Lib Novel Page 45
The answer to that question scared her.
She’d have let herself down.
She’d have folded and gone back up for air.
Her breathing was still labored, but she was able to lift her head a little.
Embarrassment made her cheeks warm as she realized what she was doing.
She had her legs spread over him, her hands fisted in his shirt…
Nia lifted her gaze and green eyes met hers.
Fuck.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She hadn’t realized his face would be that close.
If he wasn’t wearing that mask, they’d be so close they could kiss.
She should pull her gaze away.
She should…
Or maybe he would look away first?
No such luck.
It felt like time slowed down as she looked into those green eyes, and she could forget for a second that how she was sitting on him was completely inappropriate.
The hum of the ship disappeared and the earlier events occurred in some other dimension.
How he managed to do that with just one look was a question she’d have to ponder later.
“You are okay now, ta’ii.” His voice was like a comforting cloak. “You are safe.”
Her heart thumped in her chest, reacting to something other than the remnants of the panic attack she’d just suffered, and Nia managed to smile at him a little.
She was calming down and it was all because of him.
She didn’t know how she was going to thank him but the first order of business was to stop straddling him as if she was about to take him for a ride—because, and she realized this much too late in her opinion, she was in the exact position to do so.
As she eased off his chest, she tried to straighten his shirt, but she’d thoroughly crushed it; she’d held on to it that tightly.
“Sorry.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’ll get you a new one once we get out of this…” she glanced around them “…this mess.”
Nia cleared her throat and slid off his lap with as much grace and poise as she could muster, which wasn’t much. The space was small, and she had to set her body awkwardly just to rise off him.
He didn’t move, and she was glad he didn’t say anything.
If he did, she might have evaporated from embarrassment.
She already knew what she looked like.
“Sorry for…” She tried to find the words but stopped short.
What was she doing?