Page 47 of The Intergalactic Duke's Inconvenient Engagement

She whirled back to glare at him—oh yes, now she was fiercely focused—on him—and her dark eyes snapped with indignation, twin clouds of color bright on her cheeks as she very deliberately didn’t glance down at his nudity. “I never saidthat. Exactly.”

He inclined his head. “Perhaps I misunderstood.”

“—And even if I did say that,” she raged on, “it’s not like you’re going to do anything about it, really.”

“I gave you the ring,” he said.

“For tonight.”

For a split second, his heart soared. “Do you want it longer than that?”

In the seething stillness between them, the muffled music from the ballroom sounded mournful. “Mysister is coming,” she said stiffly. “And the Earth envoy. They are already on their way.”

At which point they would tell her about her portion of the space station proceeds. She wouldn’t need him anymore, not for companionship or protection. She could buy her own larfing space rocks.

When he stepped back to grab his trousers—bombproof, maybe, but no defense against his ray of light—she edgedaround him.

“It’s late,” she said. “The ball is over.”

“Rayna, wait—”

But she was already slipping through the door. He cursed under his breath. Should he run after her with his trousers unfastened? That would give Octiron something to post. His mother could charge extra.

Quickly donning the rest of his clothes, he strode after Rayna. But she was already gone.

The few guests left meanderingin the ballroom turned to look at him. From their glassy eyes, he guessed the ghost-mead had flowed freely. Maybe there’d be enough of the undiluted drink to drown his sorrows.

Except… She hadn’t given him back the ring.

Though he’d been viewing his inheritance with dread since discovering the financial shambles, he told himself he’d be fine with never seeing those particular riches again.

***

As fast as her shiny crystal heels would carry her—and wishing they were rocket-propelled—Rayna ran back toward the suite of rooms where her friends and safety waited.

Raz had protected her, a wistful part of her argued, and he’d proved himself more than a friend.

And she didn’t need either of those, she raged back at that wistful, weak voice. Did she really want to go through thosefeelings again, where she relied on someone and they let her down, where she loved someone and they left?

Oh God of Oaths, did sheloveRaz?

How sad was that? How weak and needy, when she was supposed to be the strong one—

Her heel cracked with an almost musical chime, and she went to her knees, crying out.

Familiar big hands caught her before she sprawled.

“Raz,” she breathed.

“Sorry, justme.” Captain Nor gave her a twist of a smile, the same smile that on Raz was charming and on this man seemed like trouble. “Can I be of assistance since he isn’t here?”

A wild, bitter laugh tried to claw up from her broken heart, but she choked it down. “I’m just heading back to my room now that the ball is over.”

“Alone?” He glanced behind her.

“Definitely.” She held onto him just long enoughto yank off the snapped sandal and the other one too. Which made her much shorter than him, right when she most didn’t want to feel delicate. Damn these tall, handsome, sexy Thorkons. She glared at Nor. “Are you cousins, you and Raz?”

His gaze, which had drifted down her bare legs, snapped back to her face. “What?”