By the time I pulled into the Science complex, and found a parking spot close to the observatory, I’d slowed my breathing down. My hands still shook as I gripped the Chevy’s big steering wheel, and for a brief second, I closed my eyes and concentrated on deep breathing. I couldn’t go into my first day of work shaking and breathless. I leaned forward and rested my forehead on the wheel, and the cool steel pressed into my skin. It felt good, and I pushed harder, trying to force the incident out. Away. Breathe. Just a few more minutes—
A knock at my window made me jerk upright, and when I turned my head, I met Brax’s strange gaze staring back at me through the glass. What was he doing here? Butterflies replaced the panic I’d felt seconds earlier. Quickly, I pasted a smile on my face, cut the engine, and opened my door.
“What’s wrong?” Brax said this to my back as I grabbed my scope bag.
When I turned and glanced up at his face, I noticed it was taut, unamused, and a muscle tugged the scar at his cheekbone. His acute perception rattled me almost as much as Kelsy’s unbalanced character. Brax saw too much of me. Kelsy knew too much about me. And both scared the hell out of me.
“Nothing, why?” I said, and closed my truck door. When I shouldered my scope bag, Brax eased it right back off and slipped it onto his own. He wore his silver and blue Silverback’s uniform, his hat was stuffed into his back pocket, and long dark socks that went from just below his knees to his cleats clung tightly to muscular calves. No clay or dirt, he must have been headed to practice.
We walked, but his eyes stayed on me, more likely than not weighing what I’d said. “Feeling dizzy again?”
I lifted a brow. “Dizzy?” My eyes were back on the ground, and I watched Brax’s big cleats hit the pavement as we crossed to the old brick observatory’s front entrance. At the steps, we stopped. I tilted my head, staring at the weathered white dome that housed the Mulligan.
“Yeah, you know, with your head on the wheel?” His harsh yet comforting Boston accent soothed me somehow.
I looked at him then. “Cat nap before work?”
Brax’s eyes narrowed. Those crazy blues were slits surrounded by ridiculously long dark lashes. “You were breathing too hard for a nap, Sunshine.” Hahd.
I sighed and peered at the sun. “I don’t want to be late on my first day.” I paused at the steps. “On your way to practice?”
His gaze still pierced me. “Nah, sweetheart, I wear this uni all the time.” He winked. “Chics dig it. Of course I’m going to practice. So are you going to get something to eat with me after work, or go do that thing with your girls?” He lifted my scope bag off his shoulder and eased it onto mine.
I climbed a few steps, leaving Brax at the bottom. I turned my head and gave him a look. “There is no thing with the girls. Tessa just doesn’t want me to go anywhere with you. You’ve a sketchy reputation, you know.”
Brax nodded, and his mouth tilted at one corner. “I figured that. So?”
I stared at him, the late afternoon sun shining on one side of his face, making the scruff stand out on his jaw. That barely-there grin pulled at his mouth. “I get off at eight tonight,” I said. “You can meet me inside by the front desk.”
He shifted his weight, and I again noticed his muscular thighs, calves. “Yeah? Why inside?”
I continued up the steps. At the door, I paused once more and looked at him. “I’ve got something to show you.”
His white teeth flashed. “Now you’re talking, Sunshine. See ya at eight.”
I watched Brax swagger away, and noticed how his muscular legs bowed a little. A strong, sexy, athletic-type bowed walk. Completely arrogant, male and confident. He broke into a trot across the Science complex and disappeared through two buildings. I couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted with me, but somehow, I was glad for his interest. Despite his reputation, and the rumors, he was nice. Really nice. Somehow he’d mastered a way to put me at ease. Not an easy feat by no means. Which is why I’d thought to show him a view through my scope after work. I’d Googled the weather and it promised to be a perfectly clear and starry night sky.
I pushed through the double doors of the observatory, and the cool air flushed over my skin. Noah was seated at the front desk, and gave me a broad smile as I walked toward him. Before I reached the desk, he stood. I noticed the blue Winston U Observatory collared shirt he wore, with a silver celestial logo on the left upper chest.
“Hey, Olivia,” he said, and reached beneath the counter. He handed me a blue plastic draw-string souvenir bag. “Three work shirts. Just like this one,” he said, and tugged at his collar. “Do you remember where the employee break room is?”
I took the bag he offered and nodded. “I do.”
“Great. There’s a restroom in there where you can change, and I see you brought your scope.” He eyed my bag.
“I can’t wait,” I confessed. “A friend is going to come by after I get off work. Is it okay—”
“Sure, no problem,” Noah interrupted me. He rubbed his chin and grinned. “As long as there’s no horsing around, as Dr. Callander calls it. But I don’t take you as someone who horses around too much.”
I grinned. “I do try to contain it if I can.”
“I’m sure you do.” Noah inclined his head toward the hallway that led to the employee’s lounge. “When you finish changing you’ll find Steven in observation room #3, cleaning the planetarium display.” He smiled. “He couldn’t wait for you to get here to help.”
I raised my brows and headed down the hallway. “Oh boy,” I said, then waved. “Thanks, Noah.”
“You bet. Oh, and my office is just across the hall from the lounge. You can stash your scope behind my desk.”
I took a few minutes in the employee restroom to change shirts and wash my face, then found a place to store my scope in Noah’s office. After heading down the wrong hall, I found my way to observation room #3. Steven was just climbing down from a ladder situated beneath an enormous Saturn model when he spotted me.
“Whoa! Olivia!” he said, and hurried over to me. His dark shaggy hair swung over his eyes, and he flipped it to the side. “I got here an hour ago so I could leave an hour early.” His chin lifted. “I have a stargazer’s meeting. Amateur and off-campus, but don’t worry. It’s only once a month. Anyway,” he pointed overhead, “we need to get all the planets wiped down, as well as the upper and lower rows of recessed lights. And auditorium seats. I’ve already cleaned the left side of each, plus three planets. There’s a presentation this up-coming weekend.” He pointed. “Come on, your cleaning stuff’s over here.” He walked to the side wall where sure enough, my planetarium cleaning supplies sat in a plastic bucket.
“Okay, no problem,” I answered.
“I’ll get your ladder set up,” he offered.
“Hey, that’s all right,” I stopped him. “Steven, I’m used to hard work. I can handle a ladder.”
He gave me a long look, then nodded. “I like a nerdy girl with a strong back. We’ll work great together, Olivia.”
I chuckled, found my ladder and situated it beneath Mars. I grabbed my bucket and dug in. I was pretty sure the planets hadn’t been cleaned in a while, and the tacky residue on the metal exterior wasn’t easy to remove. Steven and I talked about class, our observation logs and upcoming night observations, and his weird roommate Curtis who ate orange peels. It passed the time and soon, the planets were finished, as were the recessed lights.
“I’ll finish up these seats if you want to go ahead and leave,” I told Steven.
“Sincerely?” he asked. “Thanks! I owe ya one.” He grabbed his supplies and stopped at the door. “When you’re finished you can leave your bucket in the tool closet, just down from the lounge. See ya in class.”
Over the next hour I cleaned the remaining auditorium seats, my thoughts unavoidably drifting to Brax. I pondered the rumors. And I also reflected on the time we’d already spent together. I felt conflicted. One second fearful and nervous that the rumors were true. That I’d let my heart get tangled up in a mess like Brax Jenkins. The next second I felt butterflies, anticipating our dinner date. Thinking about he’d shown up in the parking lot before work, just to talk to me. It made my head spin, and my insides stung just thinking about it. A little immature sounding, I knew that—but since I was the only one I’d confessed it to, I guess it was ok. He was so … enigmatic. I knew next to nothing about him, yet a pull, an electrical draw existed between us. At least, on my end. Yes, there was his unique physical appearance. Not just his strong, sexy athletic build, cut from stone jaw and clear blue eyes. And not just the scars and ink. Something else drew me to him. Something deeper. It mesmerized me and frightened me all at once. Neither of those reactions would I ever let him see.
I was on my hands and knees, almost finished scrubbing the last few seats when a voice startled me.
“So being friends with a geek gets me first class into the planetarium, huh?”
I jumped, squealed, and hit my head on the metal arm rest.
“Whoa, Sunshine,” Brax laughed from across the room. “Easily spooked, yeah?”
I rose to my feet, saw him moving up the center aisle, and my body immediately reacted; my heart started pounding a little harder. Brax no longer wore his uniform; in its place was a pair of faded ripped jeans, a white tee shirt, and boots. No doubt about it now. Brax unhinged me. But I was pretty good at hiding some things. I hid my reaction and grinned. “Gosh, I guess they just let any ole riffraff into the observatory these days.”
Those muscular thighs and easy bowed swagger moved Brax closer, and he stopped in the aisle beside me. With his arms folded over his chest, he inspected me. “That TA tried to be a dick about it, but I convinced him to let me back here.”
I eyed him. “You didn’t punch him out, did you?” I really only half-teased.
A look of amused exasperation settled on Brax’s features, and in the low light of the auditorium, he looked even sexier than he did in full blown light. Which was a pretty incredible feat. “No, Gracie, I didn’t punch him out.” His lips twitched. “This time.”
I shook my head and dropped to my knees to clean the last seat. “Good. I need this job, Boston.”
Brax laughed, crouched beside me and ducked his head, bringing us to eye level. His elbows rested against his knees, and I shifted my gaze to the tattoos on his forearms. “I wouldn’t jeopardize your job, Gracie,” he said. “Unless someone pissed me off and did something to you I didn’t like.”
I raised my eyes to meet his, and through the strange light the color of blue shone sincerity. He meant what he said.
I dropped my supplies into the bucket and leaned back on my heels. “Why is that?” I asked with a little discomfort. “Exactly.”
Brax stared first between his feet, then slowly lifted his head. His gaze pierced mine; he didn’t blink, only searched. A muscle flinched in his jaw. “Hell if I know.”
I wanted to fall right over onto my backside. I felt that weak. The way he stared at me, talked to me—I swear I almost believed it. Almost believed every single word he said, without question. But deep inside, I knew better. It just couldn’t be real.
How could it be?
“So what’d you want to show me?” he asked.
I calmed myself with an inconspicuous breath, rose, and grabbed my supplies. “Follow me.” He did—and right behind me, until we reached the auditorium entrance doors. I paused and looked at him over my shoulder. “Want an inside celestial view first?”
In the low lights, a curious, dark gaze filled Brax’s eyes. He leaned closer. “I’ll take anything you’re offering, Sunshine.”
“Good Lord, Brax. Stay here,” I said, setting my supplies down. I hit the lights and crossed the auditorium to the main planetarium switchboard. Steven had shown me how to operate it. “Ready?” I asked into the pitch darkness.
“Always.”
“Dork.” I smiled and shook my head, then threw the switch. Within the simulated night sky, each planet, situated in the correct coordinates and hanging from the ceiling, illuminated. Stars blinked.
“Damn, Gracie,” he said slowly. By his tone I could tell he was genuinely impressed. I’d been, too, when Steven had shown me earlier. The auditorium had turned into a replicated pitch-dark starry sky, complete with illuminated and finely detailed planets. Suddenly and quiet as a stealth soldier, he was beside me. His hand found its way to my lower back, his breath on my neck, and my eyes drifted to his profile. With his head lifted, he stared at the stars and planets overhead. His fingers felt heavy against me, and I fought the urge to lean into him. “Christ, it looks so real. Is that the Milky Way?” he asked.
Although the illumination from the display threw the room into a yielding blush, it was still shadowy enough to hide my reaction to Brax. I drew a breath. Slowly released it. “Sure is,” I answered. I elbowed him gently. “You’re really a geek buried under all that.” I looked at him and grinned. “Aren’t you?”
Brax’s gaze left the celestial display and turned to me. His hand stayed on my back, and the sharp scent of earthy guy soap filled my nostrils as I inhaled. His head ducked, and he cocked it sideways. His hair was still wet from a recent shower. Those perfect lips twitched. “Under all what?”
Talk about poking a caged tiger with a stick. Had I lost my mind? My damn mind? I blinked, and hoped I’d erased the unease from my face. “Under all that cockiness and ink,” I countered. Narrowing my eyes, I nodded toward the door. But Brax’s gaze stayed focused on mine, sharp and soft and ghostly and sexy at the same time. I shoved that thought away. “Now do you want to see something cool or not?”