lifted her leg, stepped on the bed, and stood still on the mattress. She turned to face him, surprised to find him right behind her.

He suddenly gripped her hips. “I have to figure a way to get you off this station. You can’t very well walk next to me as we leave.”

She finally understood. “You plan to carry me?”

“I don’t see any other choice. They will probably stop anyone your size walking through the station.” His arms opened. “Wrap around me.”

Her fingers gripped his shoulders and he grabbed her hips, lifted her right off her feet as if she didn’t weigh a thing, and jerked her against his body. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and stared into his eyes inches from her own.

“You’re small but not small enough.” He frowned. “Release me.”

She let him go and he had her stand on the bed again. He took a few steps back, studied her, and frowned. “I don’t suppose your limbs come off easily and reattach?”

“No!” The idea shocked her.

A faint grin curved his handsome mouth. “That would have been convenient. I had to ask. Give me a moment. I’ll think of something.”

“You could put me in a bag and carry me over your shoulder. They’ll think I’m merchandise.”

“That would be too suspicious if they are searching for you, and they might be checking anything large enough to contain a human.” His gaze traveled all over her, making her feel warm. Then he looked away to glance around the room.

He moved toward the fake window curtains that were part of the decoration, tore one of them off the wall, and turned. “I have an idea. This might not be comfortable for you, but it won’t last for long.”

“I can deal with it.” She shrugged. “It’s going to beat being forced into sexual slavery.”

He froze.

“I didn’t mean with you. I meant staying here and having to work in that brothel.”

“You’re lucky we dress as pirates, and their garb is very loose.”

“That’s definitely a bonus right now.”

He flashed a grin. “Stand up.”

She climbed to her feet, wondering what he’d do with the material. He stepped forward, holding the curtain in one hand, and then grabbed her around her waist, jerking her against his firm body. Their gazes locked.

“Put your arms beneath mine and grip my shoulders from behind.”

She did, curving her fingers around his warm skin. He had expansive shoulders, and her tight hold on him flattened her breasts against his muscled chest. Her heart accelerated and the blue of his eyes seemed to darken again while they watched each other.

“Wrap your legs around my waist. Hold on to me tight to support your own weight for a moment.”

She did, and it was like hugging a muscled tree. His arm slid from around her waist to hook under her ass, jerked her tight against his pelvis, and she realized his cock was hard, trapped between their bellies.

“Don’t move.”

She didn’t as he released her, used both arms to spread the curtain, and began to wrap it around their bodies. She quickly got what he was doing as he wound the material, forcing her legs to hug him even tighter. He tore each end of the curtain into short strips after he wrapped it around their bodies, and tied the strips together. His hands gripped her hips, he wiggled his body a little, and she slipped down him a few inches.

“Tuck your head against my chest.”

She did it, pressing her cheek against him. Her ear flattened, she could hear his firm, strong heartbeat. His arms wrapped around her back and he sighed.

“This will have to do. Don’t move.”

“I can’t. You have me wrapped too tight.”

“Good.” He held her as he bent, grabbed his shirt and head gear, and straightened. “It’s about to get worse. You can’t speak or move, do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

He put the shirt on and covered her body with it. He probably looked pretty paunchy with her over his front, but the loose clothing still didn’t seem to suffer from tightness. The shirt fell almost to his knees. When he put on the head drape, she lost sight of all light. It was dark and warm, hard to breathe, and her ankles protested being twisted a little, and wrapped so tightly against his body. It wasn’t outright painful though. It was just really awkward having her knees up by his ribs.

He took a deep breath—it made her hold hers—and he blew it out. “Hold very still. I’ll hurry, and we might