Free 3013: MENDED by Kali Argent

much poison in her cat-like eyes, it was a wonder Cami hadn’t dropped dead yet.
    “Who is that?”
    “Who? Lorelei? What about her?”
    “She doesn’t like me very much, but she sure likes you.”
    Tariq cast another sideways glance at the girl. “I’ll talk to her.”
    Men. It apparently didn’t matter the race, they all understood women about as well as a Reemian sand tick. “Just go scan something and forget I said anything.” She’d remember to keep her jealousy to herself in the future.
    Thoughts of the dock workers turned to either their work or other everyday things, and only a few still wondered about the newcomer. Unsatisfied with the results, Cami lowered her guards a little more, opening her mind to reach beyond the bay.
    “I can’t believe I got stuck working refueling again.”
    “I don’t know how the hell to reprogram an air filtration system. Damn Dennison. Why’d he have to go and get himself killed?”
    Cami shook her head. It wasn’t as though the programmer had asked to die.
    “Yeah, that’s it. So tight. So wet.”
    “Oh.” Slamming the metaphorical door closed on the voice, Cami slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. “General Whitmore is, um, indisposed at the present time,” she offered when Tariq looked over at her.
    As a consenting adult, the man was free to do as he pleased, and besides, a lady didn’t gossip.
    “She has the sweetest laugh, and her lips…fuck.”
    Cami almost choked as an image of her own face flashed into her mind. Then her face went up in flames as she watched herself kneel before Tariq in a lewd and provocative position, leaning toward him with her mouth slightly open. “Tariq!” Cami reacted without thinking and punched him square in the stomach. “Stop that. It’s…it’s vulgar.”
    The gut-punch didn’t faze him at all, and he didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. “I told you to stay out of my head. You won’t always like what you find there.”
    “When I’m open like this, I can’t just pick and choose whose thoughts I’m getting.” If she could, it would save her a lot of embarrassment. “Just keep your mind on your work, okay?”
    “Prude.”
    “Barbarian.”
    Grabbing her around the waist, Tariq lifted her with one arm until they were nose to nose and growled.
    Cami rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his snarling mouth. “I’m not afraid of you, so put your fangs away and let me get back to doing my job.”
    “I could snap your spine right now, just by squeezing.” He tightened his hold on her waist a little to emphasize his point. “That doesn’t scare you, even a little?”
    “Romantic, but no, I’m not scared of you.” She pushed at his shoulders and squirmed against him. “You are starting to annoy me, though. Put me down.”
    Tariq laughed, gave her a quick peck on the lips, and set her on the ground. “There’s that fire again. It looks good on you.”
    Though she maintained a neutral expression, on the inside, Cami quietly preened at the compliment. She’d always been taught to control her emotions, though truthfully, her father would have been happy if she didn’t feel anything at all. Knowing Derrek had been driven insane by his gift, leading him to commit unthinkable acts, she understood why her family would fear her. Still, understanding didn’t make it hurt any less.
    The time for being a lady and hiding behind manufactured walls of indifference had passed. If she wanted to survive on her own and help find a dangerous killer, she’d have to follower her instincts. To do that, she’d need to trust the feelings she’d spent years trying to suppress.
    Watching Tariq from the corner of her eye, Cami smirked. No, feelings weren’t such a bad thing at all.
    * * * *
    As far as tracking down any useful information went, the day had been a bust. Tariq couldn’t be too upset about it, though, not when he’d give anything to have Cami as far away from the mess as