Page 152 of Stars in Nova

For now, it was just him and sweet, blessed silence.

Many minutes later, he tagged the whisper of bare feet on the floor.

‘Kralji,’ came Samira’s voice, soft and husky.

It sent a jolt through, straight to his cock.

Opening his eyes with slow laziness, he shifted his head to see the love of his life stepping through the doorway, her dark hair loose around her shoulders.

She wore a simple wrap tied at her midsection, her enticing body nude under the silk, her skin catching the sun’s first light.

Fokk, he adored her.

Her gaze found his, warm and searching, and she moved to him, an arm enfolding his waist.

He pulled her down onto his lap, and their mouths met.

She gave her a small moan as she savored hiskahawa-coated lips.

Before she shifted her mouth to glide over his temple and jaw.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the sun crest over the horizon, the warmth spreading across the reborn land.

‘So beautiful,’ his woman murmured, resting her head against his shoulder.

‘Naam, you’re beautiful,’ he rasped.

She nudged his shoulder. ‘That’s not what I meant.’

He shot her a wicked grin.

She smiled, her fingers running over his chest as she stroked it. ‘I hope we can hold onto this second chance for an eternity.’

His jaw tightened as her words settled between them, and his gaze darkened.

The image of the dark cloud rising from the cyborgs returned to him—its voice, the name it had called itself, theIllu.

The memory hung over him like a storm cumulonimbus, distant but insistent.

He hadn’t told her everything. Not yet.

Samira lifted her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. ‘What is it, handsome?’

‘Nothing important,’ he rasped.

Her brow arched. ‘You’re a terrible liar.’

He sighed, pulling away to lean into his chair. ‘I’m thinking about what’s next. For us. For Orilia.’

Her hand reached out, stroking his cheek and the stubble of his beard. ‘Or for the strange face cloud that called itself theIllu?’

He exhaled, pursing his lips. ‘Whatever that thing was, it’s not finished. It’s either coming back or ravaging some other part of the galaxy. I expect The Riders will call me back one day to fight it. I sense it.’

Samira’s hand slid down his arm to take his hand, her grip steady and grounding. ‘Then we’ll take each next day as it comes, without fear of what we do not know or can control. However, if you go to fight some far-off war and get even a scratch, I’ll slice off your beautiful balls.’

He chortled. ‘Is that right?’

‘Tis. Then I’ll feed them to the wolverine sharks hiding in the underground seas of Thalassa.’

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