Page 39 of Slavic

“Wehave a problem,Slavic.”

“Whatthe frack now?”

“Theasteroid’s surface is uneven and afterIplaced and anchored us down,Inoticed the open hatch of the fuel cells is extremely close to the asteroid’s surface.Iam not sure you can fit under the ship to do repairs.”

“Canyou readjust the ship?”

“Notwithout the unattached material giving our location away.”

“Murgulis the only one slightly slimmer and you know there is no getting him in a suit.”Slavicputs his head down and closes his eyes, andIhave no idea why, butIblurt out, “I’lldo it.”

“No.”Hisresponse is instantaneous.

“Why?Ifit the size requirement andI’mpretty handy to have around when it comes to tools.Justshow me whatIneed to do and help me do it.”

“No, we will fight them if need be.”

“Slavic, you’re just being dumb right now.Canyou give me a good reason as to whyIcan’t be the one to do this?”

“Isaid no.”

“Okbuddy, you’re going to learn real fast that shit like that doesn’t work with me, so we’re going to nip that in the butt right now.”Lookingpast his glowering frame to the other two in the roomIask, “Doyou guys have any other options or objections?”

Slavicpractically roars whenBikaropens his mouth. “Eitherof you say a word andIwill personally throw you out the airlock.”

“Ughh, men!Whatthe hell is the deal?Look,Idon’t wanna damage your ego volunteering or to die out there.So, pull your big boy pants up and let’s fix this thing.Isthere a reason we can’t go together?Imean,I’venever walked in space, butI’veseen it onTVand it looked pretty terrifying.I’mtotally ok with some backup or even an extra rope in caseIstart floating off into the wild blue yonder.”

Fora minute,Ithink he’s just going to argue with me some more.Idon’t know who’s more shocked, me or the other two inthe room.Heturns towardFalon, “Willshe be strong enough to use the sealant needed to secure the hatch?”

“Absolutely, the seal is only temporary, and the hull repair can be applied anywhere in all atmospheres.Ifshe can push the nozzle down while keeping the hatch in place,Isee no reasons why she cannot.”

“Bikar, will our suits reduce down enough to seal her in properly?”

“Wewill simply have to seeSlavic, but they are self-adjusting.”

Slavicturns all that aggression and worry toward me asIsit here in this enormous chair, swinging my legs back and forth likeIdon’t have a care in the world. “Youwill do everythingIsay, without question.”

“That’skinda self-explanatory, grumpy ass.”

BeforeIcan move, he’s leaning over me, pinning me to the seat.Hismassive frame pushes me back as his lips crash down on mine.Largehands surround my face as he holds me still, his kiss stealing all reason or thought from my mind.Gaspingfor breath, his tongue invades my mouth, andIpractically melt on the spot as our tongues twirl together.

Asnort from behind us hasSlavicreleasing me, andIcan’t help but smile as he moves away.Nevertaking his eyes off me, he holds his hand out to help me up.Puttingmy much smaller one in his enormous one, he pulls me up effortlessly, then motions toward the door.Myfirst step is a little unsteady and whenIlook up, he has a smirk on his face because he knows he’s the cause.

Somewhatin a daze,Ifind myself standing outside what looks like a closet withSlavicpulling things out like a madman.Aftera few minutes, he turns, holding a huge amount of stuff in his arms. “Come,Ineed to make sure these will adjust enough to protect you properly.”

Onceagain,I’mled inside a room that looks like it’s straight off aSci-fi movie, big ass door and everything. “Strip.”

“What?”

“Youcannot have anything on between your skin and the suit.Itconfuses the sensors on the inside.”

“Well, this is an original one liner for sure.You’revery creative when it comes to ways of getting me naked,Isee.”

“Littlefemale.”

“Yeah, yeah, …Iknow the routine: you don’t have to be so grumpy.Couldyou turn around or something.Imean,Iknow you’ve seen everything, but that wasn’t my choice the first time.”

“Nope, you are mine to look at, andIwill.”

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