Her stomach grumbled again. She’d done an about-face and missed lunch when she’d heard Kayehalau talking in the galley with Caph earlier.
She tentatively reached out for the cookie she’d nibbled on and took another bite. “They are good cookies,” she said.
“He knows you’re nervous around him. We explained the bare-bones basics about what we went through in the sim and on Kal’moran, and that it could be coloring your attitude. Also, about how your empath sensitivity sometimes makes situations uncomfortable for you. He understands. He’s really a nice guy.”
She slowly chewed the cookie as she glared at him. “You on his payroll now or what?”
“No, I just want you happy. Every time you’re out of this room or our quarters it’s like you’re looking over your shoulder. He’s trying to be nice to you.”
“Yeah, well, tell him to lay off. I’d prefer he not hunt me down every time I try to go to the hydro lab. It wigs me out that I’m always bumping into him. Aaron said he’d give the dude orders to stay away from me.”
“I’ll ask Aaron to have another talk with him. I’m sure he’s not doing it on purpose.” He put on the sad puppy dog eyes. “Please, babe?”
“All right, fine. I’ll try harder.” She suppressed an involuntary shiver, but she reached out for another cookie after finishing the first one. “See? Tell him I said they’re yummalicious.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, babe.”
“Yeah, well, count it as me attempting to be nice.” She took another bite. “It’s all you’re going to get for now.”
Chapter Eight
By the end of Kayehalau’s second week on board the Bight, Emi found herself indulging in fantasies of sending him out an air lock, or forgetting him on a planet’s surface.
She also didn’t like that even though he was chipped, she couldn’t effortlessly track his movements throughout the ship like she could her men. She had to use one of the ship’s scanners to find him. Even when they emerged from the jump to take up orbit around the planet where Kayehalau would test his equipment, the ominous feeling didn’t abate.
Answers that question. It meant it was Kayehalau and not the jump drive.
As the days passed, Emi grew more resentful of not being able to be herself in what she considered her home. She also hated that in the nearly three weeks since Kayehalau joined their crew, she’d apparently lost her sense of equilibrium on board. She felt scattered, on edge. There were even some nights she lay in bed and it felt as if the darkness hovered in the corridor on the other side of their door.
As if it were stalking her.
As if he were stalking her.
It doesn’t make sense. The scientist tried to maintain her calm. The empath, however, wanted to run, screaming, for safety.
She tried to put all that aside in the name of science and following orders. That didn’t end the war between her two selves, which seemed determined to destroy each other at the sake of her own sanity.
One day, Kayehalau had spent the entire day down in the cargo area working on his equipment and doing tests. Emi had enough of a respite from trying to shield herself from the nasty feelings she got round him that she almost felt playful.
At dinnertime, Aaron and Ford were in the galley cooking while Caph stood watch on the bridge. Emi wandered into the galley and wrapped her arms around Aaron’s waist from behind.
He looked over his shoulder at her and noted her smile. “You look like you’re feeling good.”
“I wouldn’t say good. Better. At least for today.” She stood on tiptoe and nibbled on the back of his neck.
“Ooh, I think someone’s feeling frisky, he says hopefully,” Ford teased.
“Yeah, actually, I am.” She ground her hips against Aaron’s ass. She hadn’t felt like making love with them in over two weeks, usually curling around a pillow and simply watching despite them gently trying to get her interest.
Ford finished chopping potatoes and dumped them in a pot of boiling water to cook. Then he wiped his hands and grabbed her, pulling her to him and running his hands up under her shirt. “Well, what do you know about that?”
He kicked a chair out from under the table and sat in it, pulling her onto his lap, facing him. He pushed her shirt up and pulled it off over her head. He let it fall to the floor and cupped her breasts through her bra. “Hello, buddies. I’ve missed you.”
She giggled and threw her arms around his neck. He freed both her breasts and bent his lips first to one, then the other, sucking on her nipples and drawing them into tight peaks.
Aaron put the casserole he’d been assembling into the oven and walked over to stand behind them and join them. She looked up at him as he pressed in behind her and gathered her hair in one hand.
“Hi, Cap.”
Aaron smiled down at her. “Now you’ve gone and got me all horny. You realize that, right?”
“I hope so.” A sudden darkness flitted across her mind, but she shoved it away. She didn’t want to think about Kayehalau right then. “Getting you horny was kind of my plan.”
“Mmm, I love a woman with a plan,” Ford mumbled around one of her breasts.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Ford,” Aaron chastised. He tipped her head back so she could feel his hard erection through his trousers. “You feel like taking care of that, too?”
“Of course I do.”
Aaron prompted her to stand, disappointing the hell out of Ford.
This was something else she’d missed, their playfulness with her and with each other.
I haven’t been good company lately.
For that she did feel guilty. Determined to try to make it up to them a little, she started doing a sexy striptease for them, working on her bra, removing it, and dropping it in Ford’s lap. Then she kicked off her shoes and started unfastening her uniform trousers, sliding them down over her hips until they lay in a puddle on the floor, and she was left standing there in her panties and socks.
Another wave of darkness, thicker than the last, tried to push in. She pushed back just as hard and hooked a thumb into the waistband of her panties. She turned her back to her men and was about to pull her panties all the way down when an overwhelming darkness pressed in. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Kayehalau walking toward the other doorway.
With a terrified shriek, and before her men could question her, she bolted out of the galley and to their quarters, where she locked herself in, Ford and Aaron calling after her.
Confused at first, Aaron fought back a wave of irritation and anger when Ford scooped up her clothes and followed Emi back to their quarters. He waited until Ford was out of earshot to turn on Kayehalau.
“No offense, but you have really bad timing.”
The F’ahrkay stood there, his expression never changing from calm serenity. “I beg your pardon, Aaron?”
Aaron blew out an aggravated breath. “Nothing. Never mind. What did you want?”
“I came up to see if I could be of assistance preparing the evening meal.”
He started to say something when Ford returned, looking sad. He caught Aaron’s eye and shook his head.
Fuck.
“Look, we appreciate you wanting to help, but it’s not necessary.”
“Did I hear Dr. Hypatia in here earlier?”
“Yes, you did. It’s nothing personal, but she’s a trained empath. Whether it’s something she’s picking up from the equipment, or because she’s not used to dealing with a F’ahrkay, or whatever it is, she is extremely uncomfortable around you.”