“Hold the communicator,” he said, as he leaned down, putting his face so close to hers that their lips would touch if she dared to move. “Was that a joke coming out of your mouth? It was funny, Doc, and you look damn good when you smile. You should do it more.”
Hearing the warm tone in Bradi’s voice, Marisa found herself edging even closer to him as heat continued to erupt from her. “Do what more?” she asked, feeling almost drunk from the closeness to the man. The question popped out even though no part of her had intended on asking it. Something about Bradi made rational thought leap right out the window. The man had a way about him.
Running the pad of his thumb over her cheek, Bradi caught her off guard. “You should smile more. You’re getting married soon. You’d think you’d be in a better mood about it.”
His words cut to the bone as they were no doubt intended to. Stiffening, Marisa collected her thoughts and hardened herself to his charms, or at the moment, lack thereof. She jerked back from him, unable to hide the hurt on her face. And the fact that he’d been the one to bring up Peter wasn’t lost on her.
Something moved over Bradi’s handsome features. He reached for her but stopped just shy of actually touching her. “Doc, I-I just wanted you to—”
“I’m perfectly happy,” she retorted, knowing it wasn’t the truth.
A pregnant pause drew out between them. “You could do better.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. She had an idea of what, or rather who, he was talking about but wanted to hear it from his lips.
“Peter,” he confirmed. “He’s not the prize he presents himself to be, Doc.”
“He’s your best friend.”
“Yeah. But still. You could do better.”
“Is there something I should know?”
Bradi’s gaze rested on her before he sighed, shaking his head.
Doing her best to deal with the turmoil Bradi left her in, Marisa forced a blank expression, donning what she liked to call her work face. “Lieutenant Commander Bradi, my time, as well as yours, is precious, so if you wouldn’t mind…”
He sighed. “Shit, don’t do this, Doc. Don’t clam up and go all ‘stick up the ass’ on me.”
“Stick up the—?” The ringing of her communicator cut her off. She narrowed her gaze on Bradi, daring him to continue with his juvenile behavior as she answered the call. “Dr. Langston here.”
“Hey, sweetheart, are you done yet? I’m going crazy waiting for you,” Peter said in his bedroom voice. “Did you miss me?”
Marisa turned to avoid Bradi’s penetrating gaze and nodded. It took her a moment to realize that Peter couldn’t see her. “Yes, I think I’m done here. My last patient was just leaving.” She heard the door to her exam room open and close. Relief should have flooded her. Lt. Commander Bradi Janelle had left. Oddly enough, no part of her was happy about that. Suddenly, she felt bad for her brashness. “Listen, I’ll see you in a bit. There’s something I need to take care of before I call it a day.”
“Very well,” Peter said. “See you soon.”
“Mmmhmm.” Marisa clicked the communicator off. Tension filled her neck and shoulders as the weight of her behavior toward Bradi rested on her. In truth, he was no worse than the rest of the male crew on board. Being one of only a handful of females on a two-month-deep space journey had left her the target of many deprived males, but none rubbed on her nerves the way Bradi did. No one else made her dream of him, his touch, his cock buried deep within. No. No one else aboard the vessel did what Bradi did to her.
He’s driving me insane.
“What the hell is it about you, Janelle, that gets me all fired up? I have never wanted to punch a man as much as I wanted to kiss him. Why you?” She reached down to grab a file off her desk, shaking her head at the idea that she would give Peter up in an instant to be with a man who only wanted a free fuck.
Two strong hands touched her shoulders, and she froze.
“If I had to guess what it is you can’t resist about me, I would say it’s my charming personality, my devilish good looks, and the fact that I’ve got an eleven-inch dick. Is that marked in my chart? It should be. Wanna verify that?”
Marisa spun around to find Bradi standing there with a wicked grin on his entirely too attractive face. He winked. “Want me to take my pants off again? Oh, better yet, take yours off and I’ll stick you with something special.” He wagged his brows. “Something that will surely give you a boost.”
“Of all the nerve,” she spat as she glared at him. The urge to hit him was great. She gave in to it. The second that her palm connected with his rugged cheek, Marisa hissed, wanting desperately to take the action back. “Oh gods, I’m… Lieutenant Commander…”
A fire burned in Bradi’s blue eyes as he locked gazes with her. Marisa felt as though she were pinned by his predatory look. Every instinct in her screamed how very deadly the man before her could be but she didn’t care. She didn’t fear Bradi. She wanted him in ways she knew she shouldn’t.
His cheek reddened and before Marisa could stop herself, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to hot skin, seeming to douse a bit of the fire that burned in his eyes. Tapping her ear with her free hand, Marisa pressed one of the activation points for her built-in medical chips. “Scan for damage.”
Bradi stiffened a second before a pain like Marisa had never experienced sliced through her head, instantly rendering her scan of Bradi’s cheek ineffective. Grabbing her head, Marisa cried out.
“Shit, sorry,” Bradi whispered, as though he had anything to do with her embedded chip acting up. The feel of his large arms wrapping around her instantly helped to chase the pain away, leaving only a tiny, dull ache in its place. “You okay?”
She nodded and stared down at her hand. “That’s so strange. It’s never hurt me before. Ever.”
“I didn’t mean to use so much…umm,” he glanced away, “of my good pick-up lines on you.”
What?
Growling, Marisa shoved him hard in the chest. Bradi didn’t budge. The man was an oaf. A certifiable space gigolo who ran through women as if they were on special. Anger welled in her. The fact that he’d heard her confession, that he now knew she wanted him, drove her to the edge of reason. Afraid of becoming violent with Bradi again, Marisa pointed at the door as she glared at him. “Get out now, or so help me gods—”
Instantly, his mouth covered hers.
Stunned, she gasped, giving him the opportunity he needed to ease his tongue in. She lost all rational thought. Licking the inner edges of her mouth, he made her knees shake. Marisa’s brain screamed at her to bite his tongue off, but her body reacted by reaching up to touch him, to pull him closer.
He tasted so good.
So sweet.
So divine.
She couldn’t get enough.
With his height advantage, Marisa had to stand on her tiptoes while he bent down to her, but it was worth it. The feel of his hot mouth pressed to hers and his gifted tongue tracing circles around her own made her nipples harden to pebbled points. Liquid pooled at the apex of her thighs, and it wasn’t until she felt Bradi’s hands moving up and under her shirt that she realized what she was doing—making out with a man who could own her heart if he decided he wanted it.
Yanking back from him, Marisa lost her balance and staggered. The sound of her exam room doors sliding open sounded. She ignored them. Bradi grabbed for her and pulled her into his warm body. The need to kiss him again, to welcome his tongue in her mouth was great. As he leaned down, she thought for sure he’d kiss her again.
He smiled. “Careful now, Doc, wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“That’s why I keep you around, Bradi. You know how to take care of what’s important to me,” Peter said, appearing in the doorway suddenly.
She stilled. Had Peter seen them kissing? She knew Peter well enough to know that he wasn’t one to mix words or beat around the bush. He’d have said something.
Marisa’s ey
es met Bradi’s and she saw a shadow pass over them. What they’d done was wrong. It was clear that both parties understood that. Bradi nodded and eased his grip on her. “Yeah, if nothing else, I make a good watchdog, Pete.”
She wasn’t sure if that was hurt she saw on Bradi’s face, or if he was just toying with her, so she glanced at Peter, hoping he’d shed some light on it. He offered none. No surprise there. Peter rarely had much to offer in the way of insight into Bradi. He was such a sharp contrast to Bradi that she wondered how they’d even become friends.
“Hey, Commander, I thought I told you that I’d meet you in a little bit.” Marisa winked at Peter, signifying she was only joking.
Walking toward her, Peter took hold of her arms a bit harder than needed and gave her a good jerk. “And I’ve told you before that I do not like to be kept waiting—ever.”
Marisa gave Peter a questioning stare as she tried to wiggle free of his grasp. “Peter, you’re hurting me,” she whispered, hoping Bradi wouldn’t overhear.
He eased up a bit but gave her a hard stare in the process. Peter’s normally warm personality seemed ice cold almost daily as of late. She’d noticed more and more and wasn’t sure what had prompted it. Sure, Peter was under a great deal of stress with his new position, but he’d held that for two months now. The hard-as-nails persona had come on in the last three weeks.
Glancing down at her, Peter smiled. It was forced and void of emotion. “Excuse us, Bradi, but I need to kiss my woman.”
“Your woman?” Marisa shot back, not caring much for the reference and still upset about the rough handling. She tugged her arm free of his grasp. “I am no man’s property.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Peter gave her a sheepish grin and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I love you.”
“On that note, I am leaving,” Bradi said, sounding oddly even tempered considering how heated he’d been only moments earlier. “I have to check in on the command deck. We are heading into non-Commission territory and it looks like we’ll have that damn meteoroid shower to contend with after all. Our scouts tell us that it’s not bad, but I would advise going around it if at all possible. I think it might be safest.”
Peter gave Bradi a lecherous smile and when he spoke, Marisa could almost hear the sarcasm dripping from his every word. “That is precisely why you aren’t required to think—buddy. We aren’t adding any additional time to our trip. We’ll continue on course as planned. I’ll catch up with you in a bit. Drinks and a round of cards sound good to you too?”
“Yeah, sure.” Bradi headed for the sliding doors, not once bothering to look back. It was as though he’d already forgotten what had passed between them.
How could she have allowed him to kiss her? What was she thinking? He was Peter’s friend and a jerk.
Yeah, a jerk who could really kiss.
Chapter Two
Marisa laughed and put her hand between her soon-to-be husband’s knees. Shifting on his lap, she wasn’t about to let Peter slip through her fingers yet again. They’d been on the ship for close to two months now and in that time, they’d had only a few scattered and all-too-brief moments together. His ever-growing coldness had only served to hamper them as well. That was probably why she’d been thinking of Bradi sexually so much. Though, prior to this flight, and being close to Bradi daily, she’d never thought about sex so much.
“Mmm,” Peter murmured as he snuggled his chin into her neck, covering her with kisses along the way. He pressed his body against hers and she shivered. “I want you so bad.”
She stiffened, already regretting agreeing to spend alone time with him in his quarters. There was a reason she’d avoided being alone with him on the ship. “We’ll be landing in a few days. Once we’re on solid ground, you are mine.”
Her body was starved for sex. But she had to suffer through it because Peter had earned another promotion within the Commission and although it was an opportunity of a lifetime, it meant galaxy relocation. Moving one galaxy over shouldn’t have been that big a deal for Marisa, but she’d only been off Earth a few times in her life and was terrified of what else existed beyond it.
She’d heard horror stories and prayed they weren’t true.
“Are you sorry that you came?” Peter asked, obviously sensing her change in attitude.
“Don’t be silly. I agreed to marry you, didn’t I?” It was the best answer she could come up with and it was the truth. She’d agreed to marry Peter with little to no engagement period. He received notice of his promotion and had asked her to be his wife instantly. It was the only way they could remain together. They didn’t want to break up, but certainly weren’t ready to commit to marriage. At least she wasn’t. They’d not even had sex yet. And only married officers were permitted to bring anyone along. The Commission had allowed her to come not only because she and Peter had set a date to be married before they took off but because of her skills as a doctor.
The Commission had found its medical resources spread thin after a multi-universe epidemic close to fifteen years ago, so healers of any kind were asked to come forth and be trained. She’d done so, against her father’s wishes. It was dangerous for her if who and what she was happened to be discovered. The Commission didn’t take kindly to anything non-human.
She swallowed hard, doing her best to keep away the fear that often tried to creep in. If she was discovered, she’d be locked away or she’d vanish. She’d heard rumors of others like her simply disappearing at the Commission’s hands. That was part of the reason she never turned in any enlisted man or woman who fudged their medical records. On the slim chance they were like her—different—she’d never risk their lives.
She thought about her father and instantly missed him. She knew he was worried about her. Afraid she’d be discovered. Though, she was sure her stepmother was happy she was gone.
Not even Peter knew the truth about her. She’d never known how to tell him what she’d been born being able to do. And she didn’t know how he’d take the news. Often, as of late, he made snide comments about non-humans and how they should all be hunted and exterminated. She wanted to believe he said what he did because of his rank, and because it was expected of him. Not because he truly believed it. After all, it wasn’t her fault that she possessed certain gifts from birth. Gifts that could aid in the healing of many. Gifts that had nothing to do with her being a trained doctor. And gifts that required special attention.
She’d had to wait until her eighteenth birthday before being allowed to join the Commission. Once in, she’d found out quickly that being alone in a predominately male barracks wasn’t the best thing for her “condition”. It tended to become unmanageable when her passions ran deep. Marisa knew that she needed to wait until she and Peter were alone and not in the middle of space before she allowed him to enter her body and make love to her—for the safety of all on board, it had to be that way. There was no way she’d risk their first time together happening on the ship, that was why she’d tried so hard to avoid alone time with him since departure. She could only hope that Peter would understand that she was different, more than human, and that he’d forgive her for keeping it from him.
Peter slid his hand under her gray T-shirt and gave her a sultry smile. “I can’t wait until we can be alone.”
Knowing that Peter’s body was as hot with need as her own, with no end to the torture in sight, Marisa decided to change the subject. “Tell me again of the planet Margaidia.”
Peter’s eyes lit up. “Margaidia is beautiful—depending on what part of it you’re in. It’s as big as Earth. As I told you before, I spent the first three years of my training there. That’s where I met Bradi. He’s originally from there, you know. You’ll love it. I promise. I can’t wait to see you in our new home, with little ones at your feet.
Little ones at my feet?
He took a moment to caress her sides. “Oh, and there are lots of shops filled with dresses and the planet has the most beau
tiful red flowers that will look stunning tucked into your silky brown hair.” Peter took a piece of her long hair, twirled it around his fingers, and pulled her closer to him. “I love you, Marisa.”
“You know how to woo a girl. That’s for sure.” She didn’t comment on the fact that he’d brought up Bradi again. She’d mentioned her dislike of the man right after meeting him, but Peter swore that Bradi was a friend. She could concede that he could be Peter’s friend, but it didn’t take away from the fact that the man was an arrogant jerk.
An arrogant jerk who made her knees weak and her pulse race.
Without warning, the ship lurched forward and Marisa tumbled off Peter’s lap. His hand was still wrapped around her hair and she screamed out as the ship tipped the other way, making Peter fall in that direction first. Flying toward him, she put her arms out in an attempt to catch herself.
This wasn’t normal. The ship had dampeners that adjusted for problems and the gravity field generator should prevent the ship from listing at all. The fact that it had rocked violently more than once was frightening. They were in place to keep the crew right side up no matter if the ship was in a spin or not. Whatever was happening was big and bad, especially if it could make a ship the size of the one they were on move in such a manner.
The ship leveled and Peter pulled her quickly to him. She tried to free her hair from his grip, but it only wrapped tighter around his hand. He yanked a knife from his belt and cut the long strand of hair free, only a moment before the ship jolted again.
Marisa screamed as the knife Peter held dug into her arm accidentally.
Peter yanked it out quickly. “Marisa!”
Glancing down, she saw the large gash and knew that it would require a good twenty minutes with the lancer to fix. Peter tried to pull her to him again, but she held up her hand. “Go, you’re needed on the bridge. I’m fine.”
Bradi: Paranormal Shifter Fated Mate Galactic SciFi Military Romance (Interstellar Alphas Book 2) Page 2