Page 8 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

The run helped. By the time Liria entered the entry hall, her hair was slicked back with sweat, and all desire for Thaxvarien Rennux was gone.

The anger too. She grimaced to herself as she headed past the dining hall and into the Medean wing of the fortress.

Rennux was obviously young. He didn't know any better.

Replaying their conversation in her head, Liria had to admit that she looked guilty.

Hadn't she worried about the very same thing before she left her room?

The damn running outfit was too sexy. And she knew he'd been targeted.

Rennux had probably been approached a few times that day.

The surprising bit was that it annoyed him.

Most Aethari would have been thrilled with that kind of attention.

She thought better of Rennux for his rejection of it.

No, it didn't excuse his rudeness or the way he had taken liberties—oh, what liberties—but it made his actions more understandable. Enough so that Liria could let it go.

In the broader view of things, Rennux was inconsequential.

That was going to be their only intimate interaction.

Just a mistake. Liria had returned his property, learned her lesson, taught him one in return, and left.

The end. Next time a handsome Aethari dropped something, she'd go with her instincts and return it to their superior.

Turning off the pem that hung around her neck, Liria entered the chief section of the Medean wing.

The “clouds” pulsing over her ears dispersed, the music faded, and reality returned.

Only then did Liria note the officers in the corridor.

Little groups of them. All women. They were whispering and looking down the hallway.

Toward her room.

Then they noticed her.

“Liria!” Chief Rinna Jass, Liria's closest friend in the fortress, hurried up to her. “There's an Aethari looking for you.”

“What?” Liria scowled. “Which Aethari?”

“This one,” a deep voice full of velvety promises came from behind her.

Liria mentally groaned and quickly gave herself a stern talking to—I am not going to be rude. I will politely kick his feathered ass out of this wing. Liria turned away from Rinna to face Private Rennux. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

All right, maybe polite would be a bit of a stretch for her. It was his fault for being so handsome.

Rennux snorted a laugh. “I suppose I deserve that.”

Liria just stared at him.

So did all the other officers in the hallway.

He cleared his throat. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“Why?”

“Really?” Rennux growled. “Look, I'll give you the first verbal slap, but come on, you know it looked bad. Still, I came here to apologize.”

“He's here to apologize?” Rinna whispered. “For what? What did he do to you? Oh, please tell me it was sexual.”

Liria glanced around, staring down all the onlookers (except for Rinna, who couldn't be intimidated), and then grabbed Rennux by the wrist. Hauling him down the hallway, she continued to glare at the wide-eyed women who practically salivated over him.

“Unbelievable! Wipe your chins, ladies. You're embarrassing yourselves.

He's just a man. You've seen them before.”

Rennux chuckled as he sped up to keep pace with her. “You're a bit self-absorbed, huh?”

“I'm what?!” Liria glared at him.

“Wrong choice of word. I mean, uh, you are focused on your own things. You don't notice the little shit happening around you.”

“You mean like women hunting Aethari men?”

He shrugged.

“I notice.” Liria shook her head. “You're not special. Just new. I see the same thing happen every time we get a fresh batch of you scrappers.”

“Scrappers?”

“You make scrap of Nethren.”

“Oh, I kinda like that.”

“Stop interrupting me. Now, what was I saying? Oh, yes. You're nothing special. All you are is a temporary release of boredom for them.”

“Wow. You really know how to cut a guy down.”

Oh, you have no idea.

“I think you'll survive.” Liria dropped his wrist and unlocked her door. “Just get your ass in here.”

After Rennux was in her quarters, Liria shut the door and headed for the bathroom.

“One sec.” She grabbed a towel and returned to the main room—a bedroom, mini-kitchen, and living room combination—drying her hair.

“All right, look, I get it. I'm not self-absorbed. I understand that it must be annoying to be targeted as soon as you arrive. The reverse happens to me all the time.”

“What does that mean?” Rennux narrowed his eyes.

“Most Aethari assume I'm interested in having meaningless sex. I am not.”

“What do you mean they assume?” His voice dropped into a growl.

“They assume. Like you did. Now, stop fucking interrupting me!”

Rennux's face twitched, and his lips did a weird dance—pressing together before baring his teeth and then going together again.

Liria frowned at that but went on, “Back to you being pestered.

Most men don't mind the attention. They actually enjoy it.

But you seem to have higher standards. Whether that's because you don't like Medeans or you simply hate the fact that you're here, I don't know, and I don't fucking care.

I like it. Period. Now, I saw you drop something on a security feed, and I thought it looked important.

I was going to return it to your corporal, but he wasn't in his room. Then I saw you, so I—”

“Hold on, you were going to return it to my corporal?” Rennux touched his chest as if to assure himself that he was still wearing his amulet.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why give it to him? Why not return it to me? For that matter, why did you wait so long? I saw you in the dining hall earlier. You could have returned it then.”

“I didn't see you.”

Rennux snorted. “Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn't.”

“I saw you see me.”

“You may have seen me look toward you, but I was fresh from working the barrier on that attack and didn't really see you. A lot doesn't register after you converge like I had to.”

“You're a liar.” His voice dropped into a purr, and he leaned in. His eyes went half-lidded again, just as they had before he kissed her in the corridor.

“Whoa.” Liria stepped back. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I'm going to kiss you.” Rennux glanced at the bed. “And then we're going to do a bit more than kiss.”

“Stand down, soldier. I brought you in here because it was the closest place to have a private conversation. Not because I want to have sex with you.”

“You don't want to have sex with me?”

“No.” She rolled her eyes.

“Another lie,” Rennux said as if he were delighted.

“Whether you believe me or not, it's what I'm saying to you. Now, are you going to be a man and respect my words or a prick who thinks he knows what I'm really saying? And just to be clear, being a prick right now will get you dropped on your ass.”

“I'm not trying to upset you, Chief Drask.”

Fuck. He knew her name. How did he learn her name?

“Yes, you are. And you haven't even apologized. Wasn't that why you came here? Or was that a lie?”

Rennux blinked. “Shit, you're right.” His tone went serious. “I'm sorry I assumed you were like your friends. You are obviously a better quality of woman. You didn't deserve to be treated that way.”

“That felt like an insult to my friends more than an apology to me. Do you have a problem with women taking control of their sexuality, Private Rennux?”

“Not at all. As long as they don't force themselves on me.” He stepped closer—that lazy look back on his face.

“You mean like the way you forced yourself on me earlier and like you're about to do right now?”

Rennux froze. “You and I both know that there was no force involved in what happened between us.

Just two very consenting people. Was I too aggressive?

Yes. And I apologize for that. I shouldn't have touched you .

. . there without clearer consent. But you were moaning.

You kissed me back. And if I pick you up and lay you down on that bed right now, you'd be consenting again.

So, get vicious if you want; I find I rather like the honesty in it, but don't lie about what you feel. Not about that.”

“It's not a lie. Being attracted to you and wanting to have sex with you are two different things.”

“How so?”

“I find you extremely handsome. That's a fact. Nothing to lie about there. I responded to your kiss because of that. No one can control a physical response to a stimulus. But up here—” Liria tapped her temple, “—I want nothing to do with you.

Because I'm not into fucking strangers, no matter how attractive they are, and I'm especially not into aggressive men with attitude problems who think that shoving a woman up against a wall is a type of flirtation.

Some women may find that sexy. I am not one of them.

Now, if you aren't going to give me a proper apology, I'd like you to leave.”

Rennux just stared at her. Then, as if shaking himself awake, he shuddered and scowled. “I did apologize, but I'll do it again since it wasn't up to your standards. I'm sorry, Chief Drask. I misinterpreted your actions and disrespected you. It won't happen again.”

“Thank you.”

Rennux moved suddenly, just as he had in the hallway, but this time, he didn't kiss her.

Didn't touch her at all. He stopped an inch away from Liria—his lips hovering over hers.

With his breath brushing her skin, he whispered, “I promise next time, I'll wait for you to ask me to kiss you.” Then he turned and went to the door.

“I thought you didn't like Medeans?”

Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, Thaxvarien Rennux looked over his shoulder at Liria. He didn't smirk or even smile. “No, Chief. That was your assumption. I'll stop assuming things about you if you give me the same courtesy.”

And then he was gone.

Liria stared at the door, grimacing. “I need a shower.”