“Do you not think I know that?”
“So what sort of careless mistake was it?” Rick’s gaze narrowed on the tiger. If he had to make a guess, he would surmise the annoying tiger was somehow involved.
“One of us was seen without our deceptor device activated while exiting our ship whose cloaking device was not on,” Leonora tersely replied. “It provided an interesting show to a group of hikers.”
“What’s a cloaking device?” asked Carol Ann.
“A device used to allow a ship to blend in with its environment resulting in invisibility. Similar to many of your reptilian species, such as the chameleon, whose ability to camouflage itself insures its survival,” explained Tigif.
His arrogant superiority served to irritate Rick further. “It certainly didn’t do much to insure your survival, now did it? And if you ask me, that wasn’t a careless mistake, but a lethal one. Weren’t any of you aware of the sort of danger you would face if discovered? Why weren’t all possible precautions taken?”
“They were,” Leonora put in, but not convincingly.
He met her stare. “No, they weren’t. That’s why your mission failed and nearly cost you your life!” He did not attempt to hide how upset that near fatality made him. It infuriated him to think she would take her life so lightly, when he felt like he would go insane if she was killed.
Carol Ann placed her hand on his right thigh and squeezed. Leonora’s sights fastened on the hand. The fury in her eyes helped to calm Rick down. He was right. She was jealous.
“Didn’t you have any idea or way of knowing that you were being watched?” Carol Ann asked.
“No,” clipped Leonora. She inhaled slowly. “I had suggested to set up sensory devices around our camp’s perimeter. Tigif voted against it. And being a male, his word carried more weight than mine. So naturally the other males voted against it as well.”
Rick shot the tiger a look of undisguised hatred. His gut had warned him the cat could not be trusted. “And why was that? Had these sensory devices been set up, your people would’ve been forewarned of the coming danger. Or didn’t you give a damn about any of them?"
“Who in blazes do you think you are?” Tigif yelled. “What gives you the right to speak to me like this?”
“Rick, what are you insinuating?” asked Carol Ann.
Rick ignored her. The cat’s outburst confirmed his suspicions. His eyes narrowed into slits. “It was you, wasn’t it? Why did you do it? Why did you do it, after you voted against the sensor devices?”
Leonora shifted in her seat to look at her companion. Carol Ann stared at him, also.
Tigif puffed out his chest and held his head high. “What difference does it make who did it? It is over.” He scooted closer to Leonora. “The only thing left to do is return to the ship and contact the Seacats. That way Nora and I can leave this barbaric planet behind us and go on with our lives.” He reached around Leonora’s waist and brought her to him.
Rick’s muscles had coiled tightly at seeing Tigif erase the space between himself and Leonora. Viewing Tigif’s arm landing possessively around her waist pushed Rick beyond his limit. He leapt from his seat, reaching for Tigif’s throat in a fit of jealous rage.
“Rick, no!” Carol Ann blocked his path. “Don’t!”
Tigif jumped out of his grasp and prepared to defend himself.
Pointing at Leonora, Rick bellowed, “You nearly got her killed, and you dare say it doesn’t matter! How could you vote against placing sensory devices around your camp, knowing it would’ve kept her safe?”
He was unaware Leonora was staring at him, at his reactions. His attention was on Tigif, who dared him with his stance and glare.
“Like I said before, it is over. What does it matter now?” Tigif sent forth a challenging growl.
“It does matter, damn it! Nora could’ve been killed!”
“Do not concern yourself with my mate, hu—”
“I am not your mate!” Leonora stood from her seat and moved to stand beside Rick. “I truly wish you would stop saying that. And why did you do it, Tigif? You were acting very peculiar that day. You knew there were no sensory devices placed. We were not supposed to turn off our deceptor devices unless we were on board the ship. And boarding was prohibited unless mutually decided upon and only after checking if the coast was clear. But you went against a majority ruling. You broke all the safety protocols. And now our friends are dead because of it. So why, Tigif, why did you do it?”
The cat’s features grew scarlet red. Giving no one an explanation, he stormed out the back entrance to the beach. Rick was not going to let him get off that easy. He wanted answers, so he started to go after him.
Leonora cut him off. “Let him go.”
Carol Ann placed a hand on his arm to help enforce her words.
“Make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice!” he warned, making the house shudder. “Next time you’ll have me to deal with!”
Rick’s blood was boiling. Leonora’s near demise at the lab, the possibility of him losing his career, the possibility of them being caught, and the recent involvement of two women who were dear to him, were all due to the aggravating man. If he had known back at the lab that Tigif was responsible, he would have gladly left the cat in his cage.
Rick pushed back his loose hair in frustration. What was he going to do next? He glanced at the women for suggestions. Carol Ann was massaging her temples. Leonora’s eyes questioned him. He realized his outburst had revealed too much. She seemed to want answers. Rick began to fidget. He had admitted to himself that he loved her, but he was still undecided about telling her.
He sought Carol Ann’s attention. “So?” He gestured to Leonora repeatedly with his eyes. He hoped Carol Ann would understand and help him redirect Leonora’s attention from him. To his dismay, Carol Ann only paused long enough to send him her own quizzical expression.
Rick knew Leonora was observing them. He took a chance and glanced her way. He saw her eyes filling with tears. Then she spun on her heels and ran out the back door. “Nora!”
“You better go after her.”
“I can’t.” Rick began pacing. He pushed loose strands of hair away from his face with his bandaged hand. “I can’t.” His mind betrayed him. It replayed the moments he had shared with Leonora. He remembered her actions from that morning. With trembling hands, he held his hair back.
“Rick, you love her. She needs to know.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Don’t you want to know if she loves you?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
He spared her a glare but continued pacing.
“Are you going to stay quiet and never tell her?”
He nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“Good one. I wonder if you’ll still think that when she’s married to someone else.”
Rick stopped pacing. His gaze became frigid.
“You know it will happen if you’re not in the picture. She’s young and beautiful. She won’t stay single for long.”
His attention switched to the double-glass sliding doors.
“Perhaps you can tell me which is worse—to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all.”
He snarled at her. “I hate you.”
“You’ll hate yourself more when she’s in love with another man and is nine months pregnant with his—”
“That’s enough!” he hollered. The deadly gleam in his eyes warned Carol Ann to go no further.
“Fine! It’s your choice. You’re the one who’ll have to live with it.” She left the living room.
A door slammed a few seconds later.
Rick’s icy glare was on the glass doors. He had not stopped Carol Ann fast enough. Her words had created images that came alive in his aching head. On the verge of having another migraine, Rick stepped out onto the back porch. His keen sights swooped over the deck furniture and then scanned the beach. Directly ahead of him sat Leonora by the shoreline.
He leapt onto the sand and stopped behind her, watching her write something on the wet sand. He craned his neck, so he could see over her left shoulder. His heart tripped at what he read before an incoming wave washed it away.
It was a name. His name. The frozen tundra was no more. It melted into a river of warmth that flowed throughout the valley, providing nourishment for blossoming greenery.
His knees grew weak. Rick knelt behind Leonora, startling her. Grabbing her above her elbows, he brought her tight against his chest. He whispered her name as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent.
Rick sounded like a starving man, inhaling the aroma of life. He nuzzled Leonora’s hair, making her tremble with fear and anticipation. His breath on her skin zapped her strength. Closing her eyes heightened her senses. She smelled the salty clean air, felt the cool breeze on her skin, heard the angry waves bang against the nearby rocks.
Leonora envisioned herself upon a high cliff with the raging blue sea below her, beckoning her, calling her by name to become one with its tempestuous infinity. The water’s lure grew more powerful as it hit against the rocks. Her will grew weaker. Unable to resist, she flung herself into its embrace.
Falling against Rick’s rock-hard body, Leonora was aware of only one thing: Rick. The whispery touch of his lips against her cheek made her struggle for air. Her head moved toward his gentle kisses. Rick awarded her with a soul-wrenching groan and a firmer position between his powerful thighs.
His arm was like a band of steel around her waist. His moist tongue flickered in her ear and around her earlobe. Her body became sensitive and responsive to his every movement.
Rick made his choice. There was no way of knowing how long they had left together. He had no intentions of allowing any of it to pass without being a part of her. No woman had enchanted him so. He had never wanted anything in his life—whether it be big or small—with the ferociousness of an untamed, half-crazed lion. But in him Leonora caused this uncontrollable passion, this insatiable hunger, this insanity and obsession of possessing one woman—the woman with the pale blue eyes.
He wanted to absorb his obsession through all his senses. Sitting back on his heels, Rick buried his face into her hair. He inhaled deeply. Leonora’s scent was unmatched. His entire being focused on her fragrance. It transported him into another world—a world where the only known scent was that of Leonora’s.
Rick rubbed his clean-shaven face into the thick strands of her hair. He lifted his left arm from around her waist and lightly passed it over the curls. He took a lock from her slim shoulders and felt its richness between his fingers. He rubbed it against his mouth. It stimulated his lips.
Not caring or thinking, only feeling, Rick parted his lips and hooked the lock of hair with the tip of his tongue, which made him hurt more. The blue fire in his eyes seared the back of her head.
His tongue traveled over the strands in a horizontal fashion. It felt smooth and sleek. His tongue changed directions, moving vertically. He felt a soft-layered roughness. He sucked on the lock and tasted a combination of cleanliness and perfumed chemicals. It was strange. It was intoxicating.
Rick moved Leonora’s hair aside and nuzzled her cheek with his. Her skin was satiny soft. He inhaled the unique scent that emanated from her. His head began to reel. Rick rose onto his knees and planted feather light kisses on her face and neck. He felt, rather than heard, Leonora’s struggle for breath. Her lips reached for his, and his soul soared to the heavens.
Clasping her shoulders, Rick held Leonora in place, while he sensually rubbed his heated form along her spine. He made certain she felt every inch of his throbbing need. Leonora pressed her backside into his loins. She had sealed her fate. Gripping her face in his left hand, Rick roughly brought her mouth to his pulsating lips. So excited was he that he could feel his ecstatic heartbeat on his own lips.
Rick’s kiss was soul shattering. Leonora gripped his thighs and mindlessly rubbed her derriere against his arousal. She tried to give herself fully to his onslaught. Rick broke the kiss and quickly spun her in his embrace. Pulling her close, he deepened his kiss.
Through the eyes of an onlooker, Rick looked like he was trying to devour her—which he was. He had been with many women of different skill levels. He had been happily married for several years. But not once had he tasted anyone as heavenly or as carnal as Leonora. She was experienced yet inexperienced, scared yet bold, shy yet daring—combinations that drove him mad.
On their knees, they strained to get closer to one another. Rick took a deep breath of the ocean breeze, mingled with Leonora’s scent. Belatedly, he realized it was a huge mistake to do so, for it sent him over the edge. With his tongue imbedded in her mouth, Rick gently lowered her onto the incoming waves. He nudged her legs apart with his knees. Grabbing her around her hips, he urgently pulled her upward into him.
Leonora wrapped her legs around his rotating hips. She met him thrust for thrust, desperate to fill that all-consuming ache she felt within her soul. She heard him groan. His grip on her hips became painful. It mattered not. All that did matter was that Rick wanted her. She growled as her need for him intensified.
Rick released her hips and ripped her blouse open. She gasped at the forceful way his mouth seized her. Her fingers pushed roughly into his golden tresses to secure him in place. Rick fed on her breasts with a savagery beyond her wildest dreams. Combined with feeling the pressure of his erection at her junction, Leonora’s yearnings exploded. Her true sentiments revealed themselves in her eyes.
Rick ravished each mound in turn. He never stopped to check if anyone was nearby. He disregarded all caution and captured Leonora’s lips. Everything about Leonora called out to him, and he needed to—had to——answer..
He spoke against her lips, “To hell with time and promises. I need you, Nora.” He went for the buttons on her pants. “I need you!” He kissed her hard before he got up and slid off her pants, made easier by her lack of shoes.
Rick scanned Leonora’s naked form, covered only by her bikini. His passions soared higher. He gave her his full weight and gloried in the way her curves fit perfectly beneath his solidness.
“God, I want you so much,” he admitted, gazing into her eyes. He froze. All thoughts vanished. “My God. Your eyes are glowing.”
{Yes, they are.} She telepathically spoke to him. Leonora took Rick’s buttocks in her hands and pressed him downward, tilting her hips to greet him. {You are making them glow.}
“How?”
She clasped the back of his head and brought his lips to hers. Her tongue plunged into his mouth and demanded his response. {By making me want you with a hunger not of this world.}
Rick’s head dipped forward; his body bore down on hers as he struggled to keep up. Leonora’s body heat radiate through his clothes. She zapped him of energy, strength, and oxygen. He tore his mouth from hers and gasped.
He closed his eyes and tilted his face to the sun. A vision began to take form behind his closed lids. “I’ve wanted you for so long. Nora, I…” He stopped. The vision was of a beautiful, elegant, paleeyed…cat. He frowned. He felt the fire in him lessen.
Rick suddenly realized that the woman he desired was not the woman underneath him but the woman in his vision. He remembered each time he had pictured himself with Leonora, she was in her natural state, not like she was now. And if he could not have her looking as she normally did, then he did not want her at all. His dying manhood confirmed his decision.
“No!” Leonora cried. She brought Rick’s attention back to her by placing her palms on his cheeks. “No. Do not think about anyone. Please, Rick, think only of me. No one but me.”
Rick studied her features. Leonora was exceptionally beautiful with her deceptor device activated. However, his heart, his body, and his soul ached to possess the feline in her. It was her catlike features that enthralled him. It was Leonora the feline he was dying to make love to—the real Leonora he longed to claim as his own, not Leonora the
human, the imposter.
Rick smoothed Leonora’s hair away from her face and read extreme pain and fear on her angelic features. Her eyes dimmed, and she desperately clung to his shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Rick tore his mouth free. “Nora, stop.”
“No,” she cried and snatched his mouth.
“I said stop it, damn it! Wait!” His eyes flashed with anger at her. “Don’t destroy it, Nora, please don’t. I need to catch my breath. Besides, there’s something on my mind. Something I need to ask you.”
“Ask me later.” Leonora grabbed the center of his shirt and ripped it open. “I have wanted you so much…too much!” She rubbed her breasts against his smooth chiseled chest. {Make me yours.} She kissed him.
Rick did not respond. His fingers curled around her head as he firmly held her head to the wet sand. “No,” he said in a firm voice. “You’re not the one I want.”
Only the waves that splashed around them made a sound.
“What?” Leonora’s eyes filled with instant tears.
Her horrified expression made Rick hurry forth with his next words. “I have wanted you from the start, Nora. You. Not this woman who’s naked beneath me, but the gorgeous feline with the in-human eyes. She’s the one I want to make love to. She’s the one who has driven me crazy day in and day out. The one who enters my dreams at night. The one who has me so hard all the time I feel like I’m about to burst in my pants without her even touching me.” As if on cue, his manhood rose to prove he was being truthful.
Leonora shook her head. “I do not understand. I am still her.”
“No, you’re not. You’re some attractive woman with similar traits. But, Nora, let me make something perfectly clear to you. I never settle for second best.”
The tears slipped from her eyes. With a heavenly smile, Leonora pressed a button on her wristguards. Rick did not blink. He did not want to miss her transformation. He watched on as if she were a miracle taking place before his eyes.
A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) Page 14
