It wasn’t until they found a need for it that Aiden and Eva learned just how difficult it was to find privacy on a carrier. Massive as the vessel was, it seemed that every time they tried to find a moment together there would be someone to walk around the corner, busy on their way to some important task.

 

For the most part all they managed was to discreetly brush their hands together in passing, just to feel the skin of the other for that brief moment. If they were lucky they managed a brief kiss in a deserted hallway, but the moment was never allowed to last long.

 

Eva’s favorite place became the gym and the two of them would face off in a spar on a regular occasion partly because they were both skilled enough in fighting to keep each other on edge, and partly because the sparring matches usually ended up in a grapple to the floor until one of them managed to pin the other. Just to draw the close contact out as long as possible they would deliberately draw out the grappling part for as long as they could get away with without drawing suspicion.

 

Each time Aiden went out on a mission Eva found herself fretting until she saw him return and each time she went out he was waiting to see her when she got back. The only place for Eva to deal with the frustration of not being able to be with Aiden in the way she craved was to take it out on anyone stupid enough to shoot at Dizzie, Snowy or herself while they were out on patrol. As the fleet moved further and further away from the core UEE systems the encounters with aggressive contacts became more and more frequent.

 

Dizzie, being the only one who knew for sure about the relationship decided to keep Eva’s mind off things during Aiden’s mission time by dragging her to the simulators to work on maneuvers together. With all of the flight time and simulator hours the two became quite the team and eventually began to anticipate each other’s actions. Eva learned to trust Dizzie’s ability to pull off head-spinning moves in order to get where she needed to be, and Dizzie learned to trust Eva’s instincts in battle and follow her lead to weave in between enemy ships and fire.

 

It was after one of these simulator sessions when Eva was wandering around in the rear of the carrier that she came across an observation deck near the engineering sections. It was close enough to the mammoth main thrusters that there was a constant hum and a pulsing vibration through the walls, which seems to make it a very undesirable place for people to go.

 

Eva sat there for about an hour and not one person came into the room. She rushed back to the barracks, and after catching her breath told Dizzie where to send Aiden when he returned from his flight. She then made her way more leisurely back to the observation deck, settled into one of the chairs and looked out at the stars while she waited.

 

The hum from the engines, which seemed to deter most people was oddly calming to her. She was used to spending weeks on small merchant ships like the Freelancer where the living quarters were close enough to the power plant that a similar, if not smaller, hum could be heard through the ship. This room felt more like home to her than any other place on the entire carrier.

 

She glanced up as Aiden entered the observation deck and before he was more than a few steps into the room she was in his arms and kissing him hard. She felt one of his hands slip around her waist, slide under her shirt and press to the small of her back, pulling her against him. His other hand cupped the side of her face, his thumb rubbing her lightly just in front of her ear while his fingers played with her hair.

 

Aiden pulled back from the kiss and glanced to the door but Eva put a finger to his chin and turned his gaze back to her. “No one’s coming.” she whispered to him before looping her arms around him under his arms and burying her face into his neck. She kissed and nipped playfully at his skin and inhaled his scent deeply.

 

She felt his hand trail up her back, lifting her shirt as he did so. Her body stiffened instinctively and he paused, sensing her hesitation. She smiled and pulled away, taking his hand and leading him deeper into the observation deck. Pushing him into one of the chairs, she reached back under her shirt and unclasped her bra.

 

Keeping her eyes on him she then reached up inside each of her sleeves in turn and pulling the shoulder straps of her bra free of her arms. Finally she reached up under the front of her shirt and pulled it free, tossing it to one side before climbing into his lap, facing him with her legs straddling his.

 

She cupped Aiden’s face in both of her hands and leaned in to kiss him softly and tenderly at first but when she felt his hands on her hips the kiss got deeper and more passionate. He groaned a little into her mouth and she felt him stir under her. Without thinking she rocked her hips and rubbed against him, and liked the reaction it got both from Aiden and also from within herself. His hands were under her shirt again, cupping her breasts. She inhaled sharply at the touch and pressed against his touch, her eyes fluttering closed at the feeling of his hands on her.

 

It didn’t take long for his hands to start moving down again and his fingers touched at the belt of her pants. Her hands went to his and she took in a gasping breath, “Not yet….” she whispered to him breathlessly. He made no complaint and simply slid his hands back under her shirt to stroke up and down her back while he resumed kissing her.

 

NEXT ENTRY: Scramble