Page 56 of Stars on Fire

‘You like my chow then?’

Selene whirled around. To see Kainan lounging against the far wall of the kitchen. She coughed, her mouth full of cheese and bread. Then she choked.

He moved swiftly, opening a doorway to a cool room from where he retrieved a decanter. Nabbing a glass, he prowled towards her and set the two pieces on the counter, quickly pouring water and handing the carafe to her.

She scrambled for the glass and glugged the cool liquid down, spluttering as it passed her lips.

She bent over momentarily to regain her composure, coughing until the spasm in her throat passed. Moments later, she righted herself to meet the twinkling gaze of the amused Edenite.

‘Bastard! You surprised me!’

He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Is that how you address your knight on a corvette charger?’

Selene scoffed, partly amused, mostly flummoxed. ‘Knight, my ass. You surprised me.’

‘You allowed yourself to be surprised,khamila. I thought by now you’d have learnt to practice situational awareness everywhere you go.’

‘Fokk you!’ she flung teasingly at him, raising a middle finger in his face.

His eyes heated then he seemed to shake off a deep, unspoken emotion with a grin.

‘Kahawa?’ he proffered. ‘I’ll make you one as a peace offering.’

‘It’d better be the best damn kahawa this side of Pegasi for me to forgive you.’

She watched him move about his kitchen with ease, pulling a bag from the larder, filling the grinder and tamping down the spiced beans for a rich, unctuous brew.

‘What time is it anyway?’ she eventually asked.

‘1000 Standard. You slept through the equivalent of a night, planet-side,’ he replied.

‘No wonder I’m so hungry,’ Selene inhaled, still picking at the delicious cheese and olives.

She looked up to find him watching her with a loaded look. She felt the heat burning between them and hastily looked back at her snack plate.

‘Do you want more?’ Kainan quietly asked. I can always make us a full breakfast if you wish.’

She took stock of her hunger status and nodded eagerly.

‘I like that. A woman of healthy appetites,’ Kainan said, placing a steaming cup of dark kahawa before her.

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ she teased, then blushed at his low, rumbling laugh.

He seemed more open and relaxed this morning, and she welcomed the chimeric change. She thought he must have slept well, too, preferring this version of Kainan to his otherwise brooding self.

The undeniable truth was that she got a kick from talking to him when he opened up as he had on the evening they’d spent at The Osirian. She’d relished his company that night. When he wasn’t giving off recluse vibes, he spoke freely and was a great conversationalist who made her mind whirl with new ideas and concepts.

Best of all, since they’d met, she’d never felt she needed to dumb down her words or adjust her attitude for him.

In the past, most Dunian men had only agreed with her because she was the Prime’s daughter. They rarely spoke freely with her; if they did, it was with condescension or flattery. Many still avoided romantic overtures because they feared offending the Prime himself.

Kainan was different. He seemed to enjoy the sincerity of their dialogue. While he respected her, he didn’t seem to care about kowtowing to her or, on the other extreme, mansplaining.

More so, she was deeply attracted to him, and her heart raced whenever he was around her.

She had no idea what she would do if he touched her again, but her body longed for the feel of his lean fingers with their light dusting of deep caramel hair across the top. Fingers, she watched keenly prepare golden eggs, toasted pan bread and a selection of fresh fruits to accompany the decadent meal.

She was a bit flustered by her reaction to him. No matter how much she told herself that he needed to be put into the ‘business only’ box, she was conscious that she desired him with an unfathomable potency that terrified her.

---