Catching Stardust Read online

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered the words. She wasn’t sorry to be safe, but she was sorry to have been the cause of his pain. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do go against Jude, but I have no other option. There’s no way I can support telling someone else.” She stood from the bed and moved toward the door. “If you think you can’t go on without telling him the truth, then tell me now.”

  “Don’t go.” He sat up, his gaze penetrating into hers. She ignored the distracting sexy time thoughts threatening to infiltrate her mind. “I’ll get over it and he’ll never be the wiser. We’ll make up a believable back-story about who you are and where you’re from and he’ll have no choice left but to accept you. He’ll move on to a new discovery, just like he always does.”

  “Are you sure?” She hesitated by the door.

  “I’m positive. Now stop worrying and come back to my bed.”

  He grinned one of his super sexy grins at her and she found her legs moving her toward the bed as if they had brains of their own. Not that she really minded. If he really believed she was safe now, then there was no reason to leave Zander and his warm, cozy bed behind and flee.

  She stood by the side of the bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head into her stomach, his breath tickling her skin beneath the thin shirt she dug out of his closet after he’d left.

  “Have I mentioned yet how crazy sexy you look wearing my shirt and gym shorts?”

  She blushed. She’d never been so bold to go through someone’s closet and scrounge for clothes before, but desperate times called for desperate measures and there was no way she was getting back into the tight, uncomfortable dress she’d worn to the charity event last night. She should have been smarter and planned ahead with a little overnight bag instead of a clutch.

  “You haven’t, but you don’t need to. I can see your approval of my outfit in your eyes.”

  “Do you know what else I’d like to see you in?”

  She shook her head.

  “My bed. Naked. Sweating. Gasping for breath.”

  Too tempting. She climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. Raising her arms, he pulled the shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor behind her. As his tongue flickered across her taut nipple, she’d never been more thankful that he’d turned out to be the good guy she thought he was.

  And she was thankful for his tongue. Oh sweet heavenly Gaia, he knew how to use it.

  She tugged on his hair enough to make him break his concentration on her breast and look up. When he did, she pressed her lips to his, opening her mouth to invite his delicious tongue inside.

  He grasped her butt in his hands, pressing his arousal for her into the junction of her thighs. She squirmed against him, trying to feel as much of his length as she possibly could.

  He toyed with the lace edging of her panties, then slipped his fingers under the material. Zander groaned, discovering the extent of her desire. “These have to come off,” he said. He moved so quickly she barely had time to react to what he was doing before she found herself lying on her back across the bed, now naked, gym shorts and her panties pulled from her body.

  A chill of excitement tickled along her skin as she lay there naked, waiting for him to join her. He didn’t.

  Instead, he stood by the bedside and slowly undressed for her, first removing his shirt one agonizingly tedious button at a time. When he finally shed his shirt, he unbuckled his pants and stepped out of them quickly. Eyeing him in his entirety, the lava in her belly spread deeper into her core.

  Zander slipped a condom onto his length and joined her on the bed, gripping her hips with both hands. “Are you ready for me?” he asked, pausing at her entrance.

  She simply nodded.

  He thrust into her and she thought her head might actually explode from the endorphins filling her senses. Biting her lip, she stifled a moan as he moved deep inside her. In all her eternity, she’d never felt anything like what Zander could do. Maybe she’d been a fool to avoid getting involved with a hunk from Earth for so long. Or maybe it was just what Zander did to her because he was Zander, not because he was from Earth.

  Either way, she’d never felt so on fire, so alive, so in a moment, as she did right then. She didn’t want it to end.

  They moved together, picking up the pace as they went. She called out his name as she was overcome with passion and desire so fulfilling she didn’t know how she’d lived an eternity without ever having felt it before. Zander thrust into her again as she tightened around him, then stilled, his head thrown back with his release.

  He eased himself down onto her, his chest coming to rest against her heaving breasts, and kissed her. His kiss was hot, and strong, and perfect. She wanted to kiss him for the rest of forever.

  But she wouldn’t get forever with him, would she?

  No. A burning in her chest grew and she turned away from his kiss. They could never be together long-term. She had to go back to the stars eventually and he couldn’t come with her. She ached with the knowledge.

  Running her hands down his back, she tried to memorize the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, his weight as he pressed her back into the bed—his length filling her so completely. How would she’d ever go back to her normal life and live forever without him?

  Maybe she could stay.

  It wasn’t like Earth was a terrible place or anything. It wasn’t home, but it could be, with Zander by her side. Wouldn’t it be worth the trade off to never go back to the stars if it meant she could live here with him? If she could stay in his bed like this every night?

  And as an added bonus, she could eat a big juicy hamburger anytime she wanted. Staying sounded better the more she thought about it.

  She kissed him again, allowing herself to completely melt into it. The thoughts of anything but his lips, tongue, taste, evaporated from her brain. When he finally pulled away from her, she was breathless and barely able to force her eyelids open. When she did, she found him gazing at her intensely.

  “You have the most beautiful eyes. I still can’t believe they’re real.” He brushed the hair off her forehead. “You know, I noticed someone else with eyes like yours today, but his weren’t nearly as stunning. And they were attached to a guy so that didn’t help.”

  She stilled. “You saw someone with eyes like mine? What did they look like?”

  “I don’t know. As I said, it was a guy, so I really didn’t look too hard. I try not to gaze too deeply into the eyes of men.” He laughed but she didn’t hear anything funny about this scenario.

  “Zander, think. This is important. What was his star map?”

  Zander closed his eyes as if trying to remember the tiny details of the stranger’s eyes. A stranger he’d seen for a total of two seconds. “I think it was the constellation Orion.”

  “Oh no.”

  “What?”

  Maia swallowed the lump of fear in her throat, tears of panic filling her eyes. “He’s coming.”

  “Who’s coming? What are you talking about?”

  “Orion.” Maia wiggled out from underneath Zander and began pulling on her clothes. “Orion’s coming for me and he won’t stop until he catches me.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Maia, wait a second,” Zander called after her as she dashed around his bedroom collecting her things.

  “I have to go. I have to get away from here before he finds me.” Maia pulled on the dress she wore the night before, cursing herself again for not having been smart enough to bring a proper change of clothes with her. Streaks of pain shot through her feet as she slipped back into her uncomfortable shoes.

  No question, she would have to get back to her hotel, change clothes and grab a few things before Orion figured out where she was staying.

  “Why is Orion after you?”

  “Because he’s delusional and thinks we’re supposed to be together. I really don’t have time to go into it right now.” She grabbed the rest of her things and started for the door.

  Zande
r climbed out of bed and went to his closet. “Just let me get a couple of things and I’ll go with you.”

  “I can’t let you do that.” She shook her head. “Orion is dangerous.”

  “All the more reason for me to be with you. I can’t let you go alone when some crazy guy is after you, which we don’t honestly know if he is or not.”

  “Okay, right there. That’s the reason you shouldn’t come. You don’t even believe what I’ve told you and I really don’t have time to waste attempting to convince you of things I already know are fact. If Orion was in that café, it was for one reason and one reason only—he knows you and I have been spending time together and he tracked you there. It’s a miracle you got out of there without him figuring out who you were.”

  “So you’re safe then, right? ‘Cause he didn’t get me, so there’s no reason he could figure out where we are right now.”

  “Don’t be naïve, Zander. If he knows enough about you to find you at the café, then he knows enough to find your apartment. He’s probably on his way here right now.” Maia swallowed the fear rising in her throat. “What if he found Jude and Jude told him everything?”

  “That seems like a bit of a stretch.”

  Maia’s patience waned. “Did you actually see what Orion did inside the café? Did he buy a fancy latte and sit down to enjoy a muffin?”

  “Well, no. I guess—I didn’t see where he went once he was inside the café.”

  She nodded. “And did you see what Jude did after you left?”

  “Actually I did. He was chatting with someone I couldn’t see who was sitting in the booth with him. Jude was pointing something—” his voice dropped off.

  “What was Jude doing?” Maia stood frozen, unable to take her eyes off Zander.

  “Jude was showing him something on the map of constellations.” Zander scowled. “Damn it. I didn’t see Orion anywhere else in the café. You’re right. I’m so stupid. Orion was probably the person talking to Jude in the booth after I left. And if that’s the case, we’re screwed. Jude wasn’t in a very good frame of mind and if Orion had showed even the smallest amount of interest in his research, he would have talked to anyone about it.”

  Maia grabbed hold of the wall, feeling her head spin. This was basically the worst-case scenario. “Let’s go,” she said pulling on Zander’s arm. If he wanted to come with her, she wasn’t going to waste any more breath trying to stop him. Honestly, she’d feel more comfortable knowing she wouldn’t be alone when Orion found her. But she couldn’t hang out here any longer talking about it. They had to move. Now.

  Zander grabbed his wallet and cell phone and stuffed them into his pockets, then pulled a coat from the coat rack beside the door, slipping his arms into it. He found a sweater and wrapped it around Maia’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to be cold while we’re on the run. And it you tuck your hair back and pull up the hood, you’ll be less noticeable.”

  Sweet. She sighed. Why couldn’t she find someone like him back on Pleiades? Every time he was sweet and considerate to her, it was another harsh reminder that their time together was limited and closing in quickly on ending.

  Stuffing the feelings back down inside, she vowed to worry about them later. The problem at hand wasn’t what would happen between herself and Zander, it was getting away from Orion and figuring out how to get home.

  They made their way out of Zander’s apartment building quickly; all the while Maia prayed they wouldn’t come face-to-face with Orion. The doorman held open the door for them and they darted through it without a glance back. Hopefully Zander would be safe to come back here later—on his own.

  Zander skidded to a stop in front of Maia. Before she had time to ask what was wrong, he’d turned and pressed her up against the side of the building, planting his lips on hers. His arms braced his body on either side of her head. Even though Maia knew they needed to run, the reaction caused by his body rubbing against her, his tongue tangling with hers, made every other thought simply slip away.

  A battle between passion for Zander and a hearty fear of Orion raged inside her brain. Stay and play with Zander in the most delicious way and risk getting caught, or put off passion and flee until they were safe from Orion and could actually enjoy themselves? Tough call. He did taste awfully good. Or maybe it was the extra adrenaline coursing through her body right now that made kissing Zander feel even more sensual than it had last night.

  As quickly as the kiss started, it stopped and Zander pulled back from her. She stared at him, unable to think enough even to blink. “I hate to complain about a kiss that amazing, but it’s not exactly the best time or place to fool around.”

  “Orion.”

  “That is so not a turn on.”

  Zander’s expression was serious, not flirty. “I just saved your sweet little ass from being seen by Orion. He walked into my building a second ago and he wasn’t alone—Jude was with him.” He swore under his breath, his hands clenched at his sides.

  The fog in Maia’s brain cleared instantly. “We have to get out of here.” Panic rose inside her again, threatening to burst out of her at any moment in the form of hyperventilating and tears. Not a good combination when you’re trying to run for your life.

  Raindrops fell slowly, splattering onto the dry pavement. Drops landed in her hair and on her face as she stood there looking up at the sky that had been perfectly sunny this morning when she’d looked outside. Exactly what she didn’t need right now, another freak rainstorm. But was Zeus the reason behind this one too? There was no lightning in the sky, so probably not.

  Zander hailed a taxi, but each one was already taken. “Damn it. Every time it rains, the taxis fill up in seconds.” He glanced down the street and then back toward his building. “We’re going to have to run if we want to get to your hotel before Orion and Jude figure out we’re not in there and come looking for us again. I’m sure that scumbag Jude remembers exactly what hotel I mentioned you were staying in. Damn it! I can’t believe he sold me out this way.”

  Maia didn’t answer. She hated being the direct cause of a rift between two friends. This was probably another good example of why they shouldn’t be together—being with her meant Zander would have to deceive more people he cared about and that would probably lead to even more damaged relationships.

  No. She couldn’t think about all of this stuff right now. She had to keep moving—had to put distance between herself and Orion. Whatever the future held for her and Zander, it would be squashed in a nanosecond if they got caught.

  She took off down the street, running as fast as her stilettos would let her—sadly not much faster than a hobble. The sooner she was out of these shoes and into a nice, comfy pair of flats, the better. Zander jogged next to her, easily keeping her pace.

  They rounded the corner and darted across the street at the first break in traffic, not waiting for the light to change. They didn’t have time to wait for luxuries like a walk light.

  Maia fished for her room key in her bag as they neared her hotel. They would have minutes—five at most—to get into her room, grab her things and be as far away from the hotel as possible before they stood a good risk of Orion showing up on her doorstep. She didn’t plan on being anywhere near this hotel, this street, this neighborhood when Orion came looking for her.

  She leaned her head against the wall of the elevator as it rose taking them to her floor. Closing her eyes, she focused on slowing her breathing. She needed to stay in control and that meant pushing the panic aside at every possible opportunity.

  Zander tucked a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. “It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”

  She looked into his eyes, knowing he would protect her as best he could. But would that be enough going against someone as strong and ruthless as Orion? Nodding her head, she bit back the sadness threatening to spill out of her again. There wasn’t time for emotions right now.

  The elevator chimed and they b
olted from it, running down the hall to her room. She pushed open the door, and grabbed her pink, zebra striped bag and once again made a promise to herself to make Zeus pay for cursing her with the god-awful bag. Slipping out of her stilettos and into a pair of jeans, she put on the most comfortable pair of shoes she currently owned. They were still strappy sandals, but they’d have to do. Next time this happened, she’d be smarter and buy sneakers instead of fashionable shoes.

  She shimmied out of the dress and tossed it to the bed. That wasn’t coming with her. Neither were the stilettos. Earth could keep both. Eyeing the sexy heels laying on the bed, she rolled her eyes and grabbed them back, shoving them into her bag.

  Who was she kidding? Those damn shoes were too sexy to leave behind. And in a real pinch, she could use the stiletto heel as a weapon. Not that she would. It would damage the sparkles.

  She scrounged in her bag for a shirt, pulling on the first one she found. Twisting her hair up into a knot, she tied it with an elastic band so it would be out of her way. Running around the room and into the bathroom, she threw everything she needed into her bag.

  “I’m good. Let’s go.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know yet, but we can’t stay here. He’ll find us here any minute.”

  “But where should we run to? We need a plan.”

  “Listen, the only plan I need right now is to keep moving. I’ll figure out where to go when I get there. Either you’re coming with me for the ride, or you’re staying here, but I’m leaving. Now.”

  She pulled open her room door, shouldering her bag as she did. Glancing down the hall toward the elevator, she didn’t see any sign of Orion or Jude yet—thank Gaia. “Are you coming or not,” she called back to Zander as she stepped into the hall.

  He answered by joining her and running ahead to hit the elevator button.

  “Hurry up,” a deep voice bellowed from inside the elevator.

  “Orion!” Maia said, pulling on Zander and moving toward the door leading to the stairwell. She had no desire to run down three flights of stairs, but if Orion was in the elevator heading up, then they had no choice.