Funny, the way he asked the question sounded very much like he"d asked her are you okay?
"I sure am. I have to say, I"m actually looking forward to getting off the ship for a while and walking on stable ground."
"The shuttle is waiting for us. Sean is going to stay here to continue the investigation. And see if anyone goes missing after our departure." He said the last in a voice so low it barely rose above a whisper.
Grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, Fallon stepped out into the hall and placed a security lock on her quarters. "All set."
Taber walked half a step behind her as he always did, the closeness of his body giving her a sense of peace. It surprised her how much she"d come to rely on him, enjoy his presence so quickly. It hadn"t been like this with any other man-this total, complete 106 trust. Still, as much as Taber was beginning to mean to her, she didn"t know if she could put herself out there like that again. Open her heart up to the possibility of getting it crushed. Fallon"s chest began to tighten and the old panic started to creep back under her skin.
Needing to distract herself, she looked back and him and smiled. "So what is Eurus like? I don"t know a thing about it."
"The planet"s surface is toxic to humans and Briel alike. We need enviro suits to get from the station to the mines. The station itself is full of life. Very similar to here in many ways. You"ll enjoy it." While he sounded as if he were giving a clinical description of his home, she heard critical notes of pride in his voice.
"Do you have friends there?" It seemed odd that she hadn"t thought to ask him that before now. In fact, it was hard to believe Taber had a life beyond what she"d seen him do since he was on the Damara.
"The administrator has been my closest friend for many cycles. Over thirteen. And, of course, Sean. Only recently have I made further acquaintances."
Fallon turned to look at him as they walked. "That sounds...lonely. You mean to tell me you only have two good friends?"
The fact that he wasn"t close to many people didn"t come as much of a surprise either. He was her opposite in so many ways. While she made fast friends with just about anyone who set foot in the bar, she knew he didn"t trust quite so quickly. It"s probably what kept him alive for so many years, considering his job. Still...
"No. I am close to Kamran"s mate, Haylie, as well as her friend, Sara."
"Oh. Is she single?"
A bead of jealously began to roll around inside her. She knew he wasn"t with anyone romantically, but even the idea that another woman might be interested in him wasn"t sitting right.
"Sara is recently married to a man named Davin. I know they wanted to have a traditional Raquilian ceremony but waited until Haylie had her baby. Davin mentioned they would perform it back on his home planet and Sara wouldn"t leave until her friend was out of danger."
"This is the administrator"s wife?"
"Yes. She is human."
It took a second, but the implication of what he"d said to her finally sank in. Fallon stopped with a gasp. "You mean Briel and Humans can have babies?"
Any feelings of jealousy were vaporized by the fear and panic at the idea of getting pregnant. They hadn"t done anything to be safe. f.u.c.k, she was having s.e.x with an alien!
Why hadn"t she thought about that?
"Fallon?"
Taber stopped beside her, running a hand down along her arm. She couldn"t stop the shiver that shot through her body or the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
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"S hallen, what"s wrong?"
She looked up at him and saw the concern on his face. Somehow, knowing that he was there for her took the sting out of her panic.
"We hadn"t...I mean when we...I could be pregnant?"
Looking at him, she saw something change on his face. A flash of emotion that flew by so quickly, she couldn"t read it before his normal calm expression resurfaced.
"There is that possibility. If you"d like, I can have Sara give you a physical. That way, if there is a chance, she will detect it."
The last thing Fallon wanted was any of Taber"s friends getting too close. Part of her didn"t want to get to know them for fear of liking them. If she did, it would make leaving that much harder. And she needed to leave, needed to get back to Earth.
"She won"t have to know anything," he said, as if he were reading her thoughts. "In fact, knowing Sara, she"ll insist on it anyway."
Fallon smiled and shrugged. "Well, I won"t protest then. Just in case."
They continued their way toward the shuttle, Fallon"s mind buzzing with the uncertain possibilities. It continued to buzz for the entirety of the trip. With Taber beside her, she couldn"t help but think of what life would be like for her if she were to stay. Waking in his arms every morning. Making love to him at night. f.u.c.k, making love to him wherever the h.e.l.l she felt like.
Waiting while he ran off to save someone or fight in some battle. The uncertainty of whether or not he was okay eating at her until he walked through the door. Fallon stole a look at his profile as they sat side by side in the shuttle. There was only one other pa.s.senger besides the pilot and he was a miner returning to Eurus, so she didn"t have to worry about what others would think.
She reached out and slid her hand under his, feeling relief when he gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"Most men would be freaking out right now. Or would be beaming with joy. I need you calm until we know."
Taber nodded, keeping his eyes forward. She didn"t think he was going to say anything and looked away.
"You should rest," he finally answered. "I have a feeling once we arrive at the colony, things will get...busy."
Before she could protest, he draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. The warmth from his body soothed her inner turmoil and allowed her mind and body to relax. For the first time since she woke up this morning, Fallon relaxed and she drifted to sleep.
108.
The hiss of the shuttle hatch opening set Fallon"s heart pounding. It was strange, but she had the feeling something big was about to happen to her, change her life.
Giving her head a shake, she took a deep breath and stood a little straighter.
"Are you well?" Taber asked.
As they reached Eurus, she noticed he was beginning to pull away from her physically. The physical nature of their relationship had changed since they both considered the possibility she was pregnant. She missed having his arm wrapped around her, but she wasn"t about to push him into anything either. It"s not like she was planning on staying here indefinitely.
When the hatch was finally open, Taber walked ahead of her down the stairs. His ma.s.sive frame momentarily blocked out the people standing there, waiting for him. She waited, hanging back, curious to see him in his home, with people who cared about him.
There was another Briel, the administrator she"d seen on the communicator earlier, who greeted Taber first. He was almost as tall as Taber but not as muscular. Still, there was something about the way he held his body that left no doubt this was a man used to being in charge. They didn"t shake hands, though the other man tried, and instead Taber bowed deeply from the waist.
"I trust Haylie and Orya are well?" Taber asked with his normal calm demeanor.
But there was something else, a note Fallon hadn"t heard in his voice before. Taber"s back was a bit stiffer and his hands clasped behind his back were squeezed together tightly. If she didn"t know better, she"d think there was a problem.
"They are well. Haylie is anxious to see you and has asked me to tell you to get your a.s.s over to see her."
A small blonde woman laughed and grinned at a Raqulian, one of the few alien races she had met before, standing behind her. "She"s pretty much back to normal. It"s going to be h.e.l.l keeping her from work, at least for a while."
"Isn"t Orya enough...work?" Taber asked, straightening.
"My wife believes in mult.i.tasking."
The administrator turned his gaze to Fallon and she immediately shivered. So much for being the quiet observer. He stepped past Taber and held out his hand to help her down the shuttle stairs. She took it and smiled, feeling shy for the first time in her life.
"Where are my manners? Welcome to Eurus."
"Hi. Thank you," she said as her face heated. d.a.m.n, this was like being brought home to meet his parents.
Taber was immediately at her side. Close, but still not touching. "Administrator Kamran, let me officially introduce you. This is Fallon Reist, and as I said on the communicator, I believe it is her life that is in danger on the Damara."
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"Please, call me Kamran. And I have every confidence that Taber will be able to keep you safe here while he finds the killer on your ship."
When Kamran finally released her hand, Fallon noticed Taber"s body relaxed slightly and he was finally able to look at Kamran again. It was as if he didn"t like anyone else touching her. Even a man who Taber claimed was his closest friend. She pushed aside that line of thinking quickly.
"Thank you, Kamran. Taber has told me a lot about Eurus. I"m looking forward to seeing the station."
"Hi, I"m Sara."
The short blonde woman stuck her hand out and marched between the two Briel.
The Raqulian chuckled. "Nothing like b.u.t.ting in, Sara."
"Hush, you. It"s not everyday a new woman arrives on the station." Sara leaned closer and lowered her voice. "I hate to admit it, we"re a bit outnumbered genderwise out here. We need all the support we can get."
Fallon liked this woman. She couldn"t stop the grin that slid onto her face and leaned a bit closer herself. "I"m a bartender. I"ll mix us up a few drinks and you can tell me all about it."
"Oh, this is trouble. You had to bring a bartender back with you, Taber."
"Shut up, Davin," Sara said and sighed.
"Yes, dear."
Fallon chuckled. Despite not wanting to get pulled into their world, she couldn"t help but like Taber"s friends.
Sara stood and linked an arm around Fallon"s. "Now if you gentlemen will excuse us, I"m taking my new friend to med bay. I hope you don"t mind, but I need to give all new visitors a physical before I let them on board."
"All new visitors, or only bartenders who are the obsessed focus of a serial killer?"
she asked with as much mock sincerity as she could muster.
Sara grinned and looked over at Taber. "Oh I like her. Can we keep her?"
Fallon looked at Taber and had to fight to keep breathing. The strangest look was on his face-a mix of pride and fear. He simply gave Sara a slight bow and averted his gaze from Fallon before anyone else noticed.
"I believe she may want some say in the matter, Doctor."
"Well, I"ll have to do my best to convince her then."
And before Fallon could say anything else to Taber, Sara was pulling her away toward med bay.
Taber watched as Fallon was taken away by Sara. He hadn"t thought it was going to be this difficult bringing her to Eurus, to his home. But watching her with Sara stirred 110 something deep inside him. If he thought his protective urges were strong back on the Damara, they were even stronger here.
"There goes a pile of trouble if I ever saw it," Davin said, sounding more amused than ever. "I don"t know if the station can handle a third woman in that particular posse."
Kamran chuckled. "I have a sneaking suspicion Sara"s physical will be quick. She plans on taking your Fallon to meet Haylie. It would explain why my wife is suddenly blocking me."
My Fallon. By the G.o.ddess, he wished that was true. And if Sara"s examination revealed a child, then it very well would become a reality. He wouldn"t be able to let her go, even if it was her wish. A baby would link her to him in a way that even a bond between mates couldn"t rival. For the time being, he needed to keep everything the way it was. Didn"t need the added distraction of Kamran, Haylie and the others asking questions about Fallon"s and his past while there was a killer out there trying to hurt her.
"She isn"t mine, Administrator. I"m only doing my duty and trying to prevent any more murders from occurring."
His tone was harsher than he intended, causing both the other men to turn and stare at him. Taber faced Kamran and bowed. "My apologies. I"m tired from the events of the past week."
Kamran looked him over hard and Taber knew he was trying to read his body language. Not willing to give even a hint of what was going on inside his head, he met Kamran"s gaze steadily, relaxing as much as he could. He didn"t want his friend to know about his feelings toward Fallon or the turmoil that was currently churning in his head. That would lead to questions about his past, and he still wasn"t ready to discuss it. While Kamran was a talented amba.s.sador, Taber didn"t want him to involve himself in his personal life-closest friend or not.
Davin snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. He no longer wore the gloves that covered his Raqulian tattoos, no longer caring who knew about his abilities. "Well, I can see why someone would fixate on her."
Taber stiffened, his fists reflexively balling into fists. "And why is that?"
"She"s very pretty. Someone with a damaged mind who needed to cling to something could very easily fixate on someone as beautiful as she is."
By the G.o.ddess, he hadn"t put much thought into the why or how of the killer"s fixation. Taber walked a few steps away and ran his hand through his hair and over the back of his neck. "It would explain why the murderer is killing off men who are friendly toward Fallon."
"Your killer is murdering the perceived compet.i.tion for Fallon"s heart. It could be that he plans on taking her for his own," Davin said, his voice calm, steady.
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Inside, Taber was being eaten alive. He had to make sure Fallon was safe, so she could return to her life on Earth and finally be happy. As Taber looked at Davin and Kamran, a plan was began to form in his mind.
"Do you think the killer will chase her to Eurus?"
Davin frowned for a moment before nodding. "I believe so. You"ve basically put yourself out there as the front runner for her affections by taking her away. An obsessed mind isn"t going to let that pa.s.s and will find a way to get her back."
"It sounds like you"ve made yourself a target," Kamran said, taking a step closer to Taber. Kamran locked his gaze on Taber"s and lowered his voice. "Anything I should be aware of?"
With his heart pounding, Taber did the one thing he never thought he would-lie to Kamran.
"There is nothing. Though if Davin is correct, I should play the part of a suitor for Fallon. It will enrage the suspect and force his hand."
Kamran c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? People will not believe a single Briel male is pursuing a human female in this fashion."