Page 37 of Stealing the Star Stone

She waved a dismissive hand. “First, a real meal. A bath, maybe. That’s a luxury right there, and if things go our way, we can hitch a ride.”

“If I had a comm device, I could announce my willingness to leave, and a random news outlet would send a shuttle in the hopes of an exclusive interview.”

She grimaced. Before this…adventure, she would’ve scoffed, thinking he was bragging, but now she knew. He endured the attention, used the fame for his own ends, and somehow had mastered it.

“I’m glad this happened with you,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who can swordfight their way out of a situation.”

He grinned. “Got taught that in Shadow Huntress of Andromeda .”

She squealed, clapping and bouncing on the spot. “I saw that one! You were Cassidy Collin’s side kick.”

He shook his head. “Trust you to have seen my worst performance.”

She snorted. “All you did was walk around shirtless.”

“Exactly. I learned little from that role.” He laced their fingers and tugged her toward the altar. “Come, we need to leave the egg.”

“Oh, yes,” she said, digging in his right pocket where she’d slipped it. But when she went to place it on the altar, it clung to her palm. “It’s stuck.” She couldn’t yank it free.

“That’s not possib— Sorry, forgot our souls were swapped by magic. Here, maybe if we do it together?” He cupped the egg and guided her to the altar.

When he pulled away, she rotated her hand, hoping gravity would be on her side.

Nope, the egg stayed in place.

“Mm,” he frowned, “and if you put it in your pocket?”

She did, and when she removed her hand, the egg stayed behind. “Why’s nothing simple on this freaking moon?” she ranted. “I’m not cutting up my pants for this. Leave it. We’ll ask Zal when he gets here.”

Eli hummed, his gaze on the eastern bank of the peninsula. “Think we have time for an ocean dip?”

Excitement skittered into life. Never had she been in the ocean. She’d heard of Eternis, a paradise only the rich could afford to visit, but since the Valiance didn’t tour that galaxy, she hadn’t had a chance to go planetside.

“I’ll have to strip,” she said, striding down the embankment and onto the soft black sand.

“I can bear a little nudity if you can,” he called, the muted thud of a boot hitting the ground.

She giggled, wiggling out of boots, pants, shirt, and underwear to stand on the damp sand.

He strode toward her. A long time ago, he’d been young, his physique not the mountain of muscle he now was.

Broad shoulders were the same, sure, but those abs.

And even though she’d been him a few minutes ago, nothing compared to looking at the eye candy he was.

“If you keep devouring me with those gorgeous eyes, Nova-honey, you’ll have to take what I give you,” he drawled, circling an arm around her waist.

She didn’t bother to suppress her reaction to his touch. “I’m up for it, if you are.”

And over his shoulder she went.

She squealed and kicked her feet, grinning at finding his dimpled ass filling her sight.

He swatted her backside while trudging into the frothy waves.

Skinny-dipping at night on an alien moon was all kinds of stupid, but she ached to know him as Nova.

Kind of like a refresher of memories. Soon they’d walk away from each other.

And even though their adventure wouldn’t be forgotten, she wanted to cram these last seconds with as much of him as possible.

The water was warm, thicker than normal, and clinging to every inch of her when he sank into the next wave. She could do nothing but gasp when he plastered her to his front, a hard-on pressing into her hip.

Their lips met in the middle, kisses frantic, hot, needy, hands stroking each other in a frenzy. Zal could arrive and catch them in the act, but she didn’t care, her body thrumming with desire. Her core twanged, making demands she didn’t want to ignore.

He grabbed her by the ass and hoisted her until she peered into his upturned face. This annoying, arrogant, egotistical, sexy-as-hell man had somehow gotten her to love him. She caressed his jaw, trailing a path over the stubble to his baby-soft bottom lip.

“Nova,” he rasped, sliding her down until his cock pressed against her opening.

She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck and arching.

His breath caught a second before he pushed in. She tightened her arms, relishing the tingling stretch as he impaled her.

“So good,” he growled, angling his head to kiss her.

His tongue dueled hers while he pistoned in and out. The lights in her eyes became incandescent with every spark of joy he garnered. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on, burying her face in the curve of his neck with every one of his hip thrusts.

Ecstasy was so near, too exquisite for her to handle. She planted kisses across his skin, his jawline, his chin as the orgasm neared. It hit her hard. She leaned back using his shoulders as an anchor, breaking contact to scream his name.

He held onto her, a groan slipping from his lust-hardened features as he joined her in the sweet fires of pleasure. His breathing was ragged as he gathered her closer.

Her insides trembled, mini firebolts shooting along her channel. The ache deepened; she craved more. Tears blurred her vision, but she tucked her chin, not wanting them to spill free. This was…

“Beautiful,” he whispered, feathering kisses along the shell of her ear.

She smiled. “You read my mind.”

“No, not this time.” A small frown furrowed his brow. “Why couldn’t I hear your thoughts?”

She shrugged. “Probably why the egg’s stuck to me even though Senmut gave it to you?”

He laughed. “True. I’ll hurt myself trying to understand it all.”

The rainbow lights flickering across his face ended their cuddle. She twisted to find the cause and slid off him in the process. In the deep burgundy of the water, quets glowed. En mass, the eels circled them, casting out their colors while weaving between their legs.

“Maybe we shouldn’t linger?” he suggested and offered her his hand.

She took it, and together, they waded to shore.

A breeze cooled her wet skin. She didn’t rush to dress, preferring to stand there naked on a deserted beach on an alien moon.

Moments like this should be treasured. She glanced at Eli and found him gazing at the star-strewn sky, a ring-planet dominating most of it.

‘I love you’ was on the tip of her tongue, but she’d be a fool to utter it. Despite all they’d been through, the best scenario was friendship. The thought of it cracked her heart. She glanced out to the horizon to hide her wince.

She was coward. Picking at Warden Mining Corp from the safety of the Valiance . Treating Eli badly because of what she’d done so many years ago.

But she wouldn’t apologize for any of it. She could only vow to do better.

“Family first,” she said as she dressed, patting the egg still in the pocket. It had to be her imagination that it warmed to her touch.

“Yeah. I’d invite you along, but I figured you’d want some time away from me.”

A vice crushed her chest. She had been mean to him.

She forced a smile and peeled on her T-shirt. “To clear my head, yes. We could meet up if you like.” She tried to hide her hope, but it slipped into her voice.

“A month from today?”

She wanted to ask why so long, but who knew how far he had to travel. It could take a week just to reach them. Instead, she grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll treat you to tea.”

That drew a laugh. “Sweet talker.”