Page 43 of Rescuing Mia
“Okay.”
Rigel smiles, his eyes filled with a heat that promises pleasure and danger in equal measure.
My heart races.
I’m in trouble.
Rigel, with his charming smile and piercing gaze, has already begun chipping away at the armor I’ve built around my heart. I have a feeling that by the time this journey is over, he’ll have completely broken through, leaving me exposed and vulnerable in ways I never thought possible.
The moment we step away from the clatter of the dining room, the night wraps around us like a shawl, the ocean’s breath a gentle rushing against the hull. Rigel guides me up the stairs to the deck, where the stars blaze with a brilliance that takes my breath away.
I’ve never seen stars like this and stand in reverent silence beneath their stunning beauty.
He releases my hand as we reach the rail, but the air between us hums with the electrical charge that passes from his skin to mine. I lean forward, resting my arms on the cold metal, and tilt my face to the sky.
It’s a canvas of infinity, each star a note in a celestial symphony.
“I’ve never seen stars like this,” I confess the truth, one of the few truths that will pass my lips during this voyage. The vastness of the stars makes my voice feel small and far away.
“Never?” His question comes softly, tinged with surprise, and when I glance at him, the starlight is caught in his captivating eyes.
“Never. The city lights back home… They smother the stars.”
“You see that cluster there?” His voice is a low rumble next to mine.
“That one?” I shift closer to look down the length of his arm to see where he’s pointing.
“That’s the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters.”
The warmth of his arm brushes against mine, a heat that sparks in the cool sea air. He smells faintly of salt, and something crisp like the wind itself has anointed him with its essence.
He closes the space between us, his arm brushing against mine as he points to another constellation.
“See there? That’s Cassiopeia, the queen on her throne. It’salways visible year-round if you’re far enough north. She won’t be with us for long.”
I follow his gaze, feeling the solidity of his body next to mine. For a moment, the queen’s mythological dilemmas seem trivial compared to the story unfolding between us.
“I’ve read about them, but…” My voice trails off as my eyes drink in the sight, the stars more numerous and brilliant than I ever imagined.
“I’m guessing you’re not from around small-town skies,” he muses, his lips playful. “Somewhere bigger? A city? Skyscrapers instead of stars?” He’s close enough now that his breath whispers against my cheek. “Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo?”
“Shanghai.” I let it slip before I can catch the word and swallow it down, a secret given away as easily as a breath. The slip feels like a star shooting across the night, burning bright before vanishing into the dark sea.
My words are lost to the wind that whips at my hair, sending tendrils to flutter against his face, but he heard.
“Shanghai, then,” he says confidently. “A city where the stars are legends.”
I expect him to pull away, but he doesn’t. He moves to stand slightly behind me. His touch sends warmth cascading down my spine.
“Your accent… I’ve been trying to place it. It’s subtle, and your English is remarkable.” His hand gently guides my shoulder, pulling me to stand in front of him. We align our bodies as we look up together. “Shanghai is one of the few places with stars obscured by city lights.”
His knowledge surprises me, but the casual mention of Shanghai sets off alarms in my mind, but they’re quickly dampened by his next movement.
His chest presses against my back, a protective barrier from the wind that whips my hair into a frenzy. His fingers are warm as they brush stray strands away from my face, a touch so tender it tugs at something deep inside me.
I nod, surprised by his accuracy and more surprised that I’m notguarded with him. Something about Rigel feels safe, even though every instinct tells me I shouldn’t trust anyone.
“And over there, that’s Orion,” he says.