Neal James is a space station navigator whose lover, Dylan Teague, left him for a starmapping mission. But when Dylan radios in a distant signal one night, Neal discovers that he hasn't managed to put the relationship behind him in the two months they've been apart. When he's one of the crew members sent to investigate the signal, he finds that his ex-lover feels the same.<br><br>The source of the signal is a lost colony ship. Only a handful of the original colonists remain, survivors of a deadly disease that killed most of their fellow shipmates twenty years ago. To keep the threat of disease to a minimum, the colony adheres to strict laws, including the prohibition of same-sex relationships.<br><br>When the same fatal virus seems to appear again, Neal and Dylan find themselves in the midst of an irrational panic and hate that threatens to destroy everything the colonists have worked so hard to attain.

Operation Starseed

Shanley’s the med tech, and James here is the navigator.” With a


bawdy wink my way, he nudges Ellington and grins. “Damn good one,


“I’m sure he doesn’t need to know,” I


say, rolling my eyes. Didn’t Vallery tell you to lay off the


comments?I want to ask, but I don’t. When he catches my eye, I


He sighs and there’s an awkward moment where


we wait for them to say something, anything, just to cover the rush


of rain around us. Dylan takes a step back out of the drizzle and I


place a hand against the small of his back to keep him from


stepping into me. In the Semper Fi’s flood lights, his hair


sparkles wetly as if studded with diamonds. He starts to turn, the


hint of a smile already pulling at his lips, and I know he’s going


to say something low and provocative that’s going to make me blush,


he’s good at things like that, especially in front of other


Chapter 40