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She loved how affectionate he was, how he reached for her without thought, and how his gaze lingered when she wasn’t looking.

Twas always a possessive claiming, even in the simplest gestures.

Soon, their plates were discarded, fruit untouched, toast growing cold as their lips, hands, and bodies glided over each other.

She leaned into him again, arms winding around his neck when his wrist comm flared with an urgent chime.

Ki’Remi tore his lips from hers and groaned, canting away to pick up the call. ‘Sable here.’

Admiral Rhye’s voice came through, crisp and terse. ‘Sable, Elaris. We need you both. Now.’

Ki’Remi used his neural node to switch the conversation to his in-house speakers, so Issa also listened.

‘A series of Rhesian Fringe colonies are experiencing a disease outbreak. We believe it might be a dangerous pathogen, a resistant Staphylococcus or bacteria linked to water and food sanitation.’

Ki’Remi interjected. ‘Multi-drug aversion or an evolved bacterium?’

‘Not sure yet, but the infections our people on the ground are seeing are freakin’ harder to treat, so get your butts on the move. There are multiple cases of heat and lung failures, plus vital organ shutdowns being reported. We’ll need your surgical prowess. We dust off in two hours.’

The Admiral rang off as Issa shook her head in disbelief. ‘The Fringe never stops giving.’

Ki’Remi nodded, his expression shifting. ‘Twas bound to happen. I’m leaning towards a new or mutated microorganism foreign to the colony residents fresh off a boat.’

Issa let out a sigh, pushing back her curls with a groan. ‘Can’t the galaxy give us one more day of bliss?’

He smirked and, with zero remorse, swatted her backside as he lifted her off him. ‘On your feet, soldier.’

‘Rude,’ she muttered, gathering her plate and cutlery to take to the sink.

‘You love it.’

‘Not when it interrupts my toast and morning kisses.’

‘Enough musing. Pack,’ he murmured. ‘We’re on a mission, woman.’

She exhaled, hella resistant but accepting he was right.

Their steps quickened as their practiced rhythm took over.

They packed their bags in synchronized silence, two warriors reverting to muscle memory.

Issa zipped her duffel with more force than necessary, still reluctant to leave their nest.

At the door, they paused, casting one last glance over their shared haven, the rumpled sheets, the still-warmkahawapot, and the balcony that cradled their starlit passion and laughter.

‘We’ll be home again soon,’ Ki’Remi promised in a timbred burr.

Issa slung her bag over her shoulder, glancing at Ki’Remi as they exited his suite.

His eyes found hers, steady and unwavering, as he reached for her hand, linking their fingers and squeezing once.

‘Always with me, Sable?’ she asked, tilting her head, searching his silver molten eyes.

He smirked, his sensual mouth curling in that way that made her stomach flip.

‘On your six,kidaya,’ he murmured, voice rough with promise. ‘Where else would I be?’

Issa didn’t answer.

She inhaled, quirked her lips, nodded, and stepped through the entryway.

The door slid shut.

Arms around each other, wrapped in an aura of love that neither height nor depth nor any power in all creation, not even war nor the gods could break, they set forth into the chaos of the universe once more.

THE END OF ONE STARLIT ROMANCE ….