47.
Her face was impa.s.sive, but her eyes...they looked hurt.
"I"m not the romantic type," she said quietly.
He knew only the basics of human mating rituals. Physical contact resulting in an emotional attachment. Very different from his world, yet something about it was very appealing. The elaborate dance that humans engaged in to choose who they spent their lives with was...different.
"But I didn"t answer your question. Our scientists discovered that Briel mates are able to detect their mates through the detection of pheromones. Female Briel are genetically triggered to be receptive to only one male"s scent. She will respond only to him. Likewise, that one male will be-to use a human phrase-turned on s.e.xually by only that one female."
She still didn"t respond. Kamran had the near uncontrollable urge to stand. Did she not understand what he was telling her? He was hers and she was his. The cosmos had decided.
"Haylie?"
She inhaled a deep breath, leaned back in her chair and frowned. "So why have I responded to you? Has this ever happen before? I mean, between a Briel and non-Briel."
"Not that I am aware of. I can check my records to confirm this, but I trust the answer will be the same."
"I don"t believe it," she said. The words came out clipped. She was clearly upset.
Kamran didn"t blame her.
"I can appreciate how this might be hard for you to-"
"Bulls.h.i.t!" She stood up from her chair so quickly it rolled halfway to the wall. "I"m not going to stand here and listen to you tell me I have no choice in this relationship."
His annoyance began to rise. In his mind, he quickly recited his meditation mantra, calming his frustration.
"You didn"t seem to mind an hour ago."
"Don"t you dare," she said, her anger barely contained. "You knew all this and you didn"t tell me. You never gave me the choice."
"When did I have a chance? Besides, we don"t have a choice."
"What the h.e.l.l is that supposed to mean? Of course we have a choice. Everyone has a choice. It"s called free will."
Kamran was on his feet and beside her before he realized he had stood. "No, you don"t. Why do you think you reacted the way you did in the hangar bay? It was the pheromones. Biology. Nothing you have any control over."
"So next I guess you"ll say I have no choice over what happens to our relationship."
"You don"t. Neither of us does."
48.
They stood facing each other for several minutes. Their eyes were locked on each other, both braced for battle. Kamran"s heart was pounding. He didn"t know if he wanted to fight her or kiss her. Maybe both.
Finally, Haylie broke eye contact and sighed. She walked over to the food unit and banged her head once over the top of the dispensing slot.
"Computer, water."
The sound of the gla.s.s being pushed into the food dispenser and filled with the liquid was surprisingly relaxing and Kamran felt the urge to sit back down. It was only after he"d returned to his seat that Haylie returned to hers with the gla.s.s.
His next words were hard to speak. Kamran swallowed and had to concentrate to keep his voice steady. "Would it be so bad?"
She took a slow drink of water, set the gla.s.s on the desk and wiped her thumb across the condensation that had formed on the outside.
"I don"t know. In my experience, long-term relationships don"t work out."
Kamran shook his head. "They can be wonderful. I"ve seen it first hand with my parents, my brother."
"And I saw my father suffer through years of guilt and anger when my mother walked out on him with some jerk she"d met at an art exhibit."
To that, Kamran had no answer. Human relationships were so complex.
Haylie finished the contents of her gla.s.s before looking him in the eye and asking, "Now what?"
"As you can guess, we Briel don"t engage in casual relationships. When a Briel male has been chosen by his mate, he must relinquish his post and, in this case, return with her to our home world."
"They"ll make you quit your job?"
She said the words so matter-of-factly, Kamran"s hackles rose.
"You too. They"ll ask us to relocate to Briel where we will be expected to start a family as soon as possible."
He braced for another outburst. Reb.u.t.tals to her possible responses instantly sprang into his mind. None were necessary.
She started to laugh. And kept laughing until tears streaked her face.
"Haylie? Are you okay?"
"I"m...fine...sec..." and another fit of giggles overwhelmed her.
Kamran looked over his shoulder, trying to gauge if he could safely make it to the exit before Haylie could catch him. Just in case she had-what was the human expression-gone off the deep end.
It took another minute for Haylie to regain her composure. "I"m sorry. I"m sorry.
I"m okay now."
"Are you sure?" Kamran relaxed his hold on the armrest.
49.
"Yes." She sighed. "It"s been months of hard work getting ready to take this post. I just spent that last several years of my life frozen in a tube so I could get here. The guy I"m replacing didn"t last two months in this job. I was not only determined to outlast him, but to do such a great job that everyone would forget that he"d even been here."
"And now, you will be forced to leave."
"Basically the same day I arrived."
She rested her head against the headrest of her chair. Her eyes didn"t leave his, as if she were searching for a long-awaited answer. For once in his life he didn"t have one to offer.
"I can"t leave this place. I don"t imagine you want to leave either," she said softly.
"Of course not." If she had walked into his life six months later, there would"ve been no questions. The colony would be safe and he"d be free from obligations. But not now. "I am in the middle of delicate negotiations between your people and the Ecada.
To walk away now would shut down the peace talks and open up an opportunity for the Ecada to invade."
"I read the report. They trust no one but you."
"I would use the word trust lightly. But they do know that I will not strike at them without provocation."
"So, Amba.s.sador, it appears we have a problem," Haylie said, her voice taking on a professional tone. "We can either return to Briel, which will cause major problems for the colony. Or we can stay, break Briel laws and face the consequences if they ever arise."
"Which is incarceration for me until I agree to return home and begin a family."
"Excellent!" She sighed. "This is so f.u.c.king mental, it"s not funny."
Haylie stood and began to pace around the confines of her office. She slapped her hand against her thigh as she walked. Kamran smiled. The woman was incapable of sitting still.
He jumped when she laughed again.
"Screw it. Let"s not tell anyone."
She sounded so sure, so confident, Kamran almost instantly agreed.
"You realize what you are saying? The consequences of what will happen if we are discovered?"
"Yup. The new security chief of Eurus is about to commit a major crime after only being on the planet for less than..." she checked the computer console, "six hours."
She stood there, hands on her hips and stared at him. Her expression was almost a challenge, a look that shouted, "I dare you to come up with a better idea" .
He stood and walked to her. Her scent filled his head, making him feel a little drunk. He was aroused. Again. Only this time, he knew there would be no relief.
50.
"That means when we have to work together, we can"t give any indication that there is anything between us. And we can"t continue with our physical relationship either. Briel simply don"t do that." Kamran balled his hands into fists, trying desperately not to touch her.
For her part, she moved her hands from her hips to behind her back, lacing her fingers tightly together once more. "That won"t be a problem on my end."
"Oh, really."
Kamran leaned forward and brought his cheek so close that it almost touched hers.
Why he had the urge to tease her, he didn"t know. Nor really cared. The vindictive side of him knew that being this close to him would drive her wild. He didn"t want to be the only one in agony. He made sure that his breath would caress her ear.
"Then we shouldn"t have any problems."
Haylie shifted her weight, but didn"t squirm away as Kamran had hoped. Instead, she swayed within a hair"s distance from him and chuckled lightly in his ear before she spoke.
"Nope. None at all."
With amazing agility, she slid out from underneath where he stood and made her way to the door.
"Goodnight, Amba.s.sador. I"m sure I"ll see you around the station."
Before she opened the door, he felt it only fair to warn her.
"You"ll dream of me tonight."
Haylie didn"t respond, but he knew she didn"t believe him. The doors closed silently behind her as she left. No matter. She would understand soon enough.
51.
Chapter Five.