Alien (13 page)

Clearing his throat as he stood in the doorway, Tamin smiled
when the women looked in his direction. Nudging Rodin to get his friend moving,
Tamin held out his hand to Staci and then to Andi.

“Ladies, how can we be of service?”

“I’m here for my follow-up appointment in the regen bed,
Doc.” Staci seemed nervous but excited. “You said that I was healing better
than expected and I wanted to see if that was still the case.”

Rodin glanced at Andi. “And you?”

“Well, you’re looking at your new nurse.” Smiling broadly
when his face fell in horror, she tried to hold in a giggle. “The council
offered me a contract to help the brides recover after their ordeal. Isabel in
particular is one of their concerns.” Nodding to the hallway, she tucked her
hands in her pockets and waited for him to say something.

“I thought that you would leave for Earth once we made
orbit… You are staying?” Rodin was unable to keep the hopefulness out of his
voice.

“For a couple months at least. I’m going to suggest a few
changes in Isabel’s care and hopefully get her ready to face the rest of her
life as a Phaeton bride.” Sounding confident she was going to succeed, Andrea
was obviously waiting for them to say something. Tamin read her thoughts in her
face.
Were they going to have a power struggle over the care of the brides?
Did the doctors trust her to know what Isabel needed to get over her grief?

“And where will you be staying?” Tamin inquired, curious if
she had been assigned quarters close to the med center where both he and Rodin
lived.

“She will be staying with me.” The deep voice boomed with
authority from the open med center doorway. Before either of the men could
react, Andi leaped on and hugged the warrior walking toward her.

“Zane! I wasn’t sure if I was going to be seeing you again,”
she gushed, obviously unaware of the doctors’ irritation at the new addition to
the room.

“I made sure you would see me again. I have missed you.”
With Zane ruffling her hair and causing her to laugh, Andi didn’t realize Rodin
had started to take a step toward Zane. Held still by Tamin’s grip on his
shirt, he had been stopped in his tracks, but still continued to shoot glares
at the man.

“Zane, this is Staci. She is married to Cooper. And these
guys are Tamin and Rodin, who I am sure you already know.”

As the men greeted one another, Staci watched the
interaction with a smile.

“So, she’ll be staying with you?” Staci asked, keeping her
gaze on the doctors as if to see their reactions.

“Yes, Wheaton just spoke with me and inquired if I could act
as your personal escort. I suggested that you would be better off simply
staying with me again. We are used to sharing quarters—”

Interrupting Zane, Rodin asked bluntly, “Why can she not have
her own apartment?”

“Since the security breach with the kidnapping, the council
has decided that all females will be placed with a guard twenty-four hours a
day. She has been staying in an empty apartment since our union was dissolved.
Instead of assigning a new warrior to her, I simply volunteered, since we are
friends,” Zane answered then gazed at Andi. “Plus, I have missed my
almost-bride. We have much to discuss.”

Not liking the answers he was getting, Rodin gritted his
teeth. Feeling Tamin bump his elbow, he realized that he was openly displaying
the emotions he was feeling. “She is more than welcome to stay with Tamin and
myself,” Rodin offered. “It would actually make more sense since she will be
accompanying us here every day.”

Both Andi and Zane were shaking their heads. Zane with an
expression of anger and protection and Andi with one of amusement mixed with
disbelief.

“No,” they both said at the same time.

“Why not?” Rodin bit out.

“Because we don’t like one another and I would prefer not to
get charged with murder while I am a guest on your ship,” Andi said to the
doctors, unable to keep from laughing at the thought of living with the two of
them.

Tamin bumped Rodin again on the arm when it appeared as
though Rodin was going to argue. “We understand,” he concurred. “Zane, if at
any time you need to have a break, please tell either myself or Rodin and we
can provide an escort.”

* * * * *

Visibly upset, Rodin stood silent for a moment, taking in
the situation. Seeming to realize they needed to get their day started before
patients started piling up, he gestured to Staci. “We can begin your exam if
you are ready.”

“Of course.” Staci practically ran to the room that Rodin
was walking to, asking questions.

As Tamin followed them out of the main room, Andi turned to
Zane. “What about your new match? I don’t want to be in the way of any
potential wooing.” Winking at her friend, she grinned when he blushed.

“No wooing will be happening anytime soon. The system is
compromised and until they can get it fixed, I will have to wait for a new
bride. I figured you could use a friend. I know that you were set on going
home.” Tucking his arm around her shoulders, Zane gave her a one-armed hug.

“I wasn’t really looking forward to it, but I do need to get
started on the ‘putting my life back together’. That means job and apartment
and just…well…everything I guess. I feel like I’m in limbo and apparently that
is going to last for the next two months until the contract I just signed
expires.” Andi returned his hug, excited to have her friend with her.

“Well, it seemed like maybe one of the doctors had his eyes
on you.” Shaking his head, he gave her a stern look. “I’m not sure I approve.”

“His eyes on me? Puh-lease. If anything, he was watching me
to make sure I wasn’t going to yell at him again.”

“He will get over it.” Zane snagged a donut from the table.
“I can go retrieve your things and move them to my place if you like.”

“That would be great. I need to figure out what I’m supposed
to be doing here during the day anyway.” Bouncing up on her toes to give him a
kiss on the cheek, she said, “You are a lifesaver.”

“You are welcome, hot stuff.” Zane shoved the rest of the
donut into his mouth before walking out the door.

“Hot stuff?” The voice behind her caused Andi to jump in the
air with a screech.

“Uh?” Trying to calm her heart, she stared at Rodin in
confusion.

“He called you hot stuff.”

When Andi simply raised her eyebrow as if saying “so what”,
he continued, “You seem physically familiar with him. He called you hot stuff,
and you will be living with him.”

“And?”

“Are you having sexual intercourse with him?” Not noticing
that Andi had gone completely still, Rodin appeared to let anger keep his mouth
moving. “If you are having intercourse and become fertilized, you will be
required to stay here the duration of your pregnancy and also leave your child
if you choose to return to Earth.” When Andi was silent, Rodin seemingly took
that as a sign she did not understand what he was saying. “It was in the
original bridal contract you signed. All children are required to be raised by
the Phaeton race should you get pregnant.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Andi was unable to stop
herself yelling, her voice carrying down the hallway where Tamin and Staci were
finishing up.

“What would I be kidding about?” Rodin propped his hands on
his hips.

“First off, who I have sex with is none of your business.
Second, the council made the decision for me to stay with Zane. And third, yes
I read the contract. I am aware that if I get pregnant and decide not to be in
a bridal contract, I am not allowed to take my baby home. I’m not an idiot.”
Andi’s voice rose louder and louder as she finished with her finger poking into
his hard chest.

“It is my business.” Rodin bent and stared directly into her
eyes.

Leaning away so he wasn’t so close to her, Andi licked her
lips and voiced the question that seemed unspoken. “Why is that?”

“Because you are mine and I mean to have you.” Rodin stated,
watching her tongue wet her mouth.

“Excuse me?” Andi whispered, shocked at his response.

“And guess what?” Rodin watched her, his eyes promising
secrets she was unsure she wanted to know.

“What?” The question was so quiet that Rodin would not have
heard her if he hadn’t been a hairsbreadth from her.

“Tamin means to have you too.”

As Rodin gestured to someone over her shoulder, Andi could
only guess Tamin had walked into the room and was hearing the insanity that was
being spewed by his friend.

Sure enough, Andi turned around to find Tamin standing at
the door. Searching his face for an answer to the questions that were rolling
around in her brain, she didn’t realize at first he wasn’t alone. Standing
immediately behind him, Staci had her hand over her mouth. Well at least Andi
had a witness to the madness.

Wide-eyed, Staci stared at Andi as if she wasn’t sure what
she had just heard.

“Fuck. Me.” Not realizing that she’d spoken aloud, Andi
practically jumped out of her skin when Rodin moved forward to press his body
into hers from behind. An unexpected shiver of arousal worked its way through
her.

“We will. Soon,” he whispered into her ear from behind.

Andi had never seen anyone move so fast in her life. Making
quick excuses to those in the room, Staci lit out like her butt was on fire.
After the red-faced woman had scurried out the door, Andi stood staring at the
doctors. Circling until they were both in front of her, she held out her hands
as if to keep them at bay.

“You guys are crazy,” she sputtered, her shock evident.

“Not really.” Tamin smiled at her with a sexy grin she had
never seen cross his face until that day.

Taking a moment to do her own staring, Andi realized that
the men were extremely similar in build and appearance. Both men had hair that
was shorter than most of the other warriors, falling just short of their
shoulders. They also had tattoos on their temples that signified they were in
the medical sector. The black-inked markings were composed of curved lines that
accented their eyes.

“How can you just come out and say something like that? I
didn’t think warriors shared brides.”

“Most warriors do not, you are correct.” Rodin agreed and
continued, “We are different though. Tamin and I have been together for many
cycles. We grew up in the same training house and are what you would call best
friends.”

Ahhhhhh. Wide-eyed, she focused all her attention on the
men. It was interesting that neither of them had made even the slightest blip
on her gay-dar.

“So you guys…” She wiggled her fingers back and forth
between the men. Tamin laughed and Rodin appeared offended.

“No. We are not homosexual. We are simply close…like
brothers. It has been apparent to us that with our duties to Squadron One, it
would be hard for us to each have a bride and dedicate the time that a
successful marriage would require. We are the main doctors for the ship and
rarely have time when we are not needed in one form or another,” Tamin
explained.

“After talking about our concerns when we learned of the
Bridal Pact, we came to the conclusion that sharing a bride and being able to
dedicate at least half our time each would be the better way to approach the
situation,” Rodin added.

“But—” Andi started, only to be interrupted by Rodin when he
continued.

“We have explained our situation and it has been accepted by
the council members. Our needs are unique and the council ruled that we are
unable to enter the bridal match until the more traditional matches have been
assigned.”

“And you think that I am your match? Based on what exactly?”
Feeling blindly for a chair behind her, Andi grabbed one and sat quickly before
her wobbly legs gave out on her.

“We requested your profile the day after the kidnapping.”
Rodin walked toward her.

“You mean the day I slapped you?”

They both laughed at the sound of astonishment in her voice.
“Yes, the day that you slapped my friend was the day we decided you were
perfect.”

Rodin nodded. “You are perfect for us. Passionate, dedicated
to your patients and beautiful, all rolled into one perfect human package.”

“Don’t forget prone to acts of violence,” she tossed out,
smiling at the absurdity of their conversation. They had to have a few bolts
loose if her slap had convinced them they and she needed to be married.

Pulling out a chair, Tamin sat next to her and reached for
her hand. “Anyone with as much passion as you displayed would be able to handle
not one but two warriors.” Raising her hand to place a kiss on her palm, he
said softly, “And we are those warriors.”

“I can’t believe this is happening. It’s as if I have fallen
down the rabbit hole.” Talking more to herself than to them, Andi snatched her
hand from him when she realized she was still letting him hold it.

“You will become accustomed to our touch soon. We can be
patient.” Tamin pushed out a free chair with his foot so Rodin could sit next
to them.

“What if I don’t want more than one husband?” The question
needed to be asked aloud, even though her insides were screaming the opposite.

“Then we will just have to convince you otherwise,” Rodin
said as he relaxed in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee, which caused
his leather pants to tighten on his thighs. Unable to keep her gaze from
tracing the muscles she could see delineated under the supple leather, Andi
tried to swallow. Her dry mouth made the simple action harder than ever.

“You cannot deny the attraction you feel. We can see it in
your eyes,” Tamin pointed out with a chuckle.

“Just because I have been given the option of a buffet
doesn’t mean I have to eat at it.”

“You want to though,” Rodin said in a low voice as he
adjusted himself in his tighter than normal breeches. “And it will be our
pleasure to tempt you.”

“This is nuts.” Unable to think of anything other than how
crazy their offer sounded, she shook her head.

“The first thing that needs to be done is addressing the
issue of Zane.” Rodin allowed a scowl to flit across his normally calm face. “I
do not like the fact that you will be staying with an unattached male.”

“Well you better get over it, buddy. Zane is my closest
friend and I am staying with him. End of conversation.”

“He had better not touch—” Rodin started, only to stop when
he was elbowed by Tamin. “Will you stop hitting me?!”

“Then do not say anything stupid, Rodin,” Tamin defended
himself.

“Rodin, he is my friend. Friend. I had the option to sign
the bridal agreement with him and we both knew that it would be a mistake.” At
Rodin’s expression of disbelief, Andi rolled her eyes at him and explained,
“We’re more like siblings than lovers.”

“Did you kiss him?” Tamin asked bluntly.

“Even though it is none of your business, I’ll answer you
honestly. Yes. We did kiss.”

Rodin tensed at her words.

“That was when we realized it would never work. There was no
passion in our relationship, only friendship,” Andi finished.

“I would like the chance to kiss you as well.”

“Me too,” was rumbled from the other side of her where Tamin
was sitting.

“I need to think about this. It’s all happening too fast.”
Andi felt immediate guilt at the disappointment on the men’s faces. “I’m not
saying no. I’m saying I need some time.”

Rodin nodded to Tamin. “We will give you time to consider
our offer.” Standing abruptly, he walked out of the room in angry strides.

“Why is he so angry? I just need a little time to think
things through.”

“Do not worry about him. His emotions are running high with
everything that has been happening. I just ask that you give us a fair chance
at convincing you this can work. Let me show you what your duties will be while
assisting us.” Tamin’s changing the subject seemed to work and ease the mood
that was prevalent in the room.

Andi honestly tried to listen to Tamin, but her mind kept
straying. Could she be with both men? She had to admit that some of the romance
novels she had read did tend to have a polyamorous theme. To her, that had
always been securely in the fantasy section of her brain. Not in a million
years had she ever thought the chance would come up that not only one hot hunk
of an alien, but two, would want her. When she had first been introduced to
Zane, she had been shocked at the lack of sexual chemistry.

Her initial meeting with Tamin and Rodin had been exactly
the opposite. Even during the stressful situation of the pair caring for the
brides, tingles had radiated through her body when the men spoke in their deep
voices. Andi had written it off as a rush of adrenaline, considering what she
had just been through. Later, the emotion she’d felt for them had been intense
anger. In the weeks that had passed, Andi hadn’t had a chance to think too much
about the pair, since she had been on the planet and gone from the ship.

As she watched Tamin closely, Andi couldn’t help but pay
attention to the way the soft fabric of his tunic moved over his chest. Or the
way the leather of his pants cupped his perfectly round ass. If she’d ever had
a weak spot, it was a man’s butt. That was one of the reasons that she was such
a baseball fan. Those pants could make even the most anti-sports watcher sit
back and reach for a tub of popcorn.

Realizing that he had been speaking to her without getting a
response, Andi felt her face turn red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch the last
thing you said.”

* * * * *

Smiling as if he knew where her thoughts had been headed,
Tamin repeated himself, explaining the schedule that they would go through
daily. After explaining a few more items on her daily task list, he excused
himself while she started getting familiar with the supply closet and the items
they had available for use.

Walking quickly to an empty exam room, Tamin found Rodin
reading a report. “It appears promising, does it not?”

Glancing up at his friend, Rodin motioned to the papers in
his hand. “According to these readouts, Staci suffers from some minor scarring.
I believe it may be able to be corrected with a few treatments in the regen
bed.”

“I was not referring to our patient’s reports from today.”
Tamin smiled. “Andi makes you show more emotion than I have ever seen you
display in all the years I have known you, Rodin. It is entertaining.” Sitting,
Tamin leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, obviously amused at the
expense of his friend.

“Very funny.” Tossing the reports onto the counter, Rodin
folded his arms. “Yes she does. I do not understand how she gets me frustrated
so quickly. I have the desire to say things just to see that fire in her eyes.”

Tamin nodded at his friend. “I know the fire that you speak
of and I believe if we can get some alone time with her, then we may be able to
light it into an inferno.”

“Is she angry that I object to her staying with Zane?” Rodin
asked.

“I believe she sees him as no more than a close friend. If
we push the situation, it will do more harm than good. We need to let her have
Zane in her life and not only accept, but welcome the affection that he shares
with her,” Tamin offered.

“When I think about them sharing an apartment, I cannot help
but feel territorial regarding Andi. It is a situation that makes my stomach
burn just thinking about it,” Rodin gritted out.

“It is only temporary. She will soon be ours,” Tamin said
with confidence.

“It better be sooner rather than later. If I witness any more
hugs between them, I may lose all control I have.”

“I understand and agree. Do you think that maybe we should
speak with him regarding our intentions?” Tamin pondered.

Rodin thought for a few moments. “Andi will most likely tell
him about our proposal. In fact, I have no doubt that she will speak to him of
it.”

Tamin was nodding in agreement when he stopped and frowned.
“What if he is not supportive of our suit?”

“We can only hope that we can convince him that this is what
is best for Andi. That we are what is best for her,” Rodin offered. Dealing
with Zane was a problem he hadn’t been prepared for.

“If he gives us any trouble we could always put some
laxatives in his food. We just received a shipment of medical-grade tablets
yesterday,” Tamin joked, which caused Rodin to give him a considering look
before both men broke into laughter.