Free Save for Shardae by RaeLynn Blue Page B

calm, usually laidback demeanor. But now, now he could start calming the angry sea inside him.
    “Hello, sunshine,” he said, and nearly choked on the swell of emotions in his throat. He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re awake. Dr. Raja says you can leave today.”
    She licked her lips and attempted to talk. Nothing came out the first three or four tries, but he fetched her water. When he handed her the cup, she gulped it down in big swallows, draining it of its contents.
    “Good,” she said.
    “The water or the news?” he asked with a short laugh. She cast him a warning glance. He laughed harder. “Yes, you’re better.”
    So feisty and self-assured -- traits he found intoxicating. The combination made her both volatile and strangely fun. He never knew what Shardae would do next. He liked that a lot about her.
    “Ah, Sergeant Simmons,” Dr. Raja said, “you’re good to go.”
    She pushed herself up to a sitting position. Rubbing her face, she swooned a bit to the right. She shook off Zander’s hand from hers and struggled to get herself together. He knew she didn’t want to appear weak in front of the doctor, well, in front of anyone. At least that’s what he told himself as he tried not to grab her hand and force the touching.
    He’d been so worried about her. In that moment, he recalled how Mackerel’s face tightened in anxious worry before they moved her from the hologram floor. He’d roared at Mackerel, at the two young medics, at everything and everyone to get Shardae to medical because if she died, he would slay all of them.
    Beneath the paper thin blanket, Shardae had on a black tank top and her uniform bottoms. The tank top revealed her strong arms, muscular but not masculine. He wanted to kiss the sculpted arcs of her biceps, down her firm forearms. His cock twitched in agreement. Only kissing her wouldn’t do. He wanted much more than that -- he wanted to consume all of her until Sergeant Shardae Simmons became a part of him.
    He took her in again, allowing his eyes to sweep over her. The tank top clung to the full swell of her breasts. Tight diamond-tipped nipples poked through the fabric. They taunted him, begging to be free of the cloth, to be in between his wet lips, feeling his tongue flick them into pleasure, suckle them in passion.
    “It’s good to see you awake,” he said, his voice husky with emotions.
    “Thank you.” She took a deep breath. She reached for her earpiece from the shelf beside her bed. She slung it over her right ear and met his eyes at last. “You stayed with me.”
    “Yes.”
    “How long have I been here?” she asked, her eyes sliding back to Dr. Raja.
    Zander couldn’t tell her how pissed and furious he’d been when they finally got her into the medical bay. “Long enough.”

 
     
     
    Chapter 12
     
    Dr. Raja gave a little shrug. “You’re cleared to start the morning shift at 0600.”
    Shardae nodded, but she didn’t want to walk out of there blind. She’d lost too much time already. Her body felt disjointed and surreal, like it didn’t belong to her. Her mouth tasted like dirt and gravel-encrusted paste. What had happened to her?
    Something wiggled in the rear of her brain, something she had thought moments before she passed out. It escaped her attempts to bring it to the forefront.
    “The good pilot will escort you to your quarters,” he said, mischief in his grin. “Listen to me, little stubborn sergeant. Food. Eat lots of it.”
    Zander held out his hand. “You ready, ma’am? This sliver of foam can’t be comfortable.”
    They seemed very eager to get her out of medical. Warnings came alive in her mind. So many questions; she needed answers like right now. “Wait, Dr. Raja,” she said, her voice still rusty from disuse. “What day it is? What happened?”
    Her eyes flitted again to Zander’s face before swinging back to Raja. No doubt about it. They hadn’t wanted her to ask that question. As chief of security, she had to ask