Read Online GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) by Marilyn Campbell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marilyn Campbell
Ads: Link
certainly knew better. And he would have no way of knowing that she didn't share his uninhibited attitude toward coupling. It hadn't been fair to him but she couldn't help feeling as she did. The sharing of one's body should have a meaning deeper than a simple biological function resulting in a release of stress and a few minutes of pleasure.
So why was her body still demanding that she go after the man who offered a meaningless release? Because, no matter how hard she tried to deny or bury it, she was cursed with a passionate nature and a weakness for incredibly handsome, self-sufficient men... like Professor Gabriel Drumayne.
It didn't matter. After the scathing insults they had just hurled at each other, even a meaningless release would be out of the question. Gabriel thought she was cold. From now until the end of the flight, she would be a block of ice.
All that remained was to get off the ship and time-hop before he realized she was gone.
* * *
Gabriel knew he had destroyed any possibility of peaceful coexistence with Shara the moment he called her a Terran. Ferrine's advice about gaining Shara's cooperation had certainly backfired with a vengeance. He still felt Shara's slur against him like a poison dart in his throat. He prided himself on his ability to remain calm in the most dangerous circumstances and cool-headed in the most hostile situations. He couldn't remember ever losing his temper over something as trivial as coupling.
How could they have gone from kissing to name-calling? He remembered having thought she was childish. Obviously he wasn't much more mature.
But their bodies hadn't been acting childishly in the biodrome. There was no question in his mind that they both would have thoroughly enjoyed themselves had he not paused to suggest they seek privacy. Not only was he bewildered by his overly passionate reactions to her, he was utterly confused by her reasons for rejecting him. She spoke as if she required some sort of emotional bond before she could enjoy coupling with a man. He knew that was the norm in some cultures, but...
The answer came to him instantly. Her mother's culture was one of those. Apparently Aster had passed on her personal values to Shara. He had always been a firm believer in each person having the right to practice his or her own lifestyle, as long as it didn't overlap his.
Since he was not looking for a long-term relationship with a female, he would be certain not to initiate any further physical contact with Shara. Such a relationship carried responsibilities that would interfere with his studies regardless of who the female was, but an attachment with an irrational creature like Shara would undoubtedly tie his brain in knots.
It wasn't as if he had to have a female. There were plenty of times in the past when he remained celibate for months on end without giving it much thought. His hunger for knowledge had always been the strongest driving force in his life.
This would simply have to be another one of those periods of celibacy, in spite of the fact that he couldn't remember ever feeling the need to make physical contact with a woman the way he did with Shara. Though he had promised to curb his tactile impulses, he hadn't even known he had any. Until he met Shara, he had never experienced such strong urges to put his hands on another person.
Though the incident was entirely her fault, he supposed it would be up to him to ease the tension between them before they set off on their journey.
As docking time neared, he knew he could no longer put off making the apologies that he assumed she required before they could go back to communicating with one another. When she didn't answer her door, he followed a hunch and pressed the control panel. The door opened to his touch, verifying she had already vacated the sleeper and canceled the inhabited code.
Within seconds, he retrieved his satchel and headed for the deboarding area. Several crew members were there, preparing for the
So why was her body still demanding that she go after the man who offered a meaningless release? Because, no matter how hard she tried to deny or bury it, she was cursed with a passionate nature and a weakness for incredibly handsome, self-sufficient men... like Professor Gabriel Drumayne.
It didn't matter. After the scathing insults they had just hurled at each other, even a meaningless release would be out of the question. Gabriel thought she was cold. From now until the end of the flight, she would be a block of ice.
All that remained was to get off the ship and time-hop before he realized she was gone.
* * *
Gabriel knew he had destroyed any possibility of peaceful coexistence with Shara the moment he called her a Terran. Ferrine's advice about gaining Shara's cooperation had certainly backfired with a vengeance. He still felt Shara's slur against him like a poison dart in his throat. He prided himself on his ability to remain calm in the most dangerous circumstances and cool-headed in the most hostile situations. He couldn't remember ever losing his temper over something as trivial as coupling.
How could they have gone from kissing to name-calling? He remembered having thought she was childish. Obviously he wasn't much more mature.
But their bodies hadn't been acting childishly in the biodrome. There was no question in his mind that they both would have thoroughly enjoyed themselves had he not paused to suggest they seek privacy. Not only was he bewildered by his overly passionate reactions to her, he was utterly confused by her reasons for rejecting him. She spoke as if she required some sort of emotional bond before she could enjoy coupling with a man. He knew that was the norm in some cultures, but...
The answer came to him instantly. Her mother's culture was one of those. Apparently Aster had passed on her personal values to Shara. He had always been a firm believer in each person having the right to practice his or her own lifestyle, as long as it didn't overlap his.
Since he was not looking for a long-term relationship with a female, he would be certain not to initiate any further physical contact with Shara. Such a relationship carried responsibilities that would interfere with his studies regardless of who the female was, but an attachment with an irrational creature like Shara would undoubtedly tie his brain in knots.
It wasn't as if he had to have a female. There were plenty of times in the past when he remained celibate for months on end without giving it much thought. His hunger for knowledge had always been the strongest driving force in his life.
This would simply have to be another one of those periods of celibacy, in spite of the fact that he couldn't remember ever feeling the need to make physical contact with a woman the way he did with Shara. Though he had promised to curb his tactile impulses, he hadn't even known he had any. Until he met Shara, he had never experienced such strong urges to put his hands on another person.
Though the incident was entirely her fault, he supposed it would be up to him to ease the tension between them before they set off on their journey.
As docking time neared, he knew he could no longer put off making the apologies that he assumed she required before they could go back to communicating with one another. When she didn't answer her door, he followed a hunch and pressed the control panel. The door opened to his touch, verifying she had already vacated the sleeper and canceled the inhabited code.
Within seconds, he retrieved his satchel and headed for the deboarding area. Several crew members were there, preparing for the
Similar Books
