I furrowed my brows. Was I that easy to read?
“I’m fine. Just not sleeping well, that’s all.”Understatement of a lifetime.
His curled lip and cocked eyebrow told me he wasn’t buying my excuse.
I readied myself, preparing to throw a punch when Aza glanced past me.
Without looking behind me, I lunged at him. Even distracted, he dodged me, and I fell to the floor with a grunt.
“Jeeze, Aza, do you have to move so fast? Give a girl a bre–” I was interrupted before I could finish.
“What is going on here?” From behind me, a familiar voice spoke, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.
8
Riley
I PUSHED MYSELF UPoff the floor, and turned to see Krin standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips.
“Er.” I struggled to speak as my voice croaked out. I felt like I had been caught red-handed, just like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I knew I’d done nothing wrong yet my heart raced as I stood unable to move.
Luckily, Aza didn’t appear bothered, or surprised. “She wanted to spar, and I obliged.”
In just a few steps, Krin was right in front of us. I took a step back, unsure what might happen between the two warriors.
Even though my body reacted positively to the hunk’s presence, the room had an uncomfortable vibe.
There was a noticeable tension in Krin’s shoulders and a twitching muscle in his jaw. Fire blazed in his dark azure eyes as frustration creased his brow.
“I can see that. Why did you agree to it? And why are you alone with my...” Abruptly, his words trailed off, and he clenched his fists at his side.
He shot daggers with his eyes at Aza, completely ignoring me.
I swallowed to moisten my throat before interrupting. “What’s the big deal about asking Aza to workout with me.”
The tightening of Krin’s eyes and the pursing of his lips made it clear that being alone with Aza was a very big deal.
Maybe it was due to me being in a crew only area? I snapped my lips shut, unsure I wanted to hear his answer.
We all fell into an awkward silence for about thirty seconds.
Krin’s proximity caused my skin to prickle with heat, and my gaze bounced from Aza to Krin.
I inhaled deeply and my nose twitched. A captivating aroma surrounded the handsome warrior. A blend of supple leather and an elusive, sweet spice tickled my nose.
The warriors’ stared at each other in a silent showdown in what I assumed was a telepathic conversation.
Krin’s hands were still clenched into fists, and his back was rigid.
I had a sudden realization.
Panic surged through me as I hugged myself, knowing he had come to tell me it was time for me to leave the ship to go down to the planet.
My shoulders drooped as everything began to sink in. I didn’t know why Krin had stayed away from me, but the idea he would force me to leave the ship without asking what I wanted to do made me angry.
I watched the warriors, waiting for them to finish their telepathic chat or whatever they were up to while staring each other down. Then Aza gave me a quick nod, accompanied by a playful, unapologetic grin, before leaving the room.
Krin’s eyes turned to focus on me.
