There was very little privacy to be had, but she ducked into the ‘singles’ hab she was sharing with a half a dozen other single females and, thankfully, they were outside.
Working.
She had the space to herself.
Someone would come to find her before very long, she was certain, but she needed just a few minutes to collect herself.
She couldn’t.
She was so rattled by both kisses her brains were unable to capture a solitary thought and process it. Her mind kept flitting from one to the other, back and forth, like a bee that couldn’t make up its mind where it wanted to light.
They had both--absolutely--imprinted on her--short circuited every nerve ending and her synapses.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t separate the two because she hadn’t felt it--both--soul deep. It was because it happened so close together it was hard to decide where either started or ended. Shehadn’t had the chance to fall to earth after Ryne had kissed her to the point of idiocy.
And Connor’s kiss, in its own way, had been as stunning as the kiss from the alien.
Because she hadn’t expected to feel any of the things they made her feel.
Beyond threatened.
Actually not threatened. She’d thought shewouldfeel that--not want to.
And really was convinced she ought to--first off because they were men and both of them seemed like scary dangerous men.
She’d thought sobeforeshe’d seen the fight.
But that took it to a whole other level than just thinking they were. That had been seriously unnerving.
She didn’t really feel like she’d regained much composure when the first roommate returned to the hab, but she decided not to hang around.
Unfortunately, she met up with psycho woman before she’d gotten very far.
“Slut! I told you to stay the fuck away from Connor,” she snarled.
Belle put on brakes, gaping at the woman in shocked disbelief--too stunned by the unexpected verbal assault to gather her wits. She drew a blank trying to make sense of the accusation.
Because it didn’t make any damned sense! “He … called me,” she managed to stammer after a moment.
“I didn’t hear him call you!”
“He gestured for me ….”
“I didn’t see that either. You just pushed yourself at him … them. Both of them. Because you’re a slut.”
Belle’s temper reared its stupid head.
Stupid, because, if she’d been thinking, she would’ve realized it wasn’t a good idea to ‘fight’ with psycho. “Can I help it if you’re blindandstupid?” she growled.
Whereupon psycho bitch unleashed the kracken, uttered a feral growl, and launched herself at Belle.
Who was stunned stupid all over again and couldn’t manage anything but gaping at her.
Fortunately, Connor returned from escorting their ‘guests’ out in time to catch the charge. “What the fuck, Marcy?” he growled when he’d hooked her with one arm, swung her around, and caught her arms to prevent her from trying to pulverize him with her windmill fists.
“I saw that bitch kiss you!” Marcy snarled.
Connor’s face turned red. “You want to fucking explain to me where the hell you got the idea that that was your business?” he snarled.
