Chapter 4

The air in the planetarium was still thick with the residual hum of the projector’s cooling fans, a low, mechanical purr that vibrated through the soles of my heels. We had stayed behind long after the last guest had shuffled out into the cool autumn night, their laughter fading into the distance, leaving us alone in the vast, darkened belly of the observatory. I followed him, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, each step echoing softly on the polished concrete floor. He moved with that effortless, predatory grace, his shoulders broad beneath his dark blazer, the fabric stretching slightly as he reached out to steady me when I hesitated at the top of the spiral staircase leading to the dome. "Come on, baby girl," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that seemed to bypass my ears and settle directly in my core. "You’re trembling." I wasn’t just trembling; I was electric. The space around us was intimate yet cavernous, dominated by the massive brass telescope that stood like a sentinel in the center of the room. The dome above us was partially open, revealing a slice of the velvet sky speckled with distant stars, but