Page 33 of The Interstellar Rake's Irresistible Kiss
He averted his gaze. “Landing pad four,” he grumbled.
“At eight o’clock. I heard.” She raced a few steps ahead of him then spun to look back. She widened herstance, forcing him to halt or run her over. “I might not be pirate or a noblewoman or a…a vrykoly engineer on a dreadnaught. But I won’t be a victim, not anymore.”
From his greater height, he looked down at her, and for a moment, she thought he might step around her. But after another heartbeat of silence, he nodded. “I returned to Azthronos to make a point,” he said softly. “Not just to theduke—just as well, since he was dead anyway—but to myself. I won’t try to stop you or dissuade you or leave you behind if you need to see the station again.”
She hadn’t sobbed when she’d realized he’d left her alone after their night together, but her eyes misted now at his understanding. “I’ll be there at eight.”
He gave her a short bow and strode away.
She watched him go—he had a nice butt,after all—then ran for the guest suites.
Lishelle answered her door at the first ping and stood back to let Trixie in. “Missed you at breakfast.”
“Sorry. I…didn’t sleep well.” At all. Because she’d been having sex with an alien spaceship captain. Did that show on her face or in the way she walked? She edged by her friend carefully.
Lishelle blinked at her. “What’s with the ninja SWAT outfit?”
Trixie took a steadying breath. “I’m going to the space station.”
She wasn’t surprised when the other woman twisted away.
“Why on Earth would…” Lishelle scraped one hand over her box braids. “No, obviously that’s not what I mean. Why thefuckwould you do that?” She glared at Trixie, her dark eyes accusing.
Even when Trixie quickly explained the reason for the trip, Lishelle shook her headhard. “Nuh-uh. Not getting me back up there.”
“You don’t have to go,” Trixie assured her. “But I wanted to tell you what’s going on since Rayna can’t be reached.”
“Shewouldn’t go back there either.” Lishelle plumped out her lower lip disapprovingly. “What’s the point of having a duke and all his minions to do our bidding if we just go right back into danger ourselves?”
“It won’t be dangerous,”Trixie protested. “I’ll have the captain—and, er, crew—of a dreadnaught with me.”
But the reminder—even unstated—of what they’d gone through made her shiver. She laid her palm over the blaster grip. It was cold reassurance. And that was exactly what she was looking for.
She raised her chin. “I want to go back there,” she said defiantly. “I want to see it again, knowing what I do now.”
Lishelleglanced down. “Maybe blow a hole in it?”
Trixie released her hold on the weapon. “That would be dumb since I’d get sucked right out into space and then into the black hole.”
Lishelle huffed out a breath. “Seems at least that dumb just to set foot there.”
“Maybe. But I gotta do it.”
After a long moment, the taller woman unbent enough to hug her in a fierce embrace. “Do you want me to go too?”
Trixie clung to her before finally mumbling, “No. This seems like one of those things I have to do myself.”
Lishelle pulled back. “Yourself and a dreadnaught captain, hmm?”
This time, Trixie couldn’t stop the quick flush chasing across her cheeks. “I can’t fly a spaceship by myself…yet.”
“Mm-hmm.”
That response was definitely disbelieving, but Trixie didn’t have the gumption to protest. “I’llbe back soon.”
But as she trotted off to the landing pads, she couldn’t stop thinking about Lishelle’s fear.
Where had her own fear gone? Lost in one night of missed sleep? Because of a few orgasms? That seemed as unreasonable as her earlier panic at hearing Blackworm had escaped.
But somehow she knew, finding her future meant confronting the darkness where she’d awakened as a Black HoleBride.
