Subservience Read Online Free Page B

no way he’d
ever forget that.
    The bed squeaked a little as he threw himself across it but
he found it fairly comfortable. He’d been a tall man before he’d gone through
the enhancement process so he’d felt like a giant after the government had
gotten finished with him. Still, their beds were always big enough for him. It
was one of the benefits of being in the military. They made him so they always
anticipated his size.
    He kicked off his boots with a sigh as he stared up at the
ceiling. What was he going to do? Working with her was going to be hell. He
couldn’t think about her without remembering their connection. And it wasn’t as
if he’d be able to hide it from her. She could read minds. And even if she
couldn’t, he was pretty sure she could just look down at his pants and figure
out what was going on.
    The door chime buzzing softly brought him out of his
thoughts. “Who is it?”
    “Harlow.”
    Fuck! Even with the slight mechanical tinge the
intercom gave her voice, his dick hurt at the sound of it. He didn’t know what
brought her to his door but he was willing to bet it wasn’t to give him a hand.
He snorted at the private joke before shaking his head. Knowing his luck, she
probably wanted to talk and make sure they were okay. One look at him and she’d
know just how okay he was.
    “Now’s not a great time.” Maybe she’d get the hint and just
go away. He wasn’t on duty until tomorrow so it wasn’t as if she needed him for
anything.
    “You’re a fucking soldier. No time is ever a great time.
Open the damn door.”
    She did have a point. Still, it wasn’t as though she really
needed him to let her in. It was her ship. “You’re my captain. You can’t just
open the door?”
    “I’m not here as your captain.”
    That got him off the bed and to the door in record time. His
hand shook with nerves as he hit the release. Damn. He wanted her so badly he
was a wreck with the hunger. When the door opened he had to take a step away
from her just to resist her pull. She looked small and delicate as she stood in
front of him. And every instinct he possessed told him to wrap her in his arms
and kiss her until they were both dizzy. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he
found out why she was here.
    He waited for her to step through the doorway and for it to
close behind her before asking, “If you’re not here as my captain, why are you
here?” He suspected he knew the answer. Hell, he’d put credits on it. But he
needed to be certain before he acted.
    “I can’t get you out of my mind.”
    Interesting choice of words. “And here I thought you were
the one in mine.”
    She stiffened. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
    “Whoa.” He threw his hands up in surrender. “You
misunderstood. It wasn’t a complaint.”
    Her brow wrinkled in apparent confusion. “It should be. I
take my crew’s privacy seriously. The only way I can expect them to respect and
trust me is if I extend that courtesy. Of course, I hear random questions and
thoughts sometimes. That can’t be helped. But I don’t go poking around. Ever.
What I did to you, even though it was unintentional, was completely
unacceptable.”
    He’d been wrong. She had come to his quarters to talk
to him and make sure they were okay. He nearly sighed with disappointment. “I
appreciate the value you put on the crew’s privacy. Really, I do. But I don’t
think you should beat yourself up over what happened. If anything, I owe the
apology. I know not to touch a woman without permission. I was raised better
than that.”
    Her smile was just the tiniest upswing of the corner of her
mouth but it transformed her entire expression. It made her playful—mischievous
even. And it made his heart race. “I don’t think that was the type of touch
your mother meant.”
    He chuckled. “My mom was pretty strict. Especially about how
a man treats a woman.”
    “She sounds like a good mother.” Harlow leaned back against
the door and looked