Jealousy is all the fun you think they had.

  -- Erica Jong

  Luca tracked Pierre across the room.

  Emily's revealing green dress caught the light, and her laugh carried across the room. That bastard was standing too close.

  Luca set his champagne down on a passing server's tray and started moving. He didn't have a plan and didn't need one, just needed to be over there instead of over here.

  He almost made it before a hand touched his arm.

  "Luca." Karen spoke quietly. "I'd like you to meet someone."

  Luca stopped. His brain screamed at him to keep walking, but Karen's grip was gentle and utterly immovable. He turned and found her standing with a woman in her fifties wearing a rather underwhelming but likely expensive black dress. An academic, most likely.

  "Dr. Miriam Levi," Karen said smoothly. "She specializes in closed-loop hydroponics systems, from Tel Aviv."

  The woman extended her hand. Luca shook it automatically. His brain was still trying to catch up while his eyes wanted to drift back across the room.

  "Captain Rossi." Dr. Levi's accent was Israeli. "Karen tells me you're looking for a hydroponics solution for a long-duration survey ship."

  "Yeah." Luca forced himself to focus. This was important. This was the food supply for the next mission. Emily could handle herself. "We've got limited space. Need something efficient."

  Pierre said something. Emily laughed again. Luca's jaw tightened.

  "How limited?" Dr. Levi asked.

  Luca blinked. "What?"

  "The space constraints," she clarified. Her tone suggested she'd noticed his distraction but was being polite about it. "What are we working with?"

  Right. He needed to focus on hydroponics and food supply, not on watching his girlfriend talk to her ex.

  "About sixty meters by thirty," Luca said. His brain was sluggish, like he was trying to do math underwater. "Three meters tall. Roughly twelve hundred square meters total."

  Dr. Levi's eyebrows rose. "That's generous for a survey ship."

  "We've got a big ship," Luca said. "But we need the space to count. Looking for twenty to thirty percent of total calories from fresh produce."

  "Ambitious." Dr. Levi murmured. "That'll require careful integration with your water recycling systems. You're talking about significant water usage, which means your reclamation efficiency needs to be near perfect."

  Luca's attention kept trying to slip sideways. He could see Emily in his peripheral vision. Pierre's hand moved when he talked. He was very expressive and could be so annoyingly charming.

  Goddamn it.

  "Ryan," Luca called. "Danny. Get over here."

  Ryan materialized at his shoulder within seconds. Danny took longer, carefully navigating through a cluster of politicians. They both looked curious.

  "Dr. Miriam Levi," Luca said. "Hydroponics specialist. She needs details on our water systems and available space."

  Ryan's expression shifted immediately to professional interest. "Oh, hell yes. We've been arguing about this for weeks."

  "Yeah." Luca gestured at Dr. Levi. "Sixty by thirty. Three meters tall. Can you make that work?"

  "Possible." She replied. "Challenging. Your primary constraint is going to be light. You'll need full-spectrum grow lights, which means significant power draw. How's your reactor output?"

  Ryan leaned in. "Power shouldn't be an issue."

  "Water reclamation rate?" Dr. Levi asked.

  "High nineties," Danny said. "We'd need to optimize it further for this kind of operation."

  "Good." Dr. Levi made notes. "Every liter you lose is a liter you can't use for irrigation."

  Luca grabbed another glass as he watched her sketch out a preliminary layout with vertical growing racks, automated irrigation, and LED arrays mounted on adjustable rails. It looked complicated as hell.

  "This is just conceptual," Dr. Levi said. "I'd need full space specifications to give you a proper design. Structural load calculations, power distribution, environmental controls. But it's doable."

  "We've got time," Luca said. The gala noise pressed in around him. "Can you send the preliminary specs to Karen?"

  "Of course." Dr. Levi handed him a business card. It looked fancy. "I look forward to working with you, Captain."

  Dr. Levi stepped away into the crowd. Karen remained, her expression calm.

  "We've also identified another supplier in Southern Spain," Karen said quietly. "Agricultural systems specialist. Different approach from Dr. Levi, but solid reputation. You'll have options when you visit them both."

  "Good," Luca said. "Thanks."

  Karen's gaze flicked past him toward where Pierre stood. "Enjoy the gala, Luca."

  She moved away before he could respond. Luca tried not to immediately look for Emily.

  He failed.

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  She was still with Pierre, still laughing. Pierre said something and gestured toward the dance floor. Emily shook her head, smiling.

  Thank God for that.

  "Smooth intercept," Ryan said quietly beside him.

  "What?"

  "Karen." Ryan's grin was knowing. "Saw you heading for Emily and Pierre. She cut you off before you could do something stupid."

  "I wasn't going to do anything stupid," Luca said.

  "Sure." Ryan clapped his shoulder. "Anyway, that hydroponics setup looks solid. If we can pull it off, we'll be eating actual salads on the next run."

  "Yeah." Luca's attention drifted again. Emily was moving away from Pierre. Good. No, wait. She was walking toward someone else, another group.

  Danny cleared his throat. "I'm going to find Zoe. Try not to punch anyone."

  "I'm not going to punch anyone," Luca said.

  "Right." Danny's expression said he didn't believe that for a second.

  They both left. Luca stood alone in the middle of the gala, surrounded by hundreds of people, watching Emily talk to strangers.

  The whole situation sucked.

  "Captain Rossi?"

  Luca turned. Three women stood behind him. Early twenties, attractive, wearing expensive dresses. But what caught his attention were the scars. A long one running down the first woman's thigh. Another across the second woman's collarbone. The third had what looked like claw marks on her exposed shoulder.

  They were high-level fighters, not politicians or academics.

  "That's me," Luca said.

  The brunette smiled. "We saw your speech. What's it like? Going to another star system?"

  "Terrifying," Luca said. "Exciting. We were gone for six months."

  "Lonely, I'd imagine," the brunette said. She stepped closer, her hand finding his forearm. Her touch was warm. "There's an afterparty downtown. Some of the other teams. You should come."

  The redhead moved to his other side. "We'd love to hear more about the mission." Her fingers brushed his shoulder. "The new technology."

  A server passed by with wine. Luca swapped his empty champagne glass and took a sip. The alcohol was making everything feel softer. Three attractive women who understood what it was like to fight. Who were interested in him.

  He looked across the room. Emily was still with Pierre, still laughing at whatever charming thing the bastard was saying.

  "The tech is classified," Luca said. "Can't really talk about it."

  "Of course not," the blonde said. She moved closer. Her perfume was expensive. "We're not here for shop talk anyway." Her smile turned inviting. "The afterparty's going to be much more... relaxed."

  The brunette's thumb traced small circles on his forearm. "We'd love to get to know you better. Away from all this."

  The redhead leaned in. Her breath was warm against his ear. "All of us."

  Luca took another sip of wine. They were making their offer very clear. Three gorgeous women who knew how to fight. Who were interested. Who were touching him. And Emily was across the room with her perfect ex-boyfriend and...

  Movement caught his attention. Emily had turned. Her green eyes locked on him. On the three women pressed close around him. On their hands on his arms.

  Her expression shifted. Something sharp flashed across her face.

  The fog in Luca's head cleared. What was he doing? He was with Emily. He loved Emily. These women were attractive and forward and he was buzzed enough that part of him was tempted, but...

  "Thanks for the invitation," Luca said. He stepped back, breaking contact. "But I'm here with someone. And I'm with her. So..."

  The brunette's smile turned knowing. "She's with someone else right now."

  "We're together," Luca said. "I should... yeah."

  The three women exchanged glances. The blonde shrugged. "Your loss, Captain. But the offer stands if you change your mind."

  They drifted back into the crowd.

  Luca watched them go and took another sip of wine. Three attractive women and an afterparty. And he'd said no because he was loyal to Emily, who was currently laughing with Pierre.

  He tried not to think about it.

  Emily was moving through the crowd, coming this way.

  And Pierre was with her.

  They approached together. Pierre looked exactly like Luca remembered, tall and dark-haired with perfect posture. His tuxedo fit like it had been custom-made.

  Luca hated him on principle.

  Emily's eyes flicked to the three women still standing close around Luca. Her smile tightened for just a fraction of a second. Then it was back, bright and professional.

  "Luca!" She touched his arm. Her fingers were warmer than the brunette's had been, possessive maybe. "You remember Pierre."

  "Captain Luca Rossi." Pierre extended his hand. His grip was extra firm. His accent was French, but his English was perfect. "Enchante. Emily's told me so much about the mission."

  "Thanks." Luca shook his hand. "Good to meet you."

  "Sabine contacted Pierre's team," Emily said. Her eyes were bright with excitement. "They're potential candidates for the crew."

  Luca's brain stuttered. "What?"

  "The interview process," Emily clarified. "For the crew expansion. Pierre's team has the right skill set."

  "We'd be honored to be considered," Pierre said. His smile was genuine. The kind of smile that probably made people trust him immediately. "The opportunity to work with the Triumph crew would be extraordinary."

  "We're still planning the interviews," Luca said carefully, feeling totally deflated. He was absolutely not going to let his personal feelings interfere with crew selection. Even if his personal feelings were currently screaming at him to tell Pierre to get lost.

  "Of course." Pierre's expression remained pleasant. "No pressure. But if you'd like to discuss it, I'd be happy to share our team's qualifications." He looked at Emily. "Emily mentioned you're looking for specialists in atmospheric analysis and geological survey work."

  "Among other things," Luca said.

  "Naturellement." Pierre's smile widened slightly. "We have significant experience in both. Joséphine, our science officer, has a background in xenobiology. Michel handles our geological surveys. And Amélie—" He made a casual gesture. "Well, she's the best pilot I've ever seen. Present company excepted, of course."

  "That's great," Luca said. He was trying. He was really trying to be professional about this. "We'll definitely keep your team in mind."

  "Merveilleux." Pierre reached into his jacket and produced a business card. "My contact information. Feel free to reach out whenever you're ready."

  "I should return to my team," Pierre said. He looked at Emily. "Thank you for the introduction."

  "Of course," Emily said.

  Pierre nodded to Luca. "Au revoir, Captain. I look forward to speaking with you again."

  He melted back into the crowd with the kind of easy confidence that made Luca want to punch something.

  The brunette shot Luca one last look over her shoulder. An invitation that was still open if he wanted it. Then they were gone, absorbed into the crowd.

  Emily's eyes followed them. "Making friends?"

  "Something like that," Luca said.

  Emily grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek. The gesture was completely territorial. Her gold-flecked green eyes locked on his. The gold was brighter than usual. Luca knew that look.

  "Hey," she said quietly.

  "Hey." Luca's voice came out rougher than intended.

  "You looked popular." Her tone was light, too light.

  "So did you," Luca said. "You and Pierre seemed to be having a great time."

  Emily's smile turned knowing. "He's nice, right? I think his team could be a really good fit."

  Luca opened his mouth, then closed it. Tried to figure out how to say "I don't want your ex-boyfriend anywhere near our ship" without sounding like a jealous idiot.

  He didn't get the chance.

  Ryan appeared at his shoulder. "What a douche."

  Luca exhaled. A grin cracked through his irritation. "Glad I wasn't the only one thinking it."

  Emily shot them both a look. Her eyes narrowed. "Come on, you two. Be nice. He was perfectly charming."

  "Yeah, yeah," Ryan said. His smirk was unrepentant. "We're just making sure no French charmers are out here stealing our Emily."

  "Your Emily?" Emily crossed her arms, but Luca could see the smile tugging at her lips. "You two are ridiculous."

  "It's part of our charm," Ryan said.

  "Debatable." Emily rolled her eyes. But she leaned into Luca's side, and he felt the last of the tension drain out of his shoulders.

  "So," Ryan said casually. "Are we actually considering Pretty Boy's team?"

  "We're considering everyone Sabine identified," Emily said firmly. "His team has good qualifications."

  "I'm sure they do," Ryan muttered.

  Luca said nothing. He just held Emily's hand and tried not to think about how Pierre's accent had sounded when he said her name.

  "I need a drink," Luca said finally.

  "Good idea," Ryan agreed. "Let's find the bar. This whole gala thing is exhausting."

  Emily squeezed Luca's hand. "You did great tonight."

  He led her toward the bar, his hand at the small of her back, with Ryan trailing behind them, still grinning like an idiot, and tried to convince himself that Pierre Beaumont joining their crew would be fine.