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How in the hell had he beaten me to class? I’d left before him. Hell, the last time I’d seen him, he’d been butt-ass naked and in no hurry to go anywhere. But as Houdini spotted me and called me over, Solo looked my way, raised his arm, and tapped on his watch.
Smartass fucker. What’d he do, beam himself up?
“’Bout time you showed your ugly mug around here,” Houdini said as I slid in behind my desk. “You’re not usually late. Everything all right?”
With Solo no doubt listening over my shoulder, there was no way in hell I was about to say no. Instead, I nodded at Houdini and pulled out my binder.
“Everything’s fine. Just slept through my alarm, that’s all.”
Houdini scoffed. “That’s all? What, you have a late night or somethin’?”
“Just couldn’t sleep. Drop it.”
From over my shoulder, I felt a breeze ruffle the back of my neck, and then Gucci chimed in, “Scared to go up against the commander, huh?”
I glanced back at Solo’s sidekick and arched an eyebrow. “Do I look scared to you?”
My droll tone made Gucci sit back in his seat, and when he did, my eyes caught on Solo, who was watching me closely while twirling a pen through his fingers. Fingers that had been inside me just last night.
Shit. Don’t think about that.
“I don’t think he’s scared, Gooch. But maybe something else kept him up last night.”
I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but I could’ve sworn Solo added extra emphasis to the word up.
Solo looked at me and said, “There’s only one reason I’d show up late for a hop against the commander, and he sure as fuck better be worth the ass kicking I’d get.”
That mouth of his. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to punch him in it or fuck it senseless. Actually, yes, I did, but thinking about that now wasn’t going to do me any damn good. So I turned back to my binder and took great interest in the words written there.
What they said was anyone’s guess.
“All right, is everyone here?” Commander Levy asked as he walked through the door and headed toward the front of the room, and when he spotted me, he gave a clipped nod. “Nice of you to join us, Lieutenant Hughes.”
What the hell? I hadn’t been late. Guess he’d stuck his head in early. Great, today was starting off fucking stellar.
“As you all know, today’s the day you get to show me what you’ve got. We’re two weeks in, and I want to see if you’ve been paying attention in here and learning anything up there.”
Where usually someone would have something arrogant or cocky to say about the hop ahead and how they’d crush it, no one dared to presume they could, or would, beat Commander Levy.
Although I was pretty sure I knew a certain someone who figured he could win against anyone he was up in the sky against—or die trying.
“I assume you’ve all studied today’s flight and what’s expected of you. Fly smart, clean, and safe. Nobody is looking for a hero up there.” The commander looked around the room, and then his eyes zeroed in on Solo. “There are no medals for being the biggest badass in the sky today, got it? Because that medal is already taken—by me. So go gear up and meet me in the hangar. Panther? You’ll be up first, since you showed up last. Don’t make me wait a second time today.”
As Commander Levy marched out of the room, the rest of the trainees turned on me, unable to resist the shit talking that was synonymous with this job.
“Wouldn’t want to be you today,” Whiplash said, as she passed me by and headed toward the female lockers. “Sure hope Solo was right and she was worth it. Because Levy is on a mission with you.”
A snicker sounded from behind me as I walked into the locker room, and then Solo said, “Yeah. Sure hope she was worth it.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond, because the room was full, and what I wanted to say wasn’t something that needed to be overheard. Instead, I quickly changed into my flight suit and then headed to the bay to gear up, eager and ready to get back in the cockpit and prove myself.
As I passed the viewing area on the way to the hangar, Solo sidled up beside me, his voice low enough for only my ears.
“So. Was I worth it?”
A snort escaped me as I shook my head.
“No? Well, shit. That’s a first.”
“I didn’t say no.”
“You didn’t say yes.”
I stopped and faced him, getting an eyeful of those pouty lips. “Pretty sure coming all over you this morning was a yes.”
Solo’s mouth fell open, and as I backed away, I shot him a wink and then headed toward the hangar for another ride in the sky.
