A Quickshot for #PrideMonth #scifirom

As it's Pride Month and I'm busy both in real life and fiction right now, I thought I'd follow suit with my fellow crewmembers at Spacefreighters. So here's an excerpt from my SFR Galaxy Award winning scifi romance short Quickshot, featuring my trigger-happy, bi heroine Sal...

Sal stared at the multi-colored data streaming across her status display, using one foot to rock herself in her seat.

“Hey.”

Sal spun, double-barreled blasters in both hands. The dark-skinned beauty leaning through the hatch threw up both hands in surrender. “Whoa, t’hani!”

Damn. Sal sucked in a breath, lifting her fingers from the triggers and pointing her guns upward. “Sorry. Guess I’m still twitchy.”

“That’s more than twitchy.” Dela scowled, wrapping her shaking arms around herself. “One day you’ll blow someone’s head off. And I don’t want it to be me.”

“It won’t.” Sal forced herself to holster the guns even though every instinct in her body wanted her to keep hold of them. She slid from her chair, and had Dela in her arms faster than the woman could raise an objection. Dela’s heart pounded against Sal’s chest, a perfect match to the racing of her own pulse. She’d almost shot her lover, damn it. Why couldn’t she stop the automatic response to grab her weapon when startled? She held Dela tight as if clinging to her last hope.

Dela sighed. “Sal, I’m not Ehi. If you keep pulling weapons on me, more than my pride will get hurt.”

She’s right. “I know. I just—”

“Forgot I was onboard?”

“Yeah. I mean no. I mean—”

“Forget it.” Dela shoved away and stalked off, Sal in pursuit.

“Deh...” She caught her arm and turned the slight woman toward her. Away from the lights of the control room, Dela was almost invisible, except for the luminous amber eyes currently glaring at Sal fit to scorch her.

“Dela.” Sal softened and lowered her voice in the way she knew made Dela weak at the knees, and her lover quivered in response. Sal smiled and brushed her fingers lightly along Dela’s arms, feeling the goosebumps rise on the flawless skin. “Let me make it up to you, t’hani.”

For an instant the woman wavered, and Sal’s pulse quickened, an ache already spreading from her groin. Then Dela shook off her hand.

“No. You’ve pulled those pistols on me once too often, and there aren’t enough orgasms in the universe worth being shot in the head for.” Dela walked away.

Frustrated, angry at herself and now horny as Hades, Sal slouched back into the control room. She groaned as she slid into her pilot’s seat, considering some self-maintenance to ease the ache in her lower regions.

“Approaching drop out.” The soft voice of the ship’s computer stalled even that release.

Sal groaned again. “Let Dela know.” Once they hit port Sal could heal the breach by plying Dela with whatever she wanted. Maybe a bolt of those bright fabrics Dela adored, or a crate of her favorite tea that was so frigging hard to get hold of. Sal had contacts who could find those kind of things. She might even get lucky in bed tonight...

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Sal, a legal carrier (just about) of whatever comes her way, puts her trust in just two things: her guns.

Keeping out from under Imperium eyes—especially those belonging to a certain Ehi Wahu—while making a living, and trying to keep a lover who can tolerate her twitchy trigger fingers, are the extent of her ambitions. 

Then a kiss from a passing stranger, and a promise of the biggest score in a long time, tempt her. Devin fulfils more than one need, but he comes with more trouble than one woman can handle. And this time it'll take more than her guns to save her. She'll have to trust a man again.

WARNING: for over 18s only. Adult content including sex, bad language, & implied extreme violence.
A SFR Galaxy Award winner for Grittiest Hot & Fast Story. Buy now for just 99 cents!