Page 5 of Sevan

“Excuse me, miss, but I am no trader, nor am I a thief. Not to sound shallow here, but I tend not to agree to fuck someone until I’ve had a look at them. As shocking as it sounds, not all men stick their dicks in whatever moves. Plus, as overly romantic as this sounds, I’m the last guy you want. I’m holding out for a dream, honey, and to date, no woman can stack up to her.”

He cleared his throat, and the sound wreaked havoc on Lorelei’s body.

Lorelei cursed herself for forgetting, yet again, that her voice transmitter was on. She had a bad habit of failing to remember to deactivate it after leaving the main tower. She wanted desperately to come back with a witty comment but his voice was divine, and so familiar that she was positive she knew him somehow.

Instantly, she thought of Sevan again.

“My ship’s run into a bit of a snag and we need to work on it. If you’d be so kind as to tell your people to open the loading doors, we will be out of your hair in no time flat. I’ll require some fuel, along with the use of some of your tools. I can assure you that each one will be returned in pristine condition. Though I have wanted a new set of torch acceleration adjustors,” the man said.

It was easy to tell she’d offended him by accusing him of being a thief, even though his tone was lighthearted. Regret washed over her at the idea of hurting his feelings. Why that mattered to her, she didn’t know. But it did.

“Need I remind you that I have just initiated a code three-two-seven?” he asked. The frustration was evident in the heavy sigh that followed his comment.

Not one to fall for a sexy voice or succumb to guilt, Lorelei readied her inborn defense mechanisms. “Need I remind you that we are not part of the Commission and we do not recognize their laws? If you’re seeking Commission-friendly territory, you will not find it here. We are not a repair station. And I’ll have you know that basing the choice of having intercourse with someone off appearances places you below a lechranki worm in my book.”

“Less than a bloodsucking worm that eats its own vomit?” he asked, his voice rising slightly.

“Yes.” Lorelei grinned from ear to ear as though she were just a child again.

There was some mumbling and then she heard another male laughing. “Shut up, Jordan,” the sexy man said, his voice reminding her again of Sevan’s.

“Always good to know that you’re an arse with everyone, not just people you’re trying to sweet-talk into allowing you to dock. And in case you should need repairs this deep into space again, might I suggest you allow someone else to speak for you?”

“Listen, lady, you better check that— Ouch! Hit me again and I will toss your ass out into space, brother or not,” he said.

Lorelei laughed. “Hit him once for me, would you?”

Captain Vasil laughed and the seductive sound of it rolled over her, caressing her in places she’d never dreamed a voice could. Places she hoped he really would touch her. Shocked and a bit embarrassed by her sudden state of need, Lorelei sat up straight. “Oh my, he has a sense of humor.”

He was quiet for a moment, and Lorelei was almost sad that he had no comeback for her. Suddenly a bit panicked that she may have been too harsh, Lorelei took a deep breath and prepared to apologize to the stranger. That in itself should have tipped her off that something was amuck.

Before she could get a word out, Vasil beat her to it.

“My crew and I have had a rough go of it. We would like to clean up and get our ship fixed before heading onward. And I’m not sure we can go forward without repairs. We’re in bad shape here.” Captain Vasil was sincere. Her powers picked up on that immediately. It was a bit disheartening that he’d decided to end their back and forth, but understandable due to the serious condition his ship was in. Still, giving in to him could cost him his life. Her planet wasn’t one visitors should remain on long.

Knowing the risk he and his crew would be in if they docked here this late in the day, and were unable to leave before the suns set, didn’t sit well with her. The man may possess a sexy voice, but it would get him nowhere in life if he didn’t have his head attached to his body.

“Sorry, Alpha Brig Three, permission to dock denied. Seek assistance in the next quadrant over. Our sister planet of Margaidia is not too far from here, you probably passed it yesterday on your way here. They’ll be able to provide help. I’ll monitor your ship until it reaches the new destination. Two units will be sent up to refuel and escort you. Control tower out.”

Lorelei went to cut transmission when she heard the mysterious man on the other end sigh—again. Her gut twisted and her stomach flipped at the very sound of his breath exhaling in her earpiece. She hated giving in, but disliked the thought of never hearing that voice again. And she couldn’t shake the thoughts of her dream man from her head. The faceless voice from the man on the ship made her think of Sevan.

Am I confident enough that I can keep him safe?

Hating herself for her instant inner yes, she rolled her eyes and tossed her hands in the air. “Can you be in and out by suns set?”

There was a moment of silence followed by a low whistle. “Yes, we only need a couple of hours to get everything operational again.”

It was Lorelei’s turn to sigh. “If you promise to not cause any trouble, take full responsibility for whatever may come from docking here, and be out by suns set, then you may dock. No exceptions.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal, little lady.”

“Refer to me as little lady again and you will rot in space. Are we clear?” Lorelei bit back a tiny smirk as she envisioned the look on the man’s face.

“Yes, ma’am.”

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