Page 139 of Stardusted

See? Dangerous.

I lifted a shoulder, not sure what to say. I didn’t really have a choice but to trust him, did I?

Once he saw he had my attention again, he sighed. “I’ve got a mission, and you’re a part of that now. An important part.”

A mission. I tucked my tongue into my cheek. How romantic. Just what a girl wanted to hear from the guy she’d been pining after forever.

But Sky was my best bet for staying safe. For getting answers and solutions. After all, he was the only one I happened to know who could take on an evil space robot.

“Okay,” I said, managing a small smile. “I’ll do my best. And Idotrust you. For the record.”

Mostly, anyway.

He searched my face for another breath before pushing off the wall. “Good.” He cast a quick look around us before his gaze came to rest on me again. “I’m sorry about Amelia. Maybe we can figure something out once we get a handle on things. I’m still waiting to hear back from Bast on some options.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” I didn’t have much confidence in that.

From now on, I was committed to getting this alien mess figured out. The faster we did that, the faster I could go back to normal life and coffee dates with Amelia and maybe even sleeping through a whole night again.

And then Sky could do what he’d come here to do…and go. Back to the stars.

Speaking of confusing feelings.

He moved then, angling closer and lifting his hand. His fingertips were warm as they skimmed my cheek, and I froze in place. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Barely a graze, but it was the first contact we’d had since the ill-fated hypnosis attempt this morning.

I stopped breathing, wide eyes tracing up his tanned throat to find his. He stiffened a little, like he hadn’t meant to touch me. For a heartbeat, we stared at each other, the sounds of the university hallway fading.

Sky looked away first, lowering his eyes and stepping back. My skin tingled where he’d brushed it.

He may not have meant it as one, but that tiny touch was a reminder. Everything around me was a spinning, churning mess, but…I wasn’t alone. Not completely.

Not entirely.

He was here, too. For now.

Which was a whole other complication in itself.

When I tipped my head back, I caught the barest flicker of emotion crossing his face before he turned away. “Come on. We’re already here, so let’s ace this test.”

I came back to myself, drawing back too. Before I did something I’d regret. Like lean on him.

Because we might’ve been in this together, but there were boundaries. Boundaries that were somehow just as confusing as everything else.

God, I was a mess.

It was test day, and none of this had been on the syllabus.

Chapter 33

WHAT HAPPENS IF HE’S RIGHT AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE TEST QUESTIONS

Yeah, this was going just as swimminglyas I’d thought it might.

I hadn’t even made it a quarter of the way into the exam, and the questions were already blurring together. I rubbed my eyes with one hand and tapped my pencil with the other before staring blankly at the paper test this old-school professor insisted on using.

I didn’t remember half of this from the study guide.

One glance at the clock made me squirm in my chair. Time was draining away.