Page 101 of Stealing the Star Stone
“We have hours of time to kill.Any ideas?”He took her cup from her, hefted her to her feet, then looped his arms around her waist, pulling her snug against him.“Chess?Tic tac toe?Thumb wrestling?”
“How about a shower?”she suggested, gliding her hand to his fingers and tugging him toward the bathroom.
“Mm, I like the way you think,” he said, giving her his signature smirk.
But this time, he was all sincerity.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Artivar Station
Heading to Eastwood Hall for the premiere.
I’m no longer alone.
Year of 2202, June
Elididn’twantNovaout of his sight, not for a second.But when they docked, Graham whisked her away despite his protests.He stared after them, wishing he could follow.But he knew the drill: head to his apartment, shower, put on his tux, and hurry to the premiere.Tons of interviews awaited him, more so than normal after the events of the past six days.
So quickly he’d gone from alone, his arrogant self, to…what?He couldn’t claim to be dating Nova when they’d yet to discuss it.They’d agreed to visit family.Maybe in the month they were apart he could work up the courage to ask her to be his?
For now, he did as expected, trudging along the private corridor then up to his penthouse suite.He crossed the sterile apartment to the wall of windows overlooking the docking bays.The ships coming and going intrigued him and summoned a sense of timelessness.This view was why he’d bought this place.
He scanned the ships, searching for theValiance.A futile attempt on his part when massive ice haulers were the size of thumbnails.Offering the windows his back, he scanned the lifeless décor in steel and white.After the vibrancy of Lethara and Nova’s bold red hair, he missed color.
The state-of-the-art shower couldn’t compare to the one he’d shared with Nova a few hours ago.He didn’t linger, choosing instead to sit on the bed in his towel and stare at nothing.
A stomach gurgle reminded him he needed to eat something other than yuxmet jerky, protein bars, and a glass of alien juice.
“Alexa, order a pizza.”Would Graham make sure Nova ate, too?Eli was tempted to task him to do that.A chuckle had him shaking his head.She could take care of herself.
“The usual?”Alexa asked, her mechanical voice sultry.He could’ve chosen a unisex monotone, but his past self had thought otherwise.
“Yes.”He rose, crossed to his closet, and chose a tux at random.
As he dressed by rote, he replayed memories from the moment he met Nova to their last few hours.The urge to pat himself down as if he’d lost something made his fingers twitch.He was midway through snapping the magnetic clasps on his boots when the elevator chimed, announcing his pizza had arrived.
He gave his damp hair a glance.Hopefully it would dry while he ate.His five o’clock shadow had darkened, on its way to beard status.He did need a shave, but he hadn’t bothered.Something was off, like his appearance was no longer his core focus.To be expected when his future was uncertain, but still, he prided himself on his ability to change course without too much fanfare.A director wanted snow instead of a desert?No problem.Shaved head?Sure.Blue skin?Why not.Jump off a cliff?Anytime.
But he’d never been in love.
“Evening, George,” he said when the elderly concierge exited the elevator, pizza in hand.
“Mr.Thorne.Welcome home.The papo sure made our lives a misery.”He waddled to the kitchen and placed the pizza box on the counter.
The aroma had Eli’s mouth salivating.
“Glad to be home,” he said, though his voice lacked warmth.“Want a slice?”
“Kind of you to offer, Mr.Thorne, but the missus made my favorite.”George smiled, cracking his laugh lines that resembled old road maps.“Mr.Whitney has a hover waiting to usher you to the premiere.When you are ready, of course.”He left without another word.
Eli ate half the pizza in silence.Alone.Solitude hadn’t bothered him, but to be fair, he’d never met a woman quite like Nova.He left the rest of his dinner, brushed his teeth, ran his fingers through his still-damp hair, and headed down.Swarms of reporters greeted him the second he stepped onto the landing pad.Drones flashed as they took photos and footage.Questions were thrown at him without letting him answer, but he waved with a wide grin in place.
The silence in the self-driving hover was welcome, a stark contrast to how he’d hated it in his apartment.He savored it while he whizzed along the rails.Graham would greet him on the red carpet.And beside him would be Nova.
Excitement sparked in his chest, and he formed a genuine smile.She’d probably been put through the wringer: hair, make-up, gown adjustments.In truth, he’d never thought about his dates suffering to be on his arm.Not even after starring inAlien in Lipstickwhen he’d learned firsthand what women endured.But the past six days as Nova had opened his eyes.
That growing ache in his core was no longer there.Her monthly cycle loomed.And yet, she’d barreled through the adventure without mentioning it.That implied all women went about their daily lives in some level of pain.
