Chevon's Mate Read Online Free PDF Page B

officer on a craft big or small. Those under
your command are your responsibility. So is the craft, but the most important
part of any cruiser is the crew. Without them, it is nothing but a large hunk of metal floating aimlessly until something
breaks down.”
    “You forgot one job description.” She pulled back to look at
him and grinned. “Mate to Laura. Or rescuer of women in small vessels tumbling
through space,” she teased.
    One hand moved up to cup her
cheek as he lifted her into his lap to cuddle her close. “I would have
preferred you not being beaten before your arrival here. Unfortunately, we cannot always have what we want in life and must accept bumps along the way.
You’re here now, and maybe one day soon we will be able to thank the one
responsible before I find a quiet corner of space to dispose of his or her body.”
    That was a surprise. Before
that moment, he hadn’t given her a glimpse of the knowledge that he truly was a warrior. She leaned into him and brushed her
nose against his. “I would have preferred that, too, but such is life. I’m here now.”
    He teased her mouth before
nipping at her full lower lip. When she wiggled closer, he tightened his hold, not
enough to cause discomfort but more than enough to let her know who was in
control. He kissed each corner of her mouth.
    Laura readily opened for him.
She had only known him for a handful of hours, but she already knew she could
never deny him. She nipped his lip with her teeth, teasing him and wanting
more.
    Gently squeezing the back of
her neck, Chevon broke the kiss. He
pressed another light kiss to her lips, then tucked her head to his shoulder when he changed position to lean back on the sofa. His free hand
moved to stroke up and down her thigh.
    She shuddered at his touch, turning her head so that her
lips brushed against his neck.
    “Laura, until you’re healed, we should take care.”
    “ Oh, fine,” she teased with a pout. She
loved when he cuddled with her. It was only the second time but he was
infectious. “I love having your hands on me and having you hugging me. Would it
be taboo if, when I’m able to walk around your ship freely, I were to hug you
randomly?”
    “It’s not a common thing, but I
wouldn’t mind. I would welcome it,” he said, squeezing her thigh gently. “You are mine, and I am yours. Whatever we do on the
ship together is our business. On Imara is another thing. Certain
societal standards would need to be followed that are not as open.”
    She sighed. “I have some things
to learn about your social structure. I feel like a child in a strange world, ” she confessed. “How old are
you, by the way? I’m twenty-eight.”
    “Forty-four,” he said, making a face. “And there are vids
you can watch while you are recovering to learn our laws, our customs, and to
also keep yourself from utter boredom. The system has everything from what a
young child would watch, to ones that recently came out to assist with
integrating adults of different cultures into ours. This was mainly because of
Samantha and the fact she is Petr’s soul-bond mate.”
    “You aren’t that old at all.”
She looked up at him and tilted her head slightly. “Why do you have that look
on your face? In our culture, you are barely getting started by then. If not for the death of our parents, Laurence wouldn’t have taken over their stations as advisers for the council.”
She paused. “Wait.” She chewed her lower lip and began to think. “There was a
document that I was translating. It was something I never should have seen. A
military communique. It was one that I didn’t think made much sense at the
time.” She paused long enough to anchor herself against him by stroking her
fingers over his neck. “It was a document that should have been shredded, if
the wording was correct on it. They were talking about altering ship insignia . I don’t know what that would
gain them, though. It was a document
between my twin,