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other means.”
    “You do that.”
    Of the station’s eight landing bays, two were used for repairs and two for shipping and receiving supplies, leaving the other half for refueling. Working the refueling bays meant talking to people, something Tariq tried to avoid whenever possible. In the past twenty-four hours, he’d talked more than he normally did in a month. He blamed Cami. That female could charm the stars down from the sky, and her scent alone could tame the most savage of beasts.
    Pulling up the fueling schedule on his tablet, Tariq nodded in satisfaction when he found no more ships in his queue. Second shift would be taking over soon, and as long as nothing happened in the interim, he’d be out of there before dinner. With any luck, Naila had gotten her shipment in, and he could give Cami the surprise he’d promised.
    Despite his attempts to push her away, the tiny female had managed to worm her way into his life with alarming ease. Barely a day with her, and he already dreaded mending her ship and sending her off to X4, or Earth, or wherever the hell she belonged.
    The bastard in him silently rejoiced that Dennison had gone AWOL and couldn’t be located. With their only electrical engineer off on one of his benders, it would be at least a few more days before repairs could be made to Cami’s navigational systems.
    On his home world of Helix, it was common for females to take two or three companions. As a matriarchal society, their women became leaders, and the more mates she took, the more prominent her status within the tribe. Tariq wanted no part of it, and he had no interest in sharing.
    Only half Helios, Tariq had always been an outsider. On Helix, his tribe resented his half-breed nature, and on some level, he knew his mother did as well. He’d never known his father, but he’d heard stories about the elite officer from Earth. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, because Tariq doubted humans would be any more accepting than his own people.
    He’d always been bigger, stronger, and more cunning than the other boys in his tribe, likely thanks to his father’s genetic enhancements. While he looked no different than other Helios, as a hybrid, he couldn’t shift. The males of his tribe had been all too happy to remind him of the fact at every turn, right up until the day of The Hunt. 
    For twenty years, he’d known only one way of life. Then in one night, everything had changed.
    The smell of rain and lavender reached him before he heard Cami speak his name. Breathing deeply, he didn’t try to fight the pull she had on him. Instead, he let her scent invade him, calm him, so that when he turned to face her, he did so with a smile.
    “You’re supposed to be resting,” he chastised, though secretly, he’d been wanting to see her all day.
    “Yes, well, I did that.” Bouncing up on her toes, she brushed a kiss against the underside of his chin and then bit her lip as though unsure her advances would be welcome. “I wanted to see you. I hope that’s okay.”
    With a growl, he scooped her up into his arms and nuzzled against the side of her neck. “Trust me, this has been the best part of my day.”
    “Stop that.” Cami swatted at his shoulder and arched away from him. “I’m here to rescue you, and I can’t do that if you’re distracting me.”
    Despite Cami’s protests, the sweet scent of her arousal permeated the air. Blood rushed straight to Tariq’s groin, swelling his cock until it throbbed painfully against the zipper of his pants. She was so small, a bit delicate even, yet she ignited all of his senses by doing nothing more than breathing. No one had any right to be so damn tempting, and Tariq knew he wasn’t the only one to see it.
    “You’re here to rescue me, huh?”
    “Yes.” She nodded solemnly, but her eyes danced with mirth. “Actually, I have something for you.” She wiggled in his arms, rubbing her lithe body against his trapped erection. “Put me down.”
    With a quiet