GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) (8 page)

He shrugged his shoulders.
"Normal
is a very relative term. Our parents thought open mental communication was perfectly normal, even healthy. As children we never had to be warned of dangers because our parents' eyes were on us whether they were with us or not. If I was about to trip over something, that item would vanish or I would be caught by invisible hands in midair and gently set on my feet.

"We never had to go to academy because all of their joint knowledge was automatically imparted to us. They had expected the offspring to have even greater mental abilities than the parents but only a few did. My sister, Janna, was one of them. Others inherited talents equal to their parents. Some acquired none at all."

Shara asked the question that had been on her mind since Ferrine first mentioned his birthplace. "And what abilities did you inherit?"

Gabriel gave her a sly smile. If he truly wanted to gain the upper hand with her, he could let her wonder indefinitely—worrying that he could hear her every thought whether she directed it at him or not, fearing that he could send thoughts or suggestions without ever touching her and she'd never be the wiser. Reminding himself that he wanted to gain her cooperation, he revealed the truth.

"Some of the skills developed within Parson's Colony were so powerful that outsiders began to fear that the colonists might misuse their power. The group finally broke up due to the pressure of those frightened outsiders. I could see your reaction to where I was raised was one of intellectual curiosity but I assure you it is much more common for someone to become immediately distrustful of what I might be capable of doing to them.

"Just so you know you have nothing to fear from me, I'm going to tell you something I usually keep secret. I didn't inherit any of my parents' extraordinary extrasensory perception. Unlike most Noronians, I can't even direct specific thoughts to you if I touch your temple. Unfortunately, I also lack the ability to block out other people's thoughts. I'm what they call an
open receiver."

"Are you telling me that you hear what I'm thinking all the time?" Shara's stomach knotted at the possibility and his laughter did little to calm her.

"No, your privacy is intact." She didn't need to know that once he figured out the color key to her moods, her eyes would tell him all he needed to know without hearing her thoughts. "You mentioned that the offspring had problems. Imagine what it would be like to have twenty-three other people in your head at all times. That's how many open minds there were after each couple had two children.

"There were other open receivers like myself, who could never block anyone or sort out the individual voices. As children, we never knew a moment of quiet, let alone privacy. Before the group disbanded, they invented a jammer for the
less fortunate
minds." He pointed to the plain gold cuff on his left earlobe. "With this on, my reception is effectively jammed and I'm protected against any unscrupulous person trying to invade my mind without my knowledge or permission."

The last he added as a warning, in case she should get the idea that she could manipulate him. Already having broken at least two laws that he knew of, she could be capable of more.

Though she still didn't trust him and would rather not have to deal with him professionally, Shara felt deep sympathy for him and those other children. It was impossible for her to imagine growing up without ever having time to herself, the chance to dream private dreams or to keep special secrets that only one or two dear friends shared. No wonder Gabriel spent most of his adult life alone and journeying to civilizations where they had no telepathic abilities. He was making up for lost years.

"Any other questions?" he asked without looking at her.

She had plenty but if the answer to a simple question about his birthplace could cause her to want to reach out to him, she was afraid of what might happen to her good sense if she learned anything else. "Not at the moment."

She wasn't sure he was being completely truthful about his lack of skills. After all, it would be to his advantage to keep her in the dark about that. At least she now knew why she hadn't been able to get through to him back in her lab.

If he
was
being honest about his background, however, she realized, he'd be even more distrustful of her if he discovered the extent of the extrasensory abilities
she
possessed. She wondered whether it was her or Gabriel who really had the upper hand.

"All right," he said after a moment. "It's your turn. I already know your parents are the Co-Governors, you were born in Innerworld and you haven't ventured far from the cocoon."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she said in a tone that let him know she was ready to defend her way of life.

"I didn't say there was but you must admit you've had a fairly charmed existence so far." He realized he was baiting her but he couldn't seem to help himself.

She stopped dead in her tracks, with her hands fisted on her hips. "Charmed? Do you think you're the only child in the universe who had a difficult time growing up? You don't understand anything about my life. Yes, my parents are important people and wonderful to me. I love them very much, but—as with you—because of what my parents wanted out of life, I have had to live with the consequences."

Gabriel stepped closer, wanting to confirm the color her eyes took on in anger, even though he didn't understand the cause. The hazel was now sparked with yellow. He pushed a little harder. "I'm sure being the center of attention all the time would make life simply unbearable."

Rather than rage at him, her voice quieted as she turned away. "There is a vast difference between being the center of loving attention and the focus of hatred."

His hand raised and stroked her hair before he remembered his promise not to touch. When she didn't pull away, he did it again. "I shared a confidence with you, Shara. I can't read your thoughts but I can tell I've said something to offend you again. Why would you think you were the focus of hatred?" His fingers slipped through the dark, silky strands at the nape of her neck, and the way her head tilted suggested she liked what he was doing. "Why?" he repeated.

She turned to meet his gaze but his fingers remained tangled in her hair, gently kneading the back of her neck. If it hadn't felt so good, she would have stopped him. "I assumed you knew all important data about me, Professor. My mother is a Terran."

His hand stilled. "And?"

Studying his face, she decided he was not being obtuse on purpose. "And that makes me a mixed-breed, an oddity... a
freak."

He was well aware of the prejudice she referred to but had not connected it with her. How could anyone call this exquisite creature a freak? "It also makes you rare, like a black orchid-rose." With the slightest tug on her hair, her head tipped back, and his free hand came up to touch her cheek. He watched, totally fascinated, as her eye color softened to the shade of rich, dark chocoberry.

And, oh, how he did love the taste of chocoberry.

Shara held her breath, knowing he was going to kiss her, knowing she shouldn't allow it, yet knowing she didn't have the willpower to resist something she suddenly wanted so badly. As his lips brushed hers, a tingling sensation caused her to gasp. She inhaled his Caress-tinged breath, her eyes closed and her arms snaked their way around his neck.

His tongue teased hers until she shivered with the pleasure he was giving all her senses at one time. Taste, touch and smell blended together in his kiss. The sound of need coming from deep in his chest spurred her passion in return.

He deepened the kiss and she felt his hands easing down her back, bringing her closer. The pressure of his splayed fingers on her bottom held her firmly against him and she gave in to the temptation to rise on tiptoes to better fit their bodies together. Her hands roamed impatiently over his back, relaying her own wish for more.

Tearing his mouth away from hers, he whispered in a voice hoarse with rampant desire, "Someone could come in here at any time. We should go back."

She swayed in his arms as the sensual fog cleared from her mind.
Holy stars!
What had she done? Her body continued to throb with the need for immediate satisfaction but her mind was jangling alarms. The moment he released her to retrieve the bag of sweets he had dropped, Shara hurried back the way they had come.

Gabriel smiled as he fell in behind her and quickened his own pace. After their rough start, he was reassured to see her in as much of a hurry to seek privacy as he was. He must not be as unappealing to her as she had led him to believe.

His reassurance was abruptly shattered as she entered her sleeper and the door slid closed before he could follow her inside.

"Shara?" When she didn't respond, his tone changed to a demand.
"Shara!
Open this door." It whooshed open again but she stood blocking the doorway, as though she could keep him from entering if he really wished to do so. The delicious chocoberry color of her eyes was marred by streaks of angry yellow. "What's going on?"

She lifted her chin defiantly. "Maybe you should tell me. One minute we were talking and the next, you... you had your hands on me again."

"I
what
? I distinctly remember you being involved back there. If you want proof, I probably still have impressions of your nails in my back. You were just as prepared to couple as I was."

She spun away from him, hugging herself against his words. "Couple? I hardly know you. Why would I want to couple with you?"

Stepping inside the sleeper, he waited for the door to close before replying. "Know me? What does knowing me have to do with coupling? I've coupled with females who don't even know my name."

"Employees of the Indulgence Center are paid well to overlook their customers' shortcomings. My gifts carry a price also, but it's nothing so simple as signing over a number of credits. When I share pleasure with a man, it will be because there's a mutual caring, a meeting of the minds as well as the bodies... a
relationship.
You and I have nothing in common. You must have done something to my mind to make me forget that so easily. I should have expected as much from someone raised in Parson's Colony."

He yanked her around to face him, fury tightening his throat. "And I should have known better than to trust a Terran. How dare you twist my confidence into a weapon against me? I told you I have no power.
Nothing!
I can't even keep you from crawling inside my brain without an artificial device. I'm untalented, but still a Noronian, which means I do
not
lie, and that's more than I can say for you." He let go of her arm, moved to the door and slammed his palm against the control panel.

Before exiting, he turned to her once more. "You're right about one thing. We certainly don't have anything in common. I am completely rational. Don't fret about giving away any of your precious gifts. I wouldn't want to chance freezing to death."

A moment after the door closed behind Gabriel, Shara slumped down onto her bunk. She couldn't believe what she had just done. It had been wrong to strike out at him when it was herself she was furious with. All she wanted was to avoid repeating old mistakes. Professor Gabriel Drumayne was another man interested in her only for what she could do for him.

She had previously come to the conclusion that if she didn't couple with a man, she wouldn't get emotionally involved and thus, he couldn't cause her pain. The ache in her chest was proof that she was wrong about that too.

What had come over her? She should never have let herself get carried away like that. She 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...