that.”
But she did. There was no arguing the point. Anything that would get her into Dax’s arms was worth the effort.
No, she told herself, it’s something I ate. When it wears off, I won’t feel this way. Sure, he’s a hunk, but he’s not romantic or charming or any of those things I’d like in a man. I may never have to hit him over the head with a skillet, but he’s still one of those bad boys I should avoid at all cost.
Russ. Good, safe, solid Russ. He was waiting for her. She would spend the rest of her life with him. Have his children. Grow old with him.
She closed her eyes and tried to picture him. His hair was… red. He had freckles and a nice smile. Yeah, that was him. She could see him now. His eyes were… what? Green? Blue? She couldn’t remember.
Her eyes flew open as Dax’s compelling hazel eyes seemed to gaze at her from the depths of her soul.
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “You won’t get to me like that. I will not let you do it.”
But she strongly suspected he already had.
***
Morning came and with it another day in the journey taking her back to Rutara, but Ava had no idea how far they’d come. That was the trouble with space travel; there were no landmarks along the way. One star looked very much like another, and the vast expanse of space didn’t have road signs to tell you that Rutara was now fifty million light years away as opposed to sixty. In fact, aboard the Valorcry , there was almost no sensation of movement at all. For all Ava could tell, they might have been perfectly stationary.
She lay awake in her bed wondering whether Kots would come and get her if she didn’t bother to get up. Would he come in and bodily dress her and push her out the door?
Doubtful. He was too much a servant to do that, but there was a bit of the autocrat in him just the same.
Sighing, she rolled out of bed. What did one wear when there was an incredibly hot hunk of a captain aboard and you really didn’t want him to notice you, but you’d be pissed if he didn’t? As she opened the wardrobe, it became apparent that she didn’t have to spend a moment’s thought on what to wear; Kots had already made that decision for her. All she found was a simple kaftan in a soft swirling pattern of yellow and aqua. Ava chuckled as she realized that though she’d never in her entire life dressed to match her eyes, she now had very little choice but to do so.
She hadn’t thought a kaftan would be revealing—until she put it on and discovered that the fabric had a will of its own, molding itself to her shape so precisely that every curve and contour of her body was accentuated. The depth of the neckline made her wish Kots had given her a scarf to cover the vast expanse of exposed skin, but he obviously didn’t think that was necessary. However, she still had her pendant, which, given its size, would make her feel a little less naked and would look absolutely fabulous with this dress.
That was, if Kots hadn’t taken it along with the rest of her wardrobe.
Thankfully, the box was still in the top drawer of the dresser where she had placed it for safekeeping. Ava had rarely worn the stone, mainly because it didn’t go with any of her clothing, but also because she didn’t want to advertise its existence to anyone on Luxaria—especially Lars. Unfortunately, the large crystal hung quite low on her chest, drawing the eye to the cleavage that the kaftan revealed. So much for camouflage. She was about to take it off when she heard the breakfast summons and responded to it as though Dax had been pleading with her to come dashing to his side.
Grumbling about what a pushover she was becoming—at least where Dax was concerned—she slipped on the matching shoes and hurried out.
Upon her arrival at the dining hall, however, she found herself alone. Kots wasn’t even there. Had she been imagining the hail? Surely not. The chime had rung very clearly. Curious, she checked in the next
But she did. There was no arguing the point. Anything that would get her into Dax’s arms was worth the effort.
No, she told herself, it’s something I ate. When it wears off, I won’t feel this way. Sure, he’s a hunk, but he’s not romantic or charming or any of those things I’d like in a man. I may never have to hit him over the head with a skillet, but he’s still one of those bad boys I should avoid at all cost.
Russ. Good, safe, solid Russ. He was waiting for her. She would spend the rest of her life with him. Have his children. Grow old with him.
She closed her eyes and tried to picture him. His hair was… red. He had freckles and a nice smile. Yeah, that was him. She could see him now. His eyes were… what? Green? Blue? She couldn’t remember.
Her eyes flew open as Dax’s compelling hazel eyes seemed to gaze at her from the depths of her soul.
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “You won’t get to me like that. I will not let you do it.”
But she strongly suspected he already had.
***
Morning came and with it another day in the journey taking her back to Rutara, but Ava had no idea how far they’d come. That was the trouble with space travel; there were no landmarks along the way. One star looked very much like another, and the vast expanse of space didn’t have road signs to tell you that Rutara was now fifty million light years away as opposed to sixty. In fact, aboard the Valorcry , there was almost no sensation of movement at all. For all Ava could tell, they might have been perfectly stationary.
She lay awake in her bed wondering whether Kots would come and get her if she didn’t bother to get up. Would he come in and bodily dress her and push her out the door?
Doubtful. He was too much a servant to do that, but there was a bit of the autocrat in him just the same.
Sighing, she rolled out of bed. What did one wear when there was an incredibly hot hunk of a captain aboard and you really didn’t want him to notice you, but you’d be pissed if he didn’t? As she opened the wardrobe, it became apparent that she didn’t have to spend a moment’s thought on what to wear; Kots had already made that decision for her. All she found was a simple kaftan in a soft swirling pattern of yellow and aqua. Ava chuckled as she realized that though she’d never in her entire life dressed to match her eyes, she now had very little choice but to do so.
She hadn’t thought a kaftan would be revealing—until she put it on and discovered that the fabric had a will of its own, molding itself to her shape so precisely that every curve and contour of her body was accentuated. The depth of the neckline made her wish Kots had given her a scarf to cover the vast expanse of exposed skin, but he obviously didn’t think that was necessary. However, she still had her pendant, which, given its size, would make her feel a little less naked and would look absolutely fabulous with this dress.
That was, if Kots hadn’t taken it along with the rest of her wardrobe.
Thankfully, the box was still in the top drawer of the dresser where she had placed it for safekeeping. Ava had rarely worn the stone, mainly because it didn’t go with any of her clothing, but also because she didn’t want to advertise its existence to anyone on Luxaria—especially Lars. Unfortunately, the large crystal hung quite low on her chest, drawing the eye to the cleavage that the kaftan revealed. So much for camouflage. She was about to take it off when she heard the breakfast summons and responded to it as though Dax had been pleading with her to come dashing to his side.
Grumbling about what a pushover she was becoming—at least where Dax was concerned—she slipped on the matching shoes and hurried out.
Upon her arrival at the dining hall, however, she found herself alone. Kots wasn’t even there. Had she been imagining the hail? Surely not. The chime had rung very clearly. Curious, she checked in the next
Similar Books
