by Sydney Croft
She smiled, her entire face lighting with a soft glow. “I want to too.”
He fought a smile at her words, and then he tugged down her shorts impatiently, spread her thighs and moved between them.
He speared his tongue inside of her, until her hips rose off the grass and her sex ground against his face, her thighs locking him there.
A prisoner to her pleasure, he’d gladly give up his freedom for this taste of her, sweet and tangy and so hot. He was buried so deep he could barely breathe and he was going to have marks on his neck where she was clutching him, and he didn’t care.
She was wildly out of control, even more so than when she’d been in heat. It was all her now and she wanted him. He’d never been so turned on in his entire life as he swirled his tongue through her hot folds, licking her, making her his.
“God, Tommy…Tommy!” she cried as she came against his mouth, contracting around his tongue.
He waited until her thighs parted and trembled as they rested on his shoulders and she was helpless to stop him.
She tensed as he traced the still-sensitive nub softly, tried to push him away when he pressed harder.
“I can’t,” she whispered, and oh, yes, he’d make sure she could. His hands held her inner thighs open, his mouth ruthless against her, all for her pleasure. And when her next two orgasms came, one right on the heels of the other, he was almost too hard to move.
He slid up her body, grass tickling his shins and knees as he slid his cock inside her. She was so wet, still spasming. Her mouth parted as if she was trying to breathe and not having much luck as he filled her.
But her eyes, they were wide open and staring up at him—those amber cat eyes he loved seeing. Because ever since the first time she’d gotten up the nerve to show him, she hadn’t stopped.
“Your eyes,” he said gently.
“What?”
“They change, even now,” he said. “Beautiful.”
“I didn’t know if they only changed during my heat,” she whispered. “I never opened my eyes during sex, even during the normal times.”
“I don’t want you to close them anymore, Kira. You don’t have to. You’re safe,” he said. And dammit, he was going to make sure she stayed that way.
He rocked back and forth, his limbs heavy with pleasure, and Kira wrapped around him as if she’d never, ever let him go. It would be so easy to come now, right this second, let himself drift into that space where nothing else mattered. But no, not yet…
“Has it ever been like this before?” he asked as he held her hips so he could deliver long, slow strokes at just the right angle to make her breathe faster and faster and her eyes roll back in her head.
She couldn’t answer, couldn’t form a coherent sentence if she tried, and that’s just the way he wanted it.
Still, he repeated, “Has it ever been like this before, Kira?” as if his question was a command.
Skin slipped on skin, slippery with sweat, and she was giving him his answer by the way her thighs held him tight and her sex contracted hard around him—by the way she shook her head no because it was the only thing she could do. They were beyond words.
She was all his. It had never been like this—for either of them.
“SO YOU’RE STAYING, THEN?” Dev asked the question he’d been hesitant to ask ever since Oz drove that spirit out of Dev and out of the house.
He glanced over at Oz and was surprised to see him there. He was still having a hard time adjusting to having his sight back, and even though his second sight and CRV powers remained intact—stronger even—Dev hadn’t told anyone beyond Creed about his return from the darkness. Or about Oz.
Oz put a black-booted foot up on the desk in Dev’s home office and gave him an easy smile. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”
“That’s not an answer.” Still, Dev couldn’t help but return his smile.
“Yeah, I’m staying,” Oz said quietly. “Hope that’s all right with you.”
Yes, that was more than all right with Dev—waking up in Oz’s arms every morning had only reiterated that desire.
“I don’t think I’m going to come back to work at ACRO, though,” Oz continued.
“I need you there. I want you there.”
“You have plenty of people to watch your back.”
“Not like you. Between you and Ender, maybe I can get to the bottom of the leak.” Dev was still highly frustrated. Being a son of Itor’s leader put Dev in a horribly vulnerable position, especially if Alek knew who and where Dev was.
They’d been fighting about it ever since Oz banished Darius’s spirit from his body and Dev got his sight back.
“Even with Darius gone, the mole is still an issue. If I give away my hand too quickly, I don’t know if things could get worse,” Dev told him.
Oz ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I get it, Dev, but you’ve got to get to the bottom of this. You’re putting it off, and fuck, I know why…”
“I haven’t been putting it off. I’ve been…” He closed his eyes, the familiar darkness a sudden comfort. When he opened them, he was staring into Oz’s dark ones and he knew he didn’t have to explain anything to Oz. Oz just knew.
Dev was still trying to understand what it meant to be Alek’s son. ACRO’s—and Dev’s—sworn enemy. Yet, he had Alek’s DNA inside of him.
“You’re right. It’s time,” Dev said. Oz waited on the other side of the desk, his body tense as Dev dialed the contact number obtained from the I-Agent Annika had captured.
He’d wanted to put it on speaker, but Oz told him no. He did agree, however, to stay in the room.
Normally, the number would have connected him to the I-Agent’s handler, but Dev had used an unsecure line, ensuring that ACRO’s business number would appear on Itor’s version of caller ID. He knew the call would be rerouted, and after several rings, someone picked up.
“This is Alek.”
Liar. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. “Don’t fuck with me.”
Silence stretched, and then there was a click, another click, and then a Slavic-accented voice that froze the fluid in Dev’s spine.
“Hello, Devlin.”
Dev paused, the protocol for speaking for the first time to his evil father escaping him. “Let’s skip the bullshit. You know why I’m calling.”
“A family reunion?”
“You killed my family.”
“The people who raised you? The woman who gave birth to you?” Alek sighed. “You wouldn’t be where you are now if they were still alive. There’s a reason for everything, you know.”
“You sick fuck.”
“Really, son, I thought you’d have more class than that.”
“You can blame the genetics.”
Alek’s laughter grated on every one of Dev’s nerves. “Devlin, we shouldn’t be doing this over the phone. Let’s meet. We can bond over a glass of Clynelish.”
Dev clenched his teeth before his surprised intake of breath let the other man know he’d hit a mark. There was no way Alek could know Dev’s favorite, very rare Scotch whiskey. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and one glance across the desk told him that Oz had become just as uncomfortable. He sat stiffly in his chair, his grip on the armrests scoring the leather.
“I’m not impressed by your psychic parlor tricks, Dad, so I think we’re done. Just know that I’m on to you.”
“I don’t think you are,” Alek said softly. “But I’m on to you.”
Desperate to be rid of the man and wondering what the hell he’d been thinking when he called, Dev reached for the disconnect button but froze at Alek’s next words.
“I’ll give Ryan your best.”
Dev stopped breathing. Oh, Jesus. Oh, holy Jesus. No one at ACRO but Dev had known about Ryan’s insertion into Itor, a measure Dev had taken to keep the mole from learning about it. But Itor knew. Which meant that either Ryan had fucked up, or…
“You’re a little slow on the uptake, son. You must get tha
t from your whore of a mother.” Alek rattled something that sounded like ice cubes in a glass. “A man named Darius put some sort of protective thought-shield on you when you were still in the womb. I finally broke it two years ago. It’s been nice to get to know you. And ACRO.”
“No,” he whispered. He swayed in his chair, feeling like he was bleeding out. And in a way, he supposed he was. His thoughts had been bleeding out, right into Alek’s mind. Dear God, he’d been searching for the mole for two years, when all he’d had to do was look in the mirror.
DEV DIDN’T REMEMBER HANGING UP THE PHONE, cutting the connection between himself and his father. He wished it would be that easy to cut off his mind from Alek as well, but no, that was going to take some massive work.
He doubled over and retched into the garbage pail. Oz was next to him in seconds, stroking his hair, wiping his mouth, bringing him water.
He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. And all he could hear was Alek’s laugh echo in his ears.
“Oz, I’m…oh, God, I’m the fucking leak at ACRO,” he whispered. “How could this have happened? All this time, I’ve put my entire staff at risk.”
“You didn’t know—you couldn’t have known,” Oz said, and something in his tone made Dev start.
“You knew.” Dev’s voice shook.
“No…I suspected, but only since I banished Darius. I’d never put you and ACRO at risk like that. Never,” Oz said fiercely. “You have to believe me.”
“I do. But shit, he’s reading everything…I have to—”
“I’ve had a mind-shadow on you ever since Darius left—I’ve basically been monitoring your mind, so I’d know if Alek tried to break in.”
“And did he?”
“He tried. He’s trying right now.” Oz took a deep breath and Dev knew that a mind-shadow wasn’t easy on the person doing the shadowing. No, this would drain all of Oz’s energy if he did it for too long.
“This isn’t going to work forever,” Dev said. “We need plans. Alternate plans.”
The muscles along Oz’s neck and arms showed his strain. “You’d better do it fast, then. Unless you want Alek to know.”
“I’m going to need you, Oz. I know you said you didn’t want to come back to ACRO…”
Oz was breathing heavily. Alek was really fucking with him, with both of them, and it was time for Dev to stop giving Oz a choice. For both their sakes. “You’re going to take over ACRO for me,” he told his lover. “I’m going to sign papers giving you authority until I come back. You’re not to tell me anything that happens at ACRO.”
“Fuck, Dev, that means I can’t even be near you.”
“Not for long. I’ll get help.”
“You need to strengthen your mind—it’s not going to be an easy fix. You’ll have to learn to recognize the feelings, the signs. Since Alek’s your blood relation, that makes it more difficult.”
“How can I block him out temporarily? Tell me, Oz,” Dev begged.
“We can have a team of ACRO’s most powerful psychics surround you with a mind-shield, stronger than what I’m doing,” Oz said, the strain evident in his voice.
“The Mystic Research department developed a psychic-numbing drug,” Dev said slowly. “Between that and the psychics…”
“You should be safe. You have to be safe,” Oz muttered fiercely. He closed his eyes, and Dev noted the sweat beading his brow. And then, the same way it came about, the tension fell from Oz’s shoulders and he drew in a deep breath and opened those startlingly dark eyes. “We’re clear for right now. But we’ve got to work fast.”
Oz was right—this wasn’t the time for Dev to think about the past two years, this was the time for action. Dev could handle this. With Oz by his side, he could handle anything.
CHAPTER
Twenty-two
Borrowing the horse hadn’t been the plan, not really, but as Kira stood next to Tom’s sleek black Mustang while he locked up, Zorro jumped the fence and trotted up the drive, his shod hooves clacking on the cement.
“Hey, baby,” she murmured as he nuzzled her hands. “What are you doing?” From the images she’d gathered from him over the past days, she’d learned he’d been a police horse, retired now and condemned to living out his life in a pasture with no excitement.
His whinny and sharp stomp of one hoof was her answer, and her heart broke for the proud Tennessee Walker. “You want one last hurrah, don’t you?”
He tossed his head, and with a sigh, she swung nimbly onto his back. Tom appeared from nowhere, his expression one of concern. “Kira?”
“I need to do this, Tom. He needs it.”
For a moment, his silence worried her, but then he nodded, and though he didn’t say it, she knew he’d follow.
Zorro carried her swiftly down the country road to the ACRO base, which was pretty much a straight shot and off on a back road of its own. As they approached the gate, Zorro began to get antsy.
“It’s okay, boy,” she said, but he didn’t believe her. Probably because she didn’t believe it herself.
This could be a huge mistake, and for a moment she considered taking off in the opposite direction, starting somewhere new, like she always had when the towns turned on her or bad guys tried to shove her into vans.
But she couldn’t leave Tom, and if he was right, if these people could find a way to cure her of her yearly heats, she had a shot at an even more normal life with him. Besides, if she joined, they would help her animals. She only hoped it wasn’t too late for Luke.
One guard stepped out of the gate shack while another remained inside, and though she didn’t spot any weapons, she had no doubt the two men had an arsenal at their disposal.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” the first guard asked, eyeing the stallion with only mild curiosity, as though people rode horses to the fenced compound every day.
She dismounted but kept her hand tangled in Zorro’s mane in case she needed to swing back up quickly. “I’m not sure who I need to talk to. Zach Taylor in the Animal Division, I guess.”
“And you are?”
“Kira Donovan.”
He frowned, and then his eyes shot wide. “Hold on, Ms. Donovan. I’ll make the necessary calls.”
“Have someone bring a halter and lead for Zorro. He’ll need to be taken back to his humans.”
The guard entered his shack, but while he made his calls, the other one came outside to watch her warily. She just petted Zorro to keep him calm until the phone call guy stepped out and reached for her.
“Don’t touch me,” she snarled, and he yanked his hand back like he’d been burned.
Her own violent reaction startled her, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want any man near her. Not touching her, not looking at her, not breathing her air.
The man looked at her like she’d gone rabid, and extended his hand more slowly. “Ma’am, you need to wear this ID badge.”
“Oh. Okay.” She took the yellow badge and clipped it to her T-shirt.
A moment later, Zach showed up. He carried the tack she’d requested, and he gave her a friendly smile as he placed the halter and lead on Zorro. “Glad you’re back, Kira. You’ve decided to sign on, I hope.”
“That’s yet to be determined.”
He winced. “I hope your indecision doesn’t have anything to do with my behavior before.”
“Not at all. My fevers affect all men that way.” Touch me today, however, and you’ll have to die.
Startled once more by her reaction to a man, she stepped back, putting more distance between them. What was wrong with her?
“It’s over now, isn’t it?” When she nodded, he added, “Well, if you sign on, I can guarantee that once a year you’ll be taking a vacation, like it or not.”
“Thank you,” she said, and almost smiled, because just a few weeks ago she wouldn’t have considered the time off a vacation. Now, with Tom, her yearly heats would no longer be a problem.
Bored, Zorro tossed his head, and Zach calmed t
he horse with words in a language she didn’t know. “I’d better get him home.” Long fingers stroked Zorro’s neck as Zach turned to her. “I wrote up your training program, so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I hope I can convince you to stay. We need you.”
He led Zorro away. Two women waited next to the shack, and how long they’d been there Kira had no idea. The dark-haired Amazonian smiled, but the shorter one, a stunning blonde whose gaze could freeze lava, simply glared.
“Hi, I’m Janice.” The statuesque brunette didn’t hold out her hand, but did give a brisk nod at the other woman. “That’s Annika. We’re your trainers. The ones you didn’t hang around to meet when Ender brought you in.”
“I had some issues with your accommodations.”
Annika snorted. “I’d think someone who spent time in a jail cell wouldn’t be so picky.”
Yeah, this Annika person was going to be a blast. “I’m fine now.”
Annika crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Then why is Ender trying to arrange it so you won’t have to stay on base for your training like everyone else does?”
Dammit. She hadn’t wanted him to do that. Those little rooms wouldn’t bother her now that her life wasn’t on the line. Still, his concern was sweet, and reminded her of one of the reasons she was here.
He’d said she needed to be, and she trusted him.
“Ender’s an asshole,” Janice said before Kira could answer Annika.
Annika studied her fingernails, which were long but unpolished. “No argument here.”
Kira bristled. Tom might be an asshole, but he was her asshole.
“Is that a growl?” Annika asked. “Are you growling at me, Kira?”
Startled, she blinked. She hadn’t realized what she’d been doing, but something was clearly very wrong.
“Does it bother you that everyone here thinks your lover is an asshole?”
Kira ground her teeth. Tom had warned her not to let Annika catch the scent of weakness, but within moments of meeting the woman, Kira had done exactly that.
“I can’t help what people think of Tom.”
“Tom?” Annika laughed. “I wonder how many of his other women call him Tom.”
