Starflight (Starflight, #1)(65)

The bigger question was why any girl would trade a life of royalty for a career as a ship hand—in the company of fugitives, no less—or why Cassia hadn’t returned to that life once she’d discovered the Daeva were tracking the ship. Something terrible must’ve happened at home if she felt compelled to stay here. And how did Kane fit into the puzzle? He seemed to belong to the same race, but judging by his possessions, he was a man of simple tastes, not royalty. Solara had found no trace of reward money in his room, and she was beginning to think that wealth didn’t matter to him anyway.

She tucked the necklace back into its place beneath the mattress while chewing the inside of her cheek. Had she misjudged Kane? Or did he have a different motive for wanting Doran off the ship?




Not surprisingly, Doran’s first reaction to the news was to gloat.

“Told you she was important,” he said, kicking off his boots at the foot of the bed. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it over one shoulder, then dropped his pants. “Looks like I was right.”

Solara whirled to face the other direction, but it was too late. The image of Doran in his shorts had burned itself into her retinas. For some reason, she’d pictured them sleeping fully clothed when she’d agreed to share the bed. “Whatever. You didn’t know she was a princess.”

“Not exactly, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well, this will surprise you,” she said, staring at the door and seeing the hard planes of Doran’s abs instead. “I checked the outgoing transmissions, and there’s nothing there. I even rebooted the system. Nobody’s made a call since last week.”

“Huh. Maybe we were wrong about Kane.”

“I was thinking,” she said. “There’s one possibility we overlooked. The Enforcers might’ve found your ship through the tracking system. That would explain why they showed up right after you powered on the navigator.”

“But to do that, they had to know exactly which ship they were looking for. My dad didn’t even tell me that information.”

“They probably seized his records during the investigation.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Doran said, and then sheets rustled in the background, along with the creaking of mattress springs. “It’s safe to turn around now, by the way.”

“Face the wall,” she told him.

“Why?”

“So I can admire the back of your head,” she said sarcastically. “Why do you think?”

“Oh, come on. I’ve seen you undressed.”

“That was when you were sleeping on the floor. Want to revisit that arrangement?”

He grumbled a few colorful words and flopped onto his side.

As soon as his back was turned, Solara wiped her clammy palms on the blanket and released a shaky breath. She’d dreaded this moment ever since they left the cave, where she’d awoken so wrapped up in Doran that she was literally on top of him.

He’d gloated about that, too.

She double-checked the bolt before turning off the light and shedding her pants. The sheets were warmer than usual when she slid between them, already gathering heat from the human “furnace” lying inches away from her. She felt his body radiating energy, not near enough to touch but too close for comfort.

“Scoot over,” she whispered.

The mattress shook with his movement.

“A little more,” she said.

“If I get any closer to the wall,” he hissed, “I’ll have to buy it dinner.”

She grabbed her pillow and wedged it between them. “There, that’s better.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

“All right, then,” he whispered, and she could sense him smiling. “This time, try not to mount me in my sleep.”

She kicked him in the shin while her face went hot. “Keep joking, and I’ll make sure you don’t wake up in the morning.”

“Good night, Solara,” he crooned.

“Sleep tight,” she told him. “Way over there.”





Doran didn’t sleep with girls, not if he could help it.

Years of trial and error had taught him that dating was like chemistry: Some elements weren’t safe to mix—overnighters and fooling around, for example. Put those two together and expect “fun” to turn into “feelings,” right before it all blew up in your face.

But even he could get used to this.

Every morning for the past two weeks, he’d awoken to Solara’s bare arm draped over his chest and her breath caressing his skin. It didn’t matter how far he backed toward the wall. She would inevitably kick off the covers and gravitate toward him in nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of white cotton panties that looked surprisingly hot on her. When morning came, she’d blink awake and scowl at him, as if he’d chased her into a cuddle instead of the other way around. Then he’d smile and point at the vacant stretch of mattress behind her and tease, What’s wrong? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed again? Which never failed to make her whole face turn red.

All in all, it was an excellent way to start the day.

He particularly enjoyed using the end of her braid to tickle her awake. This always earned him a smack on the chest, but it was worth it. And because today was a special occasion, she might not punish him.