Any Time, Any Place
Page 51

“Poor Orion.”
“Yes, indeed. But Artemis wasn’t done making her point. She asked Zeus to send Orion up to heaven along with the scorpion, and Zeus agreed. Now Orion is the warning to all peasants below to watch their foolish pride. A warning, I think, we all need. At opposite points of the sky, the constellation Scorpius rises in the east and Orion sets in the west, fleeing from the scorpion for all eternity in a visualization of tragedy.”
A sigh released from her lips. “You tell a good story. Why is this your favorite constellation?”
The night squeezed around them in a lover’s embrace. “Antares. The fifteenth brightest star in the night sky.”
“Yes, of course. It gets confused with Mars a lot because it’s red and a supergiant.”
“The heart of the scorpion. Completely badass and destined for doom.”
She twisted a bit to look up into his face. “Scientists say it’ll soon run out of fuel to burn, right?”
He nodded. “It’ll collapse and explode into a supernova. Whenever it happens, tomorrow or a hundred thousand years from now, it’ll be a sight to see.” Dalton gently stroked her hair away from her face. “You remind me of a Scorpio.”
“Alas, I’m just a simple Aquarius.”
“Bet if they did your chart you’d have Scorpio hidden everywhere.”
Her dark eyes lit up with mischief. “Please don’t tell me one of your lines to your many women is ‘What’s your sign, baby?’”
He winced. “Absolutely not. Do you think I’m an amateur?”
“No, you’re a master.”
“Exactly. I’d say something like this.” He paused, waggled his eyebrows, and gave her a lustful look. “Hey, baby, why don’t you let me read your chart so we can see if we’re written in the stars?”
She collapsed into laughter, punching him in the shoulder. “I’d pay to hear you say that line.”
“You just heard it for free. Plus, I don’t have many women. I have one woman.”
That statement shocked her just as much as him. They stared at each other, accepting the connection that tightened around them and demanded acquiescence. He cupped her cheeks, lowered his head, and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Tracing the lines of her face, he smiled with sheer pleasure.
“For now,” she whispered.
He hesitated, struggling with his answer. “For now,” he repeated. He tucked her back against his chest, and they sat in silence.
“Dalton?”
Her voice held the tinges of sleep. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for being with me tonight.”
“Welcome.”
Her breath deepened, evened out, and she slept. He kept watch, holding her close, thinking about the future, staring up at the stars.

“My goodness. Don’t men take you to bed any longer, or is that too old-fashioned?” Raven jumped off the couch. Streams of sunlight had replaced the night sky, and she blinked, shielding her face as she stared at someone on her doorstep.
“Aunt Penny!”
She launched into her aunt’s arms, hugging her with a fierce need that made Penny squeeze back just as hard. Her petite figure was deceiving—her aunt was solid and strong, and still lifted weights at the gym with the boys. Her signature scent of expensive floral perfume wrapped Raven in comfort.
Her gaze greedily took in the only family member who’d stepped in after her father passed. Aunt Penny was a mother figure for her, taking on a troubled young woman and doing her best while she managed a thriving career as one of the most prolific theater actresses in New York. Even in her sixties, her face was smooth and unlined, her dark eyes filled with animation and a worldly charm that never bored. Her chestnut hair was styled in a short, classy bob, and she wore her trademark outfit of black on black—always preferring not to fuss with her wardrobe and waste precious hours. She adored jewelry, and even now, in the early-morning hour, she dripped with bling—from her diamond earrings to her silver bangles and the jumbo heart-shaped pendant around her neck.
Raven finally stepped back, swallowing the lump of emotion lodged in her throat.
Her aunt’s gaze lasered in on the tall, muscled man who climbed off the couch and stretched. His bare chest was a work of art, the solid pec muscles, the gorgeous dusting of golden hair, and the tight eight-pack on display. They’d fallen asleep wrapped in a plush blanket and an embrace that shouldn’t have been so easy and comfortable.
Yet she genuinely liked him. Last night, he hadn’t tried to turn their encounter into sex, which was the easiest way to communicate. Instead, he’d talked to her, held her close, and told her stories about the stars. She felt trapped in a John Green novel, but she wasn’t sixteen and didn’t believe that type of all-consuming, all-encompassing love really existed.
Dalton approached her aunt with an easy, welcoming smile, offering his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Seems we fell asleep stargazing last night. I’m Dalton.”
Relieved he didn’t state his last name, just in case her aunt remembered, Raven held her breath while Aunt Penny studied him with a thorough, assessing gaze. Then she broke into a delighted smile. “No ‘ma’am’ is needed. ‘Penny’ will be fine. And it’s lovely to meet you, too, Dalton. It’s nice to know Raven finally found someone who appreciates astronomy. To me, it’s complete torture. Now, why don’t we go in so you can make me one of those horrid cups of coffee?”
Dalton laughed. “I’ll make it,” he said. “Then I’m going to get going so you can have some time together. I need to get to work.”
“Where do you work?” Aunt Penny asked.
“Construction,” Raven burst out. She’d tell her aunt later about Pierce Brothers. Dalton nodded, allowing her to answer. He pulled on his T-shirt and began making a fresh pot of coffee.
“Ah, no wonder you look fit. Muscles like that don’t come from a gym.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Raven demanded, pulling out some fresh fruit and yogurt from the refrigerator. “I thought you were still in London.”
“I’m doing a brief stint on Broadway and decided to come visit for a few days. I wanted to surprise you.” Her dark eyes sparkled. “I guess I did.”