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He stiffened at her words and for a moment, he stood still, saying nothing.
Then he nodded slowly. “Exactly.”
Nia lifted her head from the bedding. “What exactly will I regret, Ka’Cit?”
He inhaled deeply and his gaze darted over to the table set against the wall.
She followed his gaze and realized he was looking at his mask.
“You don’t see that, do you?” It wasn’t a question but as her brows furrowed and she looked back at him, she realized he wasn’t finished yet. “And you don’t see this.” He was still holding himself, his hardness not waning, and he used his free hand to motion to his face.
“Don’t see what?”
He didn’t respond.
“I don’t understand.” She glanced at his mask then back at him. “All I see is you.”
Something passed through his gaze that she couldn’t understand and another breath shuddered through him.
He took a step forward, then another, till he was standing by the bed.
There was static in the air, charged particles she could not see, and it felt as if her heart was thudding so hard in her chest, she risked having a mini heart attack.
“You feel it too…”
Her eyes widened at that, but she knew exactly what he was referring to.
It was this feeling. This indescribable feeling that made her weak and needy. That made her want to reach out toward him.
And with that thought, Nia realized that her hand had moved forward.
It stopped in mid-air, inches away from his skin.
“We shouldn’t do this…” he said.
Nia shook her head. “You’re probably right.”
She had no idea of the consequences of this, but life was short and she’d lived all of it on Earth not knowing that one day she was going to be ripped away from every single person that she loved.
Space wasn’t any better.
She’d come too close to losing her life on several occasions.
If this whole abduction experience had told her anything, it’d told her that she should do what felt right…and right now, this felt right.
Her fingers hovered in front of him, close enough that she could touch him without leaning forward, but still far enough away that he could pull back and break the potential contact.
But Ka’Cit didn’t move.
Instead, he gulped.
“Nee-ya,” he said.
It was a plea, the way he said her name, a plea and a warning.
She met his gaze.
There was so much torment there.