Skye's restless night finally ended. After her encounter with Riddick, sleep was lost. All she could do was think of him and the way he looked.
"Time to get up sleepy head. We got a lot of shit to do today." Raven headed for the bathroom and Skye followed. When they got around the corner the guys turned and stared. Skye looked down at her clothes. She forgot again that she was hardly dressed.
"Sorry. It must be the cabin pressure," she joked, feeling her cheeks get hot.
"Don't worry. It nice to have something new to look at," Eric said. He moved quickly away from Raven, which was good because she took a swing at him.
"Come on Raven. You know I love ya," he said, daring to come back to her. There was laughter through the hall and Eric put his arm around Raven. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. The door opened and Kyle stepped out. Alex nearly knocked him down trying to get in next.
"Sorry, man," he said, suppressing a smile. Skye patiently waited her turn when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. The only person it could be was Riddick and when his scent hit her, she nearly patted herself on the back. She felt a little antsy with him standing so close and almost jumped out of her skin when he whispered in her ear.
"We gotta stop meeting like this." His warm breath tickled her ear, causing goose bumps to spread over her arms. She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Why? I'm enjoying myself." He cocked an eyebrow at her comment, only making him look sexier. He seemed to be the only guy that didn't like to wear shirts to bed. Not that Skye was complaining. She let her gaze travel down his chest to his abs before she met his gaze again. Smiling her approval she turned back only to see Raven and Eric watching her with curiosity written all over their faces. All they got in return was a smile.
Skye changed into pants and a tank top that fit her like a second skin. They allowed her more freedom of movement along with making her look good. They all got their assignments and went off to work.
The work was hard and it kept them all busy all day. Skye helped move equipment to different rooms, took inventory, cleaned and organized all the weapons, and went over their plans for when they got to Bi-Lines. Everyone ate in shifts because they were too busy to just sit and eat together. That's one thing Skye noticed. They tried to eat together to keep up the camaraderie. Keep the team close and you'll never have to look over you're shoulder.
The day was finally coming to an end. Skye decided to skip her workout since she figured she just got one. After her turn in the shower she went to the kitchen to get something to eat before turning in.
"Hey, Raven, Kyle," she said. Raven and Kyle were finished with their dinner and were cleaning up. She looked at Skye, noticing how tired she looked.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked.
"I feel a little dizzy, but my stomach's fine. I'm also just a little bit tired." Raven laughed.
"It won't be this bad tomorrow. You kicked ass today. Eric didn't think we'd get everything done already," Raven said, as she patted Skye on the shoulder and headed for the door. Skye was starting to get her dinner ready when she heard Raven whistling to someone.
"Woo hoo, baby. Look at you." Skye looked in her direction and saw her motioning to her to come over. Skye moved fast, not wanting to miss the show. She leaned out of the door and gasped as she saw Riddick down the hall. He was still wet from his shower and all he had on was a towel, hanging low on his hips. Beads of water ran down his arms and back as he looked over his shoulder. Skye took one look at him, got a dizzy spell, and started to fall over. She grabbed the side of the door to steady herself hoping it wasn't obvious but she was too late. Riddick smiled before leaving and Raven put a hand over her mouth.
"Looks like someone has a thing for Riddick," she said, without moving her hand. Skye shook her head and went back into the kitchen and was glad when Raven didn't follow.
Her dinner was tasteless but she ate it anyway. She relaxed in her chair and let her eyes close. The hum of the ship calmed her body and put her mind in a meditative state. The cool air in the room brushed over Skye's skin and she felt herself begin to drift off. It was still pretty early but she couldn't keep herself awake. Slowly, and with more effort than usual, she pulled herself up from the chair. Somehow she managed to clean up despite her body's protesting, but that's as far as she got. When she turned to leave, another dizzy spell hit her and she went down.
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Eric had walked through the door just as Skye started to fall and he caught her. She didn't rouse when he scooped her up in his arms and headed for her room. He was worried but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions. When he got to her room he kicked the door.
"Raven, open up." The panic he was feeling was apparent in his voice. Raven opened the door and stared in shock.
"Shit, what happened?" she asked, moving to the side to let him by.
"She passed out." He put her gently on the bed and felt for a pulse. "Do you know what might be wrong with her?" Her pulse was strong which was a good sign.
"Oh, uh, gravity pressure." Raven snapped her finger. "She hasn't traveled in a long time and now its reeking havoc on her body. I thought she was doing better, though." Eric got up and went to the door.
"Apparently not," he said. "Watch her. I'll be right back." Raven knelt beside the bed and moved Skye's hair off of her face. Her skin was warm to the touch but not feverish. It appeared that she was just in a deep sleep. Seconds later Eric ran back in with a med kit in his hands.
"What are you going to do?" Raven asked.
"I'm giving her something to help her sleep and something to help her adjust to the gravity pressure." He prepped the needle and gave her a shot.
"Will she be okay?" Raven sounded a little worried. Eric put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Yea, she'll be fine. She just needs to sleep. You'll notice a big difference in her tomorrow." He pulled Raven to the door. "Come on. We'll check on her later." Raven watched Skye as she was led out of the room.
Out in the hall, Kyle stepped into view and stopped when he saw them.
"Hey, Raven, come check this out." Raven looked at Eric.
"Go ahead. Let her rest," he said, giving her a little nudge. She moved down the hall unsure if she should leave. When she was close enough, Kyle grabbed her arm and dragged her to the living area. Eric went to his room to talk to Riddick. Riddick was dressed in just pants and was lounging on his bed. He didn't move when Eric came in but he knew something was wrong.
"What's wrong," he asked. Eric took a seat on his bed.
"Skye passed out." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Riddick bolted to a sitting position.
"What?" he said. Eric jumped when he saw Riddick sitting. He hadn't even heard him move.
"Raven thinks it's just the change in pressure so I gave her some meds and she's sleeping right now," he said quickly. Riddick was silent for a moment, running his hands up and down his thighs. He finally stood up.
"Shit," was all he said. He started pacing which unnerved Eric. Riddick never paced. He knew this could be bad but it wasn't.
"Look, we'll know for sure tomorrow but for now all we can do is check on her and let her sleep." Eric stood up so Riddick would stop pacing.
"You're right," he said, sitting back down on his bed. "We wait." He couldn't figure out what bothered him more. The fact that without her this mission would be impossible or was he just concerned for her. He decided it would be best if he didn't answer himself.
They were silent. Eric was running through scenarios in his head while Riddick made himself relax. Patience was something he had to learn in Slam. Worrying about something you can't control is a waste of energy.
About an hour later Riddick decided to go check on Skye himself. Eric seemed to be asleep so he didn't bother telling him. He walked through the dark halls, listening to the noise coming from the living area. Raven and Kyle were talking about something that kept them laughing. The air was cool against Riddick's skin as he made his way to Skye's room.
He hesitated for only a second before he opened the door. Raven must have helped her out of her clothes because she was back to wearing nothing but her little tank top and panties. She was lying on her stomach with one of her hands hanging over the side of the bed.
He moved over to the bed, quiet as always, and knelt down next to her. She looked totally at peace. Her cheeks had a rosy hue, which was a contrast to her creamy skin.
Riddick watched her breath for a moment before touching her. Gently, he ran his hand up her arm.
"Skye," he whispered. Her body twitched at the sound of his voice. "Skye," he repeated a little louder this time and gave her a little shake.
"Huh?" Her eyes fluttered open but Riddick could see she was confused.
"Skye, its Riddick. How are you feeling?" He kept his hand on her arm as she propped herself up on her elbow. She looked at him but seemed really out of it. The medicine was probably keeping her from coming fully awake and Riddick wondered if he should have just let her sleep. There was enough light in the room that she could see him and of course he could see her but he never saw what came next.
Before he could react, Skye put her hand on his cheek. The warmth and softness of her hand stilled him.
"Beautiful." Her voice could barely be heard in the silence of the room. This confused Riddick. Was she talking about him or was she seeing something else in her drug induced haze. Convicted killers weren't beautiful.
In a flash, Skye pressed her lips to his. He didn't move as she tasted him but that didn't last long. He cupped her face in his hands and returned the kiss with an intensity that amazed even him. Soft lips moved against each other as the heat built up between them. Riddick's tongue met hers with as much passion as she put behind it. Skye pressed into him trying to get more and he did all in his power to not take it further.
She tasted like strawberries and Riddick explored her mouth with his tongues causing her to moan deep in her throat. That sound always did it for him. He pushed her onto her back lying next to her and she gripped his shoulder tight, still making quiet moaning sounds. Torturously slow, he ran his hand down her side, over the swell of her hip, and down the length of her thigh. The softness of her skin made him hard, almost to the point of being painful. Her response to his touch was to bring her leg up to rest on his hip, giving him better access to her leg. He rubbed his knee between her legs making her move her hips to press into him.
Skye ran her tongue over his bottom lip before gently sucking on it. He had kept quiet up to then but the sensations were too much for him to keep quiet now. The low growl started deep in his chest but it slowly came to the surface as he allowed his hand to slide up the back of her thigh and slip under her panties. He knew the growl always got a response out of women and he wasn't disappointed when Skye pushed her body to his and kissed him harder.
"Riddick." Kyle's voice like ice water being poured over their heated bodies. 'Just when things were getting good.' Riddick thought as he pulled his lips from hers. She didn't loosen her grip on him as he turned his head to the door. Instead, she ran her lips over his neck followed by her tongue. Riddick stayed as still as he could, letting her explore his body with her lips and it made him feel like he was on fire. The throb of his erection brought him back to reality. He couldn't do this. For all he knew, she didn't even know it was him. There was no way he was going to take advantage of her being drugged up. If this was going to happen he wanted it to be done right.
Taking a deep breath, Riddick moved Skye's hands from his body and pushed himself to his feet.
"You need your sleep," he said. Skye eased herself onto her back and watched him retreat to the door. There was still the confused look in her eyes and before he made it to the door, they were closed and she was asleep. Shaking his head, he adjusted his manhood in his boxers hoping no one would notice.
He did not want to deal with Kyle right now but that would seem kind of suspicious. Rushing out of Skye's room and into his own. Yea, they'd know something was up. Luckily his erection subsided as Kyle met him in the hall.
"I think Raven broke the vid screen," he said.
"So, you're the expert, why don't you fix it?" Frustration was evident in his voice.
"I can I just thought maybe you could set her straight,"
"Straight? Now there's a word for ya," he said, joking about her sexual preference.
"That's not what I meant," he replied.
"I know what you meant. Did it ever occur to you that she likes messing with you?" Riddick was regarded with a confused look. "She might be into girls but she's still a woman and some of them like to play games," Kyle nodded his head in understanding.
"So, what do I do?"
"Find out what her game is and then play it better than her." Riddick lowered his voice as they neared the living area. Riddick figured Kyle would either get his way and Raven would leave him alone or she would beat the shit out of him. But he wasn't going to warn him about that part.
"Okay." Kyle seemed to like the idea and Riddick could almost see the wheels in his head turning. They entered the living area and Riddick noticed Eric was there. Kyle was smirking at Raven and Riddick headed right to her. This was Kyle's battle but he needed to talk to her and this was the best opportunity to get her alone without people wondering what was up.
He effortlessly scooped her into his arms, in spite of her cries for help, and headed for the cockpit.
"Someone's gonna get it," Eric taunted, causing Alex to turn around from the computer to see what was going on.
Once in the cockpit, Riddick set Raven down and she began verbally defending herself.
"Look, I don't know what Kyle said but," Riddick put his hands up to silence her.
"I don't care about that. I wanted to ask you something." Raven relaxed and sat on the seat behind the pilot's seat.
"Okay."
"If Skye has any problems tonight, will you come get me?" Even after knowing him for two months, Riddick managed to show her yet another side of himself.
"Yea, sure." She gave him a smile.
"I just checked her and she's fine." He moved his chin sharply to his left, cracking his neck.
"I'm going to bed soon so I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry." She moved passed him without waiting for a response. Riddick cracked his neck again relieving a little tension but the tension he was feeling could only be relieved in one way. He pushed that thought aside and headed to his room.
**** Sorry for the slight delay. I seem to have caught up to myself. Please keep reading and reviewing. It keeps me inspired.