VirtuallyYours (12 page)

Pete wrestled with the fastenings on her pants and tossed
them onto the floor. His arms caged her, pinning her against the soft leather
of the chair as he kissed her again. In the muted glow of the lights on the
bridge, her gray eyes looked silver. Her pale skin contrasted with the dark
leather of the chair. Charley was beautiful, and it had been far too long since
the last time they were together. His tongue traced a path along her neck,
moving slowly downward to lave one rosy peak. Charley gave a little moan that
sent the blood rushing to his cock. “*Put your hands behind your head, Ensign
Maxwell.”

Charley giggled. For a moment he though she would object.
But she folded her hands behind her head obediently. “Pete, what are you—”

“Shhh.” He silenced her with another kiss. “Close your
eyes.”

Pete nuzzled her breast again and her breath caught. His
fingers traced a path along the pale skin of her abdomen, pausing when he
reached her mound. Charley shivered in anticipation. When his calloused thumb
brushed the tiny nub, she let out a soft whimper. He traced a slow, soft
circle.

She squirmed against his hand, seeking more pressure.
“Please, Pete—”

“Quiet, or I’ll stop.”

Charley bit her lip, trying not to moan. Still teasing her
with his thumb, Pete pushed two fingers inside her, meeting her silky wetness.
God she was hot. He pumped his fingers in and out with maddening slowness,
while her inner muscles clenched, trying to hold him prisoner. Bending his
head, he took the tiny nub into his hot mouth, sucking and laving as she moved
her hips against his face. The scent and taste of her maddened him. He wanted
to drag his clothes off and thrust into her sweetness. He increased the speed
of his pumping fingers, tongue lapping against her clit. When his teeth
replaced his tongue, raking lightly across the sensitive tip, Charley cried
out. A thin film of sweat covered her brow. She shook her head from side to
side, trying not to speak, trying to hold still. She was close. He inserted a
third finger into her while continuing his merciless assault on her clit.

Keeping his fingers in place, he traced a path along her
abdomen with his mouth and along the underside of her breasts, taking each hard
peak into his mouth in turn until she whimpered. He bit gently on the fading
bruises on her neck before taking her mouth again in a hot possessive kiss.
Charley release a throaty moan, bucking against him. “Come for me, Charley.”

Charley fell apart, her tight sheath squeezing his fingers
as she cried out her release. His cock felt as if it could drill a hole in the
bulkhead. Every vein, every ridge was swollen with desire. He withdrew his
fingers slowly and licked them, tasting her. He had to have her now.

Tossing his shirt over his head, he hurried to the end of
the com chair. The colored lights on the bridge played over her still trembling
body. Tin Guy was still online. Pete was past caring. He fumbled with the
fastening of his pants and withdrew his rock-hard shaft. Pete lifted Charley’s
legs and pulled her toward him, resting her pale smooth limbs against his
shoulders. He entered her in a long slow thrust. He could feel her sheath
squeezing him, still trembling from her last orgasm. Pete gave a guttural
groan. He wasn’t going to last long.

Charley gasped with pleasure at the sudden invasion. She
raised her hips to meet his in eager counter thrust. Pete twisted his hips,
driving deeper. His fingers sought her swollen clit again and she made a
helpless whimpering sound, her breath came in heady gasps. He was almost there.
His thrusts increased in momentum, driving into her with punishing force.
Charley cried out—a high-pitched keening sound that sent him over the edge. Her
inner muscles clasped around him, tight as a vise. With a final thrust, he
spent himself, pumping his semen deep inside her before collapsing against her in
a sweating heap.

They lay panting against each other until his racing heart
calmed. Charley spoke first. “That was amazing, but you do realize that we’ve
probably broken about a hundred Fleet Command regulations?”

Pete raised his head, pressing a wet kiss against her mouth.
“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Charley pulled him closer and he felt a soft giggle rising
in her chest. “Is that an order, Sir?”

“Absolutely, Ensign Maxwell.” Pete sighed. The next few
weeks without her were going to be hell.

Chapter Twelve

Smile. The class posed on the main staircase for yet another
image for the family databases. Parents clustered in groups around the lobby,
waiting to go into the hall for the graduation ceremony. Charley looked around
the crowds. Until last night, she didn’t know if they would let her graduate.
Even now, her heart filled up with happiness when she thought of the people who
had come forward to support her over the past few weeks—Pete, Jake Svenson,
Karl Hayes and General Holmes. One session of the inquiry had taken place on
the Pegasusso that Marc could give evidence.

The verdict was issued late last night. Fleet Command had
agreed to seal the record of her juvenile crimes. They didn’t want her locked
up. She would face a penalty for using a fake ID to get into the Academy and
she had no idea where her first posting would be, but it was over.

While she was confined to base, Pete had his hands full
trying to mediate between an overbearing mother-in-law and an independent
Cyraelian girl who didn’t care about Earth wedding customs. Jake had caved in
and they had eloped last night to marry under the stars in a traditional
Cyraelian ceremony. Late this afternoon, they would get married again in the
garden of Jake’s family home. Two weddings in less than twenty-four hours—trust
the techie to think that one up.

Her mom had sent a message to say that it would be a while
before she could make the long journey back to Earth to see her. It had been
hard on her, having the past raked up again. Charley sighed. One of the most
important days of her life, and no one was here to share it. She joined her
classmates at the front of the hall and silence fell as General Holmes
approached the podium. As their names were called out, Charley could hear the
clapping and cheering of proud families. Finally, the roll call was complete.

“Before I bring this ceremony to a close, I have one further
announcement to make.” The general looked around the hall until his eyes found
hers.

The hall fell silent again as the general spoke. “It’s not
often that I am privileged to present a Fleet Command Medal of Honor, and rarer
still do I get an opportunity to award it to someone who has yet to be assigned
her first posting.”

As an excited murmur swept around the hall, Misha reached
over and squeezed her hand. Charley’s heart fluttered like a wild bird. She was
going to be sick.

The general continued. “For extraordinary heroism, at the
risk of life and above the call of duty, I have great pleasure in awarding the
Fleet Command Cross to Ensign Charley Maxwell.”

Someone slid into the seat behind her. “Well, aren’t you
going to collect it?”

Charley turned in her chair to find Pete behind her. “You
said you couldn’t make it.”

“I lied.” Pete grinned shamelessly. “You didn’t really think
I’d miss your graduation?”

She made her way to the front of the hall and shook the
general’s hand. He flipped open a flat wooden box and pinned the medal on her
uniform. Charley heard Misha shout and a cheer rang out around the hall.

“Congratulations, Ensign Maxwell.”

Her classmates rushed forward and Charley found herself
being hoisted up and carried the length of the hall. She managed to wriggle
free and her eyes searched the crowd for Pete. He was in close conversation
with the general and they were both looking in her direction. The men shook
hands and she watched as Pete made his way through the crowd. “Let’s get out of
here.”

Hand in hand, they raced down the steps and out onto the
concourse. Pete looked at the fountain. “Are you sure you don’t want to hop in
for old time’s sake? It might be a while before you see it again.”

Charley stopped in her tracks. “What do you mean?”

Pete ignored her and waved to Misha, who was sitting near
the water. The bike was parked beside the fountain and Charley’s kit bag lay at
Misha’s feet. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and murmured his thanks. Misha
gave her a quick hug before heading back to the hall.

“Oh no you don’t, Pete Olafson. I am not moving from here
until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Don’t you trust me?” His blue eyes sparkled with mirth.

Her muttered epithets only made his smile broader. “Why,
Ensign Maxwell, and I thought that you were a lady.”

Pete tossed the bag into the carrier and climbed onto the
bike. Charley pulled on her helmet and took her place behind him. The bike
roared as they drove along the coast road and out of the city. Charley watched
as the familiar motorway raced by. They were heading back to the base.

Security was tighter than the last time she had been there.
Fleet Command was taking no more chances with the Pegasus. They pulled up
outside the hangar and Charley climbed off the bike, glad to stretch her legs.
Titanium implants or not, Pete was in danger of being punched. They were
supposed to be going to a wedding. What was he up to? “Now, are you going to
tell me what’s going on?”

“Absolutely.” Pete strode ahead of her into the hangar.

The workers and equipment were gone and the Pegasus floated
before them. A set of pale stairs slid invitingly from the smooth metallic
underside. The ship was finished, the damaged coms room had been repaired and
the mattresses and MRE cartons were gone. They made their way to the bridge and
lay side by side in the com chairs. Lights played around the walls as Charley
slid the visor over her face.

“Ensign Maxwell, meet your new commanding officer.”

Charley found herself back in the same virtual office she
had left two months before. Marc sat behind the desk wearing his captain’s
uniform, trying to suppress a grin. Pete had to be joking.

“Captain Liston has been reinstated. He’s going to be the
first A.I. officer in Fleet Command.”

Two scarlet flags appeared on her cheeks. Oh no, this
couldn’t be happening. Marc was her new boss and she had kissed him and told
him to spank her. She had shared a bed with him while Pete lay unconscious
beside them. She wasn’t sure how she was going to break that one to the techie.
In some ways, Marc knew a whole lot more about her than Pete did. This was
worse than the last time. Much worse.

There was a bright gleam of mischief in Marc’s eyes for a
moment before he resumed his formal demeanor. “Ensign Maxwell, please report to
me on Monday at 0900 hours. I look forward to serving with you again.”

I bet you do
. Charley stood up straight, stretching
to her full height. “Yes Sir,” she responded.

All of this was Pete’s doing. The minute they got out of
here, he was going to pay. She pulled back the visor and slid off the chair,
making her way to Pete before he could disconnect from the visor. “You did
this, you conniving …techie.”

Pete fended off her halfhearted slaps. “Fleet Command wanted
to protect their multimillion credit prototype. They’ve tried other interfaces,
but Marc refused to cooperate with them.”

“You cooked this up between you?”

Pete shrugged. “Let’s just say that neither of us wanted you
to go to prison.” A slow grin spread across his face. “You could call this a
win-win situation. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, but Marc’s a straight-up
guy. Now that he’s your commanding officer, he can’t lay a finger on you.”

His hand cupped her neck, drawing her down to him for a
teasing kiss. “But I can’t promise to do the same. In fact, I don’t believe
that I can keep my hands off you for a moment longer.”

Pete unbuttoned her tunic, trailing light kisses along her
neck. “Do you have a problem with that, Ensign Maxwell?”

Charley sighed happily. “No, Sir, absolutely not, Sir.”

Raised on a diet of romance novels and science fiction, it’s
not surprising that Caroline McCall turned to writing time travel and
paranormal romance. She loves history, and some of her stories are inspired by
Celtic myths and legends. Caroline lives with her partner and several spoiled,
ungrateful felines on the windswept east coast of Ireland. She does most of the
plotting for her novels while walking on the beach.

Caroline loves to travel, and her background is quite
eclectic. She’s done everything from working as a roadie for a rock and roll
band to designing knitwear. Caroline is delighted to be a member of the
wonderful Ellora’s Cave team, and welcomes contact from her readers.

Caroline welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Also by
Caroline McCall

Jake’s Prisoner

Time
Slip

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