“Close your eyes and picture a bridge stretched between you and me.”
Her eyelids drifted shut and she followed his instructions, mentally constructing a simple foot bridge. “Okay, I can see it.”
He stroked her hair, his thumb occasionally brushing along her cheek. “Walk across and explore.” He made it sound so simple, so natural. As if strolling through someone else’s mind was something he did every day.
Rather than visualizing herself, she used a first person view, like some video games. She walked across the bridge and passed through the open threshold, and sensations inundated her mind. She felt his frustration at being denied complete access to his mate, but more importantly, she felt his utter certainty that she was the one for him. It wasn’t just their genetic compatibility. The pull only amplified the attraction couples felt naturally. If he hadn’t found her appealing all by himself, the pull never would have engaged. He’d told her all this already, but feeling it from his perspective made it real, unavoidable.
He wanted her with a soul-deep longing that went far beyond the physical.
She instinctively turned toward him, needing the comfort of his kiss. It was humbling and overwhelming to realize she had inspired these emotions.
Pulling back slightly from the meld, she opened herself to a wider spectrum of thoughts and experiences. She felt his nobility, his dedication to the battle born cause, and the value he placed in honesty. Despite needing to project false impressions while he worked undercover, this was a man who tried very hard not to lie.
Gradually, he eased her out of his mind and backed off the kiss. His lips lingered against her mouth, but they were caressing more than kissing. “You okay?”
She opened her eyes, feeling dazed. “Yes.” She drew in a deep breath then slowly released it. “Is that really you?”
His smile was warm, his gaze tender. “Should I be insulted that you’re surprised by what you felt? It doesn’t sound like you had a very high opinion of me.”
“That’s not what I meant. You’re not that different on the inside, just more…raw.”
He didn’t object to the description. “Everyone’s like that. Without our professionalism, our politeness, we’re all a little savage.”
“And that’s just a hint of what I’ll feel if we form a mating bond?”
He nodded then pressed his face into the bend where her neck met shoulder. His lips moved and his breath caressed, launching tingles across her skin. “What do you feel now?”
Slow-moving heat crept over the link and bathed her senses in desire. She arched, wanting to be nearer, needing more than hints and nibbles of the scalding heat he’d just shared with her. “I can’t do this again,” she whispered.
“You can’t do what?” He didn’t lift his face, kept teasing her neck with featherlight kisses and little nips.
“I can’t play for a while then stop and spend the night aching for you.”
He stilled, then slowly raised his head, his hands coming to rest on her hips. Their gazes locked and time stood still. “Are you asking me to bunk with one of my men or make love to you?”
She bit her lower lip, unable to speak the words. A moment passed and he didn’t rescue her from the tension, so she settled for, “I don’t want you to leave.”
“And you don’t want me to stop?” One of his hands swept up and pressed against the side of her face. His phitons were glowing and his scent intensified. “If this is what you want, I need to hear it. Do you want me to make love to you?”
That made it so much easier. “Yes.” He kissed her, softly at first then more deeply. But she wasn’t quite satisfied that their positions were defined. “I want to spend the night with you, but I’m still working through the rest. I’m not agreeing to anything more than tonight.”
“I know.” He looked as if he’d say more, but he let his body and their link communicate for him.
His hands were gentle, yet she sensed the urgency driving each movement. His mouth slid over hers, the kiss more aggressive than his hands. He tugged her shirt out from inside the waistband of the borrowed skirt and pulled it upward with obvious purpose. She raised her arms and their mouths separated long enough for him to complete the maneuver. Her bra soon followed and then they pressed together skin on skin.
They moaned in unison as his arms wrapped around her. For a long time they just kissed. She explored his back and sides with hands hungry for the feel of his strong body. His skin was velvety, yet the muscles beneath felt as if they’d been sculpted from stone. Her caresses were making him restless. Thanks to their link, she could feel his need build and it fed the flames smoldering inside her own body.
His mouth tore away from hers and he kissed his way down her neck as he eased her away from his chest. His destination was obvious and her nipples tightened, eager for the attention of his mouth. He stroked one side while he tasted the other. She arched, reaching back to brace herself on his knees. The position thrust her breasts forward and he took full advantage of the offering.
She felt wild and free, secure in the knowledge that this wasn’t just lust. Each touch was a reflection of emotions she could sense clearly now. It was liberating, exciting as nothing else could have been.
He caressed her breasts and teased her nipples until she could no longer sit still. She pushed against his knees and crawled off his lap, a siren’s smile curving her mouth. Emboldened by her new sense of security, she unfastened the skirt and wiggled it past her hips. With reluctance, she’d worn her bra for a second day, but she had nothing on under the skirt.
His gaze followed the downward path of the skirt, but stalled when it reached the junction of her legs. Her thighs were pressed together so all he could see was her neatly trimmed hair, but that was enough to spike his arousal. He came off the bed with a growl and yanked her back into his arms, kissing her wildly as he turned and guided her toward the bed.
The back of her knees collided with the edge of the mattress and she sat, slipping right out of his arms. Nervous laughter bubbled up through her desire and a soft peel escaped her tense throat. He gave her a playful shove then spread her legs wide. She didn’t have time to feel embarrassed. In the next instant, he knelt on the floor and draped her legs over his broad shoulders.
His mouth settled over her sex and reality faded away. She lost herself in the sensations and bathed in the heat of his affection. Each slide of his lips and skillful stroke of his tongue released ribbons of pleasure that wrapped around her entire body. She arched her back and rocked her hips, reveling in her own sexuality as she never had before.
He caught her wrists and pulled her more firmly against his mouth. She gasped then trembled as his tongue pushed right into her core. This wasn’t foreplay any longer. It was a foreshadowing of his eventual claim. She tensed for a second, resisting the idea of being claimed, but wave after wave of tenderness washed over her mind. She didn’t believe in love at first sight, but there was no other word for what she was feeling. Kaden loved her and longed to spend the rest of his life with her.
Was she brave enough to open her heart, to make herself utterly vulnerable to another person?
Sensing her mental struggle, he backed off and returned his attention to her clit. He released her wrists and caressed his way up to her breasts. She threaded her fingers through his hair, soothed by the silky strands.
Each pass of his tongue sent bursts of sensation pulsing through her abdomen. She ached for his fullness and wanted him above her, sliding against her as he filled her again and again. “Kaden, please.”
His lips closed around her clit and carefully sucked. She arched clear off the bed, tension coiled so tight it threatened to shatter her. For a split second she hung suspended in space, as if time had paused to catch its breath. Then he released her clit and the coil snapped, catapulting her into a realm of pure sensation.
Pulse after staggering pulse ricocheted through her body. She shuddered and moaned, then shuddered some more. He left her for
just a moment and she was vaguely aware of him struggling out of his pants. Then he shifted her to the middle of the mattress and crawled onto the bed.
She felt him position himself at her entrance, but didn’t push inside. He waited for her gaze to clear. She wrapped her legs around his hips and looked deep into his eyes. She could sense his hesitation, his fear that she wasn’t really ready for their first joining.
“Go on. I want this.” Then softer, “I want you.”
Desire swelled inside him, spilling across their link. He paused for a deep kiss, then slowly joined their bodies. She stretched around him, embracing him with her slick heat as he drove deeper and deeper. Her eyes widened and her back arched as the pressure built. Had it really been that long, or was he as big as he felt?
“Probably a bit of both,” he whispered against her parted lips.
Apparently, he could hear her thoughts. She didn’t have time to analyze the discovery, however. He pulled back his hips, then filled her again with one hard thrust. She cried out and her legs tightened around him.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No. You just surprised me.” She loosened her legs. “Do it again.”
Happy to oblige, he began to move in earnest. Slow, shallow thrusts at first until he was certain he wasn’t hurting her, then long, deep strokes. She was amazed by his caring. Even in the throes of passion, his first concern was her.
She’d never been with anyone so completely focused on her. She watched the play of emotions across his face and felt the same in his mind. There was no pretense with Kaden, no ulterior motives or selfish angle for what he was doing. He was with her, making love to her, because she meant more to him than anything else in the universe.
The realization seeped into her heart, spreading affection and opening her mind to the possibilities. She let go, surrendering to the pleasure. She was safe with Kaden, protected and adored.
His hips moved faster, centering her attention on the slide of his thick shaft in and out of her wet core. Thoughts floated away like driftwood on a surging tide. She lived in the moment and focused only on him. Their gazes locked and she drew her legs high onto his sides, rolling her hips up to meet each of his downward strokes.
Harder and faster he thrust into her. His teeth clenched and his muscles rippled as he drove them both closer to the edge. “I—” love you. He bit off the actual words, but she heard them in his mind.
Before she could decide how, or if, to reply, her arousal crested and all she could do was groan. Another orgasm pulsed through her body, each rippling spasm that much more pleasurable because of his thickness deep inside her. He followed her over, tensing against her as he released his seed in rhythmic bursts.
They lay there for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes, too spent to do more than pant. She could still feel him inside her mind, but the connection was muted now. He finally mustered the strength to move and rolled them to their sides.
“Why is it less apparent now?” She stroked the damp hair back from his handsome face.
He laughed. “That tends to happen after a man comes.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “The link, you dolt. Why are the sensations so much softer now?”
“It responds to the intensity of our emotions.”
“That’s why you could hear my thoughts before?” He nodded. “Can you hear them now?”
“I probably could if I concentrated really hard, but I’m trying to earn your trust. Invading your privacy would be rather counterproductive to that goal.”
She smiled and snuggled against his side. Again it would have been easier for him to deny the truth, but he’d been honest with her.
“Can I ask a question?”
He sounded so hesitant that she looked up at him. “Of course.”
“Why did you change your mind? Did the pull just wear you down, or was it something else?”
She was quickly figuring out that sensing someone’s emotions didn’t give her instant understanding. They could sense which emotions the other was feeling, but they didn’t know why. “I have to have an emotional connection with someone before I can be intimate. The link gave me that with you.”
He tilted her head back so he could kiss her. “I’m glad. I want you to be happy.”
It was such a sweet sentiment. She didn’t want to ruin it with words. She smiled and returned her head to his shoulder. He stroked her back and she caressed his chest, content just to be near him.
She couldn’t remember falling asleep, but suddenly Kaden’s body tensed and he sat straight up in bed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“My com-bots just notified me that Fyran responded to the message.” He waited for her to look at him before he added, “If it worked the way Milanni claimed, we now have the current location of the Relentless.”
Chapter Nine
Ulrik Tandori crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for his first sight of Kage Razel, leader of the Outcasts. Ulrik had done a variety of business deals with the band of renegade technomages over the past few years. He’d even rented one of his properties to the gang when he learned they’d come to Earth, but this was the first time he’d met with their leader face-to-face.
Any interaction with the Outcasts was risky. They were powerful, capricious, and unforgiving. They were ruthless mercenaries who would take on any task as long as the price was right.
So when Ulrik heard that Kage Razel had been asking about the Relentless, it made him think. Ulrik just happened to be one of the only people on Earth who knew how to find the elusive ship, or at least he could contact the commander. And the Outcasts were much better equipped to defy Garin Nox than Ulrik was, so he arranged a meeting with Kage Razel.
Sunlight bathed the secluded clearing in the mountains near Jamestown, Colorado. Vinton Tandori’s cabin once stood to one side of the clearing. Ulrik couldn’t look at the burnt-out shell without seeing red, so he kept his gaze focused on the wide front yard where Kage had just set down his shuttle. Vinton’s death had yet to be avenged and Ulrik wouldn’t rest until Milanni had taken her last breath. Hopefully today would be the first step toward securing a peaceful afterlife for his beloved brother.
The shuttle was shielded, as Ulrik expected, so all he could see was the depression of the grass and a strange distortion, like heat coming off asphalt. He hadn’t realized covert shields were so widely used until he visited Lunar Nine. Garin and his battle born bastards were only seen when they wanted to be seen. And it stood to reason that a group of technomages would be even better equipped than the rebels.
Ulrik watched the hatch open, disrupting the shield without revealing the entire ship. A set of stairs lowered toward the ground and two armored boots came into view. The boots belonged to long, muscular legs, which were attached to an equally muscular body. Ulrik narrowed his gaze as more and more of Kage came into view. At least he presumed this was Kage. The stranger had shaved the sides of his head, creating a droopy black Mohawk that hung down over his forehead. His features were rugged, all brutal lines and harsh angles. His torso was bare except for the wide leather straps that secured his flexblade and a calf-length, blood-red cape. With an arrogant bearing and more laser markings than clothes, the man looked part Roman centurion, part all-star wrestler.
No sooner had the first man reached the ground than a second, equally unique-looking man started down the stairs. The second man was almost as tall, but not nearly as muscular. He too wore no shirt in the conventional sense. Thick leather straps also crossed his heavily marked torso, securing a flexblade to the middle of his back. The hilt was only visible when he turned his head, but it was easily within reach should the need arise. His hair was a strange mixture of black and silver, almost as if he had harbinger blood. Ulrik’s gaze immediately shifted to the second man’s eyes and his suspicion was confirmed. The second man’s pale blue eyes were ringed in shimmering silver. What was a harbinger doing with the Outcasts?
The first ma
n stalked straight to Ulrik and extended his hand.
Ulrik hadn’t expected to be greeted in the human fashion, but he took the stranger’s hand and shook it. “Ulrik Tandori. Are you Kage Razel?” Despite the stranger’s human greeting, Ulrik spoke Rodyte.
“I am,” Kage responded in Rodyte. “I was told you know the current location of the Relentless.” He didn’t bother introducing the harbinger or wasting time with small talk. And he was every bit as intimidating as Ulrik had heard. The Outcasts charged more for their services than any other mercenary in their star system because they guaranteed completion. It didn’t matter how long it took, or how many things went wrong, the Outcasts kept trying until the contracted task had been performed.
“The ship is moved frequently, so it’s more accurate to say I’m able to find out her current location at any designated time,” Ulrik told them.
Kage had no visible phitons. His gaze was just endlessly black and mesmerizingly intense. “How?”
Ulrik felt an almost physical need to explain. Was it just Kage’s deep voice and menacing demeanor or was he able to infuse his voice with compulsions? “The commander and I are in the middle of a negotiation. I’ll send him a message explaining that I’m ready to deal and he’ll either send a shuttle to collect me or tell me where to meet him. Either way, I’ll lead you to him.”
“I’m not interested in the commander. I’m interested in the ship.”
Good to know. Ulrik hadn’t been sure why Kage was looking for the Relentless. Apparently, he was simply in the market for a new ride. “Why the Relentless? She’s seriously fast and well-equipped, but she’s built for stealth not destruction.”
“What makes you think I’m interested in destruction?”
He sounded almost insulted, which confused the hells out of Ulrik. “The Destroyer is much more—”
“How long will it take you to arrange a meeting? I need this settled quickly.”
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