He stayed with the captain for the rest of
the evening, unwilling to bow to the emotions that tore him up
inside. Turning Xan down apparently hadn’t worked—Reth was still
attuned to every little thing he said or did. Despite the room full
of people, Xan seemed to perform for only him. When the captain
handed Reth another cocktail and suggested they get to know their
new gunners a bit better, Reth downed the drink and begged off. He
didn’t need to come face to face with Xan again—he’d probably
apologize, then ravish him right there in front of everyone. He
didn’t trust himself around the gunner. And besides, as he
explained—his speech slurring more than he would’ve liked—he had a
ship to steer come oh-five hundred. He had to turn in.
But once he left the party, he didn’t head to
