Page 94 of Stars in Nova

Might someone like her want this—want him? A man burdened with scars, not just on his skin but carved deep into his soul?

Then Samira’s fingers curled, pulling him closer, her heat, her untapped need drawing him out of the spiral threatening to consume him.

He responded, his hands sliding to her waist, brushing against the supple fabric of her jumpsuit top.

Her presence filled the small corridor with an intensity that silenced the ghosts of his past, even if just for a fleeting moment.

Their kiss deepened, and the flavor of smoky sultriness lingered on her lips, a remnant of the bourbon she’d sipped earlier.

The tension between them for days finally broke free, leaving a raw charge in its place.

With a growl, he stepped her backward into the chamber.

The door slid to close behind them with a quiet hiss. Sealing them in a space where the green and blue hues of the ship’s ambient lighting danced over their skin.

Kisan ended the kiss, his breaths ragged as he stared at the stunning woman in his arms. ‘You’re sure you want this? With me? Wouldn’t you rather -’ he growled.

Samira stepped back, her moon-dust-flecked eyes searching his face, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. ‘Kisan,’ she interrupted. ‘You’re here. With me. Stop looking for a reason to run.’

His jaw tightened, and his aqua eyes flashed as he sliced them away. ‘You don’t know the things I’ve done,’ he murmured, his rumble rough. ‘The people I’ve hurt. The monster I was.’

‘I know enough,’ she said, stepping closer. Her hand cupped his cheek, her touch gentle yet unyielding. ‘You think you’re the only one carrying shadows? Do you think I don’t see them? Feel them?’

Her vocalization softened, though her words carried an edge. ‘You’re alive, Kisan. You’re trying. That’s more than most people ever do.’

He let out a shaky breath, the warmth of her caress spreading through him. ‘You are worthy of a whole man. Who—’

‘I deserve a real soul,’ she interrupted, her tone sharp. ‘Right now, so do you. Stop punishing yourself for a moment, or you’re going to combust from self-torment.’

Chasing More Highs

Her words cut through him, and for the first time, he didn’t have a rebuttal.

Instead, he leaned into her touch, his forehead resting on hers.

Her fingers slid into his hair, grounding him further as though she could anchor him to this moment, this sliver of peace amid the chaos.

He began to whisper under his breath against her skin. ‘Woman, funny thing, my pain disappears when I’m with you.Fokk,until you, I was empty, ready to give up, out of chances. Before you brought me down to my knees, that said, woman, you made me feel like a pawn in your hands, and now I don’t want to be a fool out of love alone. Yet every time you kiss me, I shift from numb to feeling so deep. Truth is, there’s only one factor missing in life. That’s you,kaissa,which in Edenite meansmyqueen. I’mfokked, ay?’

She tilted her head back, eyes locking with his as she trembled. ‘I’m sofokkedup for you, Rider, so let’s getfokkedtogether.’

He raised a brow, a slight smile emerging on his lips. ‘Let’s.’

With slow deliberation, she guided him toward her bed against the wall, the glow of her bedside lamp lighting their silhouettes.

The sounds of the ship faded as she pulled him closer, her mouth finding his again, her caress easing his worry.

As they sank into the moment, Kisan let himself be present—to feel without fighting the need nor questioning his ratcheting desire.

For the first time, he wasn’t sure he deserved it—but he didn’t allow it to stop him.

His meta ink shimmered, the shapes on his dermis pulsing in time with the rapid beat of his heart.

There were no words now, only touch—her hands on his skin, his fingers tracing the lines of her armor as they moved together.

The barriers they had built between themselves fell away, leaving only the raw, undeniable pull of one soul to another.

He brushed her cheek, going for gentle.

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