Page 33 of Sunastara & the Venusian
Clearing my throat, drawing his attention from his new barnyard friend, I said, “Hello, darling. Are you ready?”
Garran’s purple eyes met mine, and when I tilted my head toward the dance floor, he stood, wiping his hands on his coveralls. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive,” I said. I might be an absolute disaster about some things, but this wasn’t one of them. “I’ll be out there, close enough to Kasa’s table that she’ll see me, but not so close that I’ll seem obvious. As soon as the next slow song starts, come find me and ask me to dance.”
He hefted his shoulders. “If you say so.”
“Trust me, Garran. I’m a professional.”
After giving me a slow, uncertain nod, he gazed down at Dave. “I enjoy this goat,” he said, his lips tilting into a sideways grin. “I have many goats back on Argos. Their milkmakes fine soap.” When he turned toward Kasa’s table, his tone softened. “I made soap for her once—jasmine and honeysuckle.”
I sighed.Must everyone on this ship be a hopeless romantic? “You’ve got this, big guy. Just do as I say and follow my lead”—I gave him a wink—“and you’ll be lathering her up in no time.”
While his cheeks turned a dusky maroon, I left him with the goat and made another pass by Raphael’s table. While Raphe ran his fingertips up my arm, I reminded my flailing mind that all I wanted tonight, or any night, was the simple pleasure of a wonderful time with a willing being and not a single string attached. Which,by the way,was all Freddie was supposed to be in the first place.
On my way back to the dance floor, I spied Captain Declan and Co-Captain Isla Jones making their appearance, strolling arm in arm through the fire. Isla was breathtaking, her dark-brown skin glowing against a stunning red satin gown, her hair down in tight spiral curls that bounced gently off her shoulders. She waved, and I waved back as Declan pivoted her toward the bar. Normally, I’d have followed them or asked them to come sit with Raphael and me when they were finished getting their drinks. But instead of doing any of that, I found myself in the middle of the ballroom ten minutes later, with Garran’s arms slung low around my waist and his big, warm hands swaying me side to side.
It had been awkward at first, slow dancing with a being twice my size. But after the third song, I didn’t even have to pretend I was having a nice time anymore. And while our performance wasn’t necessarily genuine, when he spun me around in a circle, then dipped me nearly to the floor, the laugher that bubbled out of me was one hundred percentauthentic. And maybe that was the touch that sealed the deal. Because before my laughter had fully faded, strong fingers tapped on my shoulder.
“Kasa,” Garran said while his grip on my waist loosened, letting me slide free of his arms.
“Dance.” The word was more demand than request. Kasa gave me an impressively withering side-eye as she edged me out. “Now.”
While triumph surged through me—and also terror, because I’m pretty sure Kasa growled—I stood on my tiptoes, gave Garran a quick kiss on his cheek, and whispered, “One dance, then you leave,” before getting the hells out of Kasa’s way.
Garran pulled Kasa into his arms, and with a ghost of a smile, because at least one thing had gone right tonight, I made my way backstage to see if Elanie needed any help with cleanup.
Popping my head behind the curtain, I found Elanie sitting next to Chan and—would you look at that—that Delphinian female he’d been making heart eyes over. This was usually the point where I’d rub my hands together and start scheming all the ways I could get them together, but my hands were frozen at my sides, useless. Because across from Chan, with his suit coat open, his tie loose, and the top button of his shirt undone, sat Freddie. I stepped into view, and the smile that had been lighting up his face died like fire in a rainstorm when he noticed me.
“Sunny,” Chan shouted, waving me over. “How are you?”
“Super,” I lied. “I think this might be the best Fire Ball we’ve had since I came aboard.”
“I saw Raphael out there. Nice of him to come, wasn’t it?” Chan waggled his eyebrows, and I fought the urge to palm my forehead.
“I’m Sunny,” I said instead, introducing myself to the Delphinian. “You were wonderful up there. And you have my undying gratitude for fixing my favorite pool.”
While Chan found something fascinating to look at on his hoverchair control panel, the Delphinian said, “I’m Makenna. Thank you. And it was nothing.”
“Not according to every other magician from your planet who’s tried,” I said, taking the empty chair next to her. Turning her way, crossing my legs, doing everything possible to avoid looking in Freddie’s general direction, I told her, “The show was phenomenal.”
She beamed. “We’ve been preparing for ages. Really came together tonight, though.” When she pulled her braids back off her shoulders, revealing her long, graceful neck, I didn’t miss the way Chan sat forward in his hoverchair. I also didn’t miss the way Makenna responded, her attention drifting toward him, her hands clasping in her lap, her lips tilting, hinting at a smile.
I commed.
he commed back, toying with his control panel again.
His head snapped up.
Clicking off the comm, I rose from my chair and said, “Well, I’d better get back out there.” Elanie seemed to have everything under control—and I seemed to have stumbled into a private party I felt somehow uninvited to. While I said my goodbyes—and despite my very best efforts not to let it happen—some invisible force grasped my head and turnedit toward Freddie. Our gazes locked for an electric instant before his dropped like a stone to his shoes. The moment was over before it had even started, but the intensity of it crackled over my skin. And then the loss of it rolled over me like a wave, dousing everything in its path.
Elanie commed.
I loved her, but she really needed to learn a lesson about when to mind her own business. I said, trying not to laugh at the utter horror contorting her features.
