Shipwrecked! Read online

  Shipwrecked!

  Copyright © February 2008, Michelle Marquis

  Cover art by Tuesday Dube © February 2008

  Amira Press, LLC

  Baltimore, MD21216

  www.amirapress.com

  ISBN: 978-1-934475-47-8

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.

  Dedication

  To everyone

  Chapter One

  All the windows in the engine room were filled with the blackness of space. The only interruption in the inky sky was the scattering of bright stars that flashed and shone like diamonds scattered on a velvet cloth. The sight was both awesome and frightening and never failed make Morgan O’Dell feel very small compared to it all.

  Morgan rubbed her face and stared into her empty cocoa mug. She debated making another cup, and then glanced at her watch. Only ten more minutes and she’d be off. She could stick it out. A sensor lit up on her control panel letting her know her roving watch, Lipman, was running late checking in. A second later, another sensor lit up indicating something was wrong with the air in one of the aft storage units.

  Morgan sighed and depressed the transmitter button. She didn’t need this right now. “Lipman?”

  Ben the watch captain, who’d been pacing by the window for hours, came over and peered over her shoulder. “Is there a problem, lieutenant?”

  “I don’t think so, sir. Lipman checked that storage unit not an hour ago. Everything was okay then.” She frowned. “He’s usually very good at answering his calls. He must be in a part of the ship where the equipment isn’t working.”

  The watch captain scowled and depressed the transmitter button on his collar. “Petty Officer Lipman,” he said. “This is the watch captain. Do you read me?”

  Morgan was just about to sound the general alarm when Lipman’s voice came over the speaker. It cut out a few times, but he sounded fine. “I’m here,” he said in a voice partially obscured by static. “I saw something on the space scanner, but it was probably just magnetic interference.”

  The watch captain seemed to relax a little. “Can you go by and check out storage unit one? We keep getting atmospheric alarms in there.”

  “It’s probably another Freon leak from the mess decks,” Lipman said annoyed. “I’ll check on it.”

  “Or it could be Lipman and his buddies smoking pot in there again,” Morgan muttered under her breath.

  Either the watch captain didn’t hear her or ignored the comment. Either way, he seemed satisfied with Lipman’s assessment of the storage unit and clicked off his transmitter. Turning to walk away, he suddenly came back over and said, “Isn’t your relief due in?” He frowned and looked down at his watch.

  Morgan typed in her relief’s name to the ship wide locator. Lieutenant Holiday’s name came up along with an “excused from duty” note. Morgan made a face. Of course she’s sick again. That girl is always sick. “She’s at Sick Call,” Morgan said.

  “I’ll give you half an hour to find a relief or you’ve got to stand her duty as well. Why don’t you try Commander Lawless? I think he’s still wandering around with nothing to do.”

  “Yes, sir,” Morgan said getting up and stretching. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Lieutenant Ross,” Ben said glancing at an officer who’d just come on watch. “Will you stand in here until Lieutenant O’Dell finds a relief?”

  Ross sighed. “Sure.” He shot Morgan a nasty look. She ignored him and rushed out the door to find Lawless.

  * * * *

  The officer’s lounge was hot and stuffy, but Commander Jon Lawless didn’t dare leave. He certainly couldn't go now that he was finally winning. This evening’s card game was packed and the pot was at least five hundred dollars. He didn’t really need the money but the victory was always a thrill. Chewing on his cigar, Lawless studied the men before him. They were all officers of the Fleet like himself—Keith Low, his pale face sweating as he licked his lips, Don Willis, his long, thin frame sitting awkwardly in a chair much too small for him, and Pete Connelly with his blue eyes sparkling in anticipation of victory. Not tonight, you dirty bastards, Jon thought, holding back a grin. No one’s going to beat a hand like this.

  “You ready to call?” Pete said.

  Lawless placed his cards on the table and laughed at the collective moan. A royal flush—nobody could beat that. Everyone threw their cards down and got up gathering their jackets. “I’ve never seen such a lucky SOB,” Don said shaking his head as Lawless crushed out his cigar and stuffed his winnings into his pocket.

  Lawless slapped him on the back. “As I recall, Pete won last week.”

  “I don’t win as often as you do, Jon,” Pete shouted in protest. “God only knows how you’re cheating but I swear I’m going to find out.”

  Everyone laughed. Then a sudden silence came over the men. All eyes turned to the door. Sexual tension filled the air, and the faint scent of lavender whispered past their noses. Lawless glanced up and smiled. Here she comes.

  Lieutenant Morgan O’Dell walked into the room as if she owned it. She was an attractive woman, with rich brown hair and deep brown eyes and a figure that was a little too long and lean. But Lawless’s attraction to her went much deeper than her beauty. He believed there were a million erotic mysteries to be uncovered in those cool dark eyes, and one day he intended to uncover all of them.

  She approached him with quick, precise steps, stopping a little farther from him than was typical for someone about to carry on a conversation. He knew she’d do that. She always did. She hated him.

  Lawless puffed on his cigar and took it out of his mouth. “Aren’t you up past your bedtime, Morgan?”

  She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Lieutenant Holiday is ill and has been excused from duty tonight. Will you take her watch?”

  “Why don’t you do it?” he said trying to get a rise out of her.

  “I don’t want to do it because I just got off watch. Ben gave me a few minutes to find a relief or I’ve got to go back there for another six hours. I don’t want to do that, Lawless. I’m exhausted and need to get some sleep.”

  He crushed his cigar out in a nearby ashtray. “I can’t.”

  Morgan sighed. She glanced around, but they didn’t have an audience since everyone had left. It was just the two of them. Alone. “Why can’t you?”

  “I’ve been drinking.”

  “You seem fine to me.”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” he said with a wink.

  Morgan’s cheeks flushed. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it myself.” She turned around and headed for the door.

  “Ask me again,” Jon said.

  Morgan turned and glared at him. “What?”

  “I said, ask me again. Ask me nicely.”

  “Lawless, I really don’t have time for these stupid games of yours. Are you going to do this or not?”

  He moved a few paces closer and watched her squirm. She held her ground. “Ask me,” he said.

  Morgan met his gaze, and for just a second, her eyes softened. “Jon, will you please take this watch?”

  Lawless considered this for a moment. “If you take me out for dinner tomorrow and get me drunk.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “I never kid about a serious matter like dinner.”

  “You want me to take you out to dinner for doing your job?” she asked incredulously.

  Jon held up his hands in protest. “Oh no, no. This isn’t about me doing my job. I did my job today. This is about me helping you out. So I think dinner and drinks aren’t t
oo much to ask.”

  Morgan stood frozen by indecision. Tired dark circles colored the underside of her eyes and made her look slightly older than her thirty-seven years. “Okay. Dinner and drinks but nothing else, is that clear? I’m not in the mood to fend off one of your clumsy, drunken passes.”

  “I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but it’s obviously flawed,” he said with a smile. “I would never take advantage of a lady.”

  “From the rumors I’ve heard, that’s all you do,” she said shaking her head. Suddenly her shoulders stiffened as if she’d been stung by a bee. “You know what—forget it. I’ll just do it myself. I don’t want to owe you anything.” Morgan turned on her heels and hurried for the door.

  Lawless lit another cigar. He’d lost her again. Too bad, he’d been looking forward to that dinner. “You’ll let me know if you change your mind, right?”

  “Go to hell, Lawless,” she tossed back just as the sliding doors hissed shut.

  Chapter Two

  Morgan stormed into her stateroom and resisted the urge to slam the door. She didn’t want her best friend and neighbor Helen to come by and poke her nose into what might be wrong. Morgan loved Helen, but the woman was a hopeless gossip. Besides, thanks to Lawless, she didn’t have time to chat. She had to get back to the engine room.

  She couldn’t believe he wouldn’t take over that watch for her. What did he expect her to do, beg? Why did everything have to be a game with him? God, what a complete jerk that man is! I can’t believe I was stupid enough to sleep with him once. Her neck grew hot with the memory of that night. It had been her first port of call after a year-long deployment in space, and she desperately needed to burn off some steam. Her and her friends had hit the bars early, and by one in the morning, everyone was smashed and dancing on tabletops.

  Just before last call, Jon Lawless came into the bar.

  Morgan’s breath caught in her throat remembering how sexy he was. A soaring six foot two inches, Lawless was a powerfully built man with green eyes and dark hair. His face was wickedly handsome with sculptured cheekbones and a hard, manly jaw. Unfortunately, he was also a notorious womanizer. Many women had tried to tame him, and all of them had failed. But what woman wouldn’t have fallen under his spell with looks like those?

  Morgan had tried not to stare at him as she busied herself hunting for her drink among the numerous empty glasses on the table. Helen came over with a young male ensign on her arm. “What you looking for?” she slurred.

  “My drink,” Morgan shouted over the music. “You know the pink lemonade thing.”

  Helen laughed and snorted. “Oh, I drank that ages ago. Listen—me and Steve here are going to the hotel. We’ll see you later, okay?”

  Morgan nodded and twisted around in her chair looking for the waitress. Lawless approached her. He held two drinks in his hand dripping with condensation. He offered one to her. “Need a drink?” he said.

  She took one gratefully and smiled. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  The rest of the night was somewhat of a blur. All she remembered was flirting with him like crazy and grainy images. The memory of his animal scent and the feel of fresh, hot sweat filled her senses. A slow, lusty burn heated her sex.

  Not a day had gone by since that she didn’t wish she’d been sober. When she woke the next morning, all she had was a vicious hangover and the enduring memory of his naked body asleep next to her. She’d been so embarrassed she’d crept out before he had a chance to wake up. She never told anyone what happened. The only reminder was his taunting attitude on the few occasions they saw each other.

  She jumped when her wall communicator buzzed, bringing her back to the present. “Yes?”

  It was Ben, the watch captain. “Did you find Commander Lawless?”

  “Yes,” she said, keeping the anger out of her tone. “But he can’t do it. I’ll be up there in a minute.”

  “Understood. See you soon. I’m out.”

  Morgan pulled her coveralls on and attached her rank to the collar. Maybe she should have just taken Lawless to dinner. She shook her head. No, she did the right thing. If she took him to dinner, he’d want to sleep with her again, and she wasn’t comfortable with that. She’d be damned if she was going to end up another notch on his bedpost.

  * * * *

  Lawless stretched out on his rack and let his body relax a little at a time. His thoughts turned immediately to Morgan, and he felt a rush of desire. He wished she’d agree to go out with him again, but he understood her caution. He had a reputation for being a shameless ladies’ man. Part of that reputation was earned and some fiction, but it had grown over the last few years, and most women were wary of him. No one wanted to be used.

  Lawless thought about his last marriage to Connie and all the things that he’d done—or not done—to ensure the demise of that union. At the time, he’d taken love for granted. There was no doubt in his mind that Connie had loved him. After all, she’d put up with his late nights and various other indiscretions, but she hadn’t been able to love him enough to ignore his lack of love for her. Even now, after all these years, the pain of how poorly he’d treated her stung. He wished he could go back in time and do it right. I’m sorry, Connie. I should never have taken you for granted. What I wouldn’t give to make it up to you.

  Rolling onto his side he closed his eyes and tried to let sleep overtake him, but immediately, thoughts of Morgan bombarded him. God how he wished he could get close to her again. In a strange way, because of his past, he felt like he didn’t deserve her. She was a good woman and a smart one, and he found so many things about her fascinating. How many times had he seen her on the mess decks with her friends? They'd always be laughing and talking as Morgan greedily sipped from a warm cup of cocoa. He smiled remembering it. A million times he wished he’d been close enough to hear what they were talking about. Men? Love? Sex? The last one made his arousal stronger.

  Horny and restless, he moved onto his back. If he focused enough he could summon the floral sweetness of Morgan’s body wash and the hint of lavender in her shampoo. A bestial sexual hunger rolled around in his belly, and for a fleeting moment, he thought about sneaking into her berthing. In the cool, snug darkness, would she turn him away or surrender to the desire he knew simmered in her soul for him? Imagining her more likely response—pure anger—he grinned.

  Reaching into his briefs, he found the source of his torture, wrapped his hand around it, and squeezed. Pleasure flowed up from his cock, and he harnessed it, used it to imagine her straddling his hips with his dick deep inside her. A name escaped his lips, spoken softly and wistfully like a prayer. “Morgan.”

  A mash of emotions filled him as he stroked his bulging cock. He wanted her so desperately, so completely that he thought he might lose his mind. Then the climax seized him, flooding his body with complex chords of pleasure, and he gasped from the intensity. Then, as quickly as the fever was on him, it was gone again.

  Lawless rose, changed his briefs, and cleaned himself up. He was about to get back into bed, when he hesitated by the door. I should go to her, he thought. Maybe we could talk, get to know each other. Then he remembered that she was on watch. A watch he should have taken for her. Shame moved over him, but he quickly shook it off. There was no use beating himself up over it now, it was done.

  He climbed back into his bed feeling the buzz of his drunk wearing off. He tried to relax, but the fire was still there, smoldering just under the surface. How ironic that I probably won’t get a wink of sleep tonight, and it’s all thanks to Morgan.

  Chapter Three

  On her way to the bridge, Morgan stopped by the mess desk to get a cup of hot cocoa. Everyone had a sinful indulgence and hers was that thick chocolate drink. Imported or domestic, liquid or powder, she loved them all and had to have a least one cup a day. Strolling across the vast hall filled with over a hundred tables and chairs she reflected on the seven long years she still had to serve on board the USS Defiant.
After that, she was supposed to get her choice of duty station but everyone knew that was a joke. You went where the Fleet sent you. She sighed fighting off the fatigue and poured herself a large cup of hot water and tossed in a package of cocoa. Sipping it, her mouth was filled with the decadence of the hot, sweet liquid. Bliss. Just the scent alone seemed to make all her troubles melt away.

  Lieutenant Tess Strong moved up to the coffee maker and eyed her suspiciously. She was one of those women so beautiful, it made everyone else uncomfortable. “Didn’t you just get off watch in the engine room?”

  “Yeah,” Morgan said in between sips.

  “Are you doing a double shift?”

  “Penny was sick again.”

  Strong made a face. “I’m telling you,” she said in a confidential whisper. “That girl is pregnant.”