Telepathic Cravings

by Melissa Schroeder

He drew in a deep breath. His heart pounded against his ribs. God, if he didn’t get her naked in the next five minutes, he would go insane.

  “Marcus, I’m wearing casual clothes. I have nothing to wear to work. I won’t have time in the morning—”

  “You can be late. Believe me, your boss will understand completely.”

  Just as they reached the doorway to his bedroom, she yanked her hand out of his and stopped.

  “I refuse to receive preferential treatment. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I don’t want anyone thinking I have my job because I’m sleeping with you.”

  He studied her frown and serious expression, then glanced over his shoulder at his bed. He sighed. He’d been so close. She was going to make this difficult.

  “Look, we’ll get up early and you’ll have time to make it to work.”

  She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. He licked his lips. He could almost taste her nipples. Her breathing hitched.

  “Listen, it’s either you come in here now, or I’ll follow you home.”

  She bit her bottom lip as if she were debating her choices. Something he couldn’t define—something close to panic—seeped into his gut. She couldn’t leave. There was no way he could do without touching her skin, tasting her lips, or sinking his cock into her hot, wet sex. And he wanted her next to him in bed that night. He didn’t know just how to feel about that, but he needed her beside him.

  Corresponding warmth shimmered in her topaz eyes, and he wanted to shout. She wanted him, as badly as he wanted her. Her shoulders lost their rigid posture, and she uncrossed her arms.

  Knowing this might be his only chance, he stepped forward, bent over, and hiked her over his shoulder.

  “Marcus Carlyle, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Of course, he didn’t respond. If he did, she’d just come up with another argument. Like tonight was her hair-washing night.

  “Marcus, put me down, right now.”

  Now that he thought about it, she could use a shower. He switched direction without breaking his stride and headed to his bathroom. The image of Shana, wet and naked, water dripping from her rosy nipples…

  “Marcus!”

  He rubbed his hand over her rounded ass.

  “Illuminate.” Soft, glowing light filled the bathroom. He dropped her to her feet, and smiled down at her. Her face was flushed, and her chest heaved. She placed her fists on her hips.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

  He grabbed the bottom of his sweater and, yanking it over his head, dropped it to the floor. Her eyes widened and focused on his chest. Her greedy gaze roved over his chest, down his torso to the waistband of his jeans.

  Her gaze dipped down to his obvious hard-on. She licked her lips and he groaned.

  “Shana, stop looking like you want to devour every inch of me. I’ll come in my pants.”

  She snorted. “Marcus, you never lose control. Your number one priority in life is to remain in control.”

  He didn’t say anything to that, because she was still staring at his cock and licking her lips. How was he supposed to think when she gawked at him like that? She bit her bottom lip again. Before he could give her another warning, she dropped to her knees in front of him.

  “Shana.”

  She rubbed her hand over his erection. He sucked in a breath as she trailed her fingers from the base of his cock to the head.

  “Hmm. You know what I’ve always wondered about you?”

  She’s asking questions and expects answers?

  “No.”

  “I wondered what it would be like to make you lose control. Before I even came to work for you, your reputation was legendary. You never lose your cool, never go hyperballistic.” Her voice had thickened and deepened.

  She slid her fingers to his waistband, slipping a couple inside his jeans. They brushed against the tip of his erection, already dewy with pre-cum. Her gaze was still fixed on the bulge in his pants, but she smiled. She pulled her fingers out, then looked up at him. Her tongue darted out, licking his moisture from the tips of her fingers.

  He groaned, but still held back. He knew what she was planning. And he wanted it. Since the moment he’d brought her home, he’d thought about having her mouth on his shaft, sucking him, licking him.

  Her eyes heated. She grabbed the waistband of his pants, undid the button, and unzipped them. His cock, thick and hard, sprang free, and her smile deepened. She encircled his cock at the base, then slid her hand up to the tip. She pushed his pants down further with her other hand. Then she leaned forward and licked his balls.

  Oh, Christ almighty.

  She licked and sucked, all the while stroking his dick. His head spun, and he grabbed the sink behind him to steady himself. She moved from his balls, to the base of his cock. Kissing a path to the head, she looked up at him, then wrapped her lips around him.

  She took the entire length of him in her mouth. Lightly caressed his balls. He threaded his fingers into her hair, then molded them to her head. Each time she reached the top of his cock, she swiped her tongue over the head. Christ. She continued her assault, sucking, licking, pulling him further to the edge. All the while, she held his balls, squeezing and stroking as they tightened in anticipation.

  He watched, fascinated, each time his shaft disappeared between her lips. He tried to control her rhythm by clenching her head tighter, but she refused to slow down. She closed her eyes and moaned each time he sank into her hot mouth. The vibrations tugged him closer, pushed him beyond control. He thrust faster, harder, giving in to the moment, allowing her to set the speed. Blood heated beyond boiling and rushed to his dick.

  “Oh, yeah, baby.” He groaned as his seed spurted into her mouth.

  She sucked, twirling her tongue around his shaft as she milked every bit of his essence and swallowed it with obvious delight. As he collapsed against the sink, she licked his seed from his dick. He removed his hands from her hair. She drew back from his cock, releasing it from her mouth with one last lick. She rose to her feet. When he cupped her face, his hands shook.

  He captured her lips in a searing, blistering kiss. It wasn’t a gentle lover’s kiss. It was hot, wet, and almost bruised his lips and probably hers. Honestly, he couldn’t be the smooth lover, because he couldn’t think of anything but sinking his cock into her again. He drew back from the kiss and looked down into her upturned face. Her lips were swollen and reddened, and her eyes were still dilated, showing her arousal. Her lips curved into a cocky grin. Satisfaction warred with irritation. Whether it was in the boardroom or the bedroom, the woman was always trying to show him up.

  He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it off her, dropping it on the floor next to his sweater. She sputtered a protest, and he chuckled but quickly rid her of her pants. Her eyes spit fire as she placed a fist on each hip. She looked like an irritated naked woodland creature from the Serafina Sector.

  His heart stuttered to a stop, then sped up to double-time. That damn feeling of vulnerability threatened to swamp him. He’d never seen anything so beautiful or arousing as when she was giving him that look. He must be some kind of masochist. Before she could argue, he slid his arm around her waist and guided her to his oversized tub.

  It was time little Miss Shana Adams learned about losing control.

  * * * *

  “Oh, yes, Marcus.” Shana’s inner muscles tightened around his cock as she rode him.

  Rivulets of water from the showerhead slid down her body, dripping from her breasts. He took her nipple in his mouth again. She was close, he could feel it. This would make the fourth orgasm he’d pulled from her, to his one.

  She increased her speed, his fingers clenched against her slippery skin.

  “Yeah, that’s it, baby. Come for me, again.” He growled as blood rushed to his cock. She teetered on the edge, pumping his shaft, pulling him deeper into her warm, willing body.

  “Marcus!” She slammed down on him once more, then
exploded. She screamed his name again as shudders wracked her body. Her convulsions brought on his own orgasm as he spewed his seed within her.

  She collapsed on top of him. He fastened his lips around her nipple. Then he slid his hands up her body and tangled his fingers in her soaked hair. Pulling her closer, he brushed his lips over hers in a gentle kiss. He released her, and she snuggled closer, placing her head on his shoulder.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were dried and curled up in bed together. As he pulled the comforter over them, another wave of contentment swept through him. There was something so right about having her in his house, in his bed. He waited for panic to tighten his gut. Marcus didn’t give commitments in his personal or professional life lightly.

  He knew a relationship with her was out of line. She was an employee. This was completely out of character for him. But he’d reached the point of no return. They would have to be secretive about their relationship, and that would be hard. Hard because he wanted every male in her presence to know she was his.

  He stroked her arm and she shivered, snuggling closer. This overwhelming need for her seemed to increase each time he touched her. It wasn’t something he was comfortable with. Especially when the thought of not touching her, tasting her, sent a spurt of alarm through him. There was nothing he could think of standing in their way, except the fact the Federation frowned on fraternization.

  He remembered the look on her face when he mentioned secrets and frowned. Although she’d be pissed, he decided to do some digging, just to be sure he could protect her if the need arose.

  As he drifted off to sleep, he assured himself she couldn’t have anything too detrimental in her past. If there was one thing he knew without a doubt, Shana would never lie to him.

  Chapter 8

  Shana reread her report on the dissolving Gorgon Alliance. They had lost their mercs, but there was the worry they might reorganize and plan more attacks. She needed to review her findings to make sure she didn’t miss anything. As usual, her concentration drifted to her night spent with Marcus. After she’d convinced him it wasn’t a good idea to follow her to her apartment, she’d rushed home just after dawn to get ready for work. She’d also needed some distance from him.

  She leaned back in her chair as she thought about his secret smiles whenever their paths had crossed that morning. It should irritate her to no end, but it didn’t. Instead, her heart skipped a beat every time. And that same traitorous heart yearned for the next time he would grace her with one.

  Idiot. That’s what she was. One humongous idiot with no sense. Because, deep down, there was something really bothering her. Something causing the axis of her world to tilt. She was worried the feelings she had for Marcus were deeper than just great sex. And she wasn’t at all comfortable with that thought.

  Spending last night at his apartment had been a major mistake. That night had taken her places she’d never dreamed existed. Marcus was well versed in the erotic arts, she realized with a shiver. She’d not been celibate, and had more than one lover in her past, but none of them had pushed her farther than Marcus had last night. Beyond that, sleeping in his arms, and then waking next to him in bed…well, it had felt so right.

  At some point, she would have to sever the connection. Every time he had a sexual thought about her, it popped into her head. Each time it happened, her heart slipped a little more. The longer the relationship continued, the more she would put herself and her family in danger.

  “Not daydreaming on the job are you, Ms. Adams?” John Marrow asked, as he stepped up behind her.

  She swiveled her chair to face him. There had always been something about John Marrow that bothered her. More than the fact he’d been married three times and was a well-known dickhead.

  “No, just looking over my report. I wanted to make sure everything was in order.” She didn’t like the fact she was seated and he was looking down at her with those cold blue eyes.

  Oh, she knew all the women just thought he was the best thing in this universe. But beneath the flirt, there was an underlying sense of a sociopath. Most people would think she was crazy. Marrow was charming and good-looking, but he went after women with an almost methodical menace.

  Wanting to be on the same level, she stood, causing him to take a step back. “Is there something you needed, Mr. Marrow?”

  “No, I was just wondering if you were busy tonight.”

  Good Lord. Doesn’t the man understand the word no?

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”

  “Break the date.” His voice was laced with command.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Break the date. It would be worth your while.” He slithered a step closer. She swallowed the bile that rose. The man always had this effect on her, and she didn’t understand why.

  She felt a tug on her senses. It was something she’d experienced before with other telepaths who had tried to read her mind. While she only practiced with family when she was younger, some telepaths would actually try to read minds, probing others’ brains. Footsteps sounded behind John, and he looked over his shoulder. Shana tried to deal with the tugging on her brain. A chill crept down her spine, and a lash of hatred, cold and violent, replaced the mental fingers. This was intense and passionate and not directed toward her.

  She looked to see what had caught his attention and found Marcus standing there.

  “John,” he said. His voice vibrated with unleashed anger.

  Marrow immediately stepped back, and the probing of her brain abruptly cut off. She blinked, trying to bring her focus back.

  “Marcus. What are you doing in this wing of the department?”

  “I’m not allowed to stop by my top terrorism expert’s desk?” He crossed his arms, and she could tell from the glint in his eyes, Marcus was ready to draw blood.

  “No. That’s not what I meant.”

  “It just so happens that Ms. Adams and I have a lunch meeting to go over some preliminary findings of an investigation of that bombing in the Sirroco Province on Mars.”

  John looked from Marcus to Shana, and the cold speculation she saw in his eyes caused her stomach muscles to clench. “Oh, well, I guess I’ll let you get to work.”

  He sauntered down the hall, leaving her with a cold knot of unease in her stomach. She pushed him from her thoughts and turned to Marcus.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Of course, that’s why we’re having a meeting,” he said in a genial tone. “Do you want to order in or go out?”

  “I think it better if we order in, don’t you?”

  An image of him sitting at his desk chair, her on his lap, flashed in her mind. He wiggled his eyebrows and she blinked. Marcus Carlyle wasn’t an eyebrow wiggler.

  “I thought you would never ask.” His lips curved up in that same secret smile. She scowled and grabbed her micropad.

  He stepped back and allowed her to pass. She tried her best to ignore him walking behind her, but his thoughts were floating from him to her.

  I can’t wait to slide my hands over that nice, round ass.

  She tripped over her own feet. He caught her by the elbow to steady her. His fingers lingered there, caressing the soft skin through the fabric of her jacket. He didn’t want to relinquish his hold. She sensed it and heard it in his thoughts. She looked up into his eyes, and heated passion lashed at her through his look and his thoughts.

  She did her best to school her features, so as not to let the man know she could read his thoughts. Smiling, she glanced down at her arm, and he let go, finally. His breathing deepened. She worked through those mental exercises her mother had taught her, but his thoughts seemed to seep through no matter what she did.

  His thoughts and hers threaded together to keep her off balance. His wants and desires flashed through her body. The feel of his arm brushing against hers with each step he took sent a tingling warmth throughout her whole body. By the time they reached his office, her heart was slamming against her chest. Her nipp
les were hard and aching.

  “Marcus Carlyle, authorize.” His deep, rumbling voice washed over her. A rush of wet heat dripped from her sex. The man was lethal with just a comment.

  Once they were in his office, he locked the door with a command, and then stepped up behind her. The heat of his body warmed her back. He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her hands, tangling his fingers with hers. The hard length of his cock pressed against her rear end.

  “So, what would you like to discuss, Ms. Adams? And may I suggest that we do it with you nude?”

  His heated whisper tickled her ear. She fought the warmth curling into her heart but failed. “Isn’t that some kind of sexual harassment?”

  “Naw. I’ll be naked, too.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at his playful tone. Marcus wasn’t a playful kind of guy. He didn’t joke during meetings, and he didn’t flirt. Every time he teased her, she felt her heart crack open just a little more.

  He released her hands and cupped her breasts. His fingers brushed her taut nipples and the delicious ache intensified. He kept one hand on her breast, caressing and tugging her nipple, while he moved the other down her body. He pressed his fingers against her clit. Her juices gushed out, seeping through the fabric of her pants.

  “Damn, you’re wet for me, baby. Aren’t you?” His voice roughened with excitement as visions flashed through her mind of the various positions he wanted to try.

  She forgot her promise to try to keep the relationship light and allowed her emotions to take over. Because when he touched her, nothing could penetrate the sexual fantasy he created with his thoughts.

  He nipped at her earlobe, and she melted against him. She rubbed her bottom against his hardened cock. Moisture dripped from her sex. All her arguments withered and died at that moment. She was ready to be stripped bare. She wanted to share every secret desire, every secret wish with him. She wanted to lie before him, and let him know everything.

  All she could do was moan. The man had a lethal pair of hands. The things he was doing to her sent a wave of heat racing along her nerve endings. All he had to do was look at her, touch her, say her name in a whisper against her skin, and she was lost.