Dathan gripped his brother’s shirt and slammed him against the hull. “Shut your trap, right now.”
Niklas strolled out of the ship. When he saw them, he paused. “Something wrong?”
“No,” Dathan ground out.
“Yes. Big bro here just went nuts. For no reason.”
Dathan shoved Z again.
Niklas pushed in between them. “Let him go.”
Dathan pushed away. “He needs to keep his mouth shut about Eos.”
“Hey, I just said she was supernova hot. I wasn’t insulting her.” A strange look crossed Z’s face. “You like her.”
God, why did those words make Dathan’s mouth run dry? “Of course I like her.”
“No, I mean really like her. She’s different.”
Dathan’s heart pounded. He was a man who lived his life as he pleased. Took the hunts he wanted, the risks that suited him, enjoyed casual hookups. He couldn’t be any more than that.
Nik was frowning. “What are you talking about?”
“Dath here spent the night with the lovely doctor.”
Nik scrubbed a hand over his face. “With Eos?”
Z laughed. “Well, you’re the only other doctor around here…”
Nik stared hard at Dathan. “Eos isn’t someone to mess around with. Couldn’t you have kept your pants on?—”
“She’s an adult.” Dathan snatched up the water bottles.
“Yeah, but she isn’t some space bar bunny for you to dally with.”
“It’s not like that,” Dathan snapped.
Nik paused, his head tilting. “I see that.” A thoughtful look crossed his face. “You do like her.”
Dathan shoved the water bottles in the pockets of his cargo trousers. “We’re just crossing paths for a while. No big deal. I’m going now.”
He skidded down the dune, more than happy to abandon the grins on his brothers’ faces. Following the sand-strewn main street through the colony, he moved toward the heart of quadrant two, looking for Eos’ dark head.
The ruined buildings rose around him, silent tributes to a time long past. He liked to imagine the place as it had once been—filled with people living their lives, writing their own adventures. Was it truly the legendary colony of Star’s End? A myth spoken about throughout the galaxy—historians recording history, kids dreaming of adventure, adults dreaming of treasure.
A sound had him raising his head. The echo drifted away. He scanned around but didn’t see anything. The ruins around him were still except for the warm desert wind. He was sure he’d heard the scrape of something on stone.
He stood and kept a lazy amble, but his gaze was sharp. Turning a corner, he saw a very welcome sight.
Eos was bent over, studying some twisted metal lying in the ruins.
With silent steps, he moved in behind her and slipped an arm around her waist. She straightened on a gasp. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck and breathed in the scent of her.
She laughed. “I’m sweaty.”
He took an exaggerated sniff. “Smells good to me.”
She whacked his shoulder. “Typical male. As long as it’s female and breathes.”
