Free Light of Kaska by Michelle O'Leary Page B

did you know I didn’t like being called Suki?”
    He looked down. In belated awareness, she snatched her hands back from his chest and grabbed the bulkhead to move away from him, breaking his hold. “It was in your face,” he said in a bland tone, brushing the wrap away and turning toward the pilot seat.
    Sukeza felt a frown crease her forehead. Just what exactly had he seen in her face to give him that impression? What made him chose that nickname? It gave her a warm feeling to hear the private endearment again, which was not healthy or wise when confined with a prowling male animal. She also wondered how he could be acting so calm when she was very sure he’d just been contemplating gobbling her up like a snack. Well, she had sort of thrown herself at him unintentionally. Maybe she’d interrupted a hot dream and got the backdraft from it, the fire fading when he realized she was a far cry from his dream vixen.
    I should be relieved he decided against pouncing,
she thought, and she was—her heart was still racing along with that prey-animal flight response. But a small corner of her felt dim disappointment.
Stupid,
she berated herself.
Like he’d ever choose you. Even if he did, you’d be too busy running to enjoy it.

    She rubbed her hand against her hip absently, trying to get rid of the lingering sensation of heated muscle. Wondering when he was going to put on his shirt, she asked, “So where is this place we’re headed?”

    “Nowhere you’d recognize, farm girl,” he answered with that trace of ironic humor, his back to her while he ran his hands over the controls. “Very far away from any Exchange and just about in the middle of un-civilization.”

    “But you’ve been there before?” She kept her tone neutral, trying not to be insulted by his assumption of her ignorance. She
was
ignorant of most of the Galactic Spread.

    “Yeah. Un-civilization is where guys like me live and breathe.”

    At that dry statement, she grimaced at his smooth back. “The place has a name, though, doesn’t it?”

    He shot her a dark, unreadable look over his shoulder. Her heart gave a little sideways jump while a shiver ran down her spine.

    “Names can get a person in a shit-load of trouble. How ‘bout we just call it the place that’ll get you where you need to go.”

    “Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue,” she muttered, earning a snort from him. She shifted uneasily, wondering why he was being so evasive. Maybe he was having second thoughts about getting her home. Or maybe he’d never had any intention of letting her go. With hesitant persistence, she asked, “Is it some sort of secret base?”

    “This ain’t some operatic, farm girl. It’s just a hole in the ass end of the galaxy, but these people are gonna help you if I ask nice and I don’t want you putting them in the line of fire if some badge asks you for your story.”

    “Oh.” She felt a flush work its way up her throat and over her cheeks. “Right. That’s—a good point.”

    His night wrap drifted against her legs, and she busied herself collecting it and tying it out of the way against the hull. The billowing material puffed little clouds of his scent to her, a dark spice that screamed
dangerous male animal.
It caused her breath to stutter in her chest and made her movements clumsy.

    When she was done, she kicked across the cabin to repeat the process with her own wrap, keeping her gaze carefully away from him. “You—you said it was ten days out?”

    “Yeah, but it’ll go in a flash. We’ll hit hiber-sleep after breakfast and be there before you know it.”

    She felt a protest rise in her throat and swallowed it hastily. What was she thinking? The less time spent in his company the better. She was not the type of woman who handled danger well—the exact opposite actually—and Stryker was dangerous in so many ways that it boggled the mind. Just because he made her body sit up and beg… She considered the residual heat