Inheriting Starlight Read online

  He shakes his head internally. There was no way to know he'd be sitting next to Raya, on his way to her place for dinner. They hadn't even kissed yet and already he's on his way to meet her parent - guardian, actually. He tends to avoid parents of any kind and, in fact, doesn't remember the last time a girl brought him home to meet her family. He doesn't remember ever wanting to meet someone's family.

  But Raya is different. He's known it from the start. She's always been different. It's no surprise that things have turned out this way and he doesn't really mind. He wants to be around her always and he's known her for only twenty-four hours. He's never really bought into the whole insta-love before but perhaps he hasn't given it a fair shot before. Probably because he's never met anyone like Raya before.

  "So," he says, turning his head to look at her. "Tell me about your guardian. Nina, right?"

  Raya looks at him, seemingly surprised he's talking to her. She must be used to riding the bus by herself. Isaac almost feels sorry for her isolation but stops himself. Raya doesn't seem like the sort of person who wallows in loneliness. Her eyes have a hardness about them, a roughness most women will never possess, but her smile is still easy and bright. She's not completely jaded; she’s not completely closed off from the world. There's still a curiosity about the world, an openness she has. She's just more reserved on the type of people she lets into her life.

  He wants to be one of those people.

  "Oh," she says. "Nina? She's been the only family I've had since I was six, maybe? It's hard to remember before then. But I've always been with her. She's always looked out for me, taking me in without the expectation of receiving anything from me in return. Kept me fed. Kept me clothed. I'd have no idea where I'd be or who I'd be if it weren't for her. I'm very lucky she found me."

  He grins. "So am I," he says.

  She shakes her head. "I don't understand you," she says, curling an errant strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear. "You are very sweet but I'm not sure why."

  Isaac smiles in amusement but there's a little shot at his heart he can't ignore. He doesn't mean for it to happen and he knows she doesn't mean it either but it does hurt that she still sees him as a pilot for the Rebellion rather than simply Isaac. However, he does understand that pilots have reputations - that's a fact - and perhaps she's had a bad experience with one or more that has caused a defensive instinct to kick up in her.

  The thought causes him to clench his jaw. He's not sure if it's protectiveness or a little bit of jealousy - which is absurd. He barely knows her and she barely knows him. Perhaps her questions are justified. Beryyn isn't the most welcoming place and it's definitely not for those who are both weak minded and too trusting. Raya is a product of her environment.

  "I'm sorry," she says, looking down at her hands in her lap. There's a slight flush on her cheeks, which is more becoming than Isaac initially realizes. "I'm not trying to question your motives but I guess I am."

  "I understand," he tells her, and he does. "Raya, I know it's hard to believe but I like you. I'm not sure how or why - obviously you're beautiful but - and I hate to say this because I sound like such an asshole - I've seen lots of beautiful girls. But there's something different about you, something I don't understand. And I know that sounds like a line and I wouldn't fault you for rolling your eyes at it but it's the truth." He glances around at the nearly-empty bus before lowering his head and shifting closer to her so she would hear him when he whispered. "Part of the reason I'm so good at my job is because I know how to read people. I know what they're thinking, I know what choices they're going to make. They're predictable. The girls I've been with fall into the same category: I know what they want, I know why they're with me, and I base my actions accordingly. But with you..." He shakes his head. "I can't get a good read on you at all. And it's intriguing."

  For some reason, Raya's face fell. She hides the disappointment well with a mask of indifference and a smirk on her lips but he can tell. Quickly, he goes over his words and realizes how they may come out if interpreted a certain way.

  "I don't mean that you're a game," he says, his words coming out jumbled and fast. "What I mean is, you keep me on my toes. I just, um..." He lets his voice trail off. "This doesn't happen to me. I know exactly what to say always. I'm sorry. Perhaps it would be best if I just keep my mouth shut?"

  Raya giggles, the sound surprising him. "Don't worry, Captain Stefano," she says. "You're cute when you're flustered."

  Reed

  "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Reed asks, keeping his eyes firmly on Elise even as he closes the door. His dark blue eyes are the color of the sky at midnight, especially when he pins them on Elise.

  She looks so small but so fierce, leaning against the narrow hallway to their bedrooms. She looks beautiful - what she's wearing is sexy but he can't, won't, associate her with the word, at least not yet - and he can't help as his eyes linger on her exposed neck, her bare shoulders, her small frame in the short, tight dress that hugs her curves. She's not wearing heels; he can't picture her in high heels anyway. She's too clumsy and her legs are already remarkably long, especially considering how petite she is. Her unruly blonde curls have been tamed with the cream she insists he buy for her but hardly has the opportunity to use so the locks are ramrod straight. It makes her look older, more mature, and he's almost disgusted with himself because as stunning as she is, he finds he misses the curls, misses the innocence the curls represented.

  It makes him furious that she's changed how she looks for some kid who doesn't deserve it.

  "Going on a date," she says back to him. Her shoulders are square, that defiant point of her chin jutted up. "That's what you're supposed to do when you're my age. Kiss boys and hold their hands and make plans for the future."

  "Don't you sass me," he says. He feels like an authority figure and he hates it. "You telling me you've been kissing boys?"

  "Not boys," she quips, never missing a beat. "Men. Just one man."

  He bites his tongue so he doesn't respond. He refuses to take her bait. Because that's what she's doing. She's baiting him. And she's doing a damn good job of it.

  "You planning on kissing that one?" He thrusts his thumb over his shoulder to the front door but doesn't take his eyes off of her. He's incapable of it.

  "What's it to you?" she asks.

  Her hands are on her hips now, and she has fire in her eyes the way a sun sets fire to the blue sky. She won't back down from this, he realizes, which is fine because neither will he.

  "You don't get a say in who I kiss and who I don't,” she continues. “You've made that abundantly clear." She pauses but only to catch her breath. "That's what I don't get about you, Reed. I know you don't want me kissing anyone else. I know you don't want me with anyone else. I don't care if I'm the princess or some street urchin. You shouldn't either. But if you do, I'm going to go out and live my life on my terms and nothing you can say" -

  He cuts her off by striding over to her and capturing her sentence with his lips. He's tough; his kisses aren't gentle because he doesn't know how to be gentle. Maybe she can teach him at some point.

  Her back hits the wall behind her while one hand grips her face and the other grips her hip. He tilts her head back so he has access to her mouth right away. He's not waiting around. He's been waiting to kiss her since last time and she's talking so damn much he needs her to shut up so he does what's logical and possibly primal - he lunges at her and kisses her and loses himself in this moment because god, everything about her feels so right that even he can't ignore it.

  She accepts him with open arms and the minute he falls into her, she clutches him tightly to get, needing to feel him against her body, filling in as much space as they possibly can. He claims her mouth like it’s his - because it is - and he sucks the breath out of her so her only survival is completely dependent on him.

  She makes these noises that he never could have imagined coming from a girl like her; they're moans of pleasure, gut
tural grunts that are completely unladylike and extremely territorial and the sexiest things his ears have ever heard. Her breathing is quick and sharp and she inhales like she's drowning and needs whatever she can get to stay alive. She's never kissed anyone before - he knows that for certain - but somehow, her kisses come off as both passionate and experienced. She's not sloppy or desperate but she is enthusiastic, which is the best part.

  He pushes into her and she pushes into him so their pelvises grate on each other, even through their clothes. The clothes mean nothing to him; right now, he doesn’t care that they’re there and he wouldn’t care if they aren’t. He’s more focused on kissing her and touching her. She gasps at the new-found pressure in her hip and it’s only then does he realize he’s hard and he wants her and she knows.

  Immediately, he springs apart from her, but for some reason, he can’t go far. Not from her. She squeaks out a grunt of protest, looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

  “Why,” she begins.

  He runs shaky hands through his disheveled hair. “This isn’t” –

  “Bullshit,” she says, poking her finger into his chest. “Shut your mouth, Reed. Don’t bullshit me. You want me and I want you. I want you. I’ve wanted you for a long time. Before it was appropriate. But now it is.”

  “You’re still a princess,” he says. “I’m no” –

  “You’re everything,” she says, cutting him off. “Everything. I don’t care if I’m a princess. That feels like a different world, a different life. Just kiss me, Reed. Just be with me. Just be my boyfriend. I don’t care what I am. I don’t care what you are. You’re the only person that means anything to me. That’s all that should matter.”

  Reed swallows. She wants him. He wants her. But she’s royalty. She’s pure and good and everything he’s not.

  And somehow, that makes her all the more desirable.

  Without preamble, he takes her in his arms again and assaults her mouth with his, consequences be damned.

  Raya

  It’s not a long walk from the bus stop to Raya’s home. Isaac walks next to her without touching her but by offering a protective presence despite his lean nature.

  She walks to the familiar home – a two-bedroom, one-story place that’s no more than fifteen hundred square feet in its entirety. Smoke is coming out of the chimney – dinner’s almost done – and she can see lights from the two circle windows that hug the dark door.

  Raya feels herself get butterflies in her tummy but she does her best to ignore them. He’s just a friend. He’s nothing more. But even then, she knows it’s a lie and she’s always been bad at lying to herself.

  When she opens the door, Nina does not great her in the family room. This wasn’t a surprise. Nina is probably in the kitchen, hunched over her cauldron, making some of the best meals Raya has ever eaten out of nothing.

  However, Nina must have heard them come in because she steps into the family room from the kitchen, rubbing her greasy hands on her apron. She stops mid-step when her eyes find Isaac and her mouth drops open. Raya hides a smirk. He really is that good looking.

  However, Raya can feel Isaac tense next to her. This is unexpected because Nina always has a friendly, warm energy when she encounters people. Never has someone tensed. And, now that Raya can see her guardian more clearly, the look on Nina’s face isn’t awed or dreamy. It’s cautious, distrustful, even suspicious.

  There is something off here. Raya can't explain it. She looks between Nina and Isaac and even though they have friendly smiles on their faces, there's an edge to the warmth, a caution raised out of suspicion. There's a flash of something in their eyes but it can't be recognition because how would a Rebel pilot and a picker know each other. Their base and work station is on two different sides of town, they have no common associates, and Nina doesn't even support the Rebels as far as Raya knows. But there's something there. She just doesn't know what.

  "Raya," Nina says, sweeping over to her in long, graceful strides. Her dark eyes pin Isaac in place but he doesn't seem perturbed by it in the slightest. His body is still the same. There's no noticeable change in his demeanor save for that flicker in his eyes. "Who is this handsome man? You didn't tell me you were bringing home someone."

  "Sorry, Nina," Raya says, momentarily distracted by the warmth that touches her cheeks at her guardian’s gentle admonition. "It was spur of the moment. Nina, this is Isaac Stefano, the Rebel pilot. It was his X-Rey I worked on today. Isaac, this is my guardian, Nina."

  The two shake hands. There's a challenging glint in Nina's eyes and cool look in Isaac's. He doesn't feel the need to squeeze any harder than what's known as a firm, courteous shake nor does he feel the need to attempt to intimidate her with his stature, despite being shy of six feet. Not that it would have worked. Nina doesn't get intimidated.

  "I know who he is, my dear," she tells Raya, dropping her hand to her side and turning her attention back to Raya, "but I'm unsure as to why he is under my roof with you."

  "I hear you aren't a big fan of the Rebels," Isaac says. Again, there's something in his words, something in his tone that just seems off and it's starting to distract Raya from the fact that the guy she's attracted to and likes is meeting the most important person on this planet to her.

  "You heard correctly," Nina says. Another edge to her voice - like scissors cutting down on the same place from two different angles.

  "Nina," Raya says and she's surprised her voice comes out slightly reproving. Which is odd because she never feels that way about Nina.

  “It’s the truth, Raya,” Nina says to Raya, though she keeps her eyes firmly on Isaac. “I’m sure our guest would prefer my honesty rather than my flattery.”

  “It’s fine,” Isaac says with a reassuring smile to Raya. “Your guardian is correct.”

  There’s something odd about how he says guardian. Raya wishes she knew how to put it into terms that made sense, but besides off, she doesn’t know how else to describe it.

  “Raya,” Nina says, “why don’t you start setting the table? I’ll give our guest a tour of our home.”

  Raya, for some strange reason, looks to Isaac, almost as though she’s asking for permission to leave his side. Almost as though she wants to make it’s okay.

  “I’ll be all right,” he tells her, forcing a smile that crinkles his eyes.

  She wants to argue. She wants to yell what the hell is going on, but she doesn’t. She nods a curt nod and heads out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving Nina and Isaac alone.

  .

  Elise

  Things speed up much faster than Elise anticipates. It's her first time - she's not sure if it's his or not, and quite frankly, she doesn't particularly care because he's here with her - and she's not nervous or worried or feeling anything she thought she might. Her heart is pounding fast, so much so that she can hear it echo throughout her ears. It's a rush, though; she can feel the blood rush to her skin and every nerve in her body stand on edge. She can feel every piece of him, the pads of his fingertips, the tip of his tongue, the hair on his arms.

  When her head hits the back of the wall, she let out a whimper that's swallowed by Reed's mouth. She claws at his shirt, at the back of his head before slipping one of her fingers through a loop of his jeans and tugs her even closer to her to him. She can feel his desire for her pressing against her hip bone. It doesn't feel intimidating like she thought it might and it doesn't scare her or make her blush. If anything, it excites her further and causes things to twist and turn in her pelvis, like the winding mechanics of a clock.

  He grabs her wrists in one hand and slams them over her head. She lets out a squeak of surprise but it doesn't deter her in the slightest. She’s surprised at how uncharacteristic she's acting; she grinding against him, desperately kissing him like he's her oxygen and she can't breathe.

  "I want you," she whispers against his mouth when they both need air, when he takes one shaky step back from her. He still holds her wrists though
she doesn't know why. Again, she doesn't really care. All she knows is she wants him. "Please." She bites her bottom lip and looks up at him with her big blue eyes, hoping, praying this whole puppy dog look works on his senses.

  He looks away. She can see him thinking. She knows she's winning him over. There's more she wants to say but she knows it has nothing to do with actually getting him on her side and more to do with the fact that when she's nervous or excited, she babbles.

  "Please, Reed," she says, breathless.

  "What do you want me for?" he asks through a snarl, his entire face scrunched up as he regards her with wary eyes.

  She isn't deterred by his sudden sour mood. She knows him too well to allow him to push her away. "Because I love you," she tells him simply. "You're the one I want to be with. I want to kiss you and touch you and fuck you whenever I want."

  He flinches at the usage of that particular word but she notices his eyes darken. It just pushes her further, knowing she has this power over him.

  "Please, Reed, I want you to fuck me badly," she tells him.

  "No," he says. He snaps it, actually, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not going to fuck you."

  Elise clenches her jaw and looks away. Her anger bubbles up furiously and she balls her hands into fists. How dare he? How dare he kiss her the way he does only to pull away from doing anything further?

  "Not for your first time," he finishes.

  He takes her hand in his and gently tugs her to his bedroom. Her mouth dries and her heart flutters but she's still not nervous. Not with Reed taking the lead. She trusts him with her body, she trusts him with her life.

  When they get to the room, he starts to take off his shirt and this slides his pants down so he's nothing but blue boxer-briefs with a hole at the bottom. Elise doesn't know why he doesn't just buy new ones and throw out the ratty ones he has but she doesn't think now is the best time to question him. She can see his desire for her press against the confining material and a slight tremor of nervousness goes through her. Regardless, she’s still more confident than not. She follows suit and begins sliding clothes off her body - her dress falls to the floor like a fragile leaf and doesn't make a sound.