Read The Bond That Consumes Us for Free Online Page A

the hallways alone.”
    Fallon took a step back and frowned. “I doubt anyone would come after me.”
    Taber held her gaze as he leaned forward, pressing both his hands on the edge of the bar. “Please Ms. Reist.”
    “Fallon—”
    Taber closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. “Please let me escort you to your quarters.”
    The lust that had been building in her belly all night instantly sprung forth at the thought of Taber being in her quarters. Her pussy grew wet and her nipples tightened, which only deepened her desire. It was probably a good idea to be a bit on the cautious side until they caught whoever killed Nate. And she could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t going to give her any say in the matter anyway. Taber pushed away from the bar and made his way over to the door where he waited for her to join him.
    Tossing her towel into the laundry slot in the wall, she walked out of the bar and waited for him to follow before she put a security lock on the door.
    “No one will be able to get in now. My place is this way.”
    The corridors of the Damara were never completely empty, no matter the time of day. Even after all of the partiers were asleep, there was usually someone on duty, moving about completing some task. But with the ship on lockdown, the corridors were dead, making the normally jovial atmosphere of the ship eerily silent.
    “The crew quarters are on the far side of the ship,” she said after a few minutes of walking in silence. Taber didn’t say anything, so she rushed to fill in the lull with conversation.
    “ Damara is pretty much a party ship most of the time. When we’re in orbit around a planet you won’t be able to move in these halls, no matter what time of day it is. I hope you catch the person who did this to Nate quickly so we can bring some life back to this place.”
    25

    There was a few seconds of silence before she heard Taber draw in a short breath to speak. Fallon waited, anticipating the tingle that would race down her spine when he did.
    “I would normally never visit a ship of this nature.”
    Somehow that didn’t surprise her.
    “Any particular reason why not? Do Briel not know how to have fun?”
    She partially turned her head so she could get a better look at her overly serious bodyguard. For his part, Taber seemed more interested in making sure no one was lurking in the halls than looking at her. At least she thought so until he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the path of a man who practically ran out of a service doorway.
    “Shit!” she squeaked, her fingers closing around Taber’s massive forearm.
    “Oh, hey,” a clipped drawl came from the man. “Watch where the fuck you’re going!”
    Turning her startled gaze from Taber’s arm, she saw Lukas Ross standing here.
    When he realized it was her, his body relaxed and he leaned against the doorframe. His engineering uniform opened at the neck, exposing a large portion of his naked chest.
    His dark brown eyes narrowed on Taber for a moment before he returned his gaze to her.
    “Sorry about that, Fallon. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Lukas stepped out into the hall. “Are you okay?”
    Taber tighten his grip ever so slightly around her waist before releasing her. It wasn’t until he stepped away that she realized her hip had been in direct contact with the side of his thigh. Looking over her shoulder at Taber, she smiled and flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder.
    “Lukas, this is Taber. He’s here from the Eurus colony investigating Nate’s death.”
    Flashing his prizewinning grin, Lukas held out his hand. “Lukas Ross. I’m one of the head engineers here on the Damara .”
    Taber merely looked at his outstretched hand before nodding once. “Ms. Reist, we should get you back to your quarters.”
    “Is there a problem?”
    Lukas wasn’t as protective as Nate or even Captain Zane had been, but she’d always been able to count on him in the past. That said, he