“Shh.” Clo tapped a finger to her lips. “Just watch.”

A soft whirring echoed through the quiet room as the floor beneath them slowly, slowly faded away to become translucent glass. Clo had discovered many people didn’t enjoy this feature to the spherical observation deck; another mechanic at Nova had said it gave him vertigo.

But Clo loved it. Above and below them, Clo and Rhea were surrounded by millions of bright stars and their solar systems as if they were dashed out in space, walking through the galaxy.

“My gods,” Rhea breathed, taking a few steps forward. “I feel like I’m—like I’m—”

“Out among the stars,” Clo finished.

Rhea craned her head back, twirling. “I used to look up at the sky behind the walls of the Pleasure Garden, and wish for this. I wanted it so much. More than anything.” She laughed, and Clo warmed. She loved Rhea’s laugh. “You’ve been to some of these planets, right? Which was your favorite?”

Clo approached Rhea, pointing to a light in the distance. “Do you see that light there, the one that looks bluer than the others? It’s not a star, but a planet called Aegir. It’s covered in oceans and sandy beaches, with the clearest water I’ve ever seen, that glitters like cut gemstones. My friend Briggs”—she pressed her lips together for a moment—“it was his favorite place in the galaxy, too. He always said he’d take me there one day. That never happened, so I asked Kyla to send me on assignment, and she did.”

“It sounds wonderful,” Rhea said with a sigh.

“Have you ever seen an ocean?” Clo asked. Rhea shook her head. “No? Well, then I’ll show you that, too.”

“Show me everything.” Rhea pressed closer, her fingertips brushing against Clo’s. “I want to see it all.”

Clo bit her lip to keep from grinning like a fool. “I already promised you the whole Iona Galaxy, so I may have to upgrade that to universe. All the galaxies we know—maybe even those we don’t.”

Rhea’s gaze dropped to Clo’s mouth. They were so quiet, standing there surrounded by stars. Clo felt the brush of Rhea’s fingertips against her palm again and drew in a breath. She wanted . . . she wanted Rhea.

Slow, Clo chastised herself. She deserves slow.

“Clo?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you . . . do you want to kiss me?” Rhea whispered.

Clo swallowed hard and let out a short laugh. “Am I that obvious?”

Rhea’s smile was a sunrise. “I can guess.”

“Can you? What am I feeling right now?”

“Good question.” Rhea’s fingertips skimmed the edges of her sleeves, and she shifted closer, her lips almost touching Clo’s, but not quite. “Desire,” she said. “Longing. Temptation. But you want to be careful. Because of what I went through. Who I was. Before.”

“Yes.” No expectations.