Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,294

now she wants to take a stroll at twilight.

“Sure. Through the orchard?”

Star takes my hand and rolls my wrist before I have a chance to pull her up. She runs her fingers along the inside and over the words inked on my skin on my left wrist.

Per aspera ad astra.

“What does it mean,” she whispers.

I keep my gaze lowered on the words.

She’s digging into my past, and it’s making me uncomfortable.

“Through hardships to the stars.” I shrug like it means nothing.

“And this one?” She draws another line where the words hide my demons.

Superare dolor.

“Rise above pain.”

“I want you to show me.” Star’s fingers caress my fingers in a soothing way.

“Show you what?”

“What caused your pain.” She leans her head on my shoulder and waits for my answer.

My instinct is to tell her no. It was hard enough to deal with the onset of emotion when Mum made me deal with the truth. I have taken a step in letting the pain go and trying to accept it wasn’t my fault. When you carry blame and guilt for long enough, it’s easier said than done to let it go.

“Can I show you tomorrow?”

She nods, and when her eyes meet mine, it’s with understanding in how we both have come a long way.

“Come and sit on the back verandah with me.” The walk in the orchard can wait until tomorrow. I take her hand and pull her up from the couch in the living room. We pass Mum and Tori in the kitchen and tell them we’re sitting outside if they want to join us. Jace and Rhett drove into town to make a delivery and will be back soon. Tonight is a perfect night to sit on a swing and gaze up to the stars and simply enjoy being present. It’s something we used to do as a family, and I miss it.

I point toward Jupiter and Saturn. “It will be more obvious when it’s darker, although you can see some planets now. Mars will be noticeable soon.”

“Do you do this often?” she asks and takes a seat on the swing that’s tied to the porch ceiling structure. “Stargaze.”

“As a teen, we did.”

“When I thought I wouldn’t see you again, I reflected on how we’re united. And realised everyone is connected in a way because we’re all made up of Stardust.”

“Stardust…”

“Yeah. Most elements in our bodies were made in a star.”

“You’re discussing planetary science to why we should be together?” I chuckle. “A heads-up, I only understand physical chemistry.”

“Think of us,” she says while ignoring my comment. “Star and Dustin… it has a stronger meaning. Together we are StarDust.”

I take her face and gently kiss her lips. “You are something else.”

“All I thought about was you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her.

“I know,” she says and smiles, then tilts her head, so she’s leaning against my shoulder. “Because it’s our turn to shine.”

If you liked this story, you might also like:

Winning the Player

The Bay Series Book 1

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Also in the Series:

Charming the Outback

Jardine

Caught Out

Winning the Game

Playing for Time

The Bay Series Boxset (Books 1-4): Men of The Bay Sports Romance

Coming soon

Ulara

Standalones

Cocky Notes: A Hero Club Novel

Velocity: A KB World Novel

Leesa Bow loves to read and write spicy romance. She spends her spare time with her family, catching up with girlfriends in cafés, or taking long walks.

Leesa’s love of sport has inspired her to write stories about hot Aussie heroes and the strong women they fall in love with.

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STARDUST

Reign: A Romance Anthology

Leesa Bow

Copyright 2021 Leesa Bow

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organisations, or places is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.

Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.

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Queen of the V

Liz Lovelock

1

Dylan

And here it comes…

“So, what do you do for work?”

And there