Trixie nodded against Rayna’s shoulder. “I wish I was as brave as you.” She rolled her head to look at Lishelle. “Or as loud as you.”
Lishelle laughed. “You just gotta speak up, sweetie. Ain’t that hard if you know what youwant.”
But as Rayna prepared for bed—they all had their own adjoining bedrooms, although she’d almost suggested clustering in one room for companionship—she wondered if it really was so simple. After all, somehow Lishelle had gotten caught by Blackworm too, and she couldn’t have wanted that. None of them had.
She’d just changed into one of the thick dressing robes that Thorkons considered casual,at-home wear when the control panel for her room beeped softly. Triggering the message, she caught her breath at seeing Raz.
“If you aren’t otherwise occupied, would you kindly meet with me in the parlor?”
She hesitated. Although she’d figured out on theGrandiloquencethat these messages were like texts—he wouldn’t see her until she chose to respond—she knew he’d know that she’d at least seenhis request. So she couldn’t pretend to be asleep or otherwise occupied.
But what did he have to say to her after ghosting her just because she wouldn’t have sex with him? Especially now that she’d found out he’d be getting married soon!
She needed to tell him about himself, arrogant alien duke that he was.
She slapped the reply. “I’ll be out there in a second.”
In her righteous outrage,she sort of forgot she was in a robe, but it was too late to go back when she marched into the parlor and found him waiting there already. Of course he could get into any room in the estate but he could’ve at least pretended to wait for her to agree to see him.
Why would he wait for a yes, though, when he was a smug nobleman who’d likely always gotten what he wanted?
Good thing it was a thick,long robe that felt somewhat like armor against the memory of the last time she was alone with him.
Also, the formal parlor wasn’t as conducive to thoughtless, passionate kissing under fake stars. One, because there weren’t any fake stars here, and two, because she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
Last time, she’d been overwhelmed. Understandably so, she thought. But this time shewould make sure to be underwhelmed.
Too bad he was just so, so sexy.
Raz stood with his back to her, his hands clasped at parade rest behind him—just above that muscled butt she’d held onto when they’d sprawled on the bench in the map room. His dark head was tilted as if he was watching the slow wheel of a gorgeous spiral galaxy projected in the corner of the room that served as an ambient heatsource, like a fireplace powered by stellar phenomena.
…Oh shit. There were stars in this room too.
Her pulse whirled faster than any galaxy, and she licked her suddenly aching lips.Whywas she so attracted to an arrogant alien duke with his elegant commands when she’d spent her whole adult life making sure she needed no one and no one needed her?
Maybe just because hewasso much strongerthan she was, physically, financially, and everything else, that she didn’t have to worry about him.
She didn’t think she’d made a noise—other than that inadvertent lip-smacking, like he was a tasty pixberry she’d found ready for plucking—but he pivoted slowly to face her.
His pensive gaze traveled from her bare feet, up to the waist tie of her robe that suddenly felt too tight, up higher tosettle on her face.
As if the astro-fireplace behind him was suddenly visible through him, his eyes blazed.
But his voice was measured, even cool, when he said, “I hear you are attending the ball as representative of your people.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Not really representing. Just…standing in for them.”
He tilted his head. “Like you were standing in for the Black Hole Brides when youcame out of the conservatory forest on the station and lured me close to be stabbed.”
“Kind of like that,” she admitted. “If it’s any consolation, Lishelle would probably be aiming for your mother this time, or maybe Captain Nor.”
Raz grunted, sort of a laugh. “She is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Your mother or Lishelle?”
“Both.” He studied her. “And you too. But I thought you should beprepared for the commotion of the ball. I’ve seen the guest list, and it’s all the galactic dignitaries, local cluster nobles, and Octiron celebrities that can race in before tomorrow night.” He shook his head. “It will be a cosmological madhouse. The Earth envoy will be lucky to find an open dock.” He took a step toward her then stopped abruptly. “I just wanted to tell you not to be frightened. Youmight be the only Earther there, but…you won’t be alone.”
She frowned in confusion. “Well, you did say the guest list was long.”
