Save for Shardae by RaeLynn Blue Read Free Book Online Page A

Just one little nibble of her delectable lips was all he requested from the known universe, just one swipe of his lips across the soft canvas of hers.
    “Slow your approach,” she ordered with a push backward.
    He nodded. “You keep tempting me.”
    She frowned at him. “I’m going to ignore that. Listen, keep your mind on the tasks before you. Not what’s behind me.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    She laughed. It made him feel incredibly high -- like the first time he flew a spacecraft. “You’re not what I expected.” Pushing herself off the wall, heading toward the turbo lift, she added, “That last notwithstanding.”
    He walked beside her because she kept talking to him. Could this last? This light, airy chitchat? He wanted the moment to extend forever, but laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.
    “You believe I’m a womanizing jerk. That’s what you expected.”
    Some of his annoyance must’ve seeped out because she gave him a funny look. Like before, the expression vanished before he could pin it down.
    “Honestly, yeah, I expected, well, never mind,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “Just get down to medical. Get your meds. Stein has your orders.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he said, unable to halt the large smile on his face.

 
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
    Shardae hated the wobble in her voice, but whenever Zander fixed those bedroom eyes on her, her stomach melted. She watched him trot up the stairs toward medical with her heart pounding. Yeah, she’d played it casual, but inside she went spastic. Did he just try to kiss her? Was he mad? Was she mad, because she’d wanted him to?
    Clutching her stunner’s handle centered her. She made her feet walk away from the stairs, away from Zander and away from the temptation he extended. Did he operate like that all the time? Her belly had dropped when she’d spied him with Porter. The red-haired woman’s body language told everyone in the café that she was available.
    Zander’s blatant rejection had nearly caused the hot-tempered Porter to knock him one. Porter had been in disciplinary trouble in the past. Shardae couldn’t say she liked her. Her making moves on Zander didn’t sit well either.
    Her comm buzzed in her ear. Before she could answer, Private Tate said, “You’re needed at the brig.”
    “I’ll be right there.” She hurried down the corridor and thrust her hand between the almost closed doors of the turbo lift. Four men stood shoulder to shoulder in a half-arc of masculinity. All worked in Engineering, including Lieutenant Mackerel. Automatically, she clenched her teeth to the razzing she knew he’d subject her too. One of Shardae’s casual acquaintances, Vivian Ortega, hinted the 6' 3" Mackerel had a crush on Shardae, hence the constant teasing.
    “There she be!” Mackerel’s deep and rich voice announced -- like the other three couldn’t see her. “The guardian of our safety.”
    “Or the means to our demise,” chimed another engineer.
    The other men in the lift broke into muffled snickering.
    Shardae let it unfurl for a few minutes before saying over her shoulder, “There’s a reason why engineers aren’t funny.”
    “Oh yeah, why’s that?” Mackerel asked, a smile on his lips.
    “You.”
    The doors opened just in time for her to escape. The eruption of bolder chuckles filled the compartment. She smiled. Nice to be able to ruffle the engineers’ feathers.
    Her good mood crumbled when she reached the outer doors to the brig. She headed in with her head abuzz with possible issues but stopped at the control box, a rectangular glass-encased room that contained the control panel -- one of the two security consoles to the brig.
    The prisoners weren’t acting as though they were about to spend the rest of their lives doing hard labor, but none of her staff had any evidence of plans to escape.
    “Sergeant Simmons!” called a frantic voice from behind her.
    Private Porter stalked toward her, Zander behind her. “This, this --”