The Bond That Consumes Us (7 page)

Sean stared hard at him for a few minutes before shaking his head. “God damn you’re stubborn. Even for a Briel.”

“I don’t believe you are one to criticize.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t have the attention of a beautiful woman either.”

Taber knew the second Fallon had started looking at him. The lust inside could sense her attentions, craved it. The warrior in him though was in control. He pushed his shoulders back and cocked his head to the side.

“You know the males of my people don’t engage in casual relationships. We could meet our mates at any time. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Turning to face Fallon and the doctor, he gave them a little bow. “I’ll be in my quarters if you need me.”

He walked away, choosing to use the transportation tube at the far end of the corridor.

39

Fallon pounded her fists into the heavy punching bag at the gym, hoping the shooting pain up her arms would distract her from the fact she was beyond horny. So far, it wasn’t helping. Damn, stupid, arrogant…Taber. Her right hook sent the bag swinging in the air, forcing her to stop and catch it. She’d tried just about every activity available to her at the gym, but nothing was helping. You’d think a couple of hours of exercise would kill her arousal.

“Remind me never to get in a fight with you.”

She turned to see Sean standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips. The black shirt had a rounded neckline that showed off the lean muscles of his neck. Sean had pushed his sleeves up and she caught a glimpse of the well-defined muscles there as well. He was obviously a man accustomed to hard work.

“Hi there. I just needed to…vent.”

“I see that. Want a hand?”

The last thing she wanted was to talk to anyone about what she was feeling. Then again, this was the one person on board who could give her some insight into the man who was driving her insane. Staring a moment longer at him, Fallon finally let a small smile slip and nodded.

“Sure.”

Sean walked around the punching bag, dug his foot into the exercise mat, and braced his body against it. “Let her rip.”

Not letting her mind wander to the one topic she wanted to focus on, Fallon let out a yell and pounded her taped fists over and over into the worn bag. After five minutes of unrelenting punches, she finally stopped, collapsing to the gym floor in a heap. Her breath came out in short gasps and her body screamed from overexertion. Sean released the bag and sat down beside her, cross-legged.

“Feel better?”

“Is he always like that? I mean, one minute he’s grinding his cock against me in the transportation tube and the next he’s acting like I don’t exist.” Fallon turned her head, gasping as she realized what she’d said. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. You probably didn’t want to hear that.”

If it hadn’t caught her off guard, she would have found the shocked expression on Sean’s face hilarious.

“Taber ground…made advances toward you? Sexually?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” she muttered, looking down at her bare feet. “It just kind of happened.”

40

Sean looked paralyzed for a moment—his eyes wide and his lips clamped shut.

Fallon was about to say something when he shook his head and took a step closer.

“Look, I don’t think you realize what this means.” Sean ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve known Taber since he arrived on Eurus. In that whole time I’ve never seen him show any interest in any woman. Not once. And he’d had plenty of opportunities to do so if he really wanted.”

“He told me Briel males wait until they find their mates to have…sex. Has there ever…I mean could a Briel and non Briel be mates?”

Sean looked at her and nodded once before shaking his head. “It’s only happened once, and biology had nothing to do with it. Plus this doesn’t seem the same. Kamran told me he almost died when he first met Haylie. Something about needing to mate quite quickly after they meet or the male dies.”

Taber certainly hadn’t looked like he was about to die in the tube. More like his cock was going to rip a hole in his pants.

“God, I wish I knew what the hell was going on.” She dropped her head to her knees and sighed.

A minute later Sean’s hand patted her lightly on her back. “I’ve given up trying to figure out the Briel.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“Fallon, I don’t know what to tell you. Taber is a good man, but I think you should stay away from him. At least until we know what is going on.”

Her entire world tilted. Everything she thought she knew about Taber was suddenly called into question by one of his friends. She lifted her face to watch Sean go, more confused than ever. “Thanks, Sean. You’re a good man.”

Why the hell couldn’t she hook up with a nice, normal guy like him?

She started as he seemingly read her mind.

“You don’t want me. I’m worse than Taber,” he said with a smile. “But thanks.”

Once he’d left, Fallon felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She was tired from having worked the double shift, not sleeping when she had a chance, and not being able to follow through on the pent-up desire Taber had dragged out of her in the tube. That coupled with not knowing what the hell was going on between them was enough to push her over the edge.

She really needed a shower. Preferably a cold one.

Pulling herself to her feet, she wandered over to the steam shower and stood inside, making sure to spend extra time to wash her hair. The automated switch cut her off from her warm retreat, forcing her to go back out into the real world. She stepped out, dried off and pulled on the clean shirt and opted for her skirt. She began to pull her hair into her standard ponytail when she changed her mind and began to twist it into a braid.

41

Taber liked her hair. She could tell by the way he stared at it in the tube and back at the bar. She couldn’t help but wonder if he liked it up or if he’d want it down. This was stupid! Shaking her head she finished dressing.

Things would be better once they figured out who killed Nate, the bar reopened and Taber left to return to Eurus. She’d fall back into the daily patterns of her life, work, what few friends she had and wait the next three years of her life away.

Returning to the gym, she saw Lukas there lifting at least a hundred and twenty on the bench press.

“Hey. Going light today?” She sauntered over to him as he reseated the weight.

“Doc told me not to push it after I fell last month. You heading out?”

Fallon knew Lukas wanted to fuck her. He’d been more obvious about his advances than Nate, and she’d considered taking him up on them despite the no fraternizing rule when she’d first come on board. Lukas wasn’t really her type though, too much of a hot head who thrived on high emotion to give him satisfaction. Even now, his gaze lingered on her breasts, his lips parted, she knew if she even hinted at her arousal he’d be all over her. She really didn’t want to have some shallow fuck, no matter how horny she was at the moment.

“Yeah, I’m going to try and get some rest.”

“Nate’s death got you freaked? I can come keep you company. I have a few ideas on how I can keep your mind off it.”

He’d never cared about ship’s policies and chased any woman who caught his attention. And as charming as he was, he really couldn’t tempt her enough to follow up.

Fallon bent down and kissed his forehead before patting his shoulder. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“Well you know where to find me if you change your mind.”

“Always. See you later.”

The path she normally took to her quarters from here wouldn’t have brought her anywhere near the high-profile guest section where Taber and Sean had rooms. But if she went two corridors over she could walk right past where they would be sleeping tonight. Knowing Sean wouldn’t be there, she couldn’t help but wonder if Taber really would hide in his room for the entirety of the investigation. For a professional soldier, he was a coward.

Thankfully, she wasn’t.

Sean’s words still ringing in her ears, she turned and went in search of Taber. For the second time that day she found herself standing outside his door hitting the door chime. She knew the computer would tell him it was her, so the real test would be to see if he would open up to her. Let her back inside the sanctity of his room.

When the door opened, she was a little disappointed to see that he was fully clothed this time. After having been pressed against his chest, she really wanted to get another look at the muscular expanse.

42

“How may I assist you, Ms. Reist?”

Well, that was a step back, but at least he hadn’t ignored her.

“I wanted to see how your investigation is going. Were you going to question Commander Bruce today?”

He kept his eyes high, but she had the impression he was taking in every detail of her body. She didn’t squirm, knowing that the shirt she had put on accentuated her body in all the right places. She’d also worn her floor-length skirt, partially because it didn’t stick to her skin after her shower but also because she liked the way it hugged her ass.

“We have arranged to talk to him under the supervision of Captain Zane later this afternoon. Sean is investigating other leads at the moment.”

“And what are you going to do?” She rose up on her tiptoes and tried to peek around his large frame into the room. “It’s past time for midday meal. I can show you a good place to eat if you’re hungry.”

Taber said nothing, keeping his eyes on her.
This is it, time for a desperate move.

Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and gave him a tug.

“You can’t come to the
Damara
and not eat. We have some of the best chefs in the universe.”

Before she knew what he was doing, Taber reversed the tug and pulled her by her hand inside his room. In a blink she found herself pressed against the wall. The door shut, giving them total seclusion with no chance of Tony or anyone else interrupting them.

Taber’s hips were pressed against hers, he held her wrists, pressing them against the wall.

“Why are you here, Fallon?”

“God I love it when you say my name.”

“Why…are you here?”

She tried to pull her hands free so she could touch him, but he stopped her. Giving up, she tipped her head back so she could read the emotions on his face. Unlike back in med bay, she could see his struggle over his control. The fact that he didn’t or couldn’t control himself when they were alone was a turn-on.

“Let me touch you,” she whispered.

“No.”

“I can feel that you want me.” She rocked her hips forward. “I want you too.”

“Fallon, no.”

“Please.”

Not willing to back down, she pressed a kiss against his chest. She could feel his pounding heart through his massive ribcage. His tunic wasn’t fastened tight and she 43

was able to nuzzle her way beneath the fabric to his skin. When she pressed her lips against the spot she’d uncovered, Taber moaned, his hips thrusting forward.

“
Di machachta
you’re going to kill me.”

“Let me, Taber. Let me kill you with pleasure.”

“By the goddess.”

“
Please.
”

His hands flew to her face and he tipped her head back. His mouth was hot, his lips demanding as he devoured her in an unrestrained kiss. Her pussy grew damp, her clit swollen as he ground his cock against her. Fallon lifted her leg, rubbing her foot along the outside of his calf. When he pressed forward, his thigh landed between her legs, allowing her to fall forward on him. Head spinning she thrust her tongue deep into his mouth, tasting his exotic spice.

Then, he pulled back, panting in deep gasping breaths. His eyes scanned her face repeatedly, as if he was checking for any damage he may have caused.

“More,” she begged, sliding her hands around his neck and into his hair.

He was much taller than her, which caused her body to stretch long, pressing her breasts against his chest. Taber closed his eyes and he sucked in a harsh breath.

“If you knew what you were asking—”

“What makes you think I don’t?”

Taber leaned forward so the tip of his nose touched the end of hers, and opened his eyes.

“Because if you could read my mind, you’d run from this room and wouldn’t look back.”

She did look, not into his mind but into his eyes. The turmoil was clear, eating him alive, preventing him from moving on from whatever event had cut him so deep.

“Is that what happened? A woman ran from you when she found out what you wanted?”

“Not just a woman. My mate.”

The way he said the word was so different from before. There was pain, not reverence, like she’d taken a critical part of his soul with her when she’d run. Fallon tried to pull back, but she was trapped against him.

“You’re married?”

“No. She died long ago.”

God, how could she be so stupid? Taber would never cheat on his wife. She didn’t even know if Briel
could
cheat, with their damn biology running the show.

“Change your mind?” his voice was a low whisper. “Ready to head back to your bar and forget me?”

She could tell that’s what he expected her to do. But she wouldn’t, couldn’t do that to him. Sliding her hands from his hair over his shoulders down to his chest, she began 44

to tug the tunic from his body. He pulled back enough to let her drag it off over his head.

With his upper body completely naked now, Fallon could finally explore him the way she wanted.

“How could any woman turn her back on you?”

Dipping her tongue out, she licked the skin between his pecs, smiling when his muscles twitched beneath the contact. Her hands found his sides and she dragged her nails over the rows of muscles that consisted of his mid section.