The Bond That Consumes Us (14 page)

“Yes, a man’s fucked my ass before.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yes.”

He groaned. “I’m going to fuck your ass. You’re going to forget every other man before me.”

She nodded again, her voice suddenly useless. The ragged rise and fall of his chest beneath her body told her all she needed to know—he was barely on the edge of his control.

“There is something I need to finish first,” he said, and for the first time since she’d met him, he grinned a wide, devilish smile.

Fallon was about to say something when he clamped his mouth on her clit and sucked it back into his mouth. She cried out, squeezing the headboard but keeping her gaze locked on him. He flicked his tongue over her clit so fast, she thought she wouldn’t be able to keep up, might lose the orgasm before she reached the end. But she didn’t.

Taber pushed his finger deep into her body as the first pulse of her release hit her.

She couldn’t move at first, her entire body freezing from the force of the pleasure. Her legs shook, her body broke out in a sweat until her screams of pleasure were ripped from her throat.

Then she couldn’t stop.

Her voice was raw by the time Taber sat up, lifting her body as he went. He gently pushed her back against the bed. Even after she was completely spent, he continued to 91

lick and kiss her pussy, his finger working her tight ass. When he lifted his head to look at her, Fallon was shocked at the raw animal lust she saw burning in his eyes.

“I’m going to fuck your ass.”

She moaned at his possessive tone and spread her legs wide.

“No. I want you on your knees.”

Yes, that would be better
. She somehow made her body move, positioning her body so he could climb up behind her. He didn’t seem to move at first, instead rubbing a hand down along her back and over the swell of her ass cheeks.

“So very beautiful,” he murmured.

“I want you so bad,” she said, shaking her ass slightly.

He spanked her cheek, making her yelp. The burning tingle worked its way deep inside her, firing her pussy.

“That will be a game for another day,” he said chuckling.

Taber rose to his knees behind her and positioned his thick cock at the opening of her ass. He was wet from his spit and her cream, so when he pushed the head of his cock forward, it slid easily.

Damn, he was big. For a second, she didn’t think she’d be able to take him all. She’d only had a man fuck her ass a few times, and none of them was as impressive as Taber.

He didn’t rush things by pushing too fast or too hard. For every inch he pressed into her, he gave her a chance to adjust to his size. Then he’d continue on. When he was finally in her fully, he stopped moving, his hands locked tight around her hips.

“
Sha tama re do kima.
”

“I hope that means you like it.”

“You are so tight.”

He pulled his hips back until he was nearly all the way out, then he pushed back in.

There was no resistance from her body, allowing him to easily fill her. He was so large, Fallon felt her body tingle deep inside as it adjusted to his cock. The warm pressure began to fire her pussy again, making her wet and horny.

Taber released her hips, leaning forward so his chest pressed against her back. He snaked an arm around to her front, his fingers searching out her clit once more.

“Come again,” he whispered against her ear. “I want to feel you, smell you come again.”

The words, his tone, stirred her. He was demanding and caring simultaneously. A master and lover—hers. He kissed her neck, licking her skin. He buried his face against her shoulder, his ragged breath heating and cooling her.

Fallon’s body began to quiver as he synchronized the thrusts of his cock with the teasing of his fingers on her clit. He was nearly frantic in his motion, the smoothness of his thrusts becoming jerky as he got close to his orgasm. She knew he wouldn’t come 92

before her. So instead of fighting it, she let him work her body into a frenzy. It didn’t take long.

“Taber!”

“Yes, that’s it. Come all over my hand. By the goddess, you’re perfect. Now, Fallon.”

He squeezed her hard against him as her second orgasm overcame her. Her body clenched and her ass constricted around his cock. He roared, pounding mercilessly into her. His arms locked around her, Fallon absorbed his every motion. She could feel him come into her ass until he finally stopped.

When they collapsed together on the bed, their bodies were tangled together.

Taber’s weight pressed her into the mattress until he shifted to the side without leaving her completely. He continued to kiss her neck long after the glow of their orgasms had gone.

“You’re ruining me for other men.” She kissed his forehead. “What am I going to do when you leave?”

Taber stilled his body, slowly lifting his head to look into her eyes.

“Why don’t you come with me?”

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“What?”

Taber could tell by the confusion in her voice that she was almost as surprised as he was. He wasn’t sure where the words had come from, but he wasn’t about to take them back.

“When the case is done, you could come back to Eurus with me. We do have several nice bars that would love to have you.”

Her body stiffened in his arms, telling him all he needed to know. She didn’t want him—not as a mate. He pushed the crush of his emotions down hard and fast, making sure no sign of them would be reflected on his face. It mattered more than he wanted to admit, but the last thing he wanted to do was to let Fallon know he was hurt.

“It was only a thought. Not one that requires an answer,” he said softly, and shifted onto his back.

His body was drained of energy. Despite his earlier protests, he really did need to sleep. Sean was only a call away and would be willing to keep watch over Fallon until he had a chance to rest.

Sitting up, Taber reached for his pants and began to put them on.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

The indignant tone in Fallon’s voice made him freeze and look at her over his shoulder.

“I was getting dressed.”

“No, you are going to sleep.” Fallon snatched his pants out of his hands, scooted out of bed and held them behind her back. “I don’t plan on giving these back until you rest.”

The sigh that escaped him was unexpected but helped relieve the turmoil building inside. “Fallon, I intend to sleep. In my quarters.”

“I don’t think so. You’ll get back there and start working on some report or something. The only way I can be sure that you’re getting your rest is to see you sleeping with my own eyes.”

Taber swung his feet to the floor, stood and made his way toward her, but she was too quick. Fallon bolted out of the room with a giggle, taking his pants with her.

“Fallon!”

“Don’t make me do something drastic.”

“Give those back.”

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For the first time in his life, Taber ran for fun. Fallon’s laughter became infectious as she dodged him, leaping over a couch and tipping over a chair. By the time he managed to trap her in the cooking quarters, he was laughing as hard as she was.

“I warned you,” she said, gasping for air. Fallon opened the garbage chute and held his pants over the open trap. “One more step and they’re compost.”

Taber’s heart was pounding both from the excitement of the chase and the sheer beauty of seeing her like this. Holding up his hands, he took a step back, not willing to test to see how serious she was.

“I surrender. I will crawl into your bed and will sleep.”

“Good,” she said with a grin. “I plan on keeping your pants hostage until I’m satisfied you’re fit to return to duty. Now shoo.”

To punctuate her point, Fallon dipped his pants lower into the chute. Shaking his head, he walked back to her room.

“You have a nice ass,” she called from the kitchen.

“So do you. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll fuck it again.” When he didn’t hear a response, he chuckled. “I’ll take that as permission.”

“We’ll see.”

Fallon didn’t enter the bedroom, which was for the best. Despite how tired he was, seeing her naked body again wouldn’t encourage him to sleep. Instead, he crawled under the covers, curling his legs up so he’d fit into her small bed. Closing his eyes, he breathed in Fallon’s scent that clung to her pillows. It calmed him yet fired his soul. For the first time since Calantha, he wanted a woman. In a short time, Fallon had become more important to him than anyone else, save Kamran. And while he’d lay down his life for his friend, if Fallon asked him to walk away from that duty, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

With his mind turning over endless possibilities in his head, Taber drifted to sleep.

Dreams that he’d been able to ignore for years resurfaced. The fact he knew he was dreaming but unable to wake made the entire experience unnerving. He was walking at his home on Briel, the soft grass under his feet. His home was by the sea, where he could watch the purple waves crash against the white sand. It had cost him a lot of money and many favors to obtain the property, but he knew it was what Calantha had wanted. He’d done everything in his power to make her happy, but it was never enough.

He walked through the house, looking for something. He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, frowning.
What was I was looking for?
Poking his head into each room, he spent little time in any one place.

Finally, he walked outside into the back yard, away from the sounds and smells of the sea. There
maylins
were squawking in trees as he approached the clearing where Calantha liked to meditate. Even as he approached, he could feel her clamping down 95

harder on the barrier she’d erected in her mind to keep him out. When he finally walked through, he saw her, sitting alone in the middle of the clearing.

Taber walked beside her, but did not sit. She wouldn’t permit it.

“What are you doing today, my mate?”

Even knowing this was a dream didn’t stop the unease, the rising panic from building in his chest when she didn’t answer. Calantha simply looked up at him, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Taber squatted before her, careful not to touch her.

“What is wrong?” he whispered, wanting to brush her tear away from her perfect face.

Her black hair was loose around her shoulders, falling like a black sheet over her blue tunic. Taber saw the turmoil in her silver eyes, but there was something else, something more. Knowing she wouldn’t like it, he pushed hard against her barrier, hoping she’d let him in for once.

“You know I can’t stand to be in your mind or have you in mine,” she said in her typical clear and cool voice. “Do not try to push because you perceive weakness.”

“I simply want to help you. You are in obvious pain.”

Taber captured her hand in his, but his dream version of Calantha reacted the same way as the real one had. She simply stared at him, holding her hand limp until he let it drop to her lap. Only once he’d released her did she straighten her back and look him in the eyes.

“I am glad you are here, Taber. It will give me the opportunity to say what I need to.”

She never called him anything but his name.

“Yes, my mate.”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out an empty, small black vial. It appeared to have held some sort of liquid, the remnants of which still clung to the inside of the bottle.

His hands began to shake as he looked from the bottle to her, his mind already knowing the answer, praying for a different outcome.

“What was in this?”

“
Hiva
.”

Poison. A deadly and fast-acting one, with no antidote.

Taber felt sick to his stomach, his body growing numb with each passing moment.

The last he’d spend in the company of his mate. He swallowed hard and somehow forced himself to look her in the eye.

“Why?” His voice came out little more than a breath.

Instead of telling him, she dropped the mental barrier that had kept them apart for the two years of their bonding. Pain, loneliness, despair hit him first, knocking him to 96

the ground. As he sat there, gasping, her feelings of disgust and revulsion, ending with relief, seeped into his mind.

“I’m sick, dying. I want to choose the method of my ending.”

Stunned, he reached out for her hand, only to have her jerk it away. He’d known her mind had always been chaotic, but an illness explained so much.

“What is—?”

“
Zardin’s
disease.”

By the goddess…

He reached for her again, but she cried out and jerked her body away with what little strength she had left.

“Don’t touch me! You always want to touch me.”

“Calantha, please?”

“No! The things you wanted to do to me, Taber, have me under you in our bed, disgusted me. I would rather die than have you get close to me. I’m glad the end is here.

There will be no more pretending.”

He knew it was the illness that was making her say these things, but it cut deep. He had no doubt there was a kernel of truth in what she said. Tears streamed down his face as her mind darkened, their connection fading to black. The poison worked fast, making what little time they had left precious but slipping quickly away.

“If I had known, I would have blocked those thoughts, hidden those feelings from you,” he said, somehow his voice coming out steady. “I love you. I could have helped.”

“No, you don’t
love
me. Biology determined we would fit. Hormones and pheromones—not
love
.”

Calantha’s body swayed and she had to steady herself with her hand to keep from falling over. She blinked several times, and he could feel that she was fighting the inevitable.

“We could have found another way. I don’t want you to die.”

“This was about me, not you.” For the first time since their bonding, Calantha reached out and touched him. Her fingers brushed the back of his hand, softly. “You’ll be happier when I’m gone.”

“I’ll die.”

“No, you’re strong.”

“Cala, I’ll die.”

In a rush, blackness threatened to overtake him. For a moment, he almost let it take him, let it suck him deep into the abyss with her. But Calantha pushed back, even in death refusing to have anything to do with him. It was the incentive he needed. Taber fought against it until finally he was able to open his eyes.

The grove where Calantha had killed herself was gone. Instead he stared up at the stark white of a starship’s ceiling. He didn’t move, his heart pounding in his chest and 97

his hands clenched into fists at his side. It took him a full ten minutes to convince his body to relax, that the dream and his mate were long gone.

When he was finally able to push his body from the bed, the first thing he noticed was his clothing folded in a neat pile on a chair next to him. Fallon had returned his pants and taken the care to make sure nothing was wrinkled. Taber reached out and caressed the material, trying to capture some of the kindness that had gone into such a simple act. Something Calantha had never done for him.

There was a low murmur of voices from the other room. One was Fallon—the other Taber didn’t recognize. Dressing in record time, he paused only long enough to fasten his blaster to his side before walking out into the main living quarters.

Fallon was smiling at a man sitting in a chair, his back to Taber. But when she looked up and saw him standing there, her face lit up. There was something in that look that chased away some of the blackness of his dream.

“Hey, you’re awake.” She beckoned him over. “I ordered my bodyguard to have a nap. The poor guy was exhausted.”

Commander Bruce stood up, turned and faced Taber. The smile on his lips looked sincere but was in stark contrast to the look of distrust in his eyes.

“Hello, Chief Taber. I hope you are well rested.”

The hair on the back of Taber’s neck rose, but he managed to keep his reactions in check. Instead, he nodded to the commander once before making his way to Fallon, taking up his post behind her chair.

“I was telling the commander how helpful both you and Sean have been,” Fallon said, looking up at Taber. “I know I feel a lot safer with you being on the ship.”

“Thank you, Ms. Reist.”

“I am thankful you convinced them to let me out of the brig. I was feeling rather useless.”

“Well, I’m glad too,” Fallon said, patting Bruce’s hand. “I don’t think poor Tony was able to keep up with everything.”

“Tony will regret putting me in the brig in the first place.”

There was no hiding the anger in his voice—the commander intended to make his subordinate pay for overstepping his bounds. The mood in the room changed and Fallon shifted repeatedly in her seat. He needed to get Bruce out of here and away from her.

“Fallon, did Sean contact you while I was resting?”

She stood up quickly and turned to face him. Her smile seemed to cover most of her face as she nodded. “Yes, he asked me to tell you he needed to talk to you. It was about the files you asked him to review. I believe he was using the communicator near the archives.”

“It sounds like you two are busy.” Commander Bruce stood, his body rigid. “I will leave you to your duties.”

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“Please stop by again,” Fallon reached out and rubbed his arm. “It’s been too long since we’ve chatted.”

Bruce looked at Fallon, and for the first time since Taber had arrived there, the other man gave a genuine smile. “I will indeed.”

Once he was gone, Fallon walked over to Taber and cupped his cheeks with her hands. She pulled his face down so they were eye to eye.

“Well you look more rested. How do you feel?”

“How long was the commander here?”

“Not long, and you’re changing the subject.”

Taber pulled her body to within a few inches distance, immediately warmed by her heat and lulled by her scent—soft and fruity. Very much like the strawberries she grew in the hydroponics lab.

“I will feel better when I know you are safe.”

Fallon took another step closer, bringing their bodies into contact. The temptation was there, and certainly harder to resist than it had been when they’d first met. But he had to fight it. Fallon didn’t want a life with him—she’d made that clear in her reaction to his offer. And he was well aware of the potential consequences of what could happen if he pushed her too hard. He couldn’t bear to be the cause of anything bad happening to her.