His Naughty Little Mate

His Naughty Little Mate

By

Sue Lyndon

Copyright © 2014 by Stormy Night Publications and Sue Lyndon

Copyright © 2014 by Stormy Night Publications and Sue Lyndon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

www.StormyNightPublications.com

Lyndon, Sue

His Naughty Little Mate

Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

Images by Bigstock/Olly2, Bigstock/Denisgo, and Bigstock/G_peshkova

This book is intended for
adults only
. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

Chapter One

With slow, awkward steps, Carmen heaved her magnetic boots up and down on the asteroid’s surface. She’d opted not to wear a tether this time so she could travel farther from the ship, and fortunately the magnetic boots served their purpose and kept her from floating away. A sense of freedom thrummed through her, as well as a sense of déjà vu. The hassle of suiting up for a spacewalk always reminded her of suiting up to play in the snow as a child during the long Wyoming winters on her grandfather’s ranch. Sorrow panged in her heart and she blinked back burning tears at the memory. Her grandfather would have loved to see her dreams coming true, and she twisted around to gaze at Earth, a bright blue glow amidst the stars.

After turning away from Earth, she checked the oxygen level on her airpack and sighed with relief. She had at least thirty more minutes of peace before she was forced to return to the Russian mining ship, an older model Dastok 22 that had been her home for the past six weeks. In about six more weeks, after the mining operation was complete, the ship would travel to Mars to deliver its payload to the space station—and to deliver Carmen as well. She couldn’t wait.

Ancient caves containing fossils and other evidence of life had been discovered underneath the red planet’s surface, and her employer, the ABS Institute, had offered her a chance to study the findings mere months before the terraforming process began and much of the planet’s history was lost. For an astrobiologist fresh out of graduate school, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Static noise suddenly filled her ears, and a second later Command Pilot Erik Manning’s voice came through loud and clear.

“Carmen, what are you doing walking so far away from the ship?” Agitation rumbled through his deep voice, along with a note of worry.

She groaned and felt like pinching the bridge of her nose, but the spacesuit prevented her from doing much besides waving her arms around. “I’m busy. I need to log twenty more hours of spacewalking time in order to get my Ingalls 5 Spacewalk Certification. I have thirty more minutes of oxygen left.
What
do you want?” It was impossible to keep her tone civil. Being stuck in close quarters for weeks on end was beyond frustrating, especially when Dr. Erik Manning, Air Force test pilot and astronaut extraordinaire was her bunkmate.

“The guys in control were worried about you because you didn’t wear a tether, but they were hesitant to speak to you themselves. Seems you aren’t very polite when they check in on you during your walks, so they asked me to check on you. I believe I also told you I wanted to accompany you the next time you went on a spacewalk. Remember?”

Oh, she remembered. They’d had quite the fight after her last spacewalk. Just because he was older than she was and had traveled in space dozens of times, he thought he could boss her around. She’d watched the miners suit up enough times that she was confident she could handle a little stroll on the asteroid though, and she didn’t need Erik trying to babysit her. She blew out a dramatic breath and turned around, taking a few steps in his direction. “Of course I remember. I also remember telling you to bite me.” He’d threatened to spank her too, but she wasn’t about to mention that. At the memory of his stern expression and stiff posture as he’d glowered down at her, a tingle raced up her spine and warmth pulsed between her thighs. She ground her teeth together, angry that his macho act was turning her on.

“Carmen, come here. We’re going back in.”

She ached to fold her arms over her chest and glower up at him, but she was at the spacesuit’s mercy. She settled for a deep sigh. “Fine.” As she tried to take a step, her leg didn’t rise. Slowly glancing down, she peered through her visor at the asteroid’s surface. Crap. Her foot was stuck underneath the ledge of a little hole. She tried to move again, but her foot wouldn’t budge.

“What’s wrong?” Concern resonated in his words, and Carmen was suddenly thankful she wasn’t alone out here.

“M-my foot is stuck.”

“Okay, hold on. I’m coming to get you.”

She was stunned to see Erik move so fluidly and quickly in her direction, for a man in a spacesuit with magnetic boots. Relief washed over her when he finally reached her. “Thanks, Erik.”

“This is exactly why I wanted to accompany you, but you had to do it your way.”

“Are you going to scold me, or are you going to help me?”

“I’m going to help you, then once I get you back in the ship I’ve a mind to scold you some more, little girl, right before I take you over my knee for a sound spanking.”

She felt the blood drain from her face and opened her mouth to retort, but no words came forth. He’d stunned her speechless, just as he had the last time he’d threatened to chastise her. She was a grown woman with a PhD. He had to be kidding. She wished she could see his expression through both of their visors, but she only glimpsed the outline of his face.

“Carmen, I’m going to brace myself right in front of you and tug on your leg. I want you to pull up at the same time, okay?”

She gulped and eyed the ship in the distance, wishing she was safe and sound on the crowded craft, even if a spanking really did await her. “Okay.”

Just as Erik dislodged her foot from the hole, the ship erupted in a ball of fire. She saw the explosion reflected back on Erik’s visor, and he turned around to gaze upon it with his own eyes.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Oh my God, oh my God…” A wave of heat pelted them, but it wasn’t enough to scorch them thanks to the protection the suits provided. As she stared at the devastation, she knew no one on the ship had survived. A jerking sensation on the back of her suit brought her attention back to Erik. He was attaching a tether between their suits.

A second explosion lit up the darkness, and the force of it sent them both flying from the asteroid. Carmen screamed, waving her arms and kicking her legs, as if the action would help her make it back to the asteroid. Not that there was any safety there since the ship was destroyed, but the thought of floating in open space terrified her.

“Erik!” Her breaths came quick, and she fought to calm her racing heart, not wanting to deplete her oxygen supply just yet. In the back of her mind, she realized there was no hope. No way to return to Earth or make it to Mars. No way to survive this disaster.

“Carmen, stop moving.” Erik’s calm command broke through her panic, and she latched onto his voice, needing to feel his human contact. At least she wasn’t alone out here.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them his space helmet filled her vision. Erik grasped her hands, his grip tight even through the thickness of the protective gloves.

“Shh, shh, calm down, Carmen. I’m right here. You’re not alone.”

“The ship is gone! Everyone on board… gone in a flash. How can I calm down?” She closed her eyes and willed her nerves to settle. Near death was a certainty. The least she could do was die with some dignity, rather than going out sobbing and screaming. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared into Erik’s visor. “Okay, I’m calm now,” she forced out, her throat burning.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Dastok 22 had been cleared for at least one more year of asteroid mining missions, as well as travel to Mars to deliver and take on more passengers. What could’ve gone wrong? Sadness squeezed her heart as she thought about the four Russian miners who’d perished in the explosion, their lives cut short. Their families would grieve and miss them. Just like she still missed her grandfather five years after the fatal heart attack that had taken him from her.

“Here,” Erik said, pressing a few buttons on the control pad on his arm. “I’ve got a full oxygen pack. I’m diverting half of mine to yours.”

“No, Erik, you don’t have to do that. I mean, thank you, but what’s the point? I’m sure NASA and the Russians already know the Dastok is gone, but they probably don’t think there are any survivors. And even if they did, I know they can’t get a rescue shuttle here before our oxygen is depleted.”

Erik was silent, and for a while they simply floated together. The asteroid the ship had been secured to with a large magnetic strip had continued on its journey, somewhere behind them where Carmen couldn’t see. Debris from the Dastok began to gather around them, long pieces of white and metallic gray that occasionally reflected the sun’s light. By some miracle, none of the debris had hit them. Yet.

“How are you doing?” Erik asked.

“As calm as one can be while floating in a debris field in the middle of space with less than two hours of oxygen left.” She laughed, and her heart picked up when Erik pulled her closer. There were a million layers of protection between them, but she imagined his hot breath was tickling her neck, and his warm hands were trailing down her arms.

She should hate him. Years ago, he’d expelled her from the prestigious Manning Flight School, a school for aspiring astronauts founded by his late father, for going on an unauthorized flight to the moon with a few other students. Looking back, she understood she’d behaved badly, but she’d been so young, and it had been the equivalent of stealing a car and going for a joy ride. Over the years their paths had crossed many times in the scientific community, and each time she saw him, the hatred she expected to feel in his presence burned away for something much hotter and more dangerous. He was a commanding, no-nonsense type of man. Strict. Unyielding. Devastatingly handsome with a deep, rumbling voice. One glance into his dark brown eyes and her legs turned to jelly.

“I never congratulated you on your new job at ABS. They rarely hire new graduates. You must have impressed them,” he said.

“They recruited me after my thesis was published in a journal one of their researchers edits.” Carmen had ambitiously submitted her paper about how to improve field techniques on Mars to
Astrobiology Monthly
knowing several researchers from ABS reviewed the submissions, but Erik didn’t need to know that. She’d been hired because she showed promise in a field that was just taking off, because she wasn’t afraid to take risks and try new things the older astrobiologists sometimes scoffed at.

“It appears you’ve done well since…” His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat.

Carmen laughed. “You mean I’ve done well since you tried to destroy my career?” She’d accused him of that once, of trying to sabotage her career by not giving her a second chance after her little joy ride, but that was before she’d decided to go into astrobiology. As a little girl she’d dreamed of being an astronaut. Hell, every kid did. Although it had taken her years to realize it, Erik kicking her out of flight school had been one of the best things to happen to her. It had forced her to reevaluate her options and discover her true passion—searching for evidence of alien life. A passion she’d never get to fulfill. Life was certainly full of surprises. And disappointments.

“Just because you could fly circles around most of the other students didn’t mean you had a future in space flight. You weren’t careful. You often skipped the preflight inspection, and you also—”

“Okay, okay. I’ve heard this speech before,
Dr. Manning
.” She sighed. “I loved the freedom I felt when I was behind the controls. It was kind of like a drug. No hard feelings though. I love the research more. The excitement I feel when I discover a new alien organism, even the tiniest microorganism, makes it all worth it. It’s better than passing the Karman Line in six seconds.”

“Which is a dangerous speed, by the way. You really didn’t pay attention in my classes, did you?” He chuckled, a smooth vibration that traveled to her ears through the speakers.

“My father named me after the Karman Line, you know. Except my mother didn’t like that spelling and insisted my name start with a C. At least that’s what my grandfather always said. I don’t remember them, of course.” The Karman Line was the point a shuttle or spaceship had to reach to pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, approximately one hundred kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Some of Carmen’s earliest memories were of staring up at the stars, dreaming of passing over the line that was her namesake. Before she understood the finality of death, she’d dreamed of soaring into the stars and finding her lost parents.