Page 38 of The Last Hunt
“Still 5%, Aethon,” TAI chirps.
Aethon’s hand rises to fidget with the bandage on his neck. Maeve has changed it for him every morning and every evening. She knows the shape of his neck and jaw by heart now. She fantasizes about kissing up the column of his throat, feeling his pulse jump under her mouth.
“Well yeah it’s still 5%,” Aethon replies. “But only because you’re not taking into account Daik’s motivation. You’re just doing these calculations based on route numbers alone.”
“Then why do you keep asking for the probability?” TAI asks.
Maeve leans back and listens to Aethon argue good naturedly with TAI, allowing her mind to return to last night. At night, every reason she has for staying away from him becomes flimsy. She’s leaving Two Roses? So what as long as she can have Aethon’s head between her thighs. People she cares about always end up being taken from her? Whatever - as long as she can get her mouth on Aethon’s cock. Fraternization between bounty hunters is a bad idea? Who cares as long as she can fulfill every filthy fantasy she has involving Aethon Trell’s body. She’s not sure how much longer she can resist. And Maeve knows Aethon isn’t immune. She’s seen his cock pushing at his thin boxers in the morning as he heads to the bathroom. She can feel his gaze on her. And when he takes an extra long time in the shower, she knows what he’s doing.
“Helloo - Maevey!” TAI’s voice jolts Maeve out of her fantasy. She glances at Aethon who’s watching her with raised brows.
“What?” Maeve asks.
“I just asked if you’re still ok with me waiting to reach out to my CHASA contact until we have some solid intel that Daik is moving toward Tri-Centauri,” Aethon says. “I don’t want to push her goodwill.”
Maeve clears her throat and nods. “That makes sense.”
Aethon inclines his head and sits down in his chair. “Good. Now if TAI would just get with the program -”
“I see why you’re resisting him, Maevey,” TAI whispers conspiratorially. “He’s a little bit annoying.”
Maeve’s face heats as Aethon turns over his shoulder to glare at the ceiling. “Hey! I can hear you!”
“I know, honey!” TAI chirps.
“He can be quite a pain,” CAL agrees.
“Is this beat up Trell time or something?” Aethon asks, throwing his hands up.
“That’s later,” Maeve says. “My boxing gloves are ready.”
“Mmhmm,” he mutters. “Can’t wait.”
Maeve has a sudden image of her and Aethon on a boxing mat - her kneeling over Aethon’s hips - the hardness of him evident underneath her -
“So,” she says, straightening up in her chair and reaching desperately for a topic change. “Um, when’s the last time you went home?”
Aethon’s expression closes off slightly. “To Freehail?” he asks.
Maeve nods, her fingers trailing along the joystick in her armrest. Aethon’s eyes snap to her hand and he swallows hard. She quickly pulls her hand back down into her lap.
“Haven’t been back since I joined Two Roses,” he says. He turns back to the dash and Maeve knows she said something wrong. After what he told her about Brimstone and his brother, she should have known better than to bring up the subject.
“Aethon,” TAI says. “In case you wanted to know, the probability that Daik is heading for Tri-Centauri just jumped to 9%.”
Aethon leans back in his chair and folds his hands behind his head. “Is that right?” he says. He spins and makes eye contact with Maeve, giving her a small smile that Maeve knows is his way of bridging the sudden awkwardness between them. “Spectacular.”
“Still not nearly enough to claim that’s where he’s going,” CAL says.
“That’s where he’s going,” Aethon says, pointing up at the ceiling. “Trust me.”
The rest of the day is spent in relative calm, though they’re all tuned in to every move Daik’s ship makes on the tracking app. However, the probability that Daik is heading for Tri-Centauri only jumps to 11%. They talk, eat ration packs, and tease the AIs. They’re approaching another jump point, but they won’t arrive until the next morning.
“We should - I mean, I’m going to get some sleep,” Aethon says, rising from his chair after Maeve sets the auto-nav for the night.
Maeve gets up, following Aethon back to her quarters. “Me too. You want me to redo your bandage?”
“Yes please,” he says. He pauses at the door to her quarters and rests his hands on the doorframe, stretching his back. Maeve pushes at his back lightly.