Parallel Extinction (Extinction Encounters Book 1)
Page 50
They said their goodbyes and were soon standing alone together. The last of the clean-up crew was quickly disappearing as they finished their task of readying room for the next event.
They looked at each other, silently remembering their adventure together—the tension, the danger, the fear, and the lovemaking, which demolished all of the other concerns—until she broke the spell with a sigh, and then said, “I don’t suppose that I will be leading the charge much anymore, as Admiral Sumner suggested. I’ll be just a little busy with the station’s business.” She gestured with a sweep of her arm, referring to Dock Toroid Alpha. With her other hand she tugged the band out of her hair, giving her head a shake to loosen her gentle, flowing curls.
He enjoyed that. “Yeah,” Garrison acknowledged. “I was hiding out in the shadows in back; saw the whole ceremony.” Garrison had made it clear to Sumner that he wanted no call to the stage during the event. “Taylor says hi. So… Congratulations on the promotion. I hope you got what you wanted.”
With a mock resignation, she said plaintively, “Well, I guess I’ll make the best of it,” then smiled.
He could see that she would be happy.
She rested a hand on his shoulder. “I want you to know that I will be a proponent for a dedicated docking port for the USUCC ships. I think it’s time for some of the walls to come down between our two worlds.”
“Good luck with that.” He was not hopeful, but then he restated it. “Well, I guess if you’re willing to go to the mat on your end, I can see what can be done on mine. I suspect that Sergeant Amio, no… Major Amio was right about me—I’m going to end up being liaison to a bunch of ex-pirates. Their hearts are in the right place, though.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” she nodded, letting her arm drop to her side. He suspected she had her doubts.
Silence fell once again, it brought to the surface the bittersweetness of the moment. The years added by her experience with the Elemental had given her a maturity that seemed to match her to her new post. She was just as beautifully striking, if not more so, than before her transformation.
The silence became too much for him, so he broke it this time. “I know it’s cliché but I guess I’ll see ya around.” He opened his arms and she responded, moving into an embrace. His face pressed into the golden hair brushing her shoulders; it somehow smelled like snow. He felt every point of contact with her body, warmth and softness pressing against him. He wanted it to last longer, but she moved her head off his shoulder, so he loosened his hug. Instead, she held him close with one arm and brought the other hand to his chin. As she leaned back, her hips subtly pressed into his. Their eyes locked, and she pressed her mouth to his.
He remembered this kiss; it came back to him in a flash… that moment of painful doubt in the cubby of QB1, the moment of her commitment to the special union that they now shared.
They were completely alone in the quiet hall. Some lights had been turned off, and they embraced in an eternal moment, tasting each other for what seemed like the last time. Finally, she gently pulled away from the kiss, still holding him close, feeling his arousal pressing into her. “Hmmm,” she took her free hand, using the tip of a manicured finger to wipe each corner of her mouth, “gonna get me all smeared, soldier.” Her face was perfect though. “Just a little something to remember me by.” She let her hand slip down his back to his butt and pressed into him. “Sorry about that,” she said, commenting on his hardness.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said happily, his breath slightly shortened.
Finally releasing him, she said, “Well, duty calls. Don’t be a stranger. And we’ll be talking about the docking port, right?”
As she stepped away, he smiled. “Right.” She continued toward the exit, a lingering gaze over her shoulder, then, with her aura of deep confidence and sensuality, she crossed the rest of the distance, fading in and out of pools of light in the darkened hall, then a silhouette at the door. He waved. She waved back and disappeared.
He took a long, deep breath, releasing it loudly in the silence. He fought a strong urge to follow, to take her to his room and make love to her once again. But he checked himself; that moment had passed.
It left an ache in his chest.
Garrison reflected on the changes that were so clear in Dominique. On the interesting complexity of their current relationship, but also, how simple it was. Taylor was different, too. More emotionally mature. He’d heard a lot of her story, and a little about Chris Friday. Well, she had to grow up some time. It would be interesting to see if it changed her thrill-seeking ways. It had not changed her sexual appetite, he was glad to see.
The only person that he had trouble seeing any changes in was himself. Maybe he needed to go see this Chris Friday, ask a few questions.
Without realizing it, he displayed a quality of the changes he’d undergone—a softening of his ego.
Garrison had been correct in his assumption that this mission would be more exciting than a USUCC assignment, but right now he longed for the straightforward chase-and-capture of your average, run-of-the-mill pirate. He was happy to be finished with the twisting realities that lurked out in deep space.
Well, Garrison figured it was about time to go make good on his bet with Taylor. He owed her a dinner.