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moment she watched his hands as he maneuvered the food from dish to
his mouth. Strong, capable hands with long, graceful fingers. His skin was
several shades darker than hers, a warm coffee-with-cream brown, and she
envisioned those fingers touching her… Damn! She had to make an effort to
concentrate on the conversation.
    “There weren’t too many choices. Subsistence farming in a
place that barely supports life or…redistribution of goods.”
    The grin showed a pair of attractive grooves bracketing his
mouth. “Redistribution of goods. I’ll have to remember that.”
    Oh Flames and Stars, but this wasn’t good. She wanted to see
that grin again and again. She wanted to kiss that sensual-looking mouth. She
wanted to strip off his clothes and…n o !
    He questioned her carefully while they ate, learning about
where her people were, though not in terribly specific detail or why they were
there. They discussed their families and upbringing, again wording everything
cautiously so that neither offered enough information to endanger anyone else.
    Raje ordered a fine Zegobrian wine to accompany the meal and
they drank it with the respect due an expensive vintage.
    She was sure the food was good, but she had no idea what she
ate. Somehow most of it disappeared. The smooth, light burn of the wine and the
distant hum of conversation in the room made a backdrop to her awareness of
Raje and her desire for him.
    They sat at the table talking for some time after they
finished the meal. She declined dessert or further drinks once the servoid had
cleared away their dishes. He paid the tab and they left.
    “Walk a bit?” he asked. “I need to tamp down some of that food.
There’s a river through the old part of the city that I understand is very
pretty at night. They light it up with all kinds of stuff.”
    She nodded. The evening brought a cool, bracing breeze as
they made their way along a street that sloped downward toward the riverfront.
    “There’s a transport a block or so over, if you prefer,” he
offered. “But it’s not that far to walk to the river.”
    “No.”
    They discussed some of their more interesting business
dealings and exciting runs while they went. Devonne couldn’t help but be more
aware of the hand that held hers than the words they exchanged, though she
found the mere sound of his voice touched her somewhere deep inside.
    The riverfront was every bit as intriguing and lovely as he
suggested. Where it cut through the city, the banks had been built up to
contain the water’s flow, and paved walkways lined a section of it.
    She’d been on this world and in this city several times
before to get repairs done on her ship, but she’d never come down to this part
of town.
    Restaurants and small shops crowded beyond the walkways on
either side of the river. To attract attention, most had arranged colorful
arrays of light on their shops. Strings of small bulbs defined rooflines,
doorways and windows, while other establishments sported huge embellishments
made of light tubes, in the shapes of flowers, amulets, historical monuments of
dozens of worlds, knotwork and every other decorative element a sentient mind
could conceive. The lights reflected in the dark running water of the river,
doubling the show.
    But the bridges overshadowed even the light display on the
buildings.
    There were dozens of them. It appeared that each shop and
restaurant insisted on building its own span to ensure customers on either side
of the river could reach them. And they vied with each other in making each
bridge more elaborate, fanciful or beautifully decorated than the rest. High
arches with elaborate stone or brick-work sat next to sleek polychromate carbon
spans with built-in sparkling lights or deep, radiant kaleidoscopes.
    A gigantic stone bridge strung with ribbons and garlands of
tiny winking lights formed the backdrop for their first kiss.
    He stopped her beside the entry to the span and pulled her
off the walkway into