Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
The small group of men coming toward me now looks like one of the many action-oriented teams who have literally no role on a ship that is simply cruising. A lot of the ship’s space is dedicated to virtual training for these people who will have a lot to do when we land somewhere, but nothing whatsoever to do in the meantime.
They go past me and I assume everything is fine. Then I hear a voice, and a name.
“Muffy?”
I stop.
Fuck. That was a mistake. Keep going. Don’t look. It’s too late. I’ve turned around and I am looking.
It’s him.
It’s fucking him.
I look down immediately, and scurry the hell away, my heart pounding. I never considered for a moment I’d run into anyone I knew.
What the hell is Thor doing on this ship?
I look around for a way to disappear. A fucking door. Another hallway. Anything. But as terrible luck would have it, I am stuck in a featureless connecting corridor, and Thor catches up with me almost immediately.
“I didn’t know you were assigned to this expedition!” He’s beaming. He’s happy to see me. Fuck me. Of course he has no idea I’m not supposed to be here, that I crept on board and am using this whole thing as a kind of runaway vessel. That would be an absolutely outrageous thing to have done.
I should be happy too. I force a smile to my face.
“Yeah,” I say. “Well, we didn’t really do much talking when we met the first time, did we? You didn’t tell me you were on this expedition either.”
He snorts. “No, I guess not.”
“I can’t talk now either,” I say. “I’ve been called to a spill.”
“I’m just so happy to see you, Selene,” he says. “After I left the hospital, I wanted to contact you, but they couldn’t give your details. I mean, I know who you are, of course. But they couldn’t tell me where you went, and I was due to deploy shortly, so…”
I feel a little jolt when he uses my real name. But of course he knows my name isn’t Muffy. He met me when the family home of one of the founders of Weltheim burned down and I was obviously the youngest daughter.
Fuck. Have other people recognized me? Probably not. We’re not famous like that. We don’t do media, not since I was a little kid. When my father died it was a big deal, but it wasn’t about me.
“I’m trying to stay out of the way,” I say. “I don’t think we should see each other. I don’t want to draw command attention. They’re already doing so many seminars on not screwing the crew.”
He smirks at me and I feel my tummy flutter as I consider that maybe he somehow knows I’m doing something wrong. Then I think a little harder, and realize whatever he might think I am doing wrong, it’s probably not nearly as bad as what I’m actually doing wrong.
Maybe I don’t need to worry about this. It might actually give me some legitimacy on the ship to have connections.
“I’m glad you are here,” he says. “That’s exciting. We should catch up later. Would you like to come to dinner tonight? My quarters have a small dining room.”
“Wow!” I say. “Fancy.”
“Comes with the job,” he says. “I’m the emergency response captain.”
“Wow,” I say again, suitably and deeply impressed. It takes a lot to be made department captain on a ship like this. It means he is in charge of everyone in his department, and I guess the whole ship if and when emergencies were to arise.
In Weltheim, my family was kind of a big deal. Here, I’m literally nobody, and Thor has the power.
“Remember to wear your ID,” he says. “You’re missing yours.”
“Sorry, sir,” I say, grinning in that unrepentant way men love because it sounds sexual. In this case it is.
“Floor 3, Cabin C-13,” he says. “I’ll see you there in two hours for dinner.”
Dinner.
That sounds amazing. I haven’t had many full or proper meals since I got onto the ship. I don’t have a pass for the canteen. I can get stuff like leftovers sometimes, and occasionally I get the gall up to just walk in and grab a plate, but part of staying under the radar is not getting to eat that well.
Hell, if I sleep with him again, I’ll have somewhere to spend the night.
The more I think about it, the more I can’t believe my luck. I have been napping in various discreet locations because of course I don’t have an assigned bunk.
He doesn’t know how much I need him, but I can feel how much he wants me.
“I thought we weren’t supposed to fraternize,” I say.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” he smirks back at me.
“Rebellious,” I say, swishing my sonic mop around in what I hope is a coquettish and alluring way.