Rewrite the Stars

By Casey Wyatt

Celebrity scientist, Dr. Cassie Carmichael has boarded the Heart of the Sea ready to move forward after an epic betrayal by a trusted colleague. After being professionally ridiculed, she wants to enjoy the cruise and refocus on her love of the cosmos, without any messy emotional entanglements.

Taron King, tech billionaire playboy can have any women he wants, but he's never forgotten the sexy scientist who bedded him and slipped away. When he's given the chance to reunite with her aboard the cruise, he's ready to rekindle that spark.

The only problem? Taron and Cassie have opposing professional viewpoints and a shared tragedy to overcome. Can they make it through a week long cruise without breaking each other's hearts?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casey Wyatt
• Release date: Oct 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393153009

Casey Wyatt

Casey Wyatt grew up in a mid-size Connecticut town where nothing exciting ever happened. To stem the boredom, she read fantasy and sci-fi novels, imagining her own adventures in her head. Not much has changed since she’s grown up, only now she's a multi-published author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels. In her spare time, she loves all things geeky, hangs out in museums, and collects stray cats. Visit Casey on the web: www.caseywyatt.com. You can also find Casey on Facebook and Twitter (@CaseyWyatt1).  To receive advance notice about new releases and special sales, subscribe to Casey's Newsletter. ​

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Chapter 1

Day One: At Sea. Destination: Costa Maya, Mexico. Evening.

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Alien life is real.

Dr. Cassie Carmichael let those words sink in for a moment. As expected, murmurs rose from the audience.

She raised her hands for silence. "I know that sounds insane coming from an astronomer, but think about it. How could there not be other life? I believe we’re not alone in the universe. It’s only a matter of time before we can prove it."

Her declaration delivered at least some of the audience into the palms of her hands. Several heads nodded. A few people crossed their arms, closing themselves off to the idea. As a scientist, Cassie couldn’t ask for anything more.

Typical reaction, especially for the What If Society, a group comprised of both skeptics and believers. They’d invited her to be their honored guest and keynote speaker for their first-ever astronomical cruise aboard Heart of the Sea.

At first, Cassie had thought they were nuts for inviting her. She was a C-level celebrity at best, known only to hardcore space enthusiasts and her internet fans. Sure, Cassie and her dad, a retired astronaut, had once had that science television program for kids, but that was ages ago. Her initial reaction had been to say, No thank you. But the idea of viewing the stars from the ocean, free of light pollution, plus an all-expense-paid working vacation was too hard to resist.

Turned out, it had been an awesome idea.

A cruise ship was the best place to experience the majesty of the cosmos. Heart of the Sea had stopped tonight in the exact location she’d requested. The captain, Meryl Sinclair, was as skilled a seafarer as her reputation had suggested.

The group assembled at a specially designated area on the foredeck, the lights doused for the best view. In addition to the What Iffers, the audience also included passengers who’d paid to spend time with her and learn more about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.

The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. Stars glittered as if hung on velvet. Total astronomical perfection.

It’s too bad we won’t reach those stars in our lifetime. At least not with our current technology. She couldn’t help releasing a disappointed sigh.

I beg to differ, Dr. Carmichael. A male voice, smooth as high-grade melted chocolate, rose from somewhere in the back of the crowd.

She suppressed another sigh. During every presentation, one or two jackasses liked to argue with her for the fun of it.

Do tell. Better to let the man have his fifteen seconds before she moved on. Or ship security removed him.

Great strides have already been made. The timbre of his voice delivered hot shudders across her skin. It took every ounce of restraint to keep from nervously fiddling with her hair.

There was only one man who could do that to her. But he wasn’t on the cruise. She’d made sure of it before agreeing to come. Her co-presenter was supposed to be Dr. Sciencestein. The over-the-top TV celebrity with questionable credentials was due to join her when the ship docked in Cozumel.

True. But we have no means to reach the nearest star system. Much to her dismay. The laws of physics made it unlikely they could ever breach the speed of light.

He tsked at her. Where is your faith now, Cassie?

She bristled at the use of her first name. Why don’t you step forward so I can see you?

And why on earth had she suggested that? If she were as smart as the PhD after her name, she would have ignored him and moved on with the presentation.

Except, that voice. Her stomach dipped as if in a freefall. It couldn’t be him. His assistant had confirmed he had a conference in Shanghai, which was on the other side of the world.

She leaned against the railing, praying that her ears were playing tricks on her.

Cruise director Jules Fitzgerald moved closer, shooting her a concerned look. While Cassie appreciated the gesture, she could handle the situation.

The crowd shifted. Cell phones were aimed at the man.

Well, that couldn’t be good. Cassie braced herself.

Taron King strode forward like he owned the deck. For all she knew, he did. He could have bought the entire cruise line just to catch up with her.

Heat burned her cheeks. The last time they’d been alone together, she was riding his face, moaning with pleasure. And the last time they’d been in public, she ran from him after he suggested they take their relationship to the next level.

Hello, Cassie. Tall, fit, and still hot as hell, he acknowledged her with a knowing smile. He lowered his voice. We have unfinished business.

Every rational thought fled her mind. Total embarrassment took over.

He ran his fingers through that thick, dark hair, the strands catching the ambient light. And, as much as she despised it, his brash confidence was a total turn-on.

Her eyes fixed onto him with magnetic force, brain unsure of which sculpted body part to focus on first. The six-pack she knew he was sporting under his form-fitting button-down shirt. Or the muscled calves extending from sharply pressed khaki shorts. And those rock-hard arms, strong enough to raise her whole body over his—

Feet shuffled. Someone coughed, reminding her to stay in the moment.

What are you doing here? she said in a low voice.

I’m your new partner. He grinned with teeth so white in the starlight she wanted her sunglasses. Before she could argue the point, he stood by her side.

We’ll catch up later. The tone suggested that he meant more than just chatting over a coffee. Hello everyone. Sorry I’m late. I’m Taron King, CEO of King Aeronautics, stepping in for Dr. Sciencestein. I know that might be disappointing to some of you, but I assure you that I can be just as entertaining.

If they only knew how talented that mouth was. Holy hell, Cass, mind out of the bedroom.

More warm heat flooded Cassie’s cheeks. She pressed her nails into her palms. No one in the audience knew about their on-again, off-again relationship over the last year. Every time things grew too serious she would put some distance between them. Until the next time their professions launched them into the same orbit. And then, they’d land in bed again, the cycle continuing.

Taron interpreted her silence as an opening to take over her presentation.

Let’s discuss alien life. I know there are some believers here and some deniers. I’ll admit that until a spaceship pulls into Earth’s orbit, it doesn’t matter if probability favors their existence.

Cassie pretended to listen to Taron. What was he doing other than ruining her scheduled program on constellations?

His eyes pleaded with her to go along with his lead.

Suppressing an eye roll, she faked a smile, then said through gritted teeth, "Mr. King, I assure you, there is evidence that we aren’t alone. Just last year, astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory heard signals—"

That was debunked. Where are the little green men? That’s what we all want to know. He folded his arms as if to say the ball was in her court.

A few members of the audience nodded their heads in agreement.

Words shriveled in her throat. Her fists clenched. Was he making fun of her?

Cassie drew in a slow measured breath. Time to take control of the situation. Her lips curled into a lazy smile. He had a lot of nerve disrupting her event.

Wouldn’t we all love to meet LGMs? she said. Sadly, they’re fictional. More likely, our first encounter with other life-forms will be microscopic, found in places like the moons of Jupiter. Speaking of the solar system’s largest planet, let’s take a look at the sky, shall we? Notice that bright star on the left? It’s actually not a star at all.

The bundle of nerves constricting in her chest unwound as she deftly steered the group’s attention toward the heavens and away from Taron King’s lame attempt to start a debate.

What was his deal? His company was actively testing spaceship prototypes so they could blast überwealthy tourists into space. He was the last person she expected to be such a pain in the