Page 11 of Star Claimed Omega
He studied her. No anger. No shame. Just that lazy half-grin, as if he found the entire encounter amusing. ‘Are you new to this deck?’
He didn’t recognize her.Why would he? She’d worn a mask.
‘I’m a cleaner,’ she said, her voice tighter than she desired.
‘I see that.’
His tone held no mockery. Amusement, perhaps, but not cruelty.
‘I have to leave. Please.’
She was pleading now.
Without warning, the unusual energy that had ensnared her snapped, and her limbs released.
She turned and fled, aware of the intense heat rising along her neck.
She did not slow until she was outside, gasping in the fresh air.
As she hurried back down the path, mortified and furious with herself, she forced herself not to glance behind her.
Yet, she sensed those dark violet and gilded eyes scorching her retreat, tracking her long after she vanished from sight.
3
Chapter 3
SOLEIL
It had been hours since the embarrassing encounter, yet Soleil’s cheeks still warmed at the mere memory ofhim.
She now sat in the staff galley staring morosely at herkahawamug.
‘You walked in on a man showering by the lake?’
Astra’s voice lifted half an octave, a rough sound as she shoved a forkful of spiced beans into her mouth.
Soleil’s workmate and friend was slight, of Afro-Brazilian background, with a beautiful, lithe frame, a stunning complexion, long braids, and a mischievous smile.
When it came to opinions, she never held any back.
Confidence was her crown, and she wore it well.
The two women occupied a corner of the staff mess, a space crowded with workers fitting in dinner between shifts and mandatory rest periods.
Soleil stared into her dented tin mug, wishing it would open a wormhole and swallow her whole.
‘Naam, I burst in on a naked man in the shower,’ she muttered. ‘It was a genuine mistake. I didn’t intend it.’
Across the stained steel table, Astra settled back in her chair, her expression a blend of shock and amusement.
‘You didn’t die of mortification? I would have collapsed. Flat out. Right there at his feet.’
‘I came close. I think my soul vacated my body for a second.’
Soleil buried her face in her hands, a groan escaping her.
‘Astra, what makes it worse is that he was magnificent.’
