Clint managed to sit back up within thirty seconds, but it was too late, Nika was gone into the gloom of the evening. The sun had disappeared into the distant storm clouds and the light was failing. He caught occasional glimpses of her. Moving away across the headland. Descending the slope to the beach. Finally he lost track of her as she walked back toward the LCAC.
He rubbed at his solar plexus. No question that was going to hurt for a while, but his body had certainly suffered plenty worse in training and in battle. Never from a lover before, but Nika was a first in so many ways.
Clint sat there as the sky darkened: cobalt blue, midnight blue, black. The first planets came out and finally the first stars. He was cold, but a Ranger learned to ignore such inconveniences. He needed some
