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

Porter pointed at Zander, “-- pilot said he’s on our security team. Where’s O’Leery?”
    Out of the corner of her eye, Shardae saw Lee hovering close to the force field securing the entrance of his cell. A grin crossed his face, his gaze drinking in every detail. Wonderful.
    Shardae steadied the geyser of anger spewing inside her. Porter had called her authority into question. That couldn’t go unpunished. Not in front of the others and definitely not in front of the prisoners.
    “Crewman Porter,” Shardae said, voice full of ice. “Did you receive a promotion I didn’t know about?”
    Porter frowned, searching for an answer. “No, ma’am.”
    “Then I’m still chief of security,” Shardae continued, stepping forward. “That means I don’t answer to you. If you want to continue working for me, you’d best start remembering who you’re talking to and quickly.”
    Porter swallowed so loud, it echoed in the corridor. She looked Shardae in the eyes. “Yes, ma’am,” she said tightly.
    “Now, for your information, Pilot Reyes has been assigned to security…”
    “Why?” Porter rudely interjected.
    Shardae stepped closer still until she could feel the woman’s hot breath on her face. A red haze filtering from her fury drifted over everything. If Porter wanted to get her ass beat down, well, okay. Shardae snarled, “I’m not going to explain a damn thing to you. You got issues with that?”
    “Yeah, I do, ma’am,” Porter barked back, her face scrunched up in anger.
    “Talk to Commander Ashe,” Shardae said coldly. “For now though, you’re relieved of duty until further notice.”
    “What?” Porter screeched. “You can’t do that! I’m going to talk to the commander!”
    “You do that,” Shardae snarled. “Don’t forget to mention the charge of insubordination I’m bringing against you.”
    With that Porter spun on her heel and stalked down the corridor, nearly plowing into Zander.
    “Reporting for duty, ma’am,” Zander said breezily.
    “Get back to stations,” Shardae snapped before pinning her annoyance onto Zander. The rest of the team members returned to work. Hot whispers and the rumbling of conversations resumed. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Lee. He’d slunk back into his cell.
    “Follow me,” she ordered to Zander. They needed to talk -- privately.
    Seething, she led him to the security doors outside the holding cells. Only the turbo lift and camera were in the hall. Once away from the eyes of her security team, she asked Zander, “Why are you here?”
    “I’m ready to be part of the team, ma’am.”
    She tried to stay angry, but she couldn’t. He was so handsome -- cheeky bastard. The smile sprang on her face. “Eager, aren’t you, pilot?”
    He inclined his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
    The air thickened. Noise fell away when Zander spoke to her like that. It’d been driving her batty all day long. Even in sleep he taunted her with his infectious smile, his carefree manner. Her blood raced through her veins, half propelled by adrenaline with her verbal interchange with Porter. The other, enhanced by Zander’s smoking sexiness in close proximity to hers.
    “Look,” she said, ignoring his grin. “It’s been a long day for you -- being new to the vessel.”
    “Ma’am?”
    “Go back to your quarters. Rest, eat, relax.”
    Zander nodded, but his rigid stance told her he didn’t want to go.
    “Go on, Reyes. You’ll have plenty to do tomorrow.”
    His eyes met hers. The thin tingle in her pussy beat faster, making her wet with want. “Can you come with me?” His voice was so low the corridor’s security monitors wouldn’t pick them up.
    “What?” she hissed. He did not just ask her that!
    “Coffee and bagel,” he said, his eyes locked on hers.
    “I -- I -- that wouldn’t be appropriate,” she choked around the rising regret in her throat. She fled back into the console’s cube. Running away from Zander, away from the heat he