“You can do it, sweetheart. Grab on and let’s get back to the ship. A hot shower and dinner are on me.” He willed her to grab the controls.
She gave a hiccupping laugh. “Justyn?—”
Another piece of debris flew past him and slammed into Nissa’s stomach.
“No!” The cry was torn from his throat.
With a scream, her fingers slipped off the skimmer, and she flew away from the machine. Her body tumbling over and over.
Out into space.
Nissa couldn’t stop spinning.She couldn’t see where she was.
Bile rose in her throat and her heart was beating so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest.
She was flying away from theNomad.
Away from Justyn.
Goddess, she didn’t want to die.
She forced herself to take a slower, deeper breath. First thing, she had to stop panicking. As she spun, flashes of laser fire caught her eye, along with flashes of the green gas giant below.
Justyn would come for her.
No, wait. Her heart gave a rap against her ribs. If he did, it would take them both too long to get back to theNomad. The radiation would kill both of them.
Then she realized he was calling her name, over and over. His voice hard and tight.
“Justyn?”
“Thank God, sweetheart. You okay?”
“Not really.” She felt like she was on a ride she couldn’t get off. “You need to get back to the ship. You have the Constitution?—”
“Fuck the Constitution. I’m coming for you.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed. “No. There won’t be enough time for both of us to get back to the ship. Go. Please.”
“No.”
Anger spurted through her. “There’s no point in both of us dying!”
“I’m not leaving you.”
She heard the rock-steady stubbornness in his voice. “Goddess, don’t turn into a hero now.” But she knew deep down he was. Under the roguish charm was a good man right to his bones.
“I’m not a hero, but you’re mine, and I won’t leave you.”
Her breath hitched. “Justyn?—”
“Don’t say anything else. You can tell me when we get back to theNomad.”
Nissa felt tears in her eyes. Damn, she hadn’t cried for years. Not since her mother had died. After that, she’d had to be thewoman of the house. Help her dad, care for her brother, always be perfect.
Except with Justyn. With him, she’d just been herself.
“I love you, Justyn.”
