed Iris wearing a ribbon over her eyes instead of a visor several times over the last few days. It's something similar, I suspect. I hate to see Jerrok in pain, and my new goal is to figure out a way to help him while we're stuck traveling.