Catching Stardust Read online

  Yes, that look—that’s why she’d agreed to do something she knew was a little reckless and dangerous. Because that look told her everything she needed to know about his intentions, and she welcomed every single one of them despite knowing she shouldn’t.

  “This way.” His voice was husky when he spoke again. “It’s through here.”

  He opened a door and for the briefest second, Maia sincerely hoped it led to a bedroom. Instead, she saw a stairway leading up. She paused at the doorway. Should she really be following this guy she’d only just met into places unknown?

  He climbed the stairs ahead of her, his rear perfectly shaped beneath his tailored trousers, his waist trim and his shoulders broad. A perfect vision of yumminess right there in front of her.

  Yes, she should most definitely follow him wherever he wanted to lead her.

  Maia focused on climbing the stairs and tried desperately to pull her eyes from his cute behind. It didn’t work. She wondered if those cheeks would be hard or soft if she were to reach out and squeeze them. Before she could let her imagination run away too far, he’d pushed open another door at the top of the stairs and stepped through.

  “It’s up here.” He held open the door with his body, stepping back against it.

  She came up to the opening and paused. His body looked even taller and leaner as it pressed up against the door. She briefly imagined running her hands up his flat stomach and chest before the scene beyond him caught her attention.

  The door he held had opened into a spacious rooftop garden. There were green plants and small potted trees lining the area. She stepped out onto the roof, standing in front of Zander, taking in the scene.

  “Do you like it?” Zander asked from beside her, his voice close to her ear now that he’d stepped away from the door and let it close behind them.

  She turned to him, his face surprisingly close and entirely welcomed. Her eyes met his. “It’s amazing.” The same could be said for the man beside her.

  “I knew you’d like it.”

  She did like it, everything about it. She liked everything about him too.

  Her heartbeat raced as she stood close enough to Zander to feel the heat radiating from his body in the cool night air. Maybe they should share body heat?

  “There’s something else.” He slipped passed her. “This is why I brought you up here, although the little garden is nice too. But this,” he said patting a telescope, “is what I really thought you’d like to see.”

  She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from rising. His telescope was huge.

  “What?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing. “Don’t you like it?”

  “Oh no, I like it. It’s just so—huge.” She giggled. She knew it was stupid and childish, but she just couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help but wonder if the old sayings about the size of a man’s hands or feet or nose also applied to the size of his telescope.

  He smirked at her comment and cocked one eyebrow at her, apparently understanding her innuendo completely. “Yes, it is—huge.”

  She swallowed hard, her throat feeling parched and licked her lips. Suddenly at a loss for words, she simply stood there, trying her best not to visualize the picture he’d put in her mind.

  “Want to come see for yourself?” he asked.

  Oh my good Gaia, yes.

  “See what? Your telescope?”

  “Of course my telescope. Unless there’s something else you’d rather focus on.” He laughed and she knew he had been absolutely thinking the same things as she had.

  She stepped up to the telescope, gingerly placing her hand on top of it near his, trying her best to look casual. “That’s what I was talking about too. What else could be this huge?”

  Zander towered over her as they stood close together. Was he always this tall or did being on the rooftop in the dark with him make him seem taller?

  “I know of one thing.”

  Her breath hitched in her throat as he bent his head down to hers. I bet you do. His mouth was suddenly so close to hers she wanted to reach out and touch it. She wanted to run her finger across his lips and find out for herself if they were as a soft and full as they appeared.

  Actually, she wanted to lick them and find out that way instead.

  He turned his face from hers and fiddled with the dials and knobs on the body of the telescope. His fingers worked quickly twisting and manipulating the dials with confidence. Her mind drifted somewhere it shouldn’t again as she watched him work.

  “Look right through here,” he said and pointed to a small round opening in the end of the telescope.

  She pulled her gaze from his hands and focused on the tiny lens instead. She peered through the hole and saw the stars, up close, just as she was used to them. The telescope was aimed at Pleiades. A twinge of pain flashed in her chest, making it tighten.

  She missed home so much. How had Zander known out of anything in the sky, this is what she’d want to see the most?

  “It’s beautiful.” Her voice was quiet as it caught in her throat.

  “I thought you might like to see your namesake up close. For some reason, the Maia star wasn’t coming into to focus last night. But tonight it looks like it’s back again. And you can see some of the gasses and dust swirling around the constellation too.”

  She peered through the telescope, easily finding her star. Well, the marker star that had been put in her place. Apparently Zeus finally remembered it. Too bad he couldn’t remember to teleport her back home or at the very least, make the phone line work again.

  “I do love it. Thank you.” She felt the weight of his hand on her arm and instantly wished she wasn’t wearing his jacket so she could feel the warmth of his touch too. His eyes still held heat for her, but his expression was one of concern—a dangerous combination.

  “I thought after you seemed very disappointed when you couldn’t see the stars tonight, I would show you your namesake.”

  “It’s so thoughtful of you to do this for me. I’m touched.”

  Seeing her star back as if she wasn’t stranded on Earth alone made her homesick. But she couldn’t focus on that right now, not when she couldn’t afford to slip up and spill her secret to Zander. And certainly not when she wanted to share other things with Zander—things that involved a lot less clothes and a lot more touching.

  Zander’s hand traveled up her arm and settled at the nape of her neck. The warmth of the skin-to-skin contact was enough to make her melt into a puddle of goo. Never had she ever, in all her eternity, wanted to kiss someone as much as she want to kiss Zander right in that moment.

  But she couldn’t.

  No, that wasn’t true. She could. Very easily, she could go up on her toes and press her lips to his, seek his tongue with hers. So, yes, technically she could kiss him right here, right now.

  But she shouldn’t.

  Kissing Zander could lead to other things—those touching things. And it could lead to her falling into his arms and his bed… It could lead to her falling for him—an unattainable guy from Earth, and she couldn’t let that happen. Nothing good would come of that.

  She couldn’t let herself get involved in something neither of them could finish. She didn’t want to stay on Earth and he would never survive in the stars. They were screwed no matter how she looked at it so it was best to forget about it before anything even started.

  “I did this for you because I love the way you look at the stars. You look to the sky as if you were looking at the home you grew up in but hadn’t been back to in years. It’s strange and wonderful.”

  She leaned into his touch, warm on her neck. “I guess it does remind me of home a little, knowing that’s where my name comes from.” Daring to glance up into his beautiful eyes again, the heat of his gaze penetrated her defenses.

  “So, do you always show girls the size of your telescope on the first date?” She teased.

  “No. You’re my first.”

  “Lucky me,” she said, her voice comi
ng out as barely more than a whisper as her desire to kiss him threatened to overpower her.

  He stroked a line along her jaw with his thumb, the movement giving her tingles of anticipation over what might come next. She leaned into him more, her eyes fluttering closed, focusing only on the feel of his hand on her skin. A moment later, she forced them back open to meet his gaze, not wanting to get completely lost in the sensation of the skin-to-skin contact.

  “I think I’m the lucky one. The girls I’ve dated in the past never cared about space or stars. You’re the first one who not only appears to like the universe, but seems surprisingly knowledgeable about it as well. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the evening than stargazing with you.

  He bent his head toward her, getting closer and closer by the second. Her body responded against her better judgment, tilting her head to give him a better angle.

  “Everything about you is interesting, Maia. The origin of your name. Your interest in the universe. Even your eyes.” He sighed. “God damn. I could stare at them for hours. Those contacts are amazing. They look like miniature galaxies.”

  His gaze was locked on hers. “If I didn’t know it was completely impossible, I’d say those galaxies in your eyes were actually swirling, twinkling.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. This exploration on her eyes was treading dangerously close to actual fact. “I think you drank more wine than you realized at dinner.”

  “I must have. Nothing seems to make sense with you. But I like it.” His eyes softened behind his glasses a little as he brought his face even closer to hers. “I like you too.”

  She couldn’t resist it anymore. She popped up onto her toes before her mind could stop her body and pressed her mouth to his. She sucked in a quick breath at her own unexpected action, her mouth opening.

  His tongue flickered against her lips tentatively as if asking her permission. A low moan escaped her mouth. His tongue slipped inside, finding hers and tangling with it.

  She melted against him, her knees weakening more with every taste of his tongue in her mouth. He wrapped one strong arm around her waist, pulling her body flush with his while his other hand tangled in her hair at the nape of her neck.

  Maia stroked her hands up his back, gripping onto his shoulders, clinging to him as if he might be a dream that would slip away from her at any moment. But this wasn’t a dream. Oh, no. Dreams didn’t taste this good.

  Zander’s hand slid past her waist and cupped her butt in his large palm. The heat of his touch was enough to cause another moan from deep inside her to escape. He squeezed gently and her body reacted by sending a spike of heat straight to her belly.

  She wanted to stay here with Zander all night. To let him explore all she had to offer, right here on the rooftop, under the stars. But what would she gain? A broken heart? Another complication to her already complicated problem of how to get home?

  As her mind wrestled with logic, her hands roamed his body. Down his back to skim over his trousers, testing to see if his butt was as firm as it appeared to be when he climbed the stairs in front of her on their way to the roof.

  It was.

  She forced her hand away from forbidden temptation and instead gripped his waist. Her thumbs stroked along the edges of his abs and she whimpered with desire. Ripples of muscle hid beneath his shirt, taunting her.

  Maia pulled back, breaking contact with his mouth. She licked her lips, savoring the last taste of his mouth on hers, knowing it would be the last time she would give in to her desire to be with him.

  As much as she wanted to go beyond kissing, she couldn’t. There was something special about Zander, which was all the more reason not to get involved with him. She couldn’t let her heart become a factor in her mission to get back to the stars.

  Zander was far too nice and way too cute—no, hot. Seriously hot.

  Maybe if he was cute but a total jerk, she could have a night of fun without worrying about how she would walk away from him in the morning, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t be true with Zander. He was kind, and funny, and sexy and smart…everything she’d always wanted in a man. She couldn’t risk what could happen if she gave in to what she felt in this moment.

  A moment that could have repercussions for both of them.

  She peered up into his heavy-lidded, questioning eyes. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but it would only be worse later if she didn’t.

  “You are out of this world, Maia,” he said, desire deepening his voice to a rasp.

  If only you knew how right you are.

  He dipped his head and kissed her again before she could take a step back. His mouth hot with a need matching hers. If only she could give in like her body wanted her to—her will already betrayed her, weakening with every flicker of his tongue against hers.

  Stop this now while you still can.

  Zander pulled her closer, evidence of his growing need pressing into her.

  Or don’t stop.

  Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay here a little longer, have a little fun. It wasn’t like she was agreeing to marry him or anything. It was just one night of kissing and hopefully some touching.

  Yep. That sounded pretty good.

  Really, what’s the point of traveling somewhere if you weren’t going to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of the place? And tonight Zander tasted absolutely amazing.

  Maia let herself melt into him, gently rubbing her body against his as she did. His grip tightened in response. Oh, yes, tonight would be all kinds of fun.

  The scent of summer rain—sweet, with hints of flower blossoms—invaded her senses before she felt the first drops. She thought the cool rain might sizzle as it hit her skin. Zander had heated her up to a raging boil with his kisses. The raindrops didn’t sizzle, but they did do a great job of plastering her hair to her face in a completely unsexy way. Great.

  Thunder rumbled through the sky, sounding as if it was directly overhead. Zander pulled away, breaking their kiss suddenly. “What the hell?” He peered up at the sky, which was now clouded, the stars blocked from view completely. “Where the hell did this weather come from?”

  Another crash of thunder boomed as a streak of lightning shot through the sky. Not just any lightning—Zeus’s signature lightning.

  I should have known. She glanced up to the sky, narrowing her eyes against the rain. Sure you can spy on me, but you can’t zap me back home!

  Damn it to Hades, Zeus was almost a bigger pain in her ass than Orion was. First Zeus sends her to Earth for who knows what reason. Then he won’t even let her have a little fun while she’s here.

  “I don’t know, but I think we should head inside.”

  He ignored her, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her as if he could block the rain with his body.

  “You’re getting soaked,” Maia said. “Come on. Let’s go in.”

  “It’s okay. I like the rain.”

  Another streak of lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the nearby building. A little too close. Maia shrieked and jumped. “Let’s go,” she said, pulling Zander toward the door. He hesitated for a moment before quickly pulling the protective cover over the telescope then followed her as she ducked inside, padding down the stairs back into his apartment.

  “Where did that storm come from?” Zander shook the water from his hair and grabbed a couple of towels from the closet beside the stairs and tossed one to Maia. “I can’t believe how quickly that storm rolled in.”

  Maia toweled off her hair and face. “Maybe it was all the heat we had during the day. It wasn’t until the sun went down that the cool air blew in. That could cause a freak thunderstorm or two.” It was as plausible an explanation as any. She couldn’t very well tell him that Zeus had made it rain so things wouldn’t heat up even more than they already had on the roof.

  “Sure, but we usually hear those storms coming for miles before they happen. This one was weird. Clear one minute and stormy the next. It’s str
ange.”

  She motioned toward the door. “I should go.”

  “Wait. It’s still pouring out there and you don’t have a coat or umbrella. Why don’t you stay until the rain stops? I can find you some dry clothes if you want to throw your dress in the dryer.”

  The thought of pulling on warm, dry clothes from Zander’s closet was enough to make her head spin with need. His jacket had smelled like him. She could only imagine how good his clothes would smell wrapped around her.

  But as much as Zeus annoyed her—and he really, really annoyed her—he’d been right to put an end to her fun with Zander. Getting together with him wasn’t going to make it any easier for her to leave when she finally figured out a way to get home. She shouldn’t get involved with a guy from Earth.

  “I can’t,” she said quickly. “I really have to go. But thanks for the offer.”

  She could see the disappointment on his face. Better to see it now before anything happened rather than later when she was headed home. Better to cut ties now and not give in further to any kind of romance with Zander.

  “I have to get back to the hotel.” Maia started to slip out of Zander’s coat but he reached for her arm, stopping her before she could take it off.

  “Take my jacket with you. I’ll come by tomorrow and collect it.”

  That was sweet of him, but it wouldn’t help her forget about him and never see him again. Nope. Wearing his jacket back to the hotel would ensure they saw each other again.

  “I can’t.”

  He tugged on the collar of the jacket and pulled her closer. “You’re either letting me take you home under an umbrella or you’re wearing this. Your choice. Of course, you could always choose to take me up on my original offer and stay here until the rain ends. I’m sure we can find a way to entertain ourselves inside.”

  He lingered above her like bait hanging from a hook, just waiting to snag her and reel her in. His eyes crinkled slightly behind his wire-rimmed glasses and the corner of his delicious mouth turned up mischievously, almost as if he knew he had her cornered. “I think I like the third option best, but I’ll make due with either of the others.”