Beyond Galaxy's Edge (27 page)

He groaned again. “Don’t do that…it’s too sexy.”

She crawled up and lay down beside him. “Watching you come in my
mouth is sexy.”

He slid his arms around and held her while he recovered. With a naked Nissa beside him, it didn’t take long. He rolled her beneath him and slid inside her with one deep thrust that had her crying out. “Now it’s my turn to watch you come.”

After they’d taken each other again, with long moans and gentle sighs, they slept. The adrenaline from their space adventure and the extreme
excitement of discovering the Constitution having long ebbed away.

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “I love you, Nissa.” But her even breathing told him she was already asleep.

It was the chime of the comm that woke them.

“Yeah,” Justyn mumbled, slapping at the panel beside the bed. “What?”

“There’s an incoming long-range trans for Nissa,” Rynan said.

She groaned. “Hopefully no
more double-crossing admirals.”

Rynan snorted. “Can’t promise anything. It’s from the GSS.”

She sprung off the bed. “Okay, I’ll be there shortly.” She grabbed her clothes and yanked them on. Justyn did the same.

On the bridge, Justyn watched Nissa face her second admiral for the day.

“Admiral Hiraku,” she said, her back straightening. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I’m looking for information,
Captain Sander. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but I was informed Admiral DeRuyter had commandeered a ship and left the galaxy in pursuit of you. I was sent to investigate. The admiral’s increasingly erratic behavior is becoming a serious concern for the GSS.”

As Nissa silently studied the man, Justyn did, too. Over the years, he’d learned to judge people quickly. Admiral Hiraku had
a solemn face, with straight black hair and narrow, dark eyes. Something in the man’s steady, solemn gaze told Justyn they could trust him.

Nissa obviously reached the same conclusion. Her shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Well, sir, Admiral DeRuyter’s behavior will no longer be a concern. I guess I should start at the beginning. I was chasing an…alleged smuggler out by Galaxy’s Edge Station when—”

“This would be the man beside you, correct? Justyn Phoenix.”

When Justyn gave the man a two-fingered salute, he heard Nissa groan. Out of view of the admiral, she kicked Justyn’s shin.

“Like I said, Admiral, it’s a long story.” She recounted the entire adventure in detail.

Well, not all the details. Justyn was happy she left out the more personal ones.

On screen, Admiral Hiraku blew out
a long breath. “That is…quite a story. And you’re sure Admiral DeRuyter was killed?”

“Yes, sir. I was responsible for firing on the ship. The Phoenixes had nothing to do with it. They have provided me every assistance—”

Oh, no
. She wasn’t going to shoulder all the blame. He stepped closer to her. “Well, it was our ship. And we would have fired on the admiral anyway, the same way we would on
any crazy people trying to kill us.”

Nissa shot him a narrow look and lowered her voice. “I’m trying to make sure you and your brothers don’t get arrested—”

Admiral Hiraku cleared his throat. And was possibly hiding a smile behind his hand at the same time. “You’re well outside GSS jurisdiction. Besides, firing on Admiral DeRuyter’s ship sounds like it was justified. Captain Sander, rest assured,
I have no plans to arrest you or Mr. Phoenix.” A pause. “May I see the Constitution?”

***

The quiet reverence in Admiral Hiraku’s voice reaffirmed Nissa’s decision to trust the man. She’d suffered too many betrayals to blindly trust anyone anymore.

“Yes, sir.”

Justyn handed her the cylinder and together they pulled out the document and unrolled it.

The admiral was quiet for several minutes.
“Keep it secure, Captain. I’ll arrange a ship to rendezvous with you at Galaxy’s Edge to take custody of the document. I know the Director of the Galactic Institute of Historical Preservation will be
very
happy to see it.” The admiral’s gaze moved to Justyn. “Mr. Phoenix, the GSS thanks you and your brothers for your assistance in the reacquisition of an artifact of historical significance.”

Justyn winced and saw Nissa didn’t even bother to hide her smile.

“Ah, thank you, Admiral,” Justyn choked out.

“You will, of course, be rewarded with the finder’s fee.”

A funny look crossed Justyn’s face and a warm feeling filled Nissa’s chest. He’d forgotten about the finder’s fee.

Admiral Hiraku continued. “Contact me when you’re back in charted space. The sooner the document is in Institute
hands the quicker the GSS can put to rest all the troubles its notoriety has caused.” He paused. “Captain Sander?”

Nissa straightened. “Yes, sir?”

“Good work. I’ve already personally approved a promotion for you, and the commendation for your father.” With a nod, the Admiral ended the transmission.

She stared at the blank screen and waited to feel elation at getting what she’d always wanted.
And waited some more. Nope, just as she suspected—nothing. She was happy about her father’s commendation, but the promotion…well, she felt oddly blank.

Strangely enough, she thought of Anderson Chan. He may have died on an unnamed planet in uncharted space, but she had no doubt he’d died doing exactly what he wanted to do. He’d grabbed life and adventure with both hands.

It was time for Nissa
to do the same.

Beside her, Justyn was quiet, his body stiff. “I’d better go and…check on some things.” He strode off the bridge.

Nissa stared after him.
Stupid man
. She slipped her hand in her pocket, felt the now-familiar shapes of the tiny airship and dog he’d given her. She moved to follow him.

“Nissa? There’s another trans for you.”

Air whistled through her teeth. “Rynan, you have
to be kidding me.”

One of his slow smiles. “Nope.”

She dropped into a chair. “I’m a popular woman.”

“Appears so. Putting it through now.”

The screen flickered. “Dad?”

“Nissa. You look fine, considering some of the shenanigans I hear you’ve been up to. Are you okay?”

She smiled. “Dad, no one uses the word shenanigans anymore.”

“I do. Don’t avoid the question.”

“I’m fine.” She gave
him an abbreviated version of the story.

After she’d finished, her father was quiet. “You did all this for me?”

Nissa swallowed. “Not all of it. Some of it I did for myself. Dad, I’m not going back to Patrol.”

She sensed rather than saw Dare and Rynan pause and look her way.

Her father frowned. “You’re going to take up with a smuggler?”

“Dad—”

“Don’t think I can’t read between the
lines of that story you just told me. I’m your father, I can read everything on your face.”

“Then you know I’m serious. And that smuggler, he saved my life multiple times. And he loves me.” Goddess, she liked saying that aloud.

Her father sighed. “While the commodore in me is disappointed you’d walk away from a promising career, the father in me is happy.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“Nissa,
I know so much of what you’ve done in your life was for me.”

“Dad—”

He held up a hand. “Let me finish. One day, when you’ve had your own children, you’ll understand. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, to go your own way and find a life that fulfills you. For a long time, I let myself think it was in the GSS. But a part of me always knew that while you liked it, you never loved it.
So, if this smuggler loves you, that’s fine, but please, just promise me you won’t
become
a smuggler.”

Nissa smiled. “I promise, Dad. He’s a good man.”

“He’d have to be for you to fall in love with him.”

They spoke for a few more minutes before they signed off. Nissa swiveled her chair. “Dare, I need to talk with you. I have a proposition to discuss…”

***

Justyn sat in the darkened lounge,
staring at the Constitution laid out on the table in front of him.

The one thing that had finally given him Nissa was going to be the thing that took her away.

He loved her. And he was ecstatic that she loved him back. He wanted to keep her by his side forever.

But he loved her so much he wanted the best for her. And that wasn’t him. Wasn’t a life beyond the galaxy’s edge.

He closed his
eyes, the pain digging deep into his gut. She was a damned good Patrol officer, a talented captain, and she had the galaxy at her feet. The admiral would get her a great promotion, a challenging new assignment with some top-rate crew and ship.

And a smuggler from the edge would just mess that up for her.

The door made a quiet whoosh as it opened.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?’ Nissa
asked.

He looked up. Wished she wasn’t so beautiful. “Thinking.”

“Hmm.” She perched on the edge of the table, giving the Constitution a quick glance. “I didn’t think you spent too much time thinking. Running, and leaping, maybe, but not thinking.”

“You’ll be a celebrity once we hit charted space. And you’re getting that promotion you wanted. I’m happy for you.”

Her eyebrows rose and she
crossed her legs. “Carry on.”

Okay, he wasn’t dumb. He heard the laser sharpness in her voice. But he wouldn’t let it deter him. “We’ll enjoy each other until we get back to Galaxy’s Edge.” He could have that, at least. It would make the pain when she left so much worse, but he could survive having his heart ripped from his chest…he hoped. “But I wanted you to know I think you should go. Take
the promotion. Fulfil your dreams.”

She slid off the table and stood with her legs spread, hands on her hips. “You are not fucking serious.”

“I love you, Nissa. I want what’s best for you—”

“So, you’ll decide what’s best for me, pat me on the head, and tell me to go?”

“Uh…” Justyn sensed a trap and snapped his mouth shut.

She leaned over and gripped the armrests of his chair, her face
centimeters from his. “For three years you’ve had me chasing you all over the damned edge—” her voice rose to just short of yelling “—and you dragged me into this treasure hunt, made me fall completely in love with you, and now you’re just going to give me up?”

His misery morphed into anger. “I want what’s best for you!”

“
I
know what’s best for me, not you.”

“Fine!”

She leaned closer.
“Damn straight.”

Both their chests were heaving.

Then she smiled. That smile that melted him from the inside out.

“You’re playing the martyr again.” She shook her head. “I love you, Justyn.”

He pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, too. Clearly it makes me a little insane.” Then he turned serious. “You stay with me, Nissa, I’ll never let you go.
Never
. You decide now, and if
you’re mine, I’m keeping you.”

She slid into his lap. “I’m yours. Forever.”

He cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a hungry kiss.

When they finally came up for air, Nissa gave him a smile that made him freeze. He slid his hands down to curve over her shoulders. “That smile is wicked. It means I’m in trouble.”

“I’ve resigned from the GSS and Patrol.”

He gaped at her, his hands tightening
on her shoulders. “Come again?”

“I have a new job.” She looked smug. “Two, actually. Dare’s just made me the new pilot and captain of the
Sky Nomad
.”

“What?”

“Well, I’m not sure if you know, but Evan, the current pilot is leaving after this convoy run. I think the guy’s too scared of Dare to enjoy the job. Of course, if I’m piloting a ship, I’m also captaining it. Dare and I still need to
work out a few things because the man is a control freak, but he needs more time to deal with convoy issues and if I take over the captaincy, it’ll free him up.”

Justyn just stared at her, trying to take it all in.

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I’m going into the deep-space-convoy business.”

“You’d give up Patrol? To be with me?”

“Yes. But love’s about compromise, Justyn. And
I expect you to make a few compromises as well.”

“Anything, Nissa.” She was making all his fucking dreams come true. He’d dance naked on the bar in Moonrakers if that’s what she wanted.

“No more illegal smuggling.”

“Done.”

She tilted her head. “Just like that?”

He cupped her face. “Yes, Nissa. For you, yes.”

“Damn, I love you.” She rubbed her nose against his. “You can do legal trading
to make money for the kids on Hydrae.”

“Legal trading?” He grimaced. “Justyn Phoenix, legal trader. Not so dashing, is it?”

She laughed. “Good. That might help keep the women away.” She moved until her legs straddled his hips. “I’m the only woman for you, now.”

He gripped her hips. “Yes, you are.” He paused. “You said two jobs? What’s the second one?”

“Wife. I want to get married.”

His heart threatened to burst out of his chest. “Justyn Phoenix, trader and husband.” He faked an over-the-top groan. “You’ll completely ruin my hard-earned reputation.”

She patted his cheek, smiling. “My poor baby.”

He kissed her until she was writhing above him, then he looked into her remarkable eyes. “Nissa Sander, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

“Yes.” She kissed him again.
“Yes.” Her hands slid down his chest. “Yes.”

He slid his hands around her back. “I guess I’ll have a second job, too.” He pushed to his feet, carrying her with him.

“What’s that?” she whispered against his lips.

“Keeping my wife very, very satisfied.”

“I think you’ll be excellent at it.” She smiled. “You can start by satisfying my curiosity and telling me how you got your scar.”

He smiled
back. “Well, it was a dark and stormy night—”

“Justyn!”

~ Official Document ~

Galaxy’s Edge Space Station

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