Page 17 of Lashe

But all I knew of him was the stoic Destran who piloted my private shuttle. I needed more. I needed to know more about him, personally.

He went to the screen that still held the scan’s results and read them for himself. “There are fourteen varieties of metal alloys among the fragments, indicating many ships that have met their end here.”

“Stelis and I think that debris field we flew through was purposefully laid,” I explained. “They disable the ship and this is the only place for it to land.”

He sat in his seat and pulled up the star chart for the region we were in. “And this asteroid is not indicated on any of these maps. It would have been. I should’ve remembered.”

“No one expects you to remember every single asteroid we pass on a multiday journey. There must be thousands.”

“There are,” he said. “And it’s not like we had options, anyway. If we are truly dealing with an organism, finding an empty stretch of space is an ideal hunting strategy. Lay down a trap and wait for the prey to come.”

“This prey is not going to get caught,” I said.

His face hardened with determination. “Not if there’s anything I can do about it.”

“Any ideas?” I asked, hoping beyond hope that he said yes.

“No. Not yet.” He turned and met my gaze. The sharp green eyes were different now. There was a proprietary glint in them. The way his gaze moved over me made my skin tingle and my heart beat a little faster. “But I promise, I will get you out of here. I will keep you safe, no matter what it takes.”

In all my years of dating and having boyfriends, even with men that I liked a lot and thought I could have a future with, none had looked at me like Lashe was just then—as if I were the center of the universe and nothing else mattered. None had saidwords to me like that, and I would bet every credit I had that they hadn’t eventhoughtanything like that.

He reached out a hand and so did I, at the same time. Our palms touched, fingers collided, then wove together. It was just the need for touch. Contact. And it had happened to both of us at the same time. We stayed like that, with him sitting in the operator’s seat and me standing next to him. It felt almost as if energy passed through our hands.

The bond of mates was never one-sided. It usually occurred when both people were compatible with each other, but humans did not get marks on their skin to prove to themselves that they had found “the one.” Plus, humans did not often find perfect matches. Those who did were extraordinarily fortunate.

I slid my hand from his, missing his touch immediately. But I couldn’t keep it up without giving into the urge of sliding on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. Next, our mouths would be devouring each other again. I knew where it would go after that.

I wasn’t ready. Not now. He was still very much a stranger to me.

He looked away, drawing in a deep breath through flared nostrils. “Why don’t you have dinner and get some rest? I’m going to run a few deeper scans and try and get a little bit more information on this thing we’re stuck on.”

“Okay,” I said, and decided to test the waters. “You know, there is enough room in the bed for both of us if you’d like to sleep there. With me. Nothing would happen.”

The slightest wicked smile curved his lips. “Yes, it would.”

“It’s a king-sized bed. It’s possible to justsleeptogether,” I argued, as heat rose up my chest. “It’s more comfortable than the floor.”

“I’d prefer the floor,” he said. “If you accept me into your bed, you accept me into your body. There is nothing in between.”

“Oh.” I had no idea what else to say to that. It was blunt and honest and truthful and overwhelming to all of my senses. Because there was more that hehadn’tsaid, which was:if you accept me into your body, you accept me into your life, forever.“Well, would you at least have some dinner with me? The scans can wait.”

“You want me to dine with you?”

I folded my hands and gazed down at him, realizing he had no idea how to do any of this. “Yes. I would like to dine with you. I have only known you as the quiet Destran male who has flown my ship. I would like to know more about you. I’d like to get toknowyou, considering we might be mates, and all.”

His eyes flared and his colors did too. “In that case, I would be happy to join you.” He rose and smoothed a hand down the front of his snug jumpsuit as he watched me intently. “I want you to know me. Everything I am is open to you.”

God, this guy knew what to say to a woman, and he wasn’t even trying. That was the part that made it as powerful as it was. He wasn’t playing a game. He was just being himself. What was revealing a vulnerability for a human man was just a simple truth for Lashe.

“Come join me in the main cabin,” I said. “What would you like from the replicator?”

“I think our options are limited,” he said. “And I don’t eat much, anyway. I brought a supply oflami, although not very much. I expected to get freshlamiwhen we reached Damiron’s Sola.”

I looked down. “They’re going to be wondering where we are soon.”

“They will send out probes and ships,” he said.

“Do you think they’ll find us?” I asked with hope in my voice.