Wild Embrace Read Free Page B

Should he ever discover her unusual response to the sight of his body, he’d be faintly quizzical but otherwise unaffected. A few Psy around the world might be starting to question Silence, as their way of life was apparently called according to recent rumors, but Alaris’s station commander wasn’t part of that group—he was the most emotionless person she’d ever met.
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    Tazia didn’t run into Stefan again until five days later—possibly because she’d done everything in her power to avoid contact. When she did end up in the same space as him, it was at the senior staff meeting where they went over the health of the station piece by piece, including the health of the crew and anything else that might affect the smooth running of Alaris.
    Not up for discussion were any current research projects.
    Because while it was Stefan’s task to make sure Alaris ransmoothly, all staff and crew safe, it was water changeling Dr. Night who headed the research team and through whom all related data was funneled. Tazia figured the split had something to do with BlackSea not wanting the Psy to co-opt research they’d funded. She wondered if Stefan was troubled by the implied lack of trust, then realized he wasn’t troubled by anything.
    â€œI think we should have another station event midmonth.” That came from Allie Livingstone, the station’s chief counselor. “A single monthly get-together isn’t enough, not when some people inevitably miss it because of their shifts. As a result, it might be two months before they have a chance to blow off steam in a group setting.”
    â€œI’m willing to take your lead on this, Ms. Livingstone.” Stefan’s tone was even, his form motionless where he stood at the front of the room. Around him, some of the crew slouched in sofas, a few held up the wall, while Tazia leaned against a sofa arm.
    â€œHowever,” Stefan added, “you must ensure these social events do not leave the crew unable to function. The researchers set their own hours, but I need my crew alert if the station is to run at maximum efficiency.”
    Allie shoved a hand through her strawberry blonde hair. “Yeah, sorry about that. No more hangovers, I promise. I was thinking about a quiz night.” She held up her hands when several people groaned. “You mock me now but I bet you all get into it. Competitive lot that you are.”
    â€œAre there any other nonstandard matters that require discussion?” Stefan looked straight at Tazia.
    And she wondered if he could see her thoughts, see how her mind kept replaying the sight of his strong, beautiful body doing those chin-ups.
    He was telepathic after all.
    No, she reminded herself, uninvited telepathic contact was against the rules of the Psy race, and Stefan would never break the rules.
    â€œThe lift situation remains stable?”
    She nodded in response to his question. “We’ll be fine until the next delivery.” Breaking the piercing intensity of the eye contact, she glanced around the room. “If any of you have noticed anything else buggy, let me know. I’ve got some leeway this week with the routine maintenance completed.”
    She kept her head down the rest of the meeting, but swore she could feel Stefan’s eyes on her throughout. Impossible, of course. He’d never pay extra attention to a particular crew member when he already had the information he needed from that crew member. Slipping out as soon as he dismissed the meeting, she headed down into the bowels of Alaris to tinker with a nonessential system.
    He found her there fifteen minutes later. “Is there a problem with that component?”
    â€œNo,” she said shortly, frustrated that he’d followed her into
her
territory.
    When he simply waited, she blew out a breath and wiped away a tendril of hair using the back of her hand. “I have