Forced
apart by war five years ago, Renjiro and Selina have another chance at love.
Can they make it work or does fate have other plans?
Sneak Peek:
"Sit down." Renjiro's
terse words filled Selina with pain and sadness.
She acceded to his request in
silence, holding her throbbing hand against her breast. He squatted before her,
his face close to hers, his dark eyes shadowed. His touch was gentle as his
fingers traced the line of her jaw. They shook a little and she felt the
glancing caress. It warmed her.
He touched a raw spot on her chin
and she hissed involuntarily.
"Where else are you
injured?"
Selina shook her head.
"Captain Codecko?
Selina?"
His gentle words nearly undid her.
Tears burned in her eyes and she blinked, hoping to banish them. It didn't work
though. They dripped down her face, scalding her frozen cheeks.
Now his hands dropped to her
shoulders. "Where else are you hurt, Selina?" His gaze was hypnotic.
It drew her words without thought.
"My hand, ribs, and the top of
my head."
He frowned and started tugging at
her shirt, pulling it free of the loose-fitting pants.
"What… What are you
doing?"
He glanced at her, his face taut
and strained. "I'm checking your injuries."
Selina blushed, the heat creeping
over her face as she pushed at his hands. "No! You can't do that!"
"Just bloody watch me."
His rough words surprised her and her hands dropped away. He continued his
almost feverish work at her buttons and very quickly he had the shirt open.
Selina thanked whatever had made her fasten a bra over her very tiny breasts.
With gentle movements, he brushed the old material of her shirt to one side. He
hissed through clenched teeth at what he saw. "You need a medic."
"I'm fine. I've lived through
this before. Of greater concern to me is whether I'm going to be charged for
causing the riot. I was just—"
"I know. Having a quiet drink.
We checked the spy eyes. You will be free to go, so long as we can put together
a suitable argument. But I have a proposition. One that would help you, I
think."
In her experience, propositions
never ended well, but she was desperate enough to listen to what he had to say.
So she watched in mute silence as he rose. He backed away as she quickly
refastened her shirt. Then he paced to the end of the room and back.
"I've just received a
communiqué that there's some Indies about to plan an attack on this moon base.
I need people I can trust to get information for me."
She waited. But as he started
pacing again, it seemed she would need to ask the question. "What's in it
for me?"
He stilled.
Selina held her breath. Waiting.
"I might be able to swing an
official citizenship for you."
Just like that, he could brush away
all the difficulties she had faced since the end of the war. But trusting
people didn't come easily. Not for her. "You can just click your fingers
and make that happen?"
He faced her again. His eyes shone
almost feverishly bright under the lighting of the room. "No. But I know
someone who might be able to make it happen, if you agree."
"Why? Why would you help
me?"
He smiled. "Because I owe you."
Blurb:
Without the citizenship of the
Federation, Indy pilot Selina Codecko is treated like a second-class citizen.
When she gets caught up in a bar brawl she's arrested and finds herself in the
hands of the Justice Officers.
Renjiro Ito has dreamed of Selina
for five long years. As the Commander of the Justice Officers, the plight of
this one woman will turn his life upside down.
But there's more going on than just the fate of
one woman—there's a seething underbelly that wants to destroy their newly
expanded Federation. The chances of a future together are slim, but they'll
take any chances that come their way. Will it be enough?
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