“After talking about our concerns when we learned of the Bridal Pact, we came to the conclusion that sharing a bride and being able to dedicate at least half our time each would be the better way to approach the situation,” Rodin added.
“But—” Andi started, only to be interrupted by Rodin when he continued.
“We have explained our situation and it has been accepted by the council members. Our needs are unique and the council ruled that we are unable to enter the bridal match until the more traditional matches have been assigned.”
“And you think that I am your match? Based on what exactly?” Feeling blindly for a chair behind her, Andi grabbed one and sat quickly before her wobbly legs gave out on her.
“We requested your profile the day after the kidnapping.” Rodin walked toward her.
“You mean the day I slapped you?”
They both laughed at the sound of astonishment in her voice. “Yes, the day that you slapped my friend was the day we decided you were perfect.”
Rodin nodded. “You are perfect for us. Passionate, dedicated to your patients and beautiful, all rolled into one perfect human package.”
“Don’t forget prone to acts of violence,” she tossed out, smiling at the absurdity of their conversation. They had to have a few bolts loose if her slap had convinced them they and she needed to be married.
Pulling out a chair, Tamin sat next to her and reached for her hand. “Anyone with as much passion as you displayed would be able to handle not one but two warriors.” Raising her hand to place a kiss on her palm, he said softly, “And we are those warriors.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. It’s as if I have fallen down the rabbit hole.” Talking more to herself than to them, Andi snatched her hand from him when she realized she was still letting him hold it.
“You will become accustomed to our touch soon. We can be patient.” Tamin pushed out a free chair with his foot so Rodin could sit next to them.
“What if I don’t want more than one husband?” The question needed to be asked aloud, even though her insides were screaming the opposite.
“Then we will just have to convince you otherwise,” Rodin said as he relaxed in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee, which caused his leather pants to tighten on his thighs. Unable to keep her gaze from tracing the muscles she could see delineated under the supple leather, Andi tried to swallow. Her dry mouth made the simple action harder than ever.
“You cannot deny the attraction you feel. We can see it in your eyes,” Tamin pointed out with a chuckle.
“Just because I have been given the option of a buffet doesn’t mean I have to eat at it.”
“You want to though,” Rodin said in a low voice as he adjusted himself in his tighter than normal breeches. “And it will be our pleasure to tempt you.”
“This is nuts.” Unable to think of anything other than how crazy their offer sounded, she shook her head.
“The first thing that needs to be done is addressing the issue of Zane.” Rodin allowed a scowl to flit across his normally calm face. “I do not like the fact that you will be staying with an unattached male.”
“Well you better get over it, buddy. Zane is my closest friend and I am staying with him. End of conversation.”
“He had better not touch—” Rodin started, only to stop when he was elbowed by Tamin. “Will you stop hitting me?!”
“Then do not say anything stupid, Rodin,” Tamin defended himself.
“Rodin, he is my friend. Friend. I had the option to sign the bridal agreement with him and we both knew that it would be a mistake.” At Rodin’s expression of disbelief, Andi rolled her eyes at him and explained, “We’re more like siblings than lovers.”
“Did you kiss him?” Tamin asked bluntly.
“Even though it is none of your business, I’ll answer you honestly. Yes. We did kiss.”
Rodin tensed at her words.
“That was when we realized it would never work. There was no passion in our relationship, only friendship,” Andi finished.
“I would like the chance to kiss you as well.”
“Me too,” was rumbled from the other side of her where Tamin was sitting.
“I need to think about this. It’s all happening too fast.” Andi felt immediate guilt at the disappointment on the men’s faces. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying I need some time.”
Rodin nodded to Tamin. “We will give you time to consider our offer.” Standing abruptly, he walked out of the room in angry strides.
“Why is he so angry? I just need a little time to think things through.”
“Do not worry about him. His emotions are running high with everything that has been happening. I just ask that you give us a fair chance at convincing you this can work. Let me show you what your duties will be while assisting us.” Tamin’s changing the subject seemed to work and ease the mood that was prevalent in the room.
Andi honestly tried to listen to Tamin, but her mind kept straying. Could she be with both men? She had to admit that some of the romance novels she had read did tend to have a polyamorous theme. To her, that had always been securely in the fantasy section of her brain. Not in a million years had she ever thought the chance would come up that not only one hot hunk of an alien, but two, would want her. When she had first been introduced to Zane, she had been shocked at the lack of sexual chemistry.
Her initial meeting with Tamin and Rodin had been exactly the opposite. Even during the stressful situation of the pair caring for the brides, tingles had radiated through her body when the men spoke in their deep voices. Andi had written it off as a rush of adrenaline, considering what she had just been through. Later, the emotion she’d felt for them had been intense anger. In the weeks that had passed, Andi hadn’t had a chance to think too much about the pair, since she had been on the planet and gone from the ship.
As she watched Tamin closely, Andi couldn’t help but pay attention to the way the soft fabric of his tunic moved over his chest. Or the way the leather of his pants cupped his perfectly round ass. If she’d ever had a weak spot, it was a man’s butt. That was one of the reasons that she was such a baseball fan. Those pants could make even the most anti-sports watcher sit back and reach for a tub of popcorn.
Realizing that he had been speaking to her without getting a response, Andi felt her face turn red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch the last thing you said.”
* * * * *
Smiling as if he knew where her thoughts had been headed, Tamin repeated himself, explaining the schedule that they would go through daily. After explaining a few more items on her daily task list, he excused himself while she started getting familiar with the supply closet and the items they had available for use.
Walking quickly to an empty exam room, Tamin found Rodin reading a report. “It appears promising, does it not?”
Glancing up at his friend, Rodin motioned to the papers in his hand. “According to these readouts, Staci suffers from some minor scarring. I believe it may be able to be corrected with a few treatments in the regen bed.”
“I was not referring to our patient’s reports from today.” Tamin smiled. “Andi makes you show more emotion than I have ever seen you display in all the years I have known you, Rodin. It is entertaining.” Sitting, Tamin leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, obviously amused at the expense of his friend.
“Very funny.” Tossing the reports onto the counter, Rodin folded his arms. “Yes she does. I do not understand how she gets me frustrated so quickly. I have the desire to say things just to see that fire in her eyes.”
Tamin nodded at his friend. “I know the fire that you speak of and I believe if we can get some alone time with her, then we may be able to light it into an inferno.”
“Is she angry that I object to her staying with Zane?” Rodin asked.
“I believe she sees him as no more than a close friend. If we push the situation, it will do more harm than good. We need to let her hav
e Zane in her life and not only accept, but welcome the affection that he shares with her,” Tamin offered.
“When I think about them sharing an apartment, I cannot help but feel territorial regarding Andi. It is a situation that makes my stomach burn just thinking about it,” Rodin gritted out.
“It is only temporary. She will soon be ours,” Tamin said with confidence.
“It better be sooner rather than later. If I witness any more hugs between them, I may lose all control I have.”
“I understand and agree. Do you think that maybe we should speak with him regarding our intentions?” Tamin pondered.
Rodin thought for a few moments. “Andi will most likely tell him about our proposal. In fact, I have no doubt that she will speak to him of it.”
Tamin was nodding in agreement when he stopped and frowned. “What if he is not supportive of our suit?”
“We can only hope that we can convince him that this is what is best for Andi. That we are what is best for her,” Rodin offered. Dealing with Zane was a problem he hadn’t been prepared for.
“If he gives us any trouble we could always put some laxatives in his food. We just received a shipment of medical-grade tablets yesterday,” Tamin joked, which caused Rodin to give him a considering look before both men broke into laughter.
CHAPTER SIX
After spending a good majority of her day avoiding the doctors, Andi was more than ready for Zane to escort her back to their shared apartment. Making sure that all her work was done in the medical center, she walked back to one of the exam rooms to speak to them.
“Tamin, I just wanted to tell you that Zane is going to be here any minute so I’ll be leaving soon.” Not waiting for him to acknowledge her, Andi started to walk away when she was stopped by his voice.
“Are you free for your evening meal?” The question was spoken softly, as if he was trying not to spook a scared animal.
“Well, I just assumed that Zane and I would be having dinner together.” Andi fidgeted with her fingers, waiting for him to speak again.
After their discussion that morning when the men had stated their intentions, they had understood her need for space. When one or both of them had approached her, the focus had been kept on work-related subjects. There had been no touches or teasing comments throughout the day, like she had experienced earlier. It had helped her relax, but also set her on edge a little bit. Had they been teasing her this morning? Were they over the whole “sharing” idea since she hadn’t jumped at the chance when it had been presented to her? The one thing that Andi knew was that she needed some time to talk it out. Zane was going to be her sounding board tonight whether he wanted to or not.
Tamin hadn’t moved from his spot, where he appeared to be thinking on her words. Nodding to himself as if he had come to a conclusion, his next words surprised her.
“Well then, have a nice evening. I will relay to Rodin that you are occupied for dinner and we will see you tomorrow.” Turning back to the paperwork she had interrupted him from, he dismissed her.
Andi was confused. This was a complete turnaround. Not only did Tamin seem fine with her sharing a meal with her former match but he had wished her a pleasant evening and hadn’t tried to talk her out of it or give her grief about staying in Zane’s apartment again. Talk about running hot and cold.
Shrugging, Andi made a quick turn and bumped into the hard body that was behind her. Without needing to see his face, Andi knew that the leather-clad chest her nose had come into contact with was none other than Rodin himself.
“Hey, I was just letting Tamin—”she started.
“I heard. Have a pleasant evening.”
Rodin’s cold voice caused a frown to come over Andi’s face. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, the indifference she was receiving was not pleasant. Giving him a quick nod, Andi went to walk around him and was stopped by a firm grip on her upper arm.
“We can discuss tomorrow’s appointments during breakfast. I will bring the donuts that Poppy has programmed into my food generator if that is okay with you?”
Andi took a moment to meet the eyes of one of the men who had her emotions out of control. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Giving him a half-smile, she hoped that was enough of an affirmative and quickly walked to the main med center area. Grabbing her bag, she practically stalked out the door until the familiar tone beeped, showing someone had arrived.
“Please be Zane. Please be Zane.” The mantra was slightly creepy but she couldn’t help the little jump and fist pump she made in the air when she saw that her hoping had paid off. “Thank god you’re here!” Grabbing the elbow of his shirt, Andi didn’t give Zane time to fully enter the waiting area before she had him turned around and going right back out the door.
“What is going on?” Zane asked, laughing at the picture she was making.
“We have to talk…you will not believe the day that I have had.” Andi didn’t even glance back as she practically dragged Zane down the corridor.
“First, you are walking in the wrong direction. And second, is this about one of the doctors?” Zane kept pace with Andi as she turned direction on a dime and started marching in the opposite direction to the one she had originally been dragging him along.
“One of the doctors? I wish! Try both of the doctors and you’ll have more of an idea what my day has been like.” Muttering to herself, she didn’t realize her friend had stopped walking until her arm was jerked back where she was still clutching his now non-moving elbow.
“Both of them? They actually went through with it, huh?” Smiling at Andi, he let it slip into a frown when he realized she wasn’t sharing his amusement. “And I can tell from your face you are not happy to be the center of their attention.”
“Does everyone know they planned to share a wife?” Andi sputtered.
“It has been talked about. Most of the warriors had doubts they would follow through with the idea since a majority of us are too alpha to consider letting another warrior touch our brides. After they explained the situation, it does make more sense though. Did they tell you their reasons?” Zane looped his arm through Andi’s since she seemed to be lost in thought and had stopped moving altogether.
“Well, I think they tried. Honestly, my brain kind of shut off once sharing was mentioned.” She smacked Zane’s arm when he was about to make a joke at her expense. “It was a lot to take in!”
“Calm down. I know how you like your lists. We can make one tonight, going through what marrying them would mean. Okay?” Zane had switched into his calming big-brother voice, which was exactly what she needed.
“Yes, and pizza. Lists and pizza. STAT.” Walking faster to their apartment, Andi let out a sigh of relief as she soon kicked off her shoes and fell back onto the couch.
“Which one do you want to do first? Food or list making?” Zane had grabbed the little pad of paper and pen that Andi kept on the kitchen table. Tossing the items to her, he folded his arms by the kitchen bar, waiting for her instructions.
“Both. Put in the pizza order and I’ll start making a chart.”
Zane moved to do what she said, but still shook his head at her.
“What was that look for?” Andi wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his answer.
“Andi, you either feel it’s right or not. Remember when we first met? I thought you were one of the most beautiful humans I had ever seen. You have this brilliant auburn hair that lights like fire when the light catches. Your green eyes sparkle when you think something is funny or you get angry.” He walked to brush a fingertip across her nose, then tap the end of it. “Even these dots are adorable.”
“What’s your point here, Zane?” Andi didn’t understand where he was going with this.
“My point is that regardless of how appealing I found you and how attractive you were to me…” Wiggling his eyebrows at her, Zane waited a moment before becoming serious again. “There was no doubt that we would be amazing friends. I knew that we would never be more th
an that.”
“And?”
“And the fact that you have resorted to making a list regarding your doctors shows me that you feel more attraction for them than you ever had with me. I never even made it to a list. Did I?” Chucking her under her chin, Zane waited until she met his gaze. “Tell me what this is about. Truly.”
“I’m scared that this is too out of the norm for me,” Andi whispered. “When I first met them, it was so chaotic. We had just been kidnapped and some of the women almost died. They were busy taking care of the ones who needed help and I was on emotion overload.”
“Keep going,” Zane instructed.
“Then when I finally get to see them up close and personal, I thought they were just a couple of assholes.” When Zane started laughing, Andi smacked his shoulder with the paper still in her hand. “Seriously, I thought that they had the worst bedside manners I had seen in my life. And of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth closed. I went and started yelling like a crazy person and did something I had never done in my life.”
“Wait a minute, you never mentioned this part. What happened?” Concerned, Zane sat back to listen seriously.
“I hit him.” As she was covering her face with her hands, the words came out garbled.
“Who did you hit?” Zane’s asked in disbelief.
“I hit Rodin. Across the face. With my hand.” Completely ashamed, Andi could only wait for Zane to react to her confession.
His reaction was one she in no way expected. The jerk started laughing at her. Not only laughing but full-out braying mixed with laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke anyone had ever told.
“What the hell, Zane?” Andi crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. “Want to tell me what the fuck you find so funny?”
“No wonder they want you. Andi, you stood up to them. Tamin and Rodin are accustomed to being listened to by even the highest council members. Very few ever have questioned them. Not only are you gorgeous, but you managed to be different from anyone else they have ever come into contact with,” Zane explained, all the while smiling.
Bridal Bonds (Warriors of Phaeton Book 2) Page 4
