“I’m sorry,” he said, forcing a calming breath.
“It’s okay.” She didn’t step closer again. “That was beautiful. Why did you throw it away?”
“I didn’t want it,” he said.
“Maybe someone would have. Someone in your family.”
He didn’t have a family. “Then someone can have it,” he said. “When it washes up.”
Tess nodded, her expression still somber with concern.
They stepped out of the lift when it reached ground level, and he guided her toward the shore, taking a path lined with fancy shrubs, potted trees, and colorful blooms. There was no denying the beauty of the resort, despite the ugliness of its owner, and Tess trailed her fingers over velvety, exotic-looking petals, stopping to smell a few of the prettiest flowers. She didn’t say anything else about the money clip.
There she went again, being all perfect, knowing when to let something go.
They eventually stepped onto sand, and she turned her face into the breeze, sniffing the damp, briny air. She stomped her feet a few times, getting used to the feel of the shifting grains beneath her shoes.
They walked farther along the beach than Shade had intended, but the long stroll gave him a chance to cool off. Tess seemed happy to just soak in the scenery and didn’t say much, besides commenting on the flickering light from the torches again, their subtle scent, and how the paths from the three moons glittered across the now-dark water like rippling starlight. He thought she didn’t want to talk a lot, but rather listen to the surf.
Finally, when the brightly lit casino looked small in the distance, she chose a dune and sat down on the side of it. Sea grass swayed behind them, rustling. The waves rolled in and out with a soothing rhythm. Shade leaned back on his elbows and watched Tess more than the ocean. She was the better sight.
Tess suddenly laughed. “Stop.”
“Stop what?” he asked.
“Stop looking at me.”
Shade smiled. “You’re fun to watch.”
She bit down on her grin, but he still saw it tugging at her lips. “Do all the people on Albion 5 stare? Are you a planet of starers?”
His eyebrows went up. “Starers?”
“Yes, like this.” She leaned closer and locked eyes with him.
Shade chuckled. No way was he looking away first.
“Damn, you’re good at this,” she eventually said.
So was Tess. Shade shot out a hand and tickled her ribs.
“Ah! That’s cheating!” she cried, laughing and curling into a ball.
“I win,” Shade said.
She gave him a sidelong look that promised retribution. “Fine. What’s your prize?”
Prize?The word sank into him and stuck in his gut. “Nope. You win. I cheated. You claim the prize.”
“Okay.”
Her quick agreement made him nervous.Retribution, here we come.
“Put your feet in the water,” she said.
Shade groaned. “That water’s cold, Tess.”
“I’ll do it if you do.” She looked so hopeful that it was immediately clear to him that she wanted to touch the water but was afraid of going anywhere near it by herself.
