The buzz of Ilana’s drink hit her as she activated her suit’s open space features, leaving her helmet off for last. She could’ve taken an anti-intoxicant to sober up but she had nothing to lose at this point. Might as well try something she hadn’t tried before. She stood with Gabriel next to the airlock at what she assumed was …
Gabriel stared at the widest crisis pocket he’d engineered yet, a round bubble currently held stable at four points with extra technological rigging. The most elegant piece of tech he’d ever handled, standing only by the grace of rudimentary biotech scaffolding. The Admiral had requested a larger model for Frontier missions as protection for Alliance citizens and ships. Gabriel and …
Ilana shut the door to her room on Frontier One. She leaned back and closed her eyes, soaking in the afterglow of the last several hours. But first things first. She activated her mailbox from her smart contact’s menu on the inside of her wrist, pulled up the Admiral’s message, and dictated an acceptance to her job offer. She was …
Gabriel was having a hard time reading Ilana. Even after the passionate embrace they’d shared downstairs, she’d become aloof since the group arrived at Maisha’s private quarters. Now, as Maisha led them to her spa, Ilana stood slightly apart. Maisha offered her a private changing room and bathing suit, but Ilana showed no hesitation in joining them in the nude …
When Gabriel invited Ilana up to where the Admiral was finishing up dinner with Maisha, she appreciated that he gave her an out. But she wasn’t one to hide because a room made her uncomfortable. She might as well learn more about her potential employer while she was here. So she joined Gabriel up an elevator to the top deck. …
Gabriel couldn’t keep his eyes off Ilana. Looking at her was like drinking a long cool glass of water at the end of a long, hot day. He resisted the wild urge to crowd her into a dark corner and slide his hands up that tight little dress until she squirmed against him. He had to clear his throat to …
Ilana rarely wavered as much as she did that night. On everything. What to wear. How to make up her face and hair. Whether she should splurge on a fabulous little black dress from the replicator. If she should even go. Nearly her entire life – since the first star she saw through her father’s telescope – she’d always had …
Gabriel had been haunted by the last look on Ilana’s face during his entire meeting with the Admiral and her science team. He could barely concentrate as he pulled up the crisis pocket specs. The Admiral’s eyes lit up as the team surrounded his work. Ilana had appeared stricken and distraught before scurrying away along the outer edge of the …
Ilana had no idea what the Admiral could still want with her. Shortly after Gabriel had left, she’d gotten a message from Aria asking her to appear on the top deck at her “earliest convenience” – a phrase Ilana could never quite figure out. Did it mean urgently or not? She decided to make it a priority since delaying an …
Gabriel had to call on every ounce of his willpower to lay his arms still as Ilana moved over him, her breasts brushing his chest. Her face was serious as she hovered over him, the humor that normally brightened her eyes shadowed by a new, more focused intent. He could sense the potential between them, chemistry as combustible as it …