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Next thing she knew, her feet were dangling in the air. Using one arm around her waist, Therak easily lifted her off the ramp and deposited her a few steps back.
“I go first, Miya. Always.”
“Of course. Do your thing, I’ll wait here.” He didn’t have to move her around like a chess piece to stop her from entering, but Miya was already getting used to his hands-on methods, so she didn’t comment on it.
Truth be told, she was getting a taste for being manhandled. Or, since in the past such behavior had made her brandish her wrench, it was more accurate to say she was getting a taste for being Therak-handled.
While she waited for him this time around, she didn’t have time to start panicking because Therak gave the all-clear in less than a minute. Which was not surprising, considering the size of the single space in this shuttle model.
Space Miya could not see because it was pitch black inside. Two steps into the shuttle, and she felt completely disoriented.
“Lights on.”
No reaction from the onboard AI.
“Computer, activate lights.”
Miya might as well be talking to herself.
“Computer, turn the illumination on.”
Nope, still dark.
“Is something wrong with the shuttle?” came from right behind her.
Miya squeaked. “Dang it, Therak! You’ll give me a heart attack! Make some noise when you move next time for the poor-of-hearing human, will you?”
“Noted.” He was so close that when he spoke, Miya felt his breath tickle the side of her neck. “Now, why isn’t the computer responding?”
It took her several seconds to get her heart rate under control. Not only because he had startled her, but also because the powerful effect his voice had on her was even stronger when she had only her sense of hearing to rely on.
Therak had chosen his profession wrong: selling recordings of his voice in one system alone would have made him filthy rich in no time. And left all his listeners satisfied and in need of fresh panties.
Miya cleared her throat. “The only explanation I have is that the onboard AI is off, which means there isn’t enough juice to keep the equipment running–” She felt like face-palming herself. “Of course there isn’t enough power! Sheesh, could I be a bigger idiot?”
“You’re no idiot, Miya,” he said firmly, sending a pleasant shiver down her back. “Why isn’t there power?”
“The shuttle runs on energy cells that need to be recharged regularly, be the spacecraft in use or not. Given how the station smelled like the ventilation hasn’t been working for weeks–”
“Two months, if not three. The blood was months old too.”
“Really? Wow… So, it’s safe to assume the shuttle has been left unattended long enough for the energy cells to go dry.”
“The shuttle cannot fly, then.” For the first time, Miya heard concern in his tone.
“No, no, it can!” she hastily explained. She kept forgetting not everyone understood her pilot terms. “The cells are not dead, simply low on juice. The shuttle will take us off of here, simply not right away.”
“When?”
“I’ll know once I’ve plugged the energy cells into the charger. Since they’re under the hull, the charging equipment should be below us. It’s usually a thick cable running under the floor that transmits energy generated by solar panels.”
“Excellent. Let us see the charger.” A hand on the back of her neck guided her toward the exit.
Warmth spread downward from his touch, and Miya found herself leaning into his hand. Apparently, her libido didn’t care about the situation still being dangerous. All that mattered was that she had a virile male beside her with impressive goods on display. Impressive skills too. His protectiveness and gentle touches were only adding fuel to the fire.
The fact that her life was on the line might actually be making her cravings worse. Pushing her toward enjoying what was left of her time in the world of the living. Because had she met Therak on the station, she would have gotten to know him a bit better through several dates before jumping his bones.
Oh, who was Miya kidding? The physical pull she felt toward him was unlike anything she had felt before. It was so off the charts that even under normal circumstances, she would have climbed him like a tree after a single date. Provided he was interested, of course.
