The Alliance Boxset Books 4-6

Chapter 4-1

Chapter Four

Several months later, Saber stood in the shell of the home he was building. It had been a long and difficult journey back to Rathon. His lips twisted. If he thought that being around Taylor was difficult on board the warship, it was nothing compared to having her all to himself here in his home.

He walked over and stared out of the opening to the overgrown courtyard. His thoughts were on Taylor and the home he wanted to finish for her. She liked the garden at Hunter and Jesse’s house. Once the house was finished, he would work on creating a similar garden for Taylor.

They had only been on his home planet of Rathon for a month and he could already feel the strain of being so close to Taylor, yet not being able to touch her. The fact that she was clueless of her effect on him only made the situation worse.

His eyes closed when he heard the familiar sound of the air bike she had talked Hunter’s father, Scout, into giving her. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned just as the front door opened. For a second, Taylor’s figure was silhouetted in the doorway. Saber swallowed when he felt his body’s immediate reaction. Taylor was filling out in all the right places now that she was eating on a regular schedule.

She had recently celebrated her sixteenth year of birth and he swore her breasts had blossomed a full size as well. At least, it looked like it from the top she had on. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he demanded.

Taylor paused at the entrance to the living room and grinned, turning in a circle before dipping into a deep curtsy. The mischievous grin that was permanently glued to her lips when she was around him lighted up her face. He couldn’t help it. He really tried to keep his eyes on her face, but shewta if they would stay there. A silent groan escaped him when he realized that she was fully unaware of what was running through his mind.

“Do you like it? Hunter’s mom, Shana, made it for me,” she said in excitement. “It’s been so hot lately and I was telling Shana about the halter tops that I used to wear and she had me draw out what one looked like. Yesterday, she took me shopping. She helped me pick out the material and she made it last night.”

“That is nice… but, where is the rest of it?” he asked in a strained voice.

“You sound just like Hunter,” she replied in disgust.

He studied her as she stepped into the room and dropped her backpack next to the unfinished wall. The groan that he had kept silent a moment ago escaped this time when he saw her long, tanned legs as she walked toward him. While her shorts weren’t short, they were glued to her hips and thighs. If they were any tighter, he’d be able to… Another groan escaped him before he could smother it.

“Hey, it isn’t that bad,” she said with an easy grin.

His eyes flew to her face as she stepped up and wrapped her arm through his. She stared around the room before she focused on the overgrown garden. Saber began to recite the Trivator code of ethics when she curled her fingers around his hand and squeezed.

“What isn’t so bad?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

“All this,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Between the two of us, we can kick butt. What are we working on today?”

“The walls in the bedroom,” he said.

Great! He snarled to himself. It is obvious where my mind is at the moment. She’s only sixteen. She’s only sixteen. I promised Hunter I would give her until her twenty-first year. That’s only another…

“Shewta!” he muttered in defeat.

Five more years! I’ll never survive, he thought to himself when she turned and bent to pick up the bucket of tools that he kept by the door for her.

“You’re just being an old fuddy-duddy. Come on, I’ll rub your muscles afterwards if it helps,” she teased.

“I’m not an old fuddy-duddy,” Saber muttered.

His eyes immediately went to her ass as she walked down the hallway. His body throbbed with need. It was going to be a long afternoon.

“How is your schooling going?” he asked in a gruff voice.

The smile on Taylor’s face faded and she shrugged. “Okay, I guess,” she mumbled. “At least I have Charma’s grandkids going there, but they are in different classes,” she told him, referring to Hunter and Jesse’s housekeeper’s grandchildren.

Saber watched in concern as she placed her bucket on the floor and pulled out a painting wand. Her cheerfulness had evaporated at his question. A scowl darkened his face and he reached over and took the wand from her hand before she could program it.

“Tell me,” he ordered, staring down at her with a look that told her that he wasn’t going to take ‘nothing’ as an answer.

Taylor pursed her lips into a pout that made him want to bend down and kiss that look right off her face. Of course, he didn’t. He just really, really wanted to.

“It’s just… I just don’t fit in,” she whispered as her bottom lip trembled and tears filled her eyes.

Panic hit Saber hard. The teasing Taylor, he could handle. The furious Taylor, he could relish. The crying Taylor? Now, that was enough to overwhelm even the strongest warrior’s defenses. He started when she suddenly stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He swallowed and wound his arms around her as she pressed her cheek against his chest.

“Why do you feel like you don’t fit in?” Saber asked in a soft tone.

“The teacher is talking about all this technology that I don’t know about. Heck, I’m still trying to learn the language,” she sniffed. “He was asking questions about the different planets in the galaxy and specifics about the species. The only one I knew even a little bit about was the Trivators and he didn’t ask about you guys. Then, the math class! Oh my God! I’m so stupid when it comes to math,” she groaned. “I hate it, and the teacher there was talking about all these equations and theories and other crap. The only areas I’m any good at are the physical training and science classes.”

“You are not stupid,” Saber growled under his breath. He stepped back and slid his hands down her arms to hold her away from him when she tried to hide her face again. “Taylor, look at me,” he ordered. He waited until she looked up at him before he spoke again. “You are one of the smartest females I have ever met.”

She sniffed again. “I don’t feel it,” she mumbled in a grumpy tone. “The other girls….”

“What did the other girls do?” Saber demanded angrily.

Taylor looked away. “They make fun of the way I talk and how I dress and the way I look. One of them even called me ugly,” she whispered, refusing to look at him. “I punched her in the nose.”

“She called you… You did what?!” Saber exclaimed, placing his hand under her chin so she was forced to look up at him.

Taylor’s lips twitched. “I said I punched her in the nose,” she reluctantly admitted. “I was aiming for her mouth, but she turned at the last minute to say some other nasty comment to the group of girls she was with and I hit her nose instead.”

A startled chuckle escaped Saber. “Did you make her bleed?” he asked in curiosity.

“Maybe a little,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “The teacher wanted to know what was going on. One of the guys in the class told him what she called me.”

“Guys? Since when do they allow the males close to the females in the schools?” Saber demanded with a frown. “It was always forbidden for warriors in training and females to attend the same schools.”

Taylor shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because Buzz and the other guys aren’t training to be warriors. Buzz said he wanted to go into medical training,” she explained. “I was hoping I’d get suspended from school. Then, I could help you out more. Instead, the teacher complimented me on my defense and told the other girls that such behavior was unbecoming of a member of the Trivator species.”

Saber shook his head. “You have the right to defend yourself,” he argued.

“That’s the same thing that Buzz said,” Taylor replied with a sigh. “He’s started helping me with some of my classes. That’s why I was late today. We’re meeting every afternoon after school for an hour and for two hours on the weekends.”

“He… You are meeting another male after school?” Saber asked in shock, releasing her arms and stepping back so he could frown down at her. “Where? Is Hunter aware of this? Who is your chaperone?”

Taylor looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You’re kidding me, right? I mean, you aren’t serious about needing a chaperone, are you? And, of course, Hunter is okay with it! Why shouldn’t he be? Buzz is super nice and I think it is really sweet of him to not only stand up for me, but offer to help me with the classes I’m having trouble in.”

“You are not allowed to be alone with another male, Taylor,” Saber ordered in a firm voice. “It is not… proper.”

Taylor rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. “That’s what Hunter said until Jesse had a talk with him. He’s cool with it now. It isn’t like I’m interested in Buzz in, you know, that way,” she added with a sigh. “Anyway, let’s get started. Talking about school is depressing. I’d rather talk about other things.”

“What do you mean by ‘that’ way? And what other things,” Saber asked, frowning when she grabbed the painting wand out of his hand and danced away.

“I meant boys, of course,” she said with a shrug. “Buzz is cute, but I’m not about to blow my relationship with him. I’d rather talk about what new ideas you have for the house. I thought about your idea of putting in a long pool in the central garden. Water features are always nice.”

Saber’s mind was still stuck on ‘Buzz is cute’. He listened as Taylor talked about the different plants that Shana and Scout, Hunter’s parents, had at their house, before she described the new ones that Bronze, Charma’s Amate, was currently planting around Jesse and Hunter’s garden.