Beyond Varallan by S. L. Viehl Read Free Book Online Page A

“Maybe some coffee—”
    “Joey.” His thoughts flowed over the edge of my consciousness. “Let me in.”
    I had never liked this telepathic thing. Reever somehow completely incapacitated my will as he connected my mind to his. He took me in his arms, and swept me into a waltz as Miles Davis’s trumpet played like angels crying.
    He was making me dance. You can’t waltz to jazz , I thought.
    Why not ? His voice spoke inside my head. It is music, is it not ?
    It wasn’t like I had a choice. Okay, maybe we can . I moved closer to the warmth of his body. Why did you want to link with me first ?
    Duncan pressed his cheek against the top of my head. Your thoughts were turbulent. I thought it would calm you .
    I lifted my gaze. You can read me without a link ?
    His lips briefly collided with mine. Shock made me stumble. Reever boosted me over his feet with a fancy twirling motion. Just dance with me, Cherijo .
    We danced for some time, while Reever did something to settle my thoughts. What thoughts I let him have a peek at. I had learned early on to block him from the parts of my mind I didn’t want him snooping around in. I'd only reached into his mind voluntarily once during the epidemic on K-2. I wondered if I would ever get the nerve to do it again.
    The jazz recording came to an end. Duncan twirled me one last time down the length of his arm and back, until our bodies pressed together.
    I want to be with you . His hand stroked my hair. In all ways .
    I could think of one particular way. End the link, Duncan .
    Of course.
    We stood in the center of my quarters, locked in a close embrace. For the first time I wondered how much control Reever’s mind had over mine. Had we really spent the last hour just waltzing !
    We’d been doing something. I was perspiring freely. My respiration was rapid and shallow. He showed similar signs of arousal. His arms tightened around me. I felt his heart hammering against the swelling mound of my breast.
    “Thank you.” His breath warmed my mouth. My thighs clenched against the subsequent inner throb. He broke off the airy kiss and let go of me. “I will leave—”
    Leave? I grabbed him and pulled him back to me. “I don’t think so.” My fingers tangled in his light hair and brought his head down to my level. My mouth did the rest.
    A Terran kiss was a curious thing. I could understand why some offworlders found it extremely disgusting. When Reever kissed me, however, revulsion wasn’t an issue. Neither was any other coherent thought. Our lips, like our bodies, matched perfectly. I wanted more. So much more.
    Beneath my fingers, his hair felt silky and alive. I pushed one palm over his chest, irritated by the garments that kept our skins from touching. His kiss deepened until my throat arched. My fingernails dug into his shoulder. His arms pressed in, removing the last small spaces between us.
    “Cherijo.” He wrenched his mouth from mine.
    Oh, no, I thought, grabbing his head and pulling him back down. We were created for this. Male, female. The two sides of wanting. And I needed my other half. Now.
    Something bizarre and ferocious instantly ignited between us. I heard fabric tearing. Felt the coolness of air on my exposed skin. Then his hands. Oh, God, his hands.
    “Duncan.” I clutched at him, dizzy, desperate. “Please.”
    He dragged me to my sleeping platform. Maybe I dragged him. I didn’t know. Didn't care. We got there. Now I wanted his body over mine. Needed it. More than I needed to breathe.
    “Joey.” He didn’t appear indifferent anymore. He looked ravenous. Hard hands shoved me back on the mattress. He stood over me as his narrow blue gaze burned down the length of my body.
    “Come here.” I held out my arms.
    He moved so fast I didn’t have time to blink. Reever's weight suddenly forced me down, down into the slowly adjusting mattress. His hands were on my breasts, then his mouth. The rigid length of his confined erection pressed between my thighs.