The Bond That Heals Us (16 page)

“Now what happens?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“We get you out of here. Then I finish the repairs on my ship and leave.”

He said the words with such certainty, Sara would have accepted them as absolute if it wasn’t for the fact he was breaking her heart.

“Why?” She leaned up and placed a single kiss on his closed lips. “You can stay here with me. I could use the help in med bay.”

His hair fell over their faces, blocking the outside world from their view when he shook his head no.

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Try me.”

“Sara.”

“No. You crashed into my life and turned it upside down. I’m doing things that I would never have done in a million years. Feeling things…and you’re just going to walk away?”

His eyes were calm, steady and didn’t betray a shred of emotion. “Yes.”

The pain in her heart began to spread to the rest of her chest, squeezing the tears to her eyes. She tried to swallow past them. “Why?”

“I told you it’s complicated.”

“That’s not an answer, Davin. Why the hell did you bother to save me if you’re just going to fly out of my life again?”

He opened his mouth as if to answer but closed it. Instead he reached over, caught a curl of her blonde hair and twirled it around his finger. She waited, refusing to make this easy for him. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her temple, placing light, feathery kisses along her cheek and along the ridge of her ear. When he finally spoke, Sara shivered as his hot breath teased the skin along her neck.

“I saved you because I couldn’t imagine what the universe would be like without you in it.”

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A sob escaped her and Sara had to clamp her lips shut to stop any more from bubbling out. Her lips began to quake, so she closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her emotions in check.

“You care so much for everyone around you. Do you know what the last four days have been like for me, sitting here waiting for you to wake? A constant flow of people coming in, making sure you’re okay. People who love you, care for you as much as their own family. All because you give and give and never expect anything in return. And there I sat, never asking to be born a healer, never wanting this curse. I sat there and felt ashamed of myself for not being more like you.”

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. Sara sucked in a long, shuddering breath and let out a small cry as the tears slid down her cheek.

“I don’t want you to go,” she said in a tiny voice. “You can find another job. Work with Kamran. Just don’t leave.”

“I got word from Silas a few hours ago. My ship will be ready to fly in two days.

I’m yours until then. Then I have to go.”

“But I—” She stopped herself before she said the words. He didn’t want her love, never told her that he did. She didn’t want to trap him, guilt him into staying with her.

There’d be no point.

She wanted a real relationship, not a hollow pretext of what their lives could be like.

“I wasn’t going to leave until I knew you were better. But now…no, it’s better this way,” he said and pulled his face back so he was looking at her. “You’d grow to resent me over time. The fact I have this healing gift and won’t use it.”

“I wouldn’t—”

“You would. I’ve seen it happen. My father never understood. Always pushed…

You’d resent me given time.”

“Davin. Please don’t do this.”

When he lifted his body from hers, Sara immediately missed his warmth. Her body still wanted him too, craved his naked skin against hers. He didn’t look much better, his breath coming out in short, shallow puffs. His eyes did a final quick pass over her before he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“I promise I’ll give you everything you want for the next two days. Everything. But then I have to leave. Okay?”

She couldn’t say anything, so she simply nodded.

“Good.” He still didn’t turn to leave. Instead he stood there, his hand balled at his side.

It wasn’t until they heard the gentle hiss of the isolation door opening that they looked away from each other.

“I thought I heard talking in here,” Haylie’s happy voice seemed too loud in the small room. She strode over to Sara and clamped her arms around her in a fierce hug.

“I’ll leave you to your visit,” Davin said, his voice emotionless.

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“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Haylie started.

Davin held up his hand and smiled. “Enjoy your visit. I’ll let Rachael know you’re ready to go home.”

“Thanks, Davin.” Haylie grinned at Sara once he left. “Who knew our shady captain was a gentleman. No wonder you’re…hey what’s wrong?” Haylie reached out and brushed the stream of tears from Sara’s face.

“He’s leaving in two days.” Sara was surprised when her voice came out steady, almost calm.

“What? We figured with everything that had happened, I mean he’s been here day and night…” Haylie’s words trickled off and she shook her head.

“He’s promised me two days of whatever I want. Two days of bliss until he steps back on his ship and flies the hell out of here.”

Haylie sat on the edge of her bed, grabbed Sara’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“That’s two days you can use to change his mind.”

“He said I’d resent him because he won’t use his gift.”

“Ah.”

“The sad thing is, he’s probably right. To have that kind of ability and never use it, to watch people die when you had the power to save them. After a while, I’d get tired of it all and ask him to help and then demand it. He’d grow to hate me.”

“Sara, you wouldn’t do that.”

“Wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t you? What if it was Kamran lying there dying or your baby?

Wouldn’t you want Davin to save them if he could? Wouldn’t you hate him for not trying?”

Haylie sighed and nodded. “You’re right, I probably would. But he can’t run from who he is. I tried that myself, remember.”

“Trying to hide a photographic memory isn’t the same thing as being able to cure a dying person.”

“No? How many times would people get nervous around me when I would visit them? I couldn’t read anything without people wondering if I was going to use it against them later on. No, it wasn’t life or death, but it took me a long time to see it as a gift. Especially when every instinct out there told me it was a pain in the ass I never wanted.”

Sara looked at her friend who was more of a sister and sighed. “So what do I do?”

“It seems he needs you. It’s your turn to save him.”

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The quiet in Sara’s living quarters was starting to get on her nerves. She’d been free of med bay for little more than four hours and the inactivity was already pushing her limits of self control. Her uniform was sitting on the bed behind her, but she had no intention of putting it on today. Going back to work was the last thing she planned to do. No, sitting on the floor, trying to figure out what the hell she could do was the only thing she wanted to concern herself with right now.

Two days to change his mind.

She’d tried to sleep when she’d first returned to her quarters, get some much needed rest. But it had completely backfired. She’d dreamed about Davin. When her mind had finally drifted off, she realized she was standing back on the beach on Earth.

Her fantasy lover had come up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.

Closing her eyes now, she could hear his private whispers.

“I want you so bad,” his deep voice purred in her ear.

Sara had moaned and stretched her arms up to circle his neck. Rubbing her ass against his hard cock drew a moan out of both of them.

“Fuck me,” she whispered.

His firm hands slid up her body to cup her breasts through the thin fabric of her dress. In a blink, her clothing was gone and his rough fingers captured her nipples between them.

“Turn around and face me,” he said, tugging at the swollen nipples.

A thrill raced through her body and she pressed her ass even harder against him. “I can’t—”

“Sara.”

He tugged at her breasts once more before turning her around. Instinctively, she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see the face of her fantasy lover, needed to keep her dream safe from the reality that threatened to take it over.

His breath was warm and smelled of exotic spices as it tickled her cheek. When he chuckled, she could feel the deep rumble against her breasts. Sara tightened her grip around his neck, pulling herself up, closer to his face.

“Kiss me,” she begged, needing to feel him.

“I can’t. I’m not real.”

“Please.”

“Open your eyes and then I’ll kiss you.”

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When she didn’t do as he asked, her fantasy lover chuckled again. “Coward.”

Annoyance flashed through her, even asleep, and Sara knew she couldn’t give in.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Instead of looking directly at his face, she focused her attention on the hollow of his throat. She watched as the powerful muscles moved when he swallowed.

“Look at me,” he said again.

Unable to put it off anymore, Sara shifted her gaze up. Over his chin, along his strong cheekbones and nose, to look into a pair of eyes that reminded her of a reptile.

Davin’s.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered.

But when he bent his head to kiss her, Davin suddenly faded from her. Sara immediately missed his warmth, and let out a cry. She’d kept crying until she woke from her sleep.

Two days.

Stretching out her legs proved to be more of a challenge than she’d anticipated after sitting there for so long. Her muscles were still constricted from having been in bed for three days, and being immobile on the floor wasn’t helping.

God, what a waste.
That was time she could have had with Davin, used it to change his mind about staying with her. She let out a sigh and tried to lean forward enough to work out the kinks in her back.

Sooner or later she was going to have to get dressed and find him. And while she had no doubt that seeing her in her undergarments would be a turn-on for him, that wasn’t how she wanted to start things. Oh no, she was going to go slow, drag things out until he was begging for it, begging for her. So much so that by the time he was ready to leave Eurus, he wouldn’t be able to do it.

With deliberate, easy movements, Sara pulled herself up to her feet and had to wait for a minute until a wave of dizziness passed her. Once it did, she took careful steps toward the large mirror that hung along the side wall of her bedroom. Her body was thinner than it had been the last time she’d looked, and not in a good way. The parasite in her system had invaded her body through cut on her thigh and proceeded to eat its way through her body fat and start in on her muscles. Rachael had said they couldn’t pick it up on any of the med bay computers until Davin had managed to lead them to it.

She would have died within hours if he hadn’t have helped her.

She pushed aside thoughts of his healing gift and started to get dressed. Ignoring her bra, Sara slipped a blood-red, tight-fitting sleeveless top over her breasts. The collar covered her neck, framing the V that exposed an ample amount of cleavage for Davin to drool over. Next, she slipped into a long black skirt that clung to her hips and ass, accentuating the few curves she had left.

She wanted her hair down and had to fight the brush through the tangles that had developed since her shower. When she was finished, the long blonde strands shone as 104

they hung in loose curls on her shoulders and down her back. This was as good as things would get.

Two days.

Sara slipped on a pair of sandals she’d brought with her from Earth but hadn’t had an opportunity to wear at this point. They felt odd on her feet after having worn nothing but boots for a year. Before she had a chance to chicken out, she marched out of her quarters and made her way down the corridor to the section where Davin’s guest quarters were located.

The bright morning sun shone through the corridor windows, fueling her body for the mission she’d set out to accomplish. She wasn’t about to let him get away from her that easily. As long as her body cooperated, Sara planned on showing Davin exactly what he’d be missing if he left her.

But when she finally made it to his door, she couldn’t move. The muscles in her arms refused to cooperate, paralyzed by uncertainty. Wasn’t she being selfish? He had his reasons for turning his back on this gift, and regardless of what she thought of them, they were valid.

Fuck it.

The computer made a soft chiming noise when she tapped her fingers over the key pad. The silence that seemed to stretch forever was only a few minutes. She tapped the key pad again, and tried to ignore her frustration and growing doubts. Finally, a muted rustling sound reached her as the doors whooshed open.

She could tell by the look on Davin’s face he had been asleep and was about to yell at the person who’d disturbed him. But the look on his face softened when his golden gaze touched her face. Sara stood with her hands clasped behind her back as he inspected her outfit.

“You look beautiful,” his gravelly morning voice rumbled out of him.

“You look like hell,” she said and tried to keep the grin from her face. “I’m assuming I woke you.”

“Haven’t slept much in the past three days.”

She ignored the hot flush that crept onto her face. “I suppose I should thank you for taking such good care of me.”

Davin shrugged and leaned his large frame against the open doorway. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and the tight-fitting black shorts highlighted every muscle and bulge on his lower body. It made her mouth water for sex, knowing that when they came together it would be explosive. A shiver of wanting passed straight through to her pussy and the wetness began to pool between her thighs.

“May I come in or do we have to have this conversation in the corridor?”

His cock clearly twitched in his shorts as it began to grow. Davin kept his eyes locked on hers as he leaned forward, hanging the weight of his body from either side of the doorway with his hands.

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“You know where this is going to lead if you come in here.”

She raised her eyebrows and gave him what she hoped was a bored expression.

“Do I look like I was anticipating another outcome?”

Sara felt her nipples tighten when his gaze moved to her breasts. And unlike before, she did nothing to hide her obvious signs of arousal from him. Taking a step, she moved into the circle of heat his body was projecting, moving her face very close to his.

Instead of kissing his full lips, she turned her head and placed a kiss on the inside of his biceps. She traced the line of the muscle with her tongue, savoring the flavor that was uniquely Davin as she went. When she turned her face back to his, she could see he was grinding his teeth, his body shaking from the strain of controlling his body.

“Can…I…come…in?”

Sara let out a yelp when his arms came around her waist and Davin yanked her into the room. He held her arms high above her head, pressed her whole body flat against the wall. His thigh went between hers, pressing her long skirt in so it pulled tight against her hips and ass.

Their breathing came out in gasps, matching their frantic rhythm until they were sharing the same air in the small space between them. Davin’s cock was fully erect and pressing into her stomach. Knowing how aroused he was only served to ratchet her body higher.

“Sorry I woke you up,” she whispered before she leaned in and swiped her tongue over his closed lips. “But I really didn’t want to waste any of my time with you.”

“You still haven’t recovered fully. I don’t want—”

“This has nothing to do with what you want. You gave me a deadline. Two days. I plan on making the most of the time I have with you. So if you don’t shut up and kiss me—”

Davin crushed his mouth to hers, sucking the air from her lungs. Sara sighed and tugged against his iron hold of her wrists. She wanted to touch him, taste every part of his body. She wanted him to fuck her so hard she’d scream herself raw from the force of her orgasms. But he wouldn’t let her move. His tongue invaded her mouth, mimicking what she wanted him doing with his cock. She squirmed against his thigh that was pressed against her cunt. She was so wet she could feel her juices flowing down her thighs, only to be absorbed by her skirt. When he finally pulled back, Sara moaned, panting as she tried to stop her world from spinning out of control.

“Do you want this?” His harsh tone was undercut by the grinding of his cock against her belly.

“Oh god, Davin, yes”

He moved his hand so both her wrists were held by one, freeing the other to explore her body. He traced a gentle path with his fingers down her cheek and along her shoulder. When he reached her hair, he captured a long strand and brought it to his mouth. She watched as he rubbed it against his lips and over his chin.

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“So soft. Just like your sweet body.”

He took the hair and rubbed it against her throat, teasing the skin above her cleavage. Getting close to his destination, Davin dropped the curl when it no longer reached and let his fingers continue their exploration.

“You wore this for me. You know how much I love your breasts. Don’t you?”

Sara didn’t answer, instead closing her eyes and reveling in the sensations of her body. His fingers were wicked as he teased her. Tiny electric pulses moved through her, making her grind her pussy hard against him. When he suddenly stopped, Sara moaned.

“I asked if you wore this for me.”

“Yes. Just for you.”

His hand was back, this time slipping under the edge of her shirt collar to caress the warm skin underneath. He trailed light touches along the top of her breast, and with each pass got lower and lower, closer to her painfully erect nipple.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me. If I put my cock in you right now you’d come, wouldn’t you?”

Sara bit her bottom lip and nodded frantically, her eyes squeezed shut.

“That’s my girl. I bet I could make you come without my cock. I bet I could suck your beautiful breasts until you screamed my name. Should I? Should I do that for you?”

She couldn’t think anymore. Her brain had shut down while her body ran on instinct. So when she felt his hand reach for the hem of her shirt and tug it up until her breast was exposed to the cool air of his quarters, all she could do was hold on for her sanity’s sake.

Davin’s hot tongue darted out and swiped over her nipple. Her whole body jolted, but he kept her from moving too far. After a few seconds he repeated the motion and Sara thought she would die from the contact. Her body began to tremble as she tried to anticipate when he’d touch her next. Again and again his tongue darted out, licking and teasing her senseless. Finally, his fingers reached out and gripped her breast, pushing her erect bud even farther out. When he moved his face closer this time, Davin sucked her nipple hard into his mouth and Sara cried out.

“Too much,” she gasped and ground her clit against his thigh.

But he pulled his leg just far enough away so that she couldn’t ease the burning in her pussy. Instead, he increased the pressure on her nipple and madly flicked his tongue over it.

“Not enough,” he spoke the hot words against her breast once he lifted his head.

“You need more.”

“Your cock, please.”

He chuckled but moved his head to her other breast. His mouth and tongue increased in speed on the fresh nipple while his fingers rolled the wet one. Sara couldn’t 107

breathe as her cream flowed out of her body, the scent of her arousal permeating the air around them.

His expert touch and unrelenting attention were more than her overcharged body could handle. She felt the orgasm start low and deep in her body, like a trickle of water that preceded a dam break. The rush of pleasure quickly overwhelmed her senses, blinding her sight, making her deaf until all she could feel was the rip of pleasure through her body. Sara cried out his name as her body thrashed, caught between his body and the wall. As the last wave rolled through her body, she lost the ability to stand and fell limp against him.

Davin lowered her arms and draped them lightly on either side of his head. He buried his face in her hair and drew in a deep breath of his own.

“You are so beautiful,” he said on a sigh.