anything, you’re on my
side.”
Josh said nothing as he sat down and shifted his
shoulders about.
Rather than have his big arms brush up against her,
she pulled herself closer to the right to get away from him.
However, there was a bulkhead next to her, so she couldn’t move far
enough to stop his arm from touching hers.
She could still hear his breath, feel the heat off
his body, and see the cold, angry look in his eyes.
At the sight of her pressing herself up against the
bulkhead, she saw his lips curl.
“Stay there and shut up, and we’ll get through
this,” he said as he crossed his arms, invading her personal space
with his massive shoulders and elbows.
“Excuse me? You know, I was thinking it over, and I
was going to apologize to you. I was going to say sorry for going
too far. I should have appreciated your feelings. But you know what
I’m going to do now?”
He turned his head towards her slowly, his neck
muscles practically creaking. His eyes glinted with a challenging
look, one that kind of did weird things to her stomach.
She ignored her tummy and angled her chin up. “I’m
going to apologize anyway, because I won’t be bullied.”
He snorted. “So this is you apologizing?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.” She looked at him directly and
bowed her head.
“But?” He prompted.
“But you have a serious attitude problem. You’re the
rudest Coalition officer I’ve ever met. I understand your job is
stressful, but that doesn’t give you the right to snap at
everyone.”
“I don’t snap at everyone.”
“So it’s just me?”
“Pretty much.”
“Is it because of my father?”
He gave a low laugh. “I’ve got no problems with
Theodore Chester, I just don’t like spoilt brats.”
“Hey, maybe don’t say my dad’s name so loud, okay?”
She asked quickly.
As soon as Josh mentioned her dad’s name, several
people in the transport turned their way. While everyone had been
happy to ignore her argument with Josh before, now she was
gathering stares.
Uncomfortable ones.
Josh darted his gaze around the transport. “They all
know who you are. You’re infamous around the Academy. Plus,
presumably the ticket was purchased under your name. It’s a little
too late to think about discretion.”
She snorted and tried to cross her arms. But there
simply wasn’t room.
“Fine, let’s go back to our original deal: you be
quiet and I’ll be quiet.”
“The deal was you would shut up,” he countered
immediately.
“Oh my god, you’re acting like a child. Can you
actually hear yourself? Is that anyway for an on-duty special
commander to act?”
He leaned in quickly. “Keep your voice down.”
“What?” She stuttered, slightly breathless at the
sight of a looming Joshua Cook.
“I said,
keep your mouth shut. And don’t say I’m on duty – I’m not. I’m heading to a resort ship for some
R and R.”
She deliberately let her brow shoot up behind her
fringe. “Resort ship? You? I don’t buy it. Not only would it make
you the biggest hypocrite in the world, as they’re astronomically
expensive, but you strike me as the kind of guy who would hate
places like that. In fact, you strike me as the kind of guy who
never stops working.”
“Just stop talking now,” he warned. “I am going to a
resort ship, and that’s the end of the story.”
With that, he turned from her and appeared to try to
get comfortable in his chair. Yet as he did, Mimi swore he shot a
calculating gaze towards the front of the ship and the small
command bridge.
In fact, the quality of his gaze was so concentrated
that Mimi realized something had to be up.
She was certain she was right, and Josh was still on
duty. She could bet he would only willingly go to a resort ship if
he could ransack it.
So what was his mission? And why did he need such a
flimsy cover?
As they dwindled into silence and the hours ticked
by, she never stopped watching him. He was very surreptitious, but
she could see that every now
side.”
Josh said nothing as he sat down and shifted his
shoulders about.
Rather than have his big arms brush up against her,
she pulled herself closer to the right to get away from him.
However, there was a bulkhead next to her, so she couldn’t move far
enough to stop his arm from touching hers.
She could still hear his breath, feel the heat off
his body, and see the cold, angry look in his eyes.
At the sight of her pressing herself up against the
bulkhead, she saw his lips curl.
“Stay there and shut up, and we’ll get through
this,” he said as he crossed his arms, invading her personal space
with his massive shoulders and elbows.
“Excuse me? You know, I was thinking it over, and I
was going to apologize to you. I was going to say sorry for going
too far. I should have appreciated your feelings. But you know what
I’m going to do now?”
He turned his head towards her slowly, his neck
muscles practically creaking. His eyes glinted with a challenging
look, one that kind of did weird things to her stomach.
She ignored her tummy and angled her chin up. “I’m
going to apologize anyway, because I won’t be bullied.”
He snorted. “So this is you apologizing?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.” She looked at him directly and
bowed her head.
“But?” He prompted.
“But you have a serious attitude problem. You’re the
rudest Coalition officer I’ve ever met. I understand your job is
stressful, but that doesn’t give you the right to snap at
everyone.”
“I don’t snap at everyone.”
“So it’s just me?”
“Pretty much.”
“Is it because of my father?”
He gave a low laugh. “I’ve got no problems with
Theodore Chester, I just don’t like spoilt brats.”
“Hey, maybe don’t say my dad’s name so loud, okay?”
She asked quickly.
As soon as Josh mentioned her dad’s name, several
people in the transport turned their way. While everyone had been
happy to ignore her argument with Josh before, now she was
gathering stares.
Uncomfortable ones.
Josh darted his gaze around the transport. “They all
know who you are. You’re infamous around the Academy. Plus,
presumably the ticket was purchased under your name. It’s a little
too late to think about discretion.”
She snorted and tried to cross her arms. But there
simply wasn’t room.
“Fine, let’s go back to our original deal: you be
quiet and I’ll be quiet.”
“The deal was you would shut up,” he countered
immediately.
“Oh my god, you’re acting like a child. Can you
actually hear yourself? Is that anyway for an on-duty special
commander to act?”
He leaned in quickly. “Keep your voice down.”
“What?” She stuttered, slightly breathless at the
sight of a looming Joshua Cook.
“I said,
keep your mouth shut. And don’t say I’m on duty – I’m not. I’m heading to a resort ship for some
R and R.”
She deliberately let her brow shoot up behind her
fringe. “Resort ship? You? I don’t buy it. Not only would it make
you the biggest hypocrite in the world, as they’re astronomically
expensive, but you strike me as the kind of guy who would hate
places like that. In fact, you strike me as the kind of guy who
never stops working.”
“Just stop talking now,” he warned. “I am going to a
resort ship, and that’s the end of the story.”
With that, he turned from her and appeared to try to
get comfortable in his chair. Yet as he did, Mimi swore he shot a
calculating gaze towards the front of the ship and the small
command bridge.
In fact, the quality of his gaze was so concentrated
that Mimi realized something had to be up.
She was certain she was right, and Josh was still on
duty. She could bet he would only willingly go to a resort ship if
he could ransack it.
So what was his mission? And why did he need such a
flimsy cover?
As they dwindled into silence and the hours ticked
by, she never stopped watching him. He was very surreptitious, but
she could see that every now
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