Capture the Sun
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Series: Starlight’s Shadow Trilogy, Book 3
Genre: Fiction/Sci-Fi/Space Opera
Snippet:
He stood, bringing us far too close together. “I find competence very sexy,” he murmured, his voice honeyed silk. “But forget whatever you’re planning in that stunning brain of yours, taro. You won’t be rid of me so easily.”
I shivered as my desire kindled anew, and the smile broke through. “And if I was planning to stab you while you were asleep?”
“I’m a very light sleeper.”
“Perhaps I’ll offer to demonstrate my knot-tying skills, then leave you bound and helpless.”
He edged closer. “I’d be putty in your hands,” he agreed easily, “but I’m also a teleporter. You’ll have to try harder than that.”
I looked at him through my lashes and let my voice drop to a throaty purr as I ran one hand up his chest. “Or maybe I’ll just ask very… very… nicely.”
His eyes went solid gold, and his jaw clenched. “Yes, you should try that,” he demanded, voice hoarse.
I slipped my hand around the back of his neck and drew him close enough to whisper in his ear. “Nilo.” He made a low sound of pleasure that very nearly derailed all of my good intentions, but I held on to my resolve with both hands. “I will find a way to go alone, so you might as well help me do it safely. Please.”
His arms wrapped around me, caging me against the heat of his body. “I would do anything for you,” he growled, and I smiled in triumph before he added, “but I’m not letting you go alone.”
I tried to pull away, but Nilo held fast. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned back far enough to see his face. Amusement danced alongside desire in his expression, and I huffed out a breath. “Let me go.”
Nilo grinned and flexed his arms, drawing me minutely closer. “But I like you here.”
And I liked being here, far too much. Nilo’s arms were warm and muscular, but he held me carefully, like I was precious.
It was a dangerous feeling.
“Don’t make me stab you,” I whispered.
His smile widened. “It might be worth it.”
Reason, self-preservation, and doubt deserted me. I wanted to taste that smile. I moved before I could second-guess myself, lifting onto my toes and burying my hands in Nilo’s dark hair. His arms tightened, and he met me halfway.
His lips covered mine with searing intensity, and I shivered. My stomach fluttered, but I wanted more. I tugged on his hair, and when he hissed in pleasure, I deepened the kiss.
About the Book:
Acclaimed author Jessie Mihalik returns with the thrilling conclusion to her Starlight’s Shadow trilogy. An intergalactic thief must join forces with the charming teleporter who stole her last job—and may now be her only hope for saving her former crew.
As a recovery specialist, Lexi Bowen’s jobs typically require more trickery and thievery than honest work. Her former captain might not approve of her flexible morals, but stealing artifacts for rich assholes pays the bills, and Lexi’s had enough of war and death. The FHP left her to die once; she doesn’t plan to give them a chance to finish the job.
Unfortunately, her latest contract takes her to Valovia itself—and right back into the orbit of Nilo Shoren, a Valovian teleporter who already cost her one payday and nearly stole her heart.
Armored against his clever charm, Lexi plans to get in, get the job done, and get out. But when her former crew goes missing in Valovian space, Lexi will have to work with Nilo to figure out what happened—and stop it—before the galaxy’s two superpowers can use the disappearance as an excuse to return to war.
About the Author:
Jessie Mihalik has a degree in computer science and a love of all things geeky. A software engineer by trade, Jessie now writes full time from her home in Texas. She is the author of several books filled with action, adventure, and romance in space, including Polaris Rising and Hunt the Stars. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing co-op video games with her husband, trying out new board games, or reading books pulled from her overflowing bookshelves.