Read Online The Bond That Consumes Us by Christine D'Abo - Free Book Online Page A

was the one person on board who could give her some insight into the man who was driving her insane. Staring a moment longer at him, Fallon finally let a small smile slip and nodded.
    “Sure.”
    Sean walked around the punching bag, dug his foot into the exercise mat, and braced his body against it. “Let her rip.”
    Not letting her mind wander to the one topic she wanted to focus on, Fallon let out a yell and pounded her taped fists over and over into the worn bag. After five minutes of unrelenting punches, she finally stopped, collapsing to the gym floor in a heap. Her breath came out in short gasps and her body screamed from overexertion. Sean released the bag and sat down beside her, cross-legged.
    “Feel better?”
    “Is he always like that? I mean, one minute he’s grinding his cock against me in the transportation tube and the next he’s acting like I don’t exist.” Fallon turned her head, gasping as she realized what she’d said. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. You probably didn’t want to hear that.”
    If it hadn’t caught her off guard, she would have found the shocked expression on Sean’s face hilarious.
    “Taber ground…made advances toward you? Sexually?”
    “Don’t sound so surprised,” she muttered, looking down at her bare feet. “It just kind of happened.”
    40

     
    Sean looked paralyzed for a moment—his eyes wide and his lips clamped shut.
    Fallon was about to say something when he shook his head and took a step closer.
    “Look, I don’t think you realize what this means.” Sean ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve known Taber since he arrived on Eurus. In that whole time I’ve never seen him show any interest in any woman. Not once. And he’d had plenty of opportunities to do so if he really wanted.”
    “He told me Briel males wait until they find their mates to have…sex. Has there ever…I mean could a Briel and non Briel be mates?”
    Sean looked at her and nodded once before shaking his head. “It’s only happened once, and biology had nothing to do with it. Plus this doesn’t seem the same. Kamran told me he almost died when he first met Haylie. Something about needing to mate quite quickly after they meet or the male dies.”
    Taber certainly hadn’t looked like he was about to die in the tube. More like his cock was going to rip a hole in his pants.
    “God, I wish I knew what the hell was going on.” She dropped her head to her knees and sighed.
    A minute later Sean’s hand patted her lightly on her back. “I’ve given up trying to figure out the Briel.”
    “Thanks for the heads up.”
    “Fallon, I don’t know what to tell you. Taber is a good man, but I think you should stay away from him. At least until we know what is going on.”
    Her entire world tilted. Everything she thought she knew about Taber was suddenly called into question by one of his friends. She lifted her face to watch Sean go, more confused than ever. “Thanks, Sean. You’re a good man.”
    Why the hell couldn’t she hook up with a nice, normal guy like him?
    She started as he seemingly read her mind.
    “You don’t want me. I’m worse than Taber,” he said with a smile. “But thanks.”
    Once he’d left, Fallon felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She was tired from having worked the double shift, not sleeping when she had a chance, and not being able to follow through on the pent-up desire Taber had dragged out of her in the tube. That coupled with not knowing what the hell was going on between them was enough to push her over the edge.
    She really needed a shower. Preferably a cold one.
    Pulling herself to her feet, she wandered over to the steam shower and stood inside, making sure to spend extra time to wash her hair. The automated switch cut her off from her warm retreat, forcing her to go back out into the real world. She stepped out, dried off and pulled on the clean shirt and opted for her skirt. She began to pull her hair into her standard ponytail when she changed her