Page 31 of Stars At Dusk

‘Maybe,’ she murmured, slightly nonplussed by the confidence of his last statement.

She realised at that moment that he was standing close behind her. He wasn’t touching her, but she could feel the heat of his body radiating on her back.

She felt his gaze on her cheek, neck, and shoulders, potent as a caress.

An unexpected rush of longing hit her, and she wanted so badly to let herself fall back into his arms. They stood there for a long moment until she broke the moment.

She took a wide turn around him and walked back into the apartment, heading for the kitchen. She found the fridge and stuck her hot face in it.

When she finally lifted herself upright, clutching a pitcher of cool water, she found him standing in the middle of the apartment with hands folded over his chest and a small smile playing on his lips.

‘I’ll let you settle in.’ His words were so low and quiet that she almost didn’t catch them.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered, desperately eager to escape the heated tension between them.

He turned on the heel of his thick combat boots and stalked towards the lift doors in the lobby beyond.

She stood there with the water pitcher in her hand, watching as he punched the open button and stepped inside the elevator.

He then held his thick arms out to stop the doors from closing. His eyes nailed hers. ‘I’ll send through instructions for your first work day. Rest up, Harlow. You’ll need it.’

All she could do was nod.

He gave her a chin jerk and stepped back into the recesses of the lift. Then he was gone.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then drank half of the icy water in the pitcher. It did little to cool the blaze inside her. She placed the vessel down and staggered to the living area, where she collapsed onto a wide sofa. She thrust her head back into the pillowy sofa headrest and spent the next few minutes taking deep breaths to calm her mind and racing heart.

‘Damn you, Kage,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Damn you to Ccyth and back!’

4

F.I.G.J.A.M.

Kage

He stepped out of the lift to Harlow’s apartment with a thoughtful expression. He pushed out the side door to the outer front courtyard of the 517.

Above, Eden II’s smart plex dome was beginning to adjust for the evening hours, filtering out most of the solid starlight to mimic dusk.

Pausing momentarily, Kage tilted his head slightly, instantly tapping into the highly sophisticated neural node network the Sable Riders shared.

Kainan?

Talk.

Where you at?

498. Rooftop gym. What’s up?

Need to download.

Harlow?

Naam.

C’mon over.

Kage comm’d off and strode across the wide avenue dividing the buildings on the street. He strode towards the sleek, understated building in front of him. The glimmer of low lamps and the sounds of jazz suffused the street through the smoky windows.

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