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.He wore his silver and blue Silverback’s uniform, his hat was stuffed into his back pocket, and long dark socks that went from just below his knees to his cleats clung tightly to muscular calves.No clay or dirt, he must have been headed to practice.We walked, but his eyes stayed on me, more likely than not weighing what I’d said.“Feeling dizzy again?”I lifted a brow.“Dizzy?” My eyes were back on the ground, and I watched Brax’s big cleats hit the pavement as we crossed to the old brick observatory’s front entrance.At the steps, we stopped.I tilted my head, staring at the weathered white dome that housed the Mulligan.“Yeah, you know, with your head on the wheel?” His harsh yet comforting Boston accent soothed me somehow.I looked at him then.“Cat nap before work?”Brax’s eyes narrowed.Those crazy blues were slits surrounded by ridiculously long dark lashes.“You were breathing too hard for a nap, Sunshine.” Hahd.I sighed and peered at the sun.“I don’t want to be late on my first day.” I paused at the steps.“On your way to practice?”His gaze still pierced me.“Nah, sweetheart, I wear this uni all the time.” He winked.“Chics dig it.Of course I’m going to practice.So are you going to get something to eat with me after work, or go do that thing with your girls?” He lifted my scope bag off his shoulder and eased it onto mine.I climbed a few steps, leaving Brax at the bottom.I turned my head and gave him a look.“There is no thing with the girls.Tessa just doesn’t want me to go anywhere with you.You’ve a sketchy reputation, you know.”Brax nodded, and his mouth tilted at one corner.“I figured that.So?”I stared at him, the late afternoon sun shining on one side of his face, making the scruff stand out on his jaw.That barely-there grin pulled at his mouth.“I get off at eight tonight,” I said.“You can meet me inside by the front desk.”He shifted his weight, and I again noticed his muscular thighs, calves.“Yeah? Why inside?”I continued up the steps.At the door, I paused once more and looked at him.“I’ve got something to show you.”His white teeth flashed.“Now you’re talking, Sunshine.See ya at eight.”I watched Brax swagger away, and noticed how his muscular legs bowed a little.A strong, sexy, athletic-type bowed walk.Completely arrogant, male and confident.He broke into a trot across the Science complex and disappeared through two buildings.I couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted with me, but somehow, I was glad for his interest.Despite his reputation, and the rumors, he was nice.Really nice.Somehow he’d mastered a way to put me at ease.Not an easy feat by no means.Which is why I’d thought to show him a view through my scope after work.I’d Googled the weather and it promised to be a perfectly clear and starry night sky.I pushed through the double doors of the observatory, and the cool air flushed over my skin.Noah was seated at the front desk, and gave me a broad smile as I walked toward him.Before I reached the desk, he stood.I noticed the blue Winston U Observatory collared shirt he wore, with a silver celestial logo on the left upper chest.“Hey, Olivia,” he said, and reached beneath the counter.He handed me a blue plastic draw-string souvenir bag.“Three work shirts.Just like this one,” he said, and tugged at his collar.“Do you remember where the employee break room is?”I took the bag he offered and nodded.“I do.”“Great.There’s a restroom in there where you can change, and I see you brought your scope.” He eyed my bag.“I can’t wait,” I confessed.“A friend is going to come by after I get off work.Is it okay—”“Sure, no problem,” Noah interrupted me.He rubbed his chin and grinned.“As long as there’s no horsing around, as Dr.Callander calls it.But I don’t take you as someone who horses around too much.”I grinned.“I do try to contain it if I can.”“I’m sure you do.” Noah inclined his head toward the hallway that led to the employee’s lounge.“When you finish changing you’ll find Steven in observation room #3, cleaning the planetarium display.” He smiled.“He couldn’t wait for you to get here to help.”I raised my brows and headed down the hallway.“Oh boy,” I said, then waved.“Thanks, Noah.”“You bet.Oh, and my office is just across the hall from the lounge.You can stash your scope behind my desk.”I took a few minutes in the employee restroom to change shirts and wash my face, then found a place to store my scope in Noah’s office.After heading down the wrong hall, I found my way to observation room #3.Steven was just climbing down from a ladder situated beneath an enormous Saturn model when he spotted me.“Whoa! Olivia!” he said, and hurried over to me.His dark shaggy hair swung over his eyes, and he flipped it to the side.“I got here an hour ago so I could leave an hour early.” His chin lifted.“I have a stargazer’s meeting.Amateur and off-campus, but don’t worry.It’s only once a month.Anyway,” he pointed overhead, “we need to get all the planets wiped down, as well as the upper and lower rows of recessed lights.And auditorium seats.I’ve already cleaned the left side of each, plus three planets.There’s a presentation this up-coming weekend.” He pointed.“Come on, your cleaning stuff’s over here.” He walked to the side wall where sure enough, my planetarium cleaning supplies sat in a plastic bucket.“Okay, no problem,” I answered.“I’ll get your ladder set up,” he offered.“Hey, that’s all right,” I stopped him.“Steven, I’m used to hard work.I can handle a ladder.”He gave me a long look, then nodded.“I like a nerdy girl with a strong back.We’ll work great together, Olivia.”I chuckled, found my ladder and situated it beneath Mars.I grabbed my bucket and dug in.I was pretty sure the planets hadn’t been cleaned in a while, and the tacky residue on the metal exterior wasn’t easy to remove.Steven and I talked about class, our observation logs and upcoming night observations, and his weird roommate Curtis who ate orange peels.It passed the time and soon, the planets were finished, as were the recessed lights.“I’ll finish up these seats if you want to go ahead and leave,” I told Steven.“Sincerely?” he asked.“Thanks! I owe ya one.” He grabbed his supplies and stopped at the door.“When you’re finished you can leave your bucket in the tool closet, just down from the lounge.See ya in class.”Over the next hour I cleaned the remaining auditorium seats, my thoughts unavoidably drifting to Brax.I pondered the rumors.And I also reflected on the time we’d already spent together.I felt conflicted [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]