Page 11 of Stars in Umbra (The Sable Riders #8)
She smiled despite herself. ‘ Naam , you are one hell of a headache but a fokkin ’ good defense strategist and an even better Commander, so I’ll take your lead on this.’
‘Why, sante . Can’t wait for what you come back with.’
Rina hit the lobby at a pace, her boots tapping on the polished obsidian tiles, her thoughts churning.
She reminded herself of her titles, her roles, and responsibilities as Chief of Defense for Dunia, seconded to the United Pegasi Military.
Now also head of the fragile, fractured Pegasi Galactic Peace Corps.
She wore each designation like armor, proud that she’d earned each stripe and scar, but some days, the strain of it all grated.
As for Kainan Sable?
Fokk , he had a way of pushing her buttons.
He meant well. She knew that.
She was furthermore confident that he trusted and respected her, even when he was riding her ass like a wild banshee over the tiniest slip-up.
She was grateful for that respect, if nothing else.
Given how her week was kicking off, she was developing a pounding headache.
She was halfway to the exit, scrolling through mission reports in her neural interface, when a voice cut through the noise.
‘Thought that was you, Colonel.’
Timbered, growled, and rough, graveled, laced with fire and smoke.
Freakin’ sensual to the core.
Her stomach flipped.
She turned, and there he was.
Leaning against the reception desk like he owned the damn building and street to boot.
Thick thighs encased in form-fitted trousers.
A crisp white shirt hugging that trim, flat, rippling torso, with buttons open partway on his chest, showcasing the mesmerizing ink on his torso.
Higher, the material stretched and bunched over shoulders so broad you could rest a boulder on.
His ensemble was so simple, yet so freakin sensuous.
Her eyes flicked over him, face still sculpted, and bejeweled as ever, and finally on that gleaming gaze of his fixed on her.
Her pulse kicked up a notch.
‘Meeting the grand wizard, huh?’ he rasped, those lush lips curling with lazy amusement.
She gave a dry laugh, rubbing a hand over her temple. ‘ Fokk yeah. This sure as hell ain’t no yellow brick road.’
He chuckled, stepping closer, filling her space without ever really touching her. The air thickened between them in an instant.
Mo shot her a grin, thumb hooked in his belt. ‘How are you?’
‘Doing good?
‘I won’t lie about trying to call you,’ he growled. ‘Because I didn’t. Life got busy, but I was also aware you’d be coming in this week, so I thought it better to catch you in person.’
‘I appreciate the honesty.’
She liked that he didn’t try to play games or make up excuses.
Their eyes locked, as raw desire flared, and Rina had to lock her knees to stop from swaying into his arms.
He crossed his arms over his massive chest. ‘How was the morning after the reception? I missed the breakfast.’
Most of Ki’Remi and Issa’s close friends had stayed overnight in a cute little hotel at the foot of the mountains.
The next forenoon, they’d joined the happy couple for a wedding brunch.
‘It was a blur of a fry-up we all fought over and mimosas poured with the kind of fierce dedication reserved for battlefield triage. I’d rather have been negotiating with escaped war criminals than navigating a bottomless champagne banquet with that crowd of hungover lovebirds.’
He chuckled, a hoarse rumble that sent chills through her. ‘How were Ki’Remi and Issa? All loved up?’
‘ Nada , they appeared half-dead when they showed up. He couldn’t keep his head up, and she threatened to throttle anyone who offered her caffeine.’
Mo’s lips twitched. ‘Not a bad start, all things considered.’
‘Maybe,’ she allowed, though her tone was distracted, her thoughts crowded with the matters she had to deal with, pressing on her mind.
He tilted his head, eyes raking her face. ‘Heavy workload?’
She shrugged, forcing levity into her voice that didn’t quite land. ‘Appears the Peace Corps doesn’t run itself. Turns out evil doesn’t take days off.’
He studied her a beat longer, his stillness saying more than words.
‘You gonna breathe today, Colonel?’ he rasped.
She blinked at his unexpected concern. ‘Tomorrow. Maybe.’
She tried to offer him another smile, but it came out thin, brittle.
This time, it was she who needed to leave, not because she wanted to, but because duty was calling and dragging her by the throat.
She adjusted her jacket, already stepping back, trying to keep her face neutral, but Mo wasn’t blind.
He tilted his head, reading her in that quiet, unsettling way of his.
‘Let me guess? Kainan is riding your ass sideways?’
She gave a slight shrug, non-committal, not wanting to badmouth their boss.
He smirked. ‘He does the same to me. If you need anything, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, Colonel, call me.’
His voice deepened a fraction lower, more hoarse and laced with a sultry lure.
‘Better yet, if you’re desperate for a drink, I’ll make you one. The Osirian has got every libation this side of Pegasi. Tis the best damn bar in the system.’
She smiled, lips softening just enough. ‘Sounds tempting. I might take you up on it.’
Their eyes locked, and there it was.
That hit of heat as desire snapped between them like a live wire stretched too tight.
She forced herself to inhale, latching onto her inner control to give her the impetus to move away from him.
‘ Sante , Mo,’ she murmured, stepping back, needing the distance before she did something reckless.
She turned, walked toward her flyer, the intensity of his gaze lingering on her back the entire way.
As she boarded, she flicked a glance over her shoulder.
He tipped his chin. ‘Take care of you, mama.’
Why did that endearment strike her so deeply?
Why was it so alluring, so freakin’ intimate and loaded?
She smiled to cover up her disquiet. ‘ Sante . I’ll reach out.’