Under His Command by Annabel Wolfe

of
    satisfaction ringing through the sleeping chamber.
    Replete and languid in his arms afterwards, she touched his silky
    hair, the contrast of texture with the hard, honed lines of his body
    interesting.
    Actually, everything about him was interesting to her.
    “Has there ever been anyone special?” she asked, the personal
    question maybe none of her business, but at the moment, curled naked
    in his embrace, his sperm on her thighs, it felt like she could ask it.
    For a long moment, he was silent. Then he said wryly, “Can I
    pretend to misunderstand the question?”
    His sense of humor was so understated it surfaced more often than
    people realized. Peyton loved the subtle nuances of his infrequent

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    Annabel Wolfe
    smiles also, like at this moment when he looked almost boyishly
    chagrined. She playfully ran a finger down his damp chest and lifted
    up on one elbow enough to look into his eyes. “That sort of cowardice
    isn’t like you, Commander.”
    “Ah, using a psychological approach by issuing a challenge, are
    we? What a surprise.” He cocked an ebony brow. “Very well, I’ll
    answer it. No, there’s been no one special enough in my past to ever
    make me regret moving on.”
    She hesitated to ask more, but then gave an inner shrug. If she
    didn’t ask, she knew he wouldn’t volunteer any information. “I know
    your career is important to you, but surely you’ve thought
    about…other things.”
    Something flickered in his eyes. “I assume you mean a permanent
    mate, a family. What about you, Peyton? Have you ever thought
    about ‘other things’?”
    Before the Epsilon incident and her subsequent punishment—if it
    could even be called that—she could have said honestly she hadn’t
    except in the most abstract of ways. Like him, her career was the
    driving force in her life. But, as they were now, the pleasurable sated
    post-coital glow aside, treacherous thoughts of sharing more than just
    the next few weeks with him were in the back of her mind. It was the
    intimacy, she excused herself. His skillful touch, the tenderness he
    always showed, the persuasive power of his kiss.
    Falling in love with the austere Commander Gallico would be a
    grave mistake.
    She hoped she hadn’t already made it.
    In a faint voice, she asked, “Can I pretend to misunderstand the
    question?”
    * * * *
    “What are you doing back here?” Jake turned and looked at him
    with censure. “You’ve only been off the bridge a few hours.”

    Under His Command
    65
    “Peyton’s asleep.” Kel could see still picture her prone form, the
    graceful curve of her back, one slim arm at her side as he eased away,
    the other hand tucked under her cheek, the fingers curled like a child.
    Only she wasn’t a child, her lissome form naked and gleaming in the
    indirect light, long lashes against high cheekbones. “I wasn’t so
    fortunate. Any sign of anything?”
    “You know I’d alert you no matter what you were doing.” Jake’s
    mouth didn’t twitch with the usual humor. Instead he looked grave.
    “Nothing.”
    “The ship is out there.” Kel frowned and went to sink in his chair
    by the monitors. “We aren’t looking in the right place. They’re
    hiding, which supports Governor Janssen’s argument the ship has
    been taken over.”
    “They’ll need provisions eventually.”
    “I pity the poor planet where they decide to dock. We need to find
    them first.”
    Jake’s face had an uncharacteristic grim expression. “I have to tell
    you I’m not sure how comfortable I am with these orders. Find the
    ship and then wait for instructions. In no way attempt to board the
    vessel. Refuse to engage in any discourse. Don’t negotiate for the
    return of any hostages. I agree with the Council’s policies on not
    bargaining with criminals, but according to Will Janssen that ship had
    a full crew, plus a phalanx of prison guards. That’s a lot of our
    personnel, Kel. A lot more than the criminals on board.”
    “I know.”