Chapter 5

The air in the planetarium was thick, heavy with the scent of old carpet dust, polished brass, and the musky, electric charge of two bodies pressed too close together in the dark. We had slipped away from the group, from the clinking of wine glasses and the polite, boring chatter of the gala attendees, seeking refuge in the secluded control room adjacent to the main viewing area. It was a narrow, windowless space, lined with banks of vintage monitors and tangled cables, lit only by the faint, pulsing glow of the emergency exit sign and the ambient light filtering in from the massive dome outside. I stood with my back against the cool metal of a server rack, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. You were towering over me, that familiar, commanding presence filling my entire world. You hadn’t said a word in minutes, just watched me with those dark, predatory eyes that seemed to strip away every layer of my composure, leaving me bare and trembling. You reached out, your large hand sliding up the side of my dress, your fingers tracing the line of my hip bone through the thin silk fabric. The touch