Page 53 of Stars in Umbra
It was a chaotic mix of species and worlds colliding in the kind of tense peace only a city like this could sustain.
She crossed the street, her heels tapping a sure rhythm against the tiles, and detoured through the side alley that led to the back ofThe Osirian.
At the discreet steel door with the burnished Sable insignia, she buzzed twice.
A holo ID scanner emitted a blue arc of energy over her face, and then the doorway slid open with a soft hiss.
She walked into an innovative suite of offices.
The reception desk was empty, and she sighed, a small ripple of disappointment running through her.
She was about to send Mo a message, wondering where he was, when a rough timbre called out from an inner office.
‘Colonel Mendi?’
‘Naam,’ Rina responded with a rush of relief.
‘In here.’
She followed the rumbling utterance into a room at the end of the short corridor.
To find Mo, broad-shouldered, imposing, and infuriatingly dashing, leaning one hip against a desk cluttered with weapon schematics and polished gun cases.
The lighting caught the edges of the intricate glyphs beneath his collar, making them shimmer like dark constellations.
Her pulse stuttered and lurched.
Hot damn, he was handsome.
‘Morning,’ she said, stepping in, her voice betraying none of the chaos his presence wrought.
Arming herself with critical moxie, she crossed the room and went to his side, placing an arm on his and bending to kiss his cheek.
He chuckled and leaned into it, and she pressed her lips to his jawline before moving back, a wave of heat arcing through her.
He eased back against the desk, his brow arched in amusement.
‘What thefokkwas that for?’
The fervor in his eyes tightened her stomach.
‘I just came to say thank you. For last night. The meds, the food. All of it.’
His mouth curved into a half-smile, his voice a rough, intimate rasp.
‘De nada. Like I said, it was my pleasure.’
The way he said it, like he’d do it again and again without needing a reason, made her pulse stutter.
She cleared her throat, forcing the moment back to a more professional setting.
‘I’ve got back-to-back meetings all day, but,’ she added, arching a brow, ‘I wouldn’t say no to that drink later, if you’re still offering.’
He gifted her a grin, lopsided, lethal. ‘Damn right, I still am.’
‘I’ll see you tonight then.’
His lips pursed, and a flare of heat flashed in his gray-gold eyes.
