Read Online Stolen Dreams by Marilyn Campbell - Free Book Online Page B

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 all-clear to open the gates, but none of them had seen Shara.
Deciding this was the best place to waylay her, he waited. And waited.
     
The
mailship docked, the gates opened, and most of the crew