Shifting Priorities by Nanette Salomon

Author:Nanette Salomon [Salomon, Nanette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Social Science, History, Art, Techniques
ISBN: 9780804744775
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2004-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

Shifting Priorities 3: Mating Call

Chapter Five

Darien felt her tense up, smelt the sudden fear that radiated from her every pore. He rose up on one elbow to look down at her face. Her beautiful blue eyes were hidden, long, blonde lashes spread out over her cheeks. Her heart was racing, the blood pounding through her veins, powered by the adrenaline that spilled into her system.

She was terrified, and he knew it was his fault. She’d responded to him with total abandon and that scared the hell out of her. The report that Jakeb had put together painted a picture of a lonely, independent female who’d been dealt a very unfair hand in this life. Everyone she’d ever needed, everyone she should have been able to turn to and trust, had deserted her. Or worse yet, used her to their own ends. Gaining her trust would be a tough job.

He smoothed the hair back from her face, running his fingers through the silken strands in a soothing pattern, repeating the caress over and over again until he felt her start to relax, her breathing evening out to a steady rhythm. He needed to court her, give her time to get used to him and the incredible explosive power of their union. He cursed the timing. If his intel was correct, they were due to be attacked by pirates as soon as they entered the adjoining sector. He needed to concentrate on the job at hand. Once they’d cleaned out the deadly nest of pirates, he’d have plenty of time to court her properly.

He could tell the exact moment she slipped into a deep sleep, exhausted by their lovemaking and her emotional turmoil. He placed a tender kiss on top of her soft hair before he pulled the cover over them and allowed himself to drift into sleep.

* * *

“So what’s today’s plan?”

Darien wondered if she realized how tempting she looked wrapped in one of his robes, her hair a tousled jumble to her waist and her freshly scrubbed face young and innocent. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

Time, he reminded himself. Jumping her bones every time she looks at me is not the way to gain her trust. He could feel his lip twitch in amusement. He hadn’t exercised this much self-control in decades. No other female had aroused him this much.

“I have a vid meeting scheduled for later this morning, so you’ll have to amuse yourself. The crew will be glad to help if you need anything.” He paused beside the food dispenser. “What would you like for breakfast?”

Cali crossed the floor, tilting her face to study the dispenser. “Can I get fruit salad from that?”

Darien tapped the access panel to bring up the menu. “Any preference? Earth? Martian? Urazin?” He gave her a crooked smile. “I’d recommend the Martian. They have huge hydroponics complexes devoted to perfecting their produce.”

“Okay.” Cali rewarded him with a brilliant smile that sent heat pooling uncomfortably in his groin. “Martian it is.

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