The Bond That Ties Us (10 page)

weird biology trick and stay with that person forever. The ambassador and I were…ah…discussing it earlier tonight.”

“Really? Damn.” Sara actually looked disappointed.

“Why?”

“Oh nothing. There was a really nice Briel doctor that I met tonight. Never mind.”

Interesting
. “Hey, I’m not entirely sure how it works. Don’t give up on your doctor yet.”

Sara waved Haylie’s concerns away. “So you met up with the ambassador? I leave you for a few hours and you develop a social life? What else did you do tonight?”

Images of Kamran devouring her breasts sent a tremor straight to her clit.

Squirming where she sat only increased the sudden buildup of desire. If she didn’t do something to relieve herself there was no way she’d get any sleep.

It took a minute for her head to clear, but she felt her face heat. Thank god, Sara was too busy getting changed to notice the blush. “I went for a short walk and ran into Administrator Donaldson. He told me to call him Sean,” She tried to mimic Sara’s earlier announcement and was rewarded with a giggle from her friend. “I then ate at a Briel restaurant and…ah…spent some time in the observation room before coming home.”

“Wow, you’re on a roll. An ambassador and the colony’s administrator in the same day. And you’ve only been here, what, seven hours? I’m thinking coming here was a good idea for your sex life.”

Haylie couldn’t help but laugh. “You have no idea.”

A now changed Sara collapsed on to her bed. “I don’t think I’ll move for a week.”

Her voice was muffled by the pillow.

Haylie shook her head. She’d been so wrapped up in her own affairs, she’d selfishly neglected her friend. “I’m sorry. How is your patient? I heard there was a problem with an environment suit.”

Sara rolled onto her side and yawned widely. “The miner will be okay. Some sort of freak accident with the oxygen controls. I’m going to go back early tomorrow to check on him. Hopefully, I’ll get to squeeze in a tour of the entertainment district once I’m done. This is quite the station.”

“You’ve got that right. Get some sleep. We can chat at lunch tomorrow.” As Haylie spoke, she swung her legs under her own sheets.

“Sounds good. Maybe you can take me to that Briel place you found tonight.” Sara managed to say through a yawn.

“It’s a date. Now get some sleep.”

Haylie watched her friend pass out from exhaustion, before turning off the lights and closing her own eyes. Sleep conquered her quickly.

Despite what he said, her dreams didn’t focus on Kamran. It was a strange sensation. She knew she was dreaming but couldn’t quite force herself to wake up. It 57

was like seeing herself on one of the security vid screens. The dark halls in her mind mirrored the station. In her dream, Haylie watched as she walked down a narrow corridor, leading to a room at the end. That wasn’t in the schematic.
Was it?

The door was locked. She didn’t have to try to open it to know. What was behind it?

Open it.
Administrator Donaldson spoke in her ear. He stood behind her, causing goose bumps to crawl across her skin. His nearness was familiar yet alien at the same time.

Haylie wanted to run away, but Donaldson prevented her by wrapping his arms around her body.

Go on. You have the key. I know you want to see what’s inside.

She shook her head violently from side to side. Why was she so scared? Haylie wanted to tell him it was locked, but she knew he wouldn’t believe her. She closed her eyes and found her back was being pushed against the corridor wall. Donaldson stared at her, expressionless.

Since you don’t want to see what’s behind the door, maybe you’d rather be with me.

Her mouth opened, but the words of protest didn’t come. Donaldson slid his face close to hers with the steady persistence of an ant. She couldn’t move. She hated not being able to do anything. She watched, trying to scream at her other self to get out of there, but with no success.

Donaldson kissed her. Haylie felt the contact of his skin. The cold methodical way in which he moved his lips against hers. There was no passion in the press of skin against skin, no butterflies in her stomach or pleasure humming from her core. It was like he wasn’t really human, only a husk of a man.

When he pulled back, he smiled. It was then that Haylie saw that he was missing all of his teeth. She watched her own mouth open in surprise and quickly turn to horror as Donaldson morphed into some kind of monster.

She began to run then, the Donaldson monster only a few feet behind her.

Quickly turning a corner, Haylie found herself suddenly bathed in soft amber light.

The monster couldn’t enter the room and it howled in rage at the loss of its prey.

Haylie couldn’t quite make out the shapes in her dream room. They appeared tall, but shapeless. She tried to call out to them, but her voice still wouldn’t work.

Haylie.

The voice that called her name was familiar and she struggled to place it.

Haylie.

Nearer now. The glow of the room dulled into a brown wash. It was then she felt the touch on her shoulder.

“Yo, Haylie. Wake up already.”

Sara gave her one final shake before Haylie managed to pry her eyes open.

“What?” Her voice was gravelly, but she was relieved that she was able to use it.

58

“What do you mean, what? Time to get up.”

Sara stood in a crisp jumpsuit, her new uniform. Haylie gave her head a sharp shake, trying to clear the cobwebs.

“What do you mean, ‘time to get up’? I just closed my eyes. This better not be one of your jokes, ‘cause I’ll flatten you.”

Sara quietly walked over to the wall console. “Computer, time please.”

“The time is zero eight hundred hours and fourteen minutes.” The clipped sanitized voice promptly replied.

“Holy crap.” Haylie threw the covers back and bolted to her trunk.

“I think the travel and all your excitement yesterday, pardon the pun, did you in.

Want some breakfast from the food dispenser? It does a reasonable impersonation of bread. Oh, and they’ve perfected coffee!”

Haylie hardly heard as she ripped apart her clothing trunk. “What…oh yes. Bagel, please. With butter.”

“Trying the fake dairy. Brave girl. You know the two of us are going to have to remember to unpack sooner or later. I’ll never find a man if I’m dressing in my uniform all the time,” Sara said as she slipped her medical coat on over her jumpsuit.

Ignoring her friend, Haylie quickly set to work cleaning up. The image in the mirror was nearly as scary as the monster in her dream. Mentally pushing those thoughts away, she tried to focus on preparing for the day.

In record time, Haylie slid into her new uniform. The sleek, composite body armor was still stiff and rubbed her in interesting places. If the thick coating wasn’t so important in keeping her safe from laser blasts, she would have changed into something more comfortable. Now that she was officially on duty and people would recognize her, the chances of her being a target had increased. Next, she set about tackling the mess of hair and managed to force it into a thick braid.

Sara thrust a round, darkened blob that looked like bread under her nose. “Here, eat. You still have lots of time to make it.”

“I hate being late. Especially on my first day.”

“You’re not late. Well,” she fixed the collar on Haylie’s uniform, “not yet anyway.

Eat, get a coffee. Give yourself a few minutes to wake up.”

“I hva metn aa nin.”

“And I’m supposed to know what you just said? I know your father told you not to talk with your mouth full.” Sara smiled.

Haylie swallowed. “I said I have a meeting at nine. I have to haul ass.”

Haylie gave Sara a quick hug and shoved the rest of the bagel in her mouth.

Sara’s voice chased her out of the apartment. “I’ll come find you at lunch. You can take me to your spot.”

59

The echoes of her footfalls bounced around the corridor behind her as she moved in record time toward her office. She would have thought it would be an easy record to break, considering she’d walked it slowly the last time. Things were never that easy for her. The corridors were filled with people moving about doing their daily tasks. The halls that were dead a few hours earlier, now buzzed with life.

She heard hellos from some of the new arrivals and waved as she zipped past them.

The sun shone through the small windows in the hall of the living area, casting shadows on the floor. Haylie jogged in and out of the light and dark patches on the floor, wishing she’d had a few minutes to stop and take in the sights of her new home.

She passed the hallway that led to the entertainment section and paused. There were two human guards flanking the entrance and neither looked impressed. It seemed a useless assignment for a security team that was dangerously understaffed to begin with.

Haylie smiled. She couldn’t pass an opportunity to introduce herself, and to see how her new crew would react. Spinning on her toes, she made her way to the guards.

“Gentlemen,” she said briskly.

The first guard barely paid her any notice, but the second straightened immediately.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Shit,” the first guard said and also straightened. “Morning, ma’am.”

“Gentlemen. Why are you posted here?”

“Ma’am, Administrator Donaldson wanted the bar down the corridor closed for a twenty-eight-hour time period. We had an incident last night where a miner was killed in a fight.”

What the hell?
“Killed? I was here last night and there was no indication of a death.

Did this happen inside the bar or where the suspect who was arrested?”

“I’m not sure, ma’am. We were only given our orders at the last minute this morning.”

“Please, Chief is fine. Ma’am makes me sound like my mother or like I’m eighty.”

The second guard smiled. “Yes, Chief.”

She was going to have to look into this further to figure out what the hell was going on.

“I believe there is a meeting scheduled for later today to introduce myself to the security staff. I will see you both later.” She nodded, turned and left.

As Haylie was walking away, she heard the first security guard whisper, “A girl?

He’ll be rid of her faster than the first one.”

Something strange was definitely going on here. If she’d had a bit more time she would have gone back and asked the man what he meant. She’d remember to do that later.

60

Haylie took a single breath before she stepped into the range of the door sensor and walked into her office. Donaldson was already inside and sitting at her desk.

“Good morning, sir. Haylie Bond reporting for duty,” she smiled as she nodded a greeting.

“You’re two minutes late, Bond. I hope this won’t be repeated again.”

Administrator Donaldson said, a clear edge in his voice.

She frowned when she realized he was serious. “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

Donaldson rose and moved smoothly toward her. He showed no expression until he stood half a foot from her. Haylie couldn’t stop herself from staring at his mouth.

Only then did he smile.

“Not to worry. I remember the last influx of new staff had problems adjusting to the time difference here. At least you’re not late for the meeting.”

She was about to ask what meeting when she heard the door open behind her.

“Ah good, Ambassador, we can start.”

Haylie turned to stare at Kamran.

61

Kamran watched to see if there’d be any change in Haylie’s demeanor. There wasn’t. He shifted his gaze to look at Donaldson who was standing far too close to Haylie for his liking. He was able to relax only once she took a step away from the administrator.

“Punctual as always, Ambassador,” said Donaldson in that tone that grated on Kamran’s nerves. He hated that Donaldson could get to him so easily these days. He seemed to enjoy taunting Kamran, no matter how subtly.

“I believe I’m a few minutes late. And I apologize for that.”

“Not at all. A few minutes are hardly to be noticed.”

Haylie’s jaw tightened and she locked her hands behind her back. Kamran had spent enough time with her to know that she was angry about something.

“How rude of me,” Donaldson spoke again, “I don’t believe you are acquainted with our new chief of security. Ms. Bond, this is Ambassador Kamran.”

Haylie smiled and extended her arm. “We actually had the pleasure of meeting last night. Nice to see you again, Ambassador. I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed your speech yesterday.”

The warmth of her skin as he wrapped his hand around hers traveled up his arm and seeped into the rest of his body. He couldn’t stop himself from running his finger up the length of hers before he released her hand.

“Thank you, Ms. Bond. Though it wasn’t quite what the administrator had in mind.”

Averting his gaze from Haylie’s hazel eyes to the black pools of Donaldson’s, Kamran wanted to see if the comment elicited a response. They had spent hours revising his speech, Donaldson wanting very specific information relayed to his new citizens.

But in typical fashion, there was little reaction from the administrator. He hadn’t been himself for well over a year now and Kamran still couldn’t figure out what had changed. At one time he’d considered Sean a close friend. Now, they barely spoke outside of official capacities.

“It simply wasn’t what we discussed. However, in the stead of accuracy, brevity will always suffice.”

Kamran fought his body’s impulse to stiffen. He’d be damned if he’d give in to the flash of annoyance. That was exactly what Donaldson wanted.

The shocked look on Haylie’s face caught Kamran’s attention. He was impressed with how quickly she’d regained her composure, and his annoyance changed to pride.

62

Haylie had pulled her dark brown hair back into a braid that hung straight down her back. It had always amazed him how human women were able to do that. While completely functional, it accented her round face and dark eyes. Her standard issue uniform clung tightly to her. His cock also noticed and he was thankful his tunic covered the evidence of his arousal.

She was beautiful.

“Well, now that the introductions are completed, we can begin.” Donaldson’s voice was overly loud in the small security office. Or maybe his presence was what made the room feel small.

Donaldson motioned for them to gather around a flat-paneled computer terminal tucked away in the back left corner of the room. Kamran had been in the security office only a handful of times over the years and it felt strange to be here now. There had been little need with Taber keeping a watchful eye on things and keeping Kamran informed.

Despite that, he immediately associated this room with Haylie. She seemed in her element here, instinctively fitting in to the environment. Without being told what to do, Haylie quickly took the seat in front of the terminal, logged onto the system and waited for further instructions.

Kamran was hoping to catch her eye, but she didn’t look his way again. He wanted to talk to her. He could feel her prickling annoyance, but if it was directed at him or Donaldson, he couldn’t be sure.

Donaldson stood to the right of the terminal, reached over Haylie and tapped several commands into the computer until a schematic of the colony and statistics of the planet covered the display screen.

“As you may or may not be aware, Ms. Bond, this colony is in constant danger of being invaded. The ambassador has been working closely with a race known to us as the Ecada.”

As Kamran spoke, he studied Haylie’s profile, memorizing each line and freckle.

“The Ecada claim that the humans who first colonized this planet had done so illegally.

While my people are not aware of any land claims made in this sector, the Ecada argue that they were in the process of terraforming the planet.”

Donaldson nodded once in agreement and Kamran watched as the other man subtly stared at Haylie’s body as well. The administrator seemed particularly taken with her breasts, his gaze lingering there a moment too long.

He forced his jaw to relax and took a deep breath. Jealousy would not be an appropriate reaction if he wanted to maintain his impartial façade. But every time Donaldson’s gaze would dip down to study her breasts, her tapered waist or the creamy skin of her neck, Kamran’s muscles clenched tighter.

“There were several reasons you were asked to come to this colony. We needed a replacement for our last security chief, who vanished almost ten months ago. We needed someone with both the skills to control a colony as large as ours and someone who is comfortable working with non-humans.”

63

Haylie’s hands froze over the keypad and she whipped about to face Donaldson.

“Missing? I was told he resigned his post after a short service here.”

Why hadn’t Donaldson told her the truth? Kamran looked at the administrator for an answer, but the man merely shrugged.

“We found no foul play in our investigation. It looked as if he’d left the station in a hurry, taking only the bare essentials. I’m told that his psych profile wasn’t entirely accurate and that he may have lied on the stress test.”

“So he grabbed his bags and left.” Haylie didn’t sound like she believed him.

“It can happen to the best of us, Ms. Bond.” Donaldson didn’t sound like he cared.

He stiffened, scowling down at Haylie. “I’m sure he’ll turn up on a supply shuttle or on one of the other mining ships soon enough.”

What was going on here? Kamran cleared his throat and the two looked at him.

“It sounds like there was a miscommunication between here and Earth. I’m sure Ms. Bond will have many questions. May we move forward with our current problem?”

Kamran said, keeping his voice calm and reassuring. The last thing he needed was for the humans to begin fighting amongst themselves.

Haylie closed her eyes for a second before speaking. “My apologies, Ambassador.

Administrator, after we’re done here, could I trouble you for the ex-chief’s file? I would like to make sure I have all the information in front of me.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll release it to you.”

Kamran watched Haylie regain her composure. He was impressed she could do that so quickly. He’d heard the rumors that many believed she wouldn’t last long. If any of those people had seen her now they would rethink it their opinion.

She nodded. “Please continue with the briefing, Administrator.”

Donaldson smiled. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its normal impassive self. “The other reason you were hired was for your expertise in information security. The current hostilities with the Ecada have mostly been a war of words and data. We need to ensure that none of that information has been tampered with while the ambassador is in negotiations.”

Haylie wasn’t quite able to lose the edge to hers. “I know I’ll be able to live up to both those expectations.”

“I hope so, Ms. Bond. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to send you home and begin my search again for another new security chief.” Donaldson sniffed at her.

Haylie’s fingers froze mid-air, her head snapping around to stare at Donaldson. She opened her mouth as if to respond but seemed to think better of it. When she finally turned to Kamran, he could see her frustration.

“Ambassador, perhaps we could meet for a few moments to discuss your concerns.

That way I will best know the way to proceed.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two at it then. Please keep me apprised of any changes, Ambassador. I’m looking forward to finally resolving this matter.” Donaldson nodded 64

curtly to Kamran, gave Haylie a final once over and strode from the room, the whoosh of the closing door filling the space behind him.

Then they were alone.

Kamran sat motionless. Haylie was angry, not even aware of the proximity of their bodies. He was. With each movement that brought her closer to him, his body reacted.

His already stiff cock was tortured by her scent, overpowering his senses. Her anger intensified the pheromones pounding through her blood, out through her pores to torture him.

Her hands resumed tapping away at the key pad. He should be equally concerned about Donaldson’s behavior, but it was the furthest thing from his mind. He’d spent all night trying to force her face, scent and taste from his mind. This morning, he’d managed to get his libido under control.

From the minute he’d walked through the door, his body had stirred to life. Now it was completely out of control. He had to shift in his seat, thankful that his clothing wasn’t like the tight-fitting uniforms the humans wore.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Haylie’s mumblings brought him back to reality.

“What was that?” he prompted.

“I said, can you believe that guy. He practically threatened to fire me. Shit, he even accused me of being late this morning. I was here before you!”

“Haylie…” He needed to calm her down. His body couldn’t handle her intensity right now.

“Don’t
Haylie
me. You’re not my father. I worked my ass off to get here and that asshole has done nothing but lie to me. What the hell is going on in this place?”

“I’m not sure. But there have been some strange occurrences recently. That is why I sent you the note last night.”

Kamran couldn’t help but stare as she worked on the computer. Her anger had brought a flush to her face and her eyes were bright with emotion. Her breathing was faster than normal, each intake thrusting her breasts high in the air. All he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder, take her back to his room, strip her naked and suck on those breasts for the rest of the day.

Well…maybe not the rest of the day. He had a few other things he wanted to do as well. Like slowly lick every inch of her body before ramming his cock into her over and over again until she screamed his name.

“What is this problem you would like to discuss, Ambassador?” Haylie’s voice was even, if a bit husky.

She had no idea the battle he was fighting.

His blood pulsed in his ears. “Pardon, Ms. Bond?”

Haylie turned to look at him and gasped. He wanted to smile, but that would have wasted valuable energy that he currently needed to stop from throwing himself on top 65

of her. He could tell she knew Donaldson was the least of her worries. Haylie licked her lips, her eyes roaming over his face.

While her uniform accentuated her perfect breasts, it showed him very little of her flawless skin. It would only take a second to have the computer darken the privacy screen so he could strip it off her and fuck her senseless.

“Ah, Ambassador, your…note mentioned there was a problem you would like to discuss.”

“Kamran. Call me Kamran. Give me that small pleasure.” He knitted his fingers together to keep them from reaching out. He had to keep control of his desires or else they’d never be able to keep up this charade.

“What if someone comes in and hears. Won’t that draw suspicion?” Haylie tilted her face ever so slightly toward him, her braid sliding from her shoulder to hang over her chest.

Without thinking, he reached out and pushed her hair back, exposing her neck. He caressed the soft skin for a moment before letting his hand drop. A jolt of energy passed between them at the contact, sending a renewed blast of lust through his body.

“Kamran.” Haylie’s voice was soft, almost desperate sounding. He knew she wanted him as badly as he did her.

Every muscle in his back and neck was screaming at him to relax or take action. But he couldn’t. He was trapped in limbo with nowhere to go. Mates weren’t meant to live like this.

“We knew we were going to be forced to work together. Let’s keep our time together as short as possible. Then we can go about our business. Move on.”

“Move on? Is that what you want to do?” she said, her voice strained. Her expression was not the relief he’d expected to see. She was hurt.

He sat up straighter. “I thought that was what you wanted as well. Leaving the colony and living on my home world didn’t seem very appealing to you last night.”

Kamran’s heart was racing. Haylie sat there, staring wide-eyed at him. It would only take the slightest hint on her part, that she was wanted him and damn the consequences. In that moment he would willingly give up everything to be with her.

He watched her eyes light for a moment before she looked away. His heart sank.

“Hell no. Would you want to pick up and move to Earth with a person you’d just met a few hours ago? I don’t think so,” she said with a distinct lack of conviction.