The Bond That Consumes Us (5 page)

She held her smile in place until he reached out and gripped the glass in his massive hand. Then she held her breath as he lifted the glass to his full lips and took a 24

sip. Her heart was pounding as she waited for the verdict to cross his face. When he didn’t move for a moment, Fallon thought she was going to burst from not knowing.

“Well?”

“Potent.”

“I hope that means you like it.”

“I do.”

And then he tipped the glass back and finished the contents in a single swallow.

The Afterburner was a powerful drink, but after the way he swallowed what most people would have coughed up, she doubted it had much of an impact on Taber. He held the glass a moment longer than she’d expected before setting it down and letting his gaze find hers once again.

“Until we find whoever murdered Mr. Keaton, I’m going to ask that you don’t walk the hallways alone.”

Fallon took a step back and frowned. “I doubt anyone would come after me.”

Taber held her gaze as he leaned forward, pressing both his hands on the edge of the bar. “Please Ms. Reist.”

“Fallon—”

Taber closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. “Please let me escort you to your quarters.”

The lust that had been building in her belly all night instantly sprung forth at the thought of Taber being in her quarters. Her pussy grew wet and her nipples tightened, which only deepened her desire. It
was
probably a good idea to be a bit on the cautious side until they caught whoever killed Nate. And she could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t going to give her any say in the matter anyway. Taber pushed away from the bar and made his way over to the door where he waited for her to join him.

Tossing her towel into the laundry slot in the wall, she walked out of the bar and waited for him to follow before she put a security lock on the door.

“No one will be able to get in now. My place is this way.”

The corridors of the
Damara
were never completely empty, no matter the time of day. Even after all of the partiers were asleep, there was usually someone on duty, moving about completing some task. But with the ship on lockdown, the corridors were dead, making the normally jovial atmosphere of the ship eerily silent.

“The crew quarters are on the far side of the ship,” she said after a few minutes of walking in silence. Taber didn’t say anything, so she rushed to fill in the lull with conversation.

“
Damara
is pretty much a party ship most of the time. When we’re in orbit around a planet you won’t be able to move in these halls, no matter what time of day it is. I hope you catch the person who did this to Nate quickly so we can bring some life back to this place.”

25

There was a few seconds of silence before she heard Taber draw in a short breath to speak. Fallon waited, anticipating the tingle that would race down her spine when he did.

“I would normally never visit a ship of this nature.”

Somehow that didn’t surprise her.

“Any particular reason why not? Do Briel not know how to have fun?”

She partially turned her head so she could get a better look at her overly serious bodyguard. For his part, Taber seemed more interested in making sure no one was lurking in the halls than looking at her. At least she thought so until he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the path of a man who practically ran out of a service doorway.

“Shit!” she squeaked, her fingers closing around Taber’s massive forearm.

“Oh, hey,” a clipped drawl came from the man. “Watch where the fuck you’re going!”

Turning her startled gaze from Taber’s arm, she saw Lukas Ross standing here.

When he realized it was her, his body relaxed and he leaned against the doorframe. His engineering uniform opened at the neck, exposing a large portion of his naked chest.

His dark brown eyes narrowed on Taber for a moment before he returned his gaze to her.

“Sorry about that, Fallon. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Lukas stepped out into the hall. “Are you okay?”

Taber tighten his grip ever so slightly around her waist before releasing her. It wasn’t until he stepped away that she realized her hip had been in direct contact with the side of his thigh. Looking over her shoulder at Taber, she smiled and flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder.

“Lukas, this is Taber. He’s here from the Eurus colony investigating Nate’s death.”

Flashing his prizewinning grin, Lukas held out his hand. “Lukas Ross. I’m one of the head engineers here on the
Damara
.”

Taber merely looked at his outstretched hand before nodding once. “Ms. Reist, we should get you back to your quarters.”

“Is there a problem?”

Lukas wasn’t as protective as Nate or even Captain Zane had been, but she’d always been able to count on him in the past. That said, he tended to overreact whenever he thought there might be a chance someone was giving her grief.

“It’s all good. Taber wanted to see part of the ship and I said I’d point out all the highlights before we parted company tonight.”

Not exactly a lie. Surprisingly, Taber didn’t contradict what she’d said and instead began to walk away. Fallon couldn’t stop herself from following him, waving to Lukas before she went.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she called to him as she jogged to catch up to Taber.

26

Fallon began to smile as they walked through the brightly lit corridor of the ship.

The bright blue lights that ran along the inside of the wall along the top cast a soft glow on Taber as they moved.

“It’s too bad you weren’t here under better circumstances. I could show you how to have a good time, give you a bit of a vacation.”

Taber stopped in the hallway and for some reason, crossed his arms across his chest.

“I don’t need a vacation.”

Oh boy.

“I wasn’t implying you do. However, it’s been my experience that the people who need to have vacations the most, deny it the loudest.” Fallon did her very best not to smile at him, but she couldn’t stop the faint twitch of her lips as she stood there looking at him.

He didn’t move or make any comment to continue the banter. Fallon reached up and played with the end of her ponytail when he continued to stare at her. The intensity of his gaze did strange things to her body, things she really wanted to explore.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” she said when the silence got to be too much. Without thinking, she took a step closer to him. “I guess I’ve been on board this ship too long. I tend to tease everyone about everything. This is my room up here.”

Not wanting to prolong things and say something really stupid, Fallon marched up to her door and punched in the security code. She didn’t immediately go inside, instead turning to lean in the doorway so she could stare at him some more. Fuck, he was one prime specimen of male.

“Do you know where you are staying?” She tried to keep her voice light, friendly.

From the look on his face, the last thing she figured he wanted right now was to deal with a horny woman. “I can give you directions if you’d like.”

He surprised her when he walked up directly in front of her and looked inside her quarters. His exotic musk washed over her again, making her head buzz.

“I’ll find my way back. Sean will be waiting for me.”

Fallon’s lungs stopped working for a moment when Taber reached down, took her hand in his, and brought it up to his mouth. The brush of his soft lips against the back of her hand was more erotic than had he sucked her nipple into his mouth. When her body screamed for air, she let out a soft gasp. He lifted his gaze to hers and she forgot to breathe again.

“You are a most interesting woman, Fallon.”

Hearing him say her name unprompted was almost enough to make her come on the spot. His deep voice felt like silk on her skin.

“And you are the most attractive man I’ve ever met.” That damn blush returned, prompting her to get the hell out of there. “I’ll be around if you need me for further questioning tomorrow.”

27

He nodded, but this time it was a slow, deliberate motion. “I’m sure that will be necessary. Until tomorrow.”

Running his thumb along the underside of her wrist for a moment, he gently released her hand and walked away without a look back. Fallon stepped inside and secured the lock on her door. Walking to her bed, she knew that despite how exhausted she was, there was no way in hell she would be sleeping tonight.

28

Taber didn’t know what had come over him. He’d spent the night lying in his bed thinking about Fallon and her charming smile. His cock remembered other parts of her—her round ass that had pressed up against his thigh when the man had almost run into her. Her breasts were full, larger than most of the other human women he knew.
Di
machachta
he’d had to concentrate so he didn’t stare at them and how they pressed against the tight-fitting shirt she’d worn. He’d been forced to push away thoughts of how they’d fill his hands if he were to touch them.

By the goddess, how was he supposed to concentrate on catching a killer when there were so many distractions? He may be a Briel Protectorate, but he wasn’t infallible. It had been years since he’d had the pleasure of a woman in his bed. Hadn’t really thought too long on it—not since Calantha had died.

When he closed his eyes, it wasn’t his mate’s eyes he saw staring back at him, but Fallon’s green gaze. That wasn’t even the correct color—they were more gray than green. Not that it mattered because the real beauty was what he saw when he looked deep into them.

Fallon had a beautiful soul.

His cock twitched when the image of her walking naked into the room, her long auburn hair spilling over her shoulders to partially conceal her breasts, filled his thoughts. He could practically see her looking up at him with those eyes, a faint blush covering her cheeks. Taber’s hand itched, and the overwhelming desire to reach down and stroke his shaft was almost enough to beat past his Protectorate discipline. He fought it, just like he fought every other impulse he’d had over the last twenty cycles to grant himself a small measure of peace.

No matter how much he may be infatuated with the human bartender, it wasn’t worth dishonoring the memory of his mate.

He couldn’t be bonded with another woman. Unlike when Kamran and Haylie met, there wasn’t a chance of his going mad with lust for this woman. He’d had his one chance at happiness, one chance at a family taken away from him. Like others before him, he was forced to live the rest of his life in solace. Something Calantha would have preferred had she still been alive.

Pushing those thoughts away, he closed his eyes and tucked his hands under his head and stretched onto his back on the bed. His body ached from having stood for so long yesterday. His cock ached from having stood by Fallon for so long. What made matters worse was the fact she seemed to be attracted to him.

What was it about her that caught his attention?

29

Other human women on Eurus had expressed an interest in him, but he’d never reacted like this. His cock had lain dormant and he’d had no trouble sleeping. Not like now.

Taber let out the breath he’d been holding in a long hiss. Images of Fallon refused to leave his mind. He could see her crawling naked between his legs on her hands and knees. Her unbound hair caressing the skin of his thighs as she slowly inched her way up to his cock. Fallon would smile, her small, pink tongue darting out to lick his sac, teasing the sensitive flesh before she licked a long trail up his shaft.

It was too much. More aroused than he’d been in years, Taber couldn’t hold out any longer. He pulled his hand out from behind his head, reached down and cupped his sac. Squeezing, he moved up to the base of his shaft and pulled his cock in a smooth jerk.

Fallon’s mouth would be hot. She’d take his tip into her mouth and suck hard, her tongue busy teasing the swollen head. Her full breasts would sway and bounce against his thighs and balls, her hard nipples sending shivers of need through his body.

Taber increased the tempo of his strokes, wetting his shaft with spit to make his hand slide more smoothly over the skin. He wouldn’t let her suck him for long. Not when he could bury his cock into her sweet body. Feel her muscles contract around his shaft when he’d pull on her nipples, suck them hard into his mouth.

He knew she would do the things to him Calantha never would. The things that had made her block him from her mind during sex, refusing to talk to him about when they were alone.

The Fallon of his dreams would let him tie her to the bed. Her body restrained, he’d be able to give and take pleasure, teasing both of them and testing his control. Yanking his cock hard, he imagined they’d take turns, giving her the pleasure of tying him up as well. He yanked against the restraints, would buck against her as she straddled his hips, teasing him, licking his nipples, biting his skin before finally, slowly impaling her sweet, soft body on his cock.

He could hear the noises she would make in his head. Her head thrown back and her eyes screwed shut as she pushed her body down as far as she could go. Taber would thrust up, trying to force her to move, to ride him hard, but she wouldn’t. She’d be the one in control, the one with the power over him. He would lie there—he’d beg.

The words would pour from him, desperate, until she’d flash him that bright smile of hers and begin to ride his cock.

Her body would be heaven. Soft, wanting as she rode him, Fallon crying out as her orgasm crept closer. He’d want to be in her mind, like when he was bonded to his mate, but knew he couldn’t. Fallon wouldn’t care. She’d tease him, suck his nipples, slam her body against his cock over and over until they were both falling toward oblivion. His hand was flying over his shaft now, pumping it hard, needing the release.

Taber felt the rush of cum start in his balls and shoot its way up his cock until it exploded from him. He cried out for a moment before snapping his mouth shut, 30

grinding his teeth against the force of his release. Waves of pleasure rolled through his body as his stomach and chest were covered with cum. The picture of Fallon in his mind slowly faded, leaving only blackness until he opened his eyes and stared at the mirror that was fixed above his bed.

When he’d first arrived in his room, he couldn’t understand the positioning of the mirror. But now…he looked at his naked body, covered with his seed and he understood why the humans had done it. What it must look like when there was a couple here, making love. To see how their bodies moved together as well as feel it would heighten their sensations.

Had Fallon made love in such a room?

As his mind slowly crawled out from the haze his orgasm produced, the image reflected back at him slowly changed. He shouldn’t be doing this, experiencing pleasure at the thought of a woman who wasn’t Calantha. His mate been given to him by the goddess, blessed that they’d found each other at such a young age. But despite their bond, that initial rush of sexual need, she’d rejected him. They were bonded but did not enjoy the intimacy that such a privilege would allow.

Unable to look at himself further, Taber slid from the bed and made his way to the steam shower to clean himself. He only wished he could remove the memories from his mind as easily as he could the semen from his skin.

* * * * *

“You have a guest,” the soft words of the computer system spoke to him.

He hadn’t finished dressing, his body still damp from the steam and soap of his shower. Wearing only his pants, Taber hesitated before grabbing his shirt from the bed and walking to the door. It was most likely Sean, here so they could continue their investigation.

“Computer, who is it?”

“Fallon Reist.”

He froze before his hand touched the door release. His cock twitched, threatening to return to life. Looking down at his naked chest, he could picture his cum covering it, wondered if she would have pushed her fingers through the fluid, teasing his skin. It suddenly mattered to him what she thought. Was she attracted to him, or was it simply his imagination? Hitting the door release, he silently held his breath when the door whooshed open.

Fallon stood there wearing a tight-fitting black shirt, sleeveless like the one she had on the night before. He watched as her eyes widened and her gaze slowly traveled over his naked chest and stomach.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Reist?”

He shouldn’t be doing this. He knew he should have dressed completely, properly before opening the door. What kind of life could he offer her? Pushing away the guilt, 31

he stepped away from the entrance and pulled his shirt on before gesturing for her to come inside.

Fallon’s face was as red as her hair, but he knew she was no coward. It only took her a moment to follow his lead, letting the door shut behind her.

They were alone.

“Umm, I’m sorry if I got you at a bad time.” She looked around the room, examining everything but him. “I can come back later if you’d like. Actually, I think I will.”

He reached out and grabbed her elbow before she was able to turn away. When she looked at him, her mouth parted in surprise, he couldn’t help but stare at those perfect, lush lips, knowing they’d feel like heaven if she sucked his cock. His heartbeat actually increased in tempo as he ran his finger over her soft skin.

“Please stay,” his words came out low, deep.

She shivered under his touch.
Good
. At least he wasn’t the only one affected. All rational thought gone, he stepped closer to her without releasing her arm. Her hair was pulled back again, but he could still picture what it would look like covering her naked skin. She stared at him, unblinking, and this time she didn’t look away.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Reist?” This time he spoke just above a whisper, not trusting that he wouldn’t break the spell they both seemed to be under.

Fallon opened her mouth to say something. Stopped, and started again.

“Please, I like it when you call me Fallon.”

Don’t react. Be in control.
He drew a slow, deep breath into his lungs. He liked the way her name sounded but enjoyed saying it even more.

“Very well…Fallon. How may I assist you?”

Her gaze moved back to his chest and he watched as her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip.

“Captain Zane asked me to show you and Mr. Donaldson around the ship. I can’t get into the bar until the investigation is done, so it’s not like I mind.”

Taber’s cock began to grow, liking the idea of being with her all day long. He couldn’t let her see how she was affecting him, so he released her arm and turned his back to her.

“That would make our investigation go far smoother. Thank you for the assistance.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you getting ready. I can meet you and Mr. Donaldson somewhere in a while if it would be—”

“There’s no need. I only require my footwear and I am ready to leave.”

He tried not to look at her as he pushed his foot into the protective boot and began to lace it closed. He could feel her gaze on him, watching his every action as if it were 32

the most important thing in the universe. For some reason, it gave him a measure of pleasure to know she was taking such an interest in what he was doing.

“Are you in the military?”

Her question made him look up. “I am a member of the Briel Protectorate and am the Briel chief of security on Eurus.”

“It sounds dangerous,” she tilted her head to the side as she spoke. “It also sounds lonely.”

How easily she was able to see what others couldn’t. “I have many close friends. I am very rarely alone.”

“But that doesn’t mean you aren’t lonely.”

It struck him that she seemed to intimately understand the difference between the two. Nodding, he returned his focus back to the task of tying his boot.

“My present state of solitude is of my own choosing.”

“You don’t want to have close friends? People who can make you feel not so isolated?”

She’d moved closer to him but wasn’t looking at him any longer. Her hands were clasped in front of her body, as if she was scared to touch anything. The pants she had on clung to her waist and hips but flared out, concealing the shape of her legs. She’d worn a similar article yesterday, which only served to pique his curiosity. When he stood to his full height, he moved his body into his normal military pose. They stood and stared at each other, each taking in the details of the other.

This was so different from when he’d first met Calantha. There wasn’t the insanity, the mind-numbing passion that had overcome them both. No, while not as wild, this was more intense. Both of them carefully gauging the reaction of the other, testing to see how far they dare go.

Which made him feel…unnerved.

“Have you spoken with Sean this morning?” He kept the same low tone he’d used earlier, enjoying how it made her body shift.

“Yes. He was going to head back to the med bay to see if Doc had finished with his autopsy. He wanted us to meet him there.”

Taber held out his arm, indicating for her to lead the way. Fallon cocked her head to the side again, exposing the long, creamy skin of her neck and part of her shoulder, before she turned and walked outside. Coming up beside her, he made sure to stay half a step behind, not wanting to give anyone the impression he was attracted to her.

Because by the goddess he was.

Without pausing, Fallon turned her head to look up at him, her bright smile fixed in place. “Have you been on Eurus long? I meant to ask you last night.”

“I came to the colony with Administrator Kamran. He was an ambassador back then. Ten cycles ago.”

33

“And you were on Briel before then?”

“No. I was deployed with the Protectorate. We were engaged in battles with the Ecada for many cycles.”