Seducing Stag Read online

  The lift opened for him since it was motion-sensor controlled. He entered Control seconds later. “Status?”

  Veller rose from his command seat, stepping aside. “It’s good to see you recovered.”

  “Take the chair. I am here to get an update.”

  Veller frowned.

  “I’m offline. I can’t link to our ship. You can. The hull patch?”

  “Complete. No additional damage. You almost had it melded on when the incident occurred.”

  He didn’t want to think about when his suit had been pierced. It had been traumatic. He’d survived, and that was all that mattered. “Any other problems?”

  “None. We’re just watching the countdown until we try to leave the dead zone.”

  “Display it for me.”

  Veller sat back down and placed his hand on the pad at the chair. Stag wished he could do that. The front monitor came on and showed how much time remained.

  “We’ve seen no other signs of thrusters. No other bombs attached except to the one solar panel that blew.”

  “Good.”

  “We’re in a safe sector until we move. They would have been drawn to our hull if any were within range. We kept an eye on the unaffected solar panels as they drifted outward, until we lost visuals on them. They remained intact.”

  “You didn’t use exterior lights to track the panels, did you?”

  Veller shook his head. “No light sources. I remembered your orders. Were your implants damaged?”

  “I can’t be certain until they are online again.”

  “That must be difficult.”

  He met Veller’s direct stare. “It is.”

  “I imagine it would be like losing a limb. Is it?”

  Stag’s patience came to an end. “Why your curiosity?”

  Veller slid his gaze away. “I apologize.”

  Stag was tempted to return to his quarters and avoid the rest of the crew until he was back to standard, but that would mean spending time with Nala. He took a seat at coms. “Crew status?”

  “Hellion and Parqel are doing routine maintenance. Kelis and Yammer just went off shift and are sleeping. Maze is currently in your quarters.”

  “Two men should always be in Control at all times. You know the rules.”

  “Maze was called away by the Earther. You’re here now.”

  But I’m useless. Stag refused to share that information. “Get Maze back here.”

  “Contacting him now.” He paused. “He’s on his way.”

  Stag fisted his hands in his lap and looked at the dark space being displayed on the pads. He could watch for lights. He didn’t need his cybernetics for that.

  Maze returned for shift duty within minutes. He took a seat at the weapons station and glanced at Stag. “Would you allow me to scan you?”

  “I’m fine. How long will I be offline?”

  “Your systems should reboot soon.”

  “Why did this happen?” He was furious that he couldn’t access parts of himself. He kept trying but they didn’t respond.

  “You suffered heart failure. It was better to shut everything down than risk parts being damaged by the electrical current it took to bring you back.”

  “Understood.”

  “Nala refused to allow me to scan her. I did insist on looking at the injury.”

  He didn’t like the medic seeing Nala without her shirt. “Conclusion?” He hated that he’d hurt her, even if he hadn’t been aware of doing it. There was no honor in harming someone so weak. She was little and fragile.

  “It will heal. She said she had no pain from moving her arms or taking deep breaths. It’s doubtful any bones were broken. It’s just soft tissue damage. I’d still like to scan her.”

  “Leave her alone for now.” Stag just wished he could stop thinking about her. An image flashed inside his mind of her head bent, her mouth suckling at his nipple. He’d never experienced anything like it—or what happened after.

  His cock began to respond and he shifted in the chair, focusing on the pad. It had to be because he’d been vulnerable without his implants. He couldn’t mute any of his responses to her. “Right now we have more important things to deal with.”

  He’d avoid Nala until he was completely in control of his emotions and physical responses again, and forget all about what had happened on his bed. That was the best course of action to take. He’d nearly died, after all, and had woken disorientated. That had to be why he’d allowed her to get to him.

  No Earther would get the best of him. They were deceitful, and males who fell under their seduction were naïve. Stag wasn’t.

  * * * * *

  Nala woke when the door opened and Stag entered. He didn’t spare her a glance as he began to remove his boots. He stored them in one of the touch drawers that slid back into the wall when he was done. He entered the cleansing unit next.

  “So we’re ignoring each other?” She sighed, lay back down, but scooted to the wall to make room for him when the cleansing unit went off. She drifted back to sleep until he spoke.

  “Did you eat?”

  She rolled over, opening her eyes. He’d dimmed the lights and only wore a pair of shorts. Memories of him without them surfaced, but she tried to wipe that from her mind. “Yes. Maze not only brought me dinner but gave me a shot to help speed up healing.”

  “How is your back?”

  “Fine. How was your shift?”

  He turned away, crossed the room and stretched his arm up. She knew that drawer—and it pissed her off as he opened it and withdrew the belts.

  “No way. Nope.”

  He gazed back at her. “What?”

  “You’re not restraining me so you can sleep. Give me a break.”

  “It’s a requirement.”

  “Fuck you.” She rolled onto her side, back to him, and curled her arms to her chest. “I could have killed you when you were helpless. I didn’t. You should seek treatment for your paranoia, if cyborgs have therapists. You’re a mental case, Stag.”

  The bed dipped. “Give me your wrists.”

  She curled into a tighter ball. “I should have smothered you with your pillow when I had the chance.”

  “Nala,” he warned. “Wrists. Now.”

  She was tempted to flip him off but he had fast reflexes. He might grab her hand if she exposed it to him. “Good night. I’m going back to sleep now.”

  “Don’t make me force you.”

  She turned a little more, pulling her arms inside her shirt and pressing them against her skin. “Sleeping now. Go somewhere else if you can’t trust me.”

  “You’re acting childish.”

  “And you’re acting like an unreasonable ass.”

  He surprised her when he gripped her waist and rolled her flat onto her back, straddling her in a heartbeat. He sat on her hips with his spread thighs pinning her in place, but kept most of his weight off. She glared up at him as he noticed what she’d done. Her arms were still curled tight to her chest, under her shirt. He frowned.

  “Stop being a control freak. Get off me.”

  “Wrists.” He had the restraints thrown over his bare shoulder, the other one still bandaged.

  “No.”

  He gripped the lower edge of her shirt and tugged it up a little, revealing inches of her stomach. He paused, staring at it. “Wrists,” he rasped. “Or I’ll be forced to find them myself.”

  “Let me help you with that.” He was going to win in a physical contest. She lifted her shirt, shoving it up and over her head, then crossed her arms again, curling her hands between her breasts. “There.”

  He stared at her chest. Her breasts were pushed up by her arms, exposed. A muscle flexed near his mouth but he didn’t move.

  “Just grab them. Go ahead.”

  He held very still.

  “My wrists…to be clear.”

  His gaze lifted and he reached for the restraints. She tensed. He was going to force her arms up and tie her to the top of the bunk again