Page 111 of Tempting Fate

He lowered his face to my ear. His soft growl ruffled my curls, sending chills down my neck and over my scalp. “You like it when I’m trouble.”

Surrounded. By. Brats.

I settled my back to his chest, trying to ignore his arms around me or the firm hands resting on my stomach. Or the way his reactions to Vaenallra and Yoria’s growing relationship made me aware of every single breath, every movement.

As the credits rolled, I said, “That’s what they need here.”

“What?”

“That big-arse crane in the background. Something like that would help the construction so much.”

“Then why don’t they get one?” Airida asked, as if it were that simple.

“Because there aren’t any here?”

“But Lietan Shipyard hires them out all over the sector.”

I spun around to face him. “They do? And you know this how?”

“Trading.”

Every time he gave ‘trading’ as an answer, as if it were nothing, he impressed me a little more. “I don’t know, you say it’s trading, but it sounds like an excuse for acquiring all manner of random trivia to me,” I teased.

“What if I like both?”

His mouth split in a wide grin, and I laughed, settling back against him.

“It is a good thought, my moonlight, I will mention it to Tokki.”

A few hours later, my comm chirped.

Kira

Put the kettle on!

I read her message three times then bounced out of Airida’s arms. “They’re nearly here!”

By the time we’d walked to the village gates, the telltale whine of a speeder roared up the path.

Fenn joined us, and even the clouds of dust couldn’t hide our smiles as a rental speeder from town jerked to a stop.

A large kri’ith man leapt from the hatch, then lifted a smaller figure by the waist and lowered her to the ground.

“I can get out of a speeder myself, you big oaf.” Kira slapped him half-heartedly on the chest.

“What, and deny myself an opportunity to touch my mate?” The man I assumed was Reskavi snorted and turned to us.

Kira was already pulling away, heading towards me and Fenn, and I barely registered the other two kri’ith exiting the speeder. She ran to us, disbelief and joy shining in her eyes.

The three of us clung to each other in a fierce hug. When we parted, Kira rubbed away tears. “We found you.” Her voice broke, and she tugged us close again. “We found you too.”

“What are you like, taking off across the galaxy to find us?” Warmth filled my chest, a welcome comfort. Kira still wore her hair in a long braid, but there was more colour in her olive cheeks, along with a dusting of freckles I’d never noticed before. Gone was the New Earth engineer in standard-issue overalls. Kira wore galactic fashion like she was born to it, a corseted bodice with glowing polymer detailing, skintight cargo pants in matching black, and a flowing jacket. A holstered blaster hung at her hip. “You look amazing. Are you going to introduce us?”

Kira schooled her face into the controlled woman I knew, slipping an arm around the kri’ith corsair’s thick waist. “This is Reskavi, my mate. And his crew, Urula and Kapiya. Guys, these are my friends Imani and Fenn.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said. “And this is my… This is Airida.”

Kira cocked an eyebrow at me. “Your what?”