The Star King Read online

  Rom hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his snug jeans and shrugged.

  “You understand English?” Jas asked.

  “Most,” Rom answered in kind. “Speak is much hard…harder.”

  “So I star-69’d him, called him back, then told him you were in Washington and that he ought to come over. The next thing you know I was teaching him to ride. I knew you weren’t coming home until today, and, uh, we ended up camping overnight in the canyon.” Ian shrugged guiltily. “We should have called.”

  Rom grazed his knuckle along her jaw. “My wrong. I ask Ian for time to know me more, so he will allow me to be husband to his mother.”

  Before she could say anything, Ian piped in. “It was a great trip. We talked. Most of the night, actually.” Again he cast Rom an admiring gaze. Her joy-filled heart skipped a beat. They’d become confidantes.

  “After I graduate,” Ian went on, “he’s going to teach me the family business.”

  “The ‘family business’?” she repeated numbly, her mind reeling.

  Rom replied in Basic: “Ian is my stepson. A good and loyal lad whom I’d be proud to call my heir, should he desire such an onerous hallmark. But you and I will talk further on this topic another time.” He unsnapped the saddlebag on his bike and tossed her a leather jacket, helmet, and boots. “Tonight we will sleep in the desert, under the stars. Our long overdue wedding night.”

  His gaze turned dark and sexy, and anticipation trilled through her. “Then tomorrow, or maybe the next day,” he added pointedly, “we will travel to see your daughter. But first we will celebrate.” He raised the lid of a cooler just high enough for her to see the glint of ice chips and bottles. “Red Rocket Ale,” he said with a wink.

  She threw her head back and laughed. He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. When her feet touched the ground, he murmured into her hair, “I apologize for the pain I caused you. I admit I have much to learn about being a husband.”

  She smiled through her tears and hugged him back. “Don’t worry, Rom. You’ll have a lifetime to get it right.”

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  Acknowledgments

  It is with awe and gratitude that I thank the following individuals: Christopher Keeslar, for the priceless gift of “creative elbow room” in letting me write the book of my heart; Catherine Asaro, a true Renaissance woman, for her generosity, and her eagerness to brainstorm space battles; Major Sean Bautista for his dogfight advice and the de-wimping of my heroine; Julie Hughes Ryan and Karen Morgan, for their expert cyber-navigating of Andrews AFB; the Lollies (my pod-sisters), for always being there for me; the staff at Borders Books in Roseville, CA, who provided the chaos and coffee I needed to write this book; Stefanie Hargreaves of Amazon.com, for giving this “newbie” the chance to shine; Theresa Ragan, writing partner extraordinaire (I couldn’t have done it without you); Maudeen Wachsmith, an infinite well of ideas; Carolyn Stahl, for being “mommie”; and finally, Morgan’s grandma, Mary Alice Gibbons, a woman wonderful beyond words. Thank you, all. You’ve helped me more than you will ever know.

  Praise

  SOAR TO THE HEAVENS WITH JET PILOT & FUTURISTIC STAR SUSAN GRANT!

  “[Grant writes] highly original, exotic, and steamy adventures about aviatrix heroines.”

  —Chris Gilson, author of Crazy for Cornelia

  “Ms. Grant proves she has a true gift for storytelling.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Grant continues to set the standard for intelligent, exhilarating futuristic romance novels.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “I am in awe of Susan Grant. She’s one of the few authors who get it.”

  —Mrs. Giggles, Everything Romantic

  THE STAR KING

  RITA AWARD NOMINEE

  P.E.A.R.L. AWARD WINNER

  ALL ABOUT ROMANCE BEST “OTHER” ROMANCE AWARD

  SAPPHIRE AWARD FINALIST

  WRITE-TOUCH READERS’ AWARD FINALIST

  “Drop everything and read this book!”

  —Susan Wiggs

  “Excitement, action, adventure and wonderful romance!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “It has an air of exuberance that is worthy of any swash-buckling futuristic. Evocative and exciting!”

  —Mrs. Giggles, Everything Romantic

  THE STAR PRINCE

  “Another glorious tale of interstellar romance!”

  —PNR Romance Reviews

  “An out of this world story you don’t want to miss!”

  —Scribes World

  “A strong take-charge kind of hero, an intelligent, feisty heroine, strange new worlds, adventure, and an eclectic cast of characters…I was sorry to see the story end.”

  —The Best Reviews

  THE STAR PRINCESS

  “[A] beautiful addition to Ms. Grant’s fabulous Star series. The talented Susan Grant has penned another keeper that will have her audience anxiously awaiting their next ride to her fabulous world.”

  —A Romance Review

  “The Star Princess is an excellent romance, the relationship between the hero and heroine a delightful sparring match…”

  —All About Romance

  Other Love Spell books by Susan Grant:

  THE ONLY ONE (anthology)

  A MOTHER’S WAY ROMANCE (anthology)

  THE SCARLETT EMPRESS

  THE LEGEND OF BANZAI MAGUIRE

  THE STAR PRINCESS

  CONTACT

  THE STAR PRINCE

  ONCE A PIRATE

  Copyright

  LOVE SPELL®

  May 2010

  Published by

  Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

  200 Madison Avenue

  New York, NY 10016

  Copyright © 2000 by Susan Grant Gunning

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  E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0861-3

  The name “Love Spell” and its logo are trademarks of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

  Visit us online at www.dorchesterpub.com.