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"An engrossing story, ALL OUR TOMORROWS neatly blends intrigue with a very sensual romance. For an exciting, spicy story, check out ALL OUR TOMORROWS." Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today
"Four and 1/2 Stars! The sexual tension in this book is overwhelming. Page after page is filled with sizzling sex!" Affaire de Coeur Magazine
"A very sexy, fun, and ORIGINAL paranormal romance!" Robin D. Owens 2002 RITA Winning author of HeartMate
"Four and 1/2 Roses! ...thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book is filled with twists and turns as the author reveals the world she created. If you enjoy romance novels with a touch of science fiction – this is the book for you." Love Romances
"Five Hearts! Pick up a copy of All Our Tomorrows and see what happens when souls destined to be together really are. Love and adventure as only Eden Robins can expertly deliver is in this story. This author never disappoints me in her work and this is a must for all those who love romance." The Romance Studio
ALL OUR TOMORROWS
By
Eden Robins
(c) copyright August 2003 by Eden Robins
Cover art by Eliza Black, (c) copyright August 2003
New Concepts Publishing
5202 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
To my father, Edgar, who helped me realize that ugly ducklings can grow up to become beautiful swans.
Thanks Dad.
One
Year 2004
The raised knife reflected the moonlight shining in through the open window, momentarily blinding Jo Sha Ta Rem. He lowered it slightly, regaining his sight. And what a sight it was. The woman lay peacefully in her bed, oblivious to the danger she was now in. Though he hadn’t much practice using such an ancient weapon, he knew that his warrior’s skill would not fail him. He could kill her in a second, if he chose to. Yet her appearance, so innocent, so vulnerable in her sleep, stayed his hand.
She lay on her back, arms raised and resting on either side of her head. Her long slightly curly hair was spread all around her, in waves of disarray upon her pillow. Though he couldn’t see much of her features in the dark, he knew from the image he had been shown that her lips were full and lush, and her nose strong. When he had first seen her picture, her eyes had touched him the most. They were bright green, lively, and filled with intelligence, and they seemed to pull at him relentlessly. He fought that attraction, knowing it would lead to no good. He was here to kill her, not woo her.
She suddenly grew restless and kicked the sheets off, giving him an enticing view of her voluptuous curves. She wore nothing under the sheet. Jo Sha stood frozen as desire crashed through him in unrelenting waves. He clenched both fists, one around the knife’s handle and one around the blade, as he struggled to get control of himself. The feel of the metal cutting into his flesh helped him regain his ability to function again.
He stumbled backwards from the bed. Losing all his usual stealth, he almost knocked over a lamp in his rush to climb out of the window. He heard her sharp intake of breath with his acute hearing. Had she seen him? Once outside, Jo Sha melted into the darkened desert around him. He leaned his head back and exhaled loudly. He could not do this tonight. He would have to go with his alternate plan.
Two
“Dr. Matthews, meet your new colleague, Dr. Joshua Trem. He’ll be handling quality assurance and procedure evaluation until Dr. Morrow is back on his feet.”
Dr. Helen Matthews turned, gave the man she was being introduced to a quick once over, nodded her head, then swung back around to resume her work. She had little time for social pleasantries as lead environmental researcher for the Phoenix Project. She was meticulous about following correct procedure and didn’t like being required to have one team member looking over her shoulder, checking that she follow all the rules. She had hoped after Dr. Morrow’s accident that they would have a break from observation for a while.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Matthews,” Dr. Trem said, holding his hand out. “Please call me Josh.”
“And you can call me Dr. Matthews,” she countered impatiently, as she held out her own hand.
The feel of his warm, strong grip surrounding hers left her somewhat unsettled. She finally took a good look at her new associate. He was definitely no GQ model. He was so far from it that it momentarily took her breath away. There was nothing soft about Dr. Joshua Trem. He practically screamed the word male. He was tall, over six feet, yet he appeared stocky instead of lanky, due to the well-developed muscles that were apparent even under his clothing.
If she met this man on the street, and didn’t know he was a scientist like herself, she would have guessed that he was a bodyguard, professional soldier, or even someone’s hired muscle. It wasn’t just the way he looked. It was how he held himself. Tense, as if waiting for something to happen. And when it did, she knew he would be ready for it.
Piercing steel blue eyes beneath dark slashing eyebrows, a nose that appeared to have once been broken and not properly reset, and a mouth that looked like it rarely gave a smile made up the craggy features of his face. Yet, two things about his appearance surprised her. First, he had a small cleft in his chin, which made the hard line of his jaw look less uncompromising. Second, his long, chocolate brown hair, which he wore tied back, looked so soft she had to restrain herself from reaching out and testing its silky texture.
Helen continued to ogle him, until he noticed and held her stare with his own. He gazed so intently at her that she felt like he was trying to read her mind. She shifted her eyes from his while attempting to pull her hand away. When he didn’t immediately release it, she met his stare once more. His expression had turned as cold as ice.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Matthews. I’m sure we’ll be very compatible.”
He released her hand so abruptly that she almost stumbled back, but managed to right herself at the last minute. She was about to make a biting comment to him about there being no need for compatibility in their work, but he had already turned away from her. He moved on to meet the next scientist on their team. It was Druscilla Andrews, and in her usual animated way, the attractive red head practically fell all over Dr. Trem. Helen cringed when Dru let out her infamous giggle.
Dru had once told Helen that she used that giggle when she was flirting, because men always told her they liked her bubbly personality and laughter. Helen thought her laugh sounded like a mix between a braying donkey and a sick bullfrog, but never shared that information with the woman. Nevertheless, it seemed to work, as she saw the previously stoic Dr. Trem laugh in a husky, intimate tone at something Dru had whispered in his ear. The sound of his laugh sent shivers down her spine, bringing the image of silk sheets and a candle lit bedroom to mind. She gritted her teeth and tried to return her concentration to her current project. If the two of them wanted to act like hormonal teenagers, that was their prerogative. She had work to do.
Despite her efforts to ignore Dr. Trem, she was conscious of every move he made. He was like a caged animal prowling restlessly through the lab. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just as aware of her. She felt his eyes burning holes in her back, yet every time she turned around, his interest was always elsewhere. She saw his boredom and relaxed air as he spoke with the other scientists on the team, but sensed that it was not real. She imagined a predator laying in wait. Ready to pounce when the time was right.
Helen shook her head at her own foolishness. What was she thinking? So the man was interesting to look at, why was she obsessing about it? It had to be because of last night. She had the strangest dream. She was lying in her bed, and a tall, powerfully built man was leaning over her, his dark hair falling around his face, making his features unrecognizable. She had felt no fear, only a certain restlessness, which she couldn’t quite understand. He drew close to her for a moment, almost touching her. His proximity had brought a fire roaring to life inside her. It made her yearn for something just out of reach. Then he pulled away.
She wanted to move closer to him but couldn’t. Her restlessness grew until she had actually woken up, gasping with a pulsating ache that almost consumed her. A noise by her window diverted her attention. When she glanced in that direction, all she saw was the swaying curtain being blown inwards by the wind. She didn’t remember opening it. Too tired to dwell on it, she shut the window and went back to bed. When she woke up this morning, she could still remember the feel of that powerful ache.
Even now something stirred to life inside her. She closed her eyes, and clenched her body tightly in an effort to stop it. Sensing someone was near, she opened her eyes and gasped. Dr. Trem was standing so close to her that she had to lift her chin to meet his gaze. She maintained the indifferent look she had managed to perfect over the years. Nothing of what she felt showed on her face.
His eyes searched hers deeply and his brow furrowed in consternation. His nostrils flared, as if he was catching her scent. He began clenching and unclenching his jaw tightly. His burning eyes never left hers as he slowly lifted his hand towards her face.
Helen wanted to tell him to stop but couldn’t form the words. The ache she had only so recently become aware of engulfed her. Her legs felt unsteady. She held the counter behind her for support. His hand was drawing closer, and her skin tingled in anticipation of his touch. She fell into the depths of his blue eyes, unable to stop herself.
“Josh, did you say you would meet me at my apartment tonight at six or seven o’clock?” Druscilla practically purred as she sidled close to Dr. Trem and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Dru’s question was like a bucket of ice-cold water being thrown on Helen. She recoiled from Dr. Trem and pulled herself together. Her eyes narrowed with contempt and shot darts of anger his way. He seemed oblivious to it as he continued to devour her with his hot stare. She lifted her chin proudly and dared him with her eyes. She saw admiration flash briefly in his gaze and a small smile tilt one corner of his mouth up. Then he shuttered his expression to one of pleasant boredom and turned with a serene smile to Dru.
“Six o’clock, Dru. I’ll see you then,” he said with a friendly nod before walking away.
Helen released the breath she had been holding.
“Isn’t he a hunk?” Dru asked with a dreamy expression. Her gaze followed his exit from the lab.
“Yes, a hunk of something I’d rather not say in polite conversation,” she responded tartly, then turned with a scowl to her colleague. “Don’t you have work to do, Dru?”
Later that night, Helen was still stewing with anger as she tried to read. One of her favorite authors had just come out with another book. It was the fifth in a series of humorous, amateur sleuth romances, and Helen was really looking forward to starting it. But she just couldn’t get into it. Her thoughts kept going over the way Dr. Trem had looked at her in the lab earlier that day.
The nerve of the man--being such a blatant player was unbelievable! And she knew players well. She had enough experience with them to last a lifetime. Users and abusers, men without honor, who didn’t know what honesty was. They were men who had used her for what she knew or where she could get them with their career. She had met a few on her path to becoming what she was today. And she had learned her lesson well.
Yes, she knew just the kind of man Dr. Trem was. And if he thought she was cold when they first met, just wait until tomorrow. He would be frozen! She would maintain a professional relationship with him, but that would be it. Her goal to become team leader of the Phoenix Project had come to fruition, and she wasn’t about to let a man like him distract her or get in her way.
She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t struggled and competed to attain her goals. Even as a child, her environment led itself to such things. In a house full of siblings who were faster, taller, skinnier, prettier and more popular than her, competition became second nature to her. She was the proverbial ugly duckling of her family. Short on looks, long on brains, and full on hips, her two sisters always used to tease. Whereas they were cheerleaders and prom queens, always dating the best looking, popular, star of the football team types, she was the brainy, plump wallflower, with glasses and a book constantly stuck under her nose. Her three brothers were jocks, alternately playing track, football, or baseball, and she found out early on that sports just weren’t her strength either. Her coordination, or lack thereof became a problem she just couldn’t overcome.
Once she realized that she could never compete with her sisters in popularity, or her brothers in sports, she strove instead to be better in school than all her siblings. Her competition didn’t stop there though--she also joined the debate team and science club. She thought if she excelled in these areas, her siblings would accept and respect her, but that never happened. Instead, her sisters called her a brainy dweeb and her brothers told her that her drive for success only made her seem cold to the boys they knew. Despite this, she held out, hoping to make her parents proud.
Unfortunately, her parents’ background left them little room for understanding her “uniqueness”, as they used to call it. Her father was an ex-fraternity president--turned real estate developer, and her mother was a former prom queen--turned-socialite housewife. Helen loved them both, and she hoped they loved her in their own way, but they never seemed to express it physically or verbally, or tried to understand her. More often than not, they would look at her like she was an alien whose language they didn’t comprehend. They kept all her science, debate, and academic awards up on the mantel with her brothers and sisters, but they never seemed to convey the same amount of pride in her for those efforts as they did for her siblings.
They would pat her head and make comments like, “That’s nice, dear. We’ll put it on the mantel with the others.” Then they would always have to add the same questions, “But aren’t you going to try out for cheer this year?” or “do you have a date for the prom yet?”
It was as if her accomplishments weren’t good enough. She never made many friends, because her single-minded pursuit of success, and her competitive attitude left people thinking she was cold-hearted and mean, and her intelligence often intimidated her peers. She had acquaintances on the debate team and science club, who she would go out with on the weekends, but no one she could really call her best friend. At times, growing up, she had been lonely and missed having a special friend to confide in but then eventually accepted the fact that she just wasn’t a social person.
She kept trying to be the best she could be in school, hoping that her parents would just once say that magical phrase, “We love you and we’re so proud of you, Helen”. After graduating top of her class in college, then graduate school, and having her parents still look at her like she was a curiosity to them, she finally realized she may never hear those words. She still was competitive and strove to be the best at what she did, but now she did it for herself. She wanted to eventually become lead scientist of all of the Phoenix Project environmental research teams, and she wasn’t going to let a man like Dr. Joshua Trem sidetrack her, no matter how much he appealed to her.
Where had that thought come from? Dr. Trem appeal to her? Well, maybe he did in some sort of basic, physical way, but she would get over it. She didn’t need a big, muscle-bound, blue-eyed Casanova to make her life complete. She would do just fine without him. Feeling much better after giving herself a pep talk, Helen tried to continue reading, but the words in front of her kept blurring, and the image of a fierce, rugged warrior with long, silky, brown hair and a bare chest kept popping up in her mind. Helen groaned in frustration, and put the book down on the coffee table in front of her.
She had just resigned herself to going to bed early, and had changed into one of her comfortable tank tops, when there was a knock on her front door. She looked at the clock and saw that it was nine o’clock. Who could that be at this hour? Most of the people she knew were either reading or watching TV at home, or headed for bed.
“Who is it?” she asked, as she approached the door.
“It’s Jo Sh-uh--Dr. Trem. May I come in and speak to you for a moment?”
Helen jumped at the sound of his voice. What was he doing here? It was as if all her thoughts had somehow conjured him. She wished she had peeked out the window to see who it was first, so she could have pretended she wasn’t home. But that was the coward’s way out, and she was no coward. She would just use this opportunity to set things straight with Josh, so there would be no misunderstandings in the future. She raised her chin high, and forgetting what she was wearing, opened the door. That was her first mistake. The second one was looking into his eyes. She clutched the doorknob tightly for support as her legs turned into useless noodles.
Josh felt the hunger course through him fast and hard. The impact left him struggling to keep from grabbing Helen and pulling her roughly into his arms. His eyes drank in the sight of her as she stood frozen, eyes dilated like an animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Her hair was loose, falling in delicate disarray around her face and shoulders, making her eyes look large and luminous, and her chin soft and vulnerable. Some strands of golden blond hair lay softly curled at the base of her throat, covering the pulse he saw fluttering rapidly beneath it.
His gazed lowered to her breasts. He swallowed convulsively at the sight of her straining nipples, so clearly outlined beneath the tight, sleeveless top she wore. He reached out shakily with one hand to touch her. He heard her gasp, and he froze. His eyes rose sharply to meet hers. Her gaze reflected the desire that was pounding at him, but she was slowly shaking her head back and forth in denial.
“No,” she said in the barest of whispers.
Josh immediately dropped his hand to his side, then with a last burning look, brushed past her into her apartment. He kept his eyes averted, pretending interest in her furnishings. She slipped by him into another room.
“I-uh-I’ll be right out. Let me just change,” she stammered loudly before slamming her bedroom door.
When she came out a few minutes later he couldn’t hide his amused smile. She looked like she was dressed for battle. Her hair was tied back tightly against her head. She had on a bulky sweater and loose pants. Despite the fact that he could barely make out her shape beneath her clothes, the image of her sweet curves when she answered the door was branded on his brain.
“I don’t find this the least bit amusing. What are you doing here so late? I would have thought you’d still be visiting with Dru,” she said with a frown, folding her arms over her chest defensively.
Her stress on the word ‘visiting’ was not lost on Josh, yet he chose to ignore it. He had a plan, and he needed to follow through with it. He could not afford to let his attraction to Helen get in the way.
“I’m not here to socialize. I have a question for you, and I expect an honest answer,” he said coldly, all emotion gone from his face.
The minute he spoke, he knew Helen would bristle like the native yaquesh that lived in the forests of his planet. Like the porcupine of earth, the animal’s needles would stand on end when it was threatened. However, unlike the porcupine, one sting from a yaquesh’s needle could kill a full-grown man, and its intelligence kept its multicolored beatuy elusive.
He knew he wasn’t going to be disappointed when Helen stiffened after hearing his words, then drew herself up ramrod straight. She lifted her chin imperiously at him.
“How dare you imply that I’d be dishonest? I’ve worked on this project for the last year, and my record is impeccable. I resent the implication against my integrity. If anyone should be questioned, I’d insist that it be you. You’ve just joined our team, and we know absolutely nothing about you,” she stated proudly.
“Dr. Matthews, I expect an answer. Why have this team’s experiments over the last year been tampered with, and therefore, made invalid?” he asked, holding her gaze with his own uncompromising one, despite the fact that hers had narrowed with anger.
“What are you talking about? Where did you get this information? Our experiments are completely clean. No one has tampered with them,” she stated firmly.
“During my visit with Druscilla, we went over my predecessor’s notes, observations, and results from the last year. There are several discrepancies and departures from correct procedure, which require looking into,” Josh explained.
He could tell by Helen’s surprised expression, that she was genuinely unaware of what he spoke about. He would take full advantage of this. It would be a way for him to get to know her better and learn her habits. This would help him when the time came for him to fulfill his obligation to his family.
“I don’t know what you found during your little tete ‘a tete with Druscilla, but you must be mistaken,” she said coldly.
“I don’t make mistakes about something like this, Dr. Matthews. Please meet me tomorrow morning at six o’clock in the lab. I’d like to discuss this further with you then,” he demanded just as coldly.
“Six o’clock? I can’t do that. I have results that I need to record first thing in the morn--”
“It can wait. I’ll see you at six. Don’t be late,” he interrupted, and with one last scathing perusal of her from head to toe, he left without another word.
As he walked away, he heard the door to Helen’s apartment slam so loudly the walls seemed to shake. He smiled and shook his head. That woman was going to be a handful, that’s for sure. She was not only very intelligent; she was also full of spirit and courage. Traits a warrior could be proud of in himself or his mate. Mate? Where had that thought come from? His smile turned into a scowl, just as he felt a vibration at his hip. Although it appeared to be a regular pager, the small square shaped box attached to the waistband of his pants was in fact his communications link to his computer. He spoke aloud, knowing Brunhilda could pick up his voice almost anywhere.
“What is it, Brunhilda?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I finished all the adjustments to the computer files here. Everything is set up for you,” a woman’s voice answered from the communicator, yet it was in the well-modulated, unemotional tone of a machine.
“Thank you. Is there anything else?”
“No, Jo Sha Ta Rem. That is all,” the computer stated, closing the link between them.
The computer’s communication reminded Josh that he was not here to “handle” Helen. He was here to assassinate her. That grated against all he upheld in the name of honor, but his duty was apparent. Kill this woman, or his sister would die. His sister’s abductors, Tanvierans For the Environment, or TFE as they were often called, had made it abundantly clear on the day they kidnapped Sa Ra, that if he didn’t succeed in this mission back in time, her life would be forfeit. The fact that the TFE were environmental terrorists who had killed before left him no doubt they would murder his sister without hesitation. It made no difference to them that his father and mother ruled the entire planet of Tanviera, or that he and his sister were Tok Rok and Toka Rok, heir and heiress to the throne. To them, this was merely a means to an end, with little regard for the life or lives of the people involved.
That night, Josh tossed and turned restlessly in his bed. He dreamed of his home planet, Tanviera. He was in the ballroom where his parents often entertained. The swaying music of the Rov Hum filled the air, yet the dance floor was empty except for one couple. As they turned and swayed, he discovered that he was the man dancing. He was in the throes of the movements, easily communicating to his partner that he wanted her as his mate. The woman he held in his arms was equally meeting the intensity of his seductive actions.
The Rov Hum was a dance made up of a sequence of choreographed steps, each one meant to seduce and attract one’s partner. The music of the Rov Hum was created to synchronize with each action, enticing and entrancing with each note. The combination of movement, sight and sound, with a male and female already attracted to each other, performing it in perfect unison, created a sexual energy that was hard to deny. This dance had originated hundreds of years ago on Tanviera, but once the planet joined the Interplanetary Coalition and started allowing visitors, the Rov Hum became popular throughout the universe.
What most visitors didn’t realize, however, was that there was more to the dance than the music and movements. It was actually a ceremony, which not only bound the man and woman together, but also symbolically initiated their togetherness in the Rov Hum, or “true self”. At the culmination of the dance, when both the male and female were almost desperate with need for each other, people each dancer had chosen to represent them would physically separate them from one another. The man and woman would be brought separately to a large private chamber. Their hands were bound to opposite walls, allowing them to see each other across the room, but not touch, and then they were left alone. It was only after they each evolved to the state of Rov Hum, strong, feral, and dangerous, that they could break their bonds and come together in a wild and sometimes violent joining. It was both a spiritual and physical ceremony, culminating in each person attaining his or her “true self”. Once completed, their bond was for life. The only thing that could separate the two was death.
The two dancers continued to spin around the ballroom in his dream, but still Josh could not make out the face of his partner. She would turn toward him for a moment, giving him tantalizing glimpses of full lips, sparkling eyes and golden hair, but never enough for him to recognize her. As his desire for her grew to the point of no return, she was pulled away from him. He roared his outrage, violently straining against the arms that held him back. He desperately strained to watch her progress as she was forcibly led out of the room. Just before she was pushed through the door leading her away, she looked over her shoulder, frantically searching for him. Her hair, now in wild disarray momentarily moved away from her face, and he finally saw who she was.
Recognition ripped through Josh in shock wave after shock wave, waking him up to a painful state of arousal. Sweat poured down his body. He struggled to gulp in deep breaths of air. Denial rose up in him immediately as the implication of his dream fully hit him. He knew that this reverie could not be ignored. In his world, dreams were revered for their meaning and future implications. If that was the case in this instance, it changed everything. He knew of only one way to verify the truth of his dream, and he wasn’t sure if the other person involved would easily agree to it.
Looking at the clock beside his bed, he saw that it was five o’clock. He would be meeting with Helen in one hour. He would dwell on the meaning of his dream later. For now he had to concentrate on his mission.
Helen entered the lab at exactly six, looking stiff and unrelenting. Josh smiled wolfishly as anticipation coursed through him. He always did like a good challenge.
Three
Helen walked into the lab, and immediately spied Josh. She stopped short and scowled at him. No man had a right to look so good, especially this early in the morning. He wasn’t handsome in the traditional movie star sort of way, yet something about him pulled at her whenever she was near him. This did not improve her mood, however. She felt grumpy and out of sorts, while he looked calm, almost serene, and quite put together.
“Good morning, Dr. Matthews. Did you sleep well?” he asked with such a pleasant smile and even tone that it grated against her nerve endings.
“Fine, thanks,” she lied, gritting her teeth.
No, she definitely did not sleep well. Her night was filled with endless thoughts of a muscle bound, rough faced man, with intense blue eyes who had left her angry, and aching for something she didn’t want to admit. She tossed and turned most of the night, thinking about the way Josh had looked at her in the doorway last night. When he reached out to her, she had wanted to fling herself forward into his touch. Only through sheer will had she managed to tell him no. And that had been barely more than a breath of air forced from her lips.
Despite the fact that he had actually pulled back and not touched her last night, Helen’s dreams had been filled with just the opposite. In her reveries, she hadn’t said no, and his hand had reached its destination, covering her breast with its warmth, fondling it to the point that her knees buckled. She would have slid to the ground if Josh hadn’t grabbed her around the waist, supporting her against him, then leaned her back over his arm. Her back arched, and her breasts were thrust forward as if in offering to him. His head descended, and his mouth covered where his hand had been, suckling her through her shirt. Each pull of his lips caused a matching ache to pulse at the very core of her. She had awoken from the dream, breathless, sweat drenched and full of need. After that, trying to sleep had been useless. She just lay in her bed until morning, her thoughts going back again and again to Dr. Joshua Trem.
Ever since what she called her “college mistake”, no man had affected her to this extent. She hadn’t let anyone get close enough to. It had been her junior year in college and she actually had a boyfriend. He was good looking, funny, and seemed to think she was something special. He had been one of her first, and they had just finished making love to celebrate the fact that the science practical they had worked on together was finally finished.
That was before she’d found out the truth. He’d used her to complete the project because she was “the smartest person in the class.” And if that wasn’t bad enough, after he’d bedded her, he confessed with a cruel smile that “I slept with you out of curiosity. All my friends said you’d be a bore in bed, but I wanted to see for myself. Alas, they were right. You’re like ice in the sack, Hel. You really should work on that.”
Those were the last words he ever spoke to her. She had made a mistake in judgment, learned a lesson, and moved on with her life. She became smarter, and more determined not to make the same error again.
So why was it that, despite her experience, Josh merely had to saunter into her life with eyes that seemed to offer her everything, and a body that made her want to take it, and she responded like a lusty teenager? She should be worried about her job, her position on the team, and this man’s ability to ruin her career. Instead, her gaze kept straying to the snug, faded jeans he wore, and the steel blue T-shirt which molded around his muscular chest. Her traitorous mind kept playing her dream from the night before, over and over.
Coffee. She needed coffee—now. She went over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a cup. It was just brewed, she could tell by the delicious smell. Her first sip of it, black and strong, improved her mood slightly. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring those first few swallows, while struggling to get herself under control.
Josh cleared his throat, and her gaze snapped back to him.
“Uh--ready to get started?” Josh asked in a voice that sounded somewhat strangled. She noticed he was staring at her throat with a look that could only be described as hungry. His eyes slowly rose to meet hers, and she felt a jolt from the electricity that zinged between them. Shaking her head to clear it, she moved farther away from him and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. After a minute she was able to pull herself together. She adopted her iciest demeanor.
“I will definitely be ready to discuss your so-called issue with protocol, once you fulfill a request of mine,” she stated.
“Oh? And what might that be?” he asked.
“Before I share any of the daily results and procedure of Project Phoenix with you, I want a full accounting of your background, past projects and qualifications,” she demanded, meeting his gaze without flinching. Surprise, followed quickly by anger darkened Josh’s expression.
“What! You can’t be serious. Why would you want this information?” he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
“I’m totally serious. You’ve accused the rest of the team and I with procedural misconduct. That’s a serious charge. If you want me to cooperate fully with your investigation, then first I need to know that you’re who and what you claim to be.”
She saw Josh’s jaw tighten, as he realized she had check mated him. His gaze locked with hers in challenge. She boldly returned his stare, refusing to back down.
“You know I could refuse and still go forward with this investigation without you?” he asked.
“You could, but I don’t think you’d find the people on my team any more cooperative than me, except, of course, for Dru,” she returned with a saccharine smile.
Josh silently studied her for a moment. Then his face changed. The hostility and anger in his eyes was replaced by admiration and something else she didn’t let herself examine too closely.
“Fine. I’ll have the information for you at our next meeting tomorrow morning, six a.m.,” he said.
“I don’t think so. I can’t neglect my experiments two days--” she started to argue, but Josh interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
“Have someone else do it. Tomorrow at six a.m. This is the time that will be convenient for me from now on. I insist, or we have no deal,” he countered with a hard smile.
“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. Helen had learned early on that there were times to concede and times to push the issue. Now was not the time to push it. She had won the battle. That was enough for now.
“See you in the morning, Dr. Matthews,” Josh said. He turned away from her in dismissal, as if she were no longer in his thoughts.
“Six a.m. sharp, Dr. Trem.”
As Helen left him, her mind worked furiously. She needed to find out as much as possible before tomorrow. She needed answers, and she knew just who to talk to.
“Phillip, I need this data by this afternoon. Can you do it?” Helen asked the man sitting behind the desk in his small office.
Dr. Phillip Moshie was what many perceived to be the stereotypical scientist. He was in his late thirties, with a small frame, short stature, and balding head. He even had small, round, thick glasses. It was like someone had drawn a comic book picture of a scientist and Phillip came to life, yet Helen held no regard for the importance of his appearance. She was just glad to have him on her team.
“No problem. I should able to put the information together by then,” he assured her with a warm smile. “I should have everything together by lunch time. I’ll see you then?” he asked.
“Sure,” she replied with a friendly smile.
Helen spent the morning completing her observation sheets and recording her results. By lunch time, she was ready for a break. When she got back to her office, Phillip was already waiting with lunch in one hand and papers in the other.
“You’re not going to believe what I found, Helen.”
Phillip was the only one of her coworkers she allowed to call her by her first name.
“But first let’s eat, I’m starving,” he said.
“Me too. What did you bring today?” she asked as her stomach growled loudly.
“My sentiments exactly,” he said with a conspirator’s smile, as he set everything out on her desk. She could tell from the bag he carried that he had gotten something delicious from the campus canteen. He took out hot roast beef on rye with spicy mustard, crunchy dill pickles, steaming hot french fries, and of course the obligatory diet soda for her, and regular soda for him. Never one to forget dessert, he had bought thick, dense, fudge brownies for both of them. Though he was very thin, he always managed to eat like a horse, relishing each bite. They devoured their food, each of them quiet as they enjoyed the feast before them. Afterwards, they cleared the desk, sprawled out on her couch, and laid their heads back.
“That was great,” she said, unbuttoning the first three buttons of her blouse so that she could breath a little easier over her full stomach.
“It sure was,” he said, loosening his tie.
“Thanks for bringing it,” she said.
“My pleasure,” he said with a sigh.
Neither of them seemed capable of more than a few words, as they felt the inevitable sleepiness that came after eating a big meal steal over them. They decided to close their eyes simultaneously. That was the scene that lay before Josh moments later, as he entered Helen’s office and softly closed the door behind him.
Rage like he had never felt before crashed into him as he saw Helen and Phillip stretched out on the couch. They both had contentment written all over their faces, and if Phillip’s loosened tie and her unbuttoned blouse were any indicator, he knew exactly why. His gaze took in the whole office, not missing her desk cleared of everything. That only confirmed it. The two of them were lovers, and they had just finished engaging in some pretty intense love play right here in her office. That thought sent another sharp jolt of anger through him.
He looked at Phillip and his muscles tightened in preparation for battle. His hands curled into fists. He widened his stance, balancing his body, as if waiting for an attack. A red haze glazed over his eyes, and only one thought filled his head as he glared down at the man on the couch. SHE IS MINE.
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