“All right. We’ll talk about that later,” he said mildly. “Are you coming downstairs?”
She dropped the sheet and stood up, heading for the closet. “I’ll be there. I’m starving.”
She dug around the back of the closet and found a soft pair of lounging pants and a T-shirt. “I need to get the rest of my stuff,” she muttered.
“Yes, you do.” One arm wrapped around her waist from behind while the other brushed her hair away from her neck. His teeth grazed her bare skin. “Though I prefer you with no clothes.”
His erection was hard against her ass and his hand on her waist slid up to cup one breast. She groaned and pressed back against him, dropping her clothes to the floor. “Do we have time?” she whispered.
“No.”
He released her reluctantly and stepped back so she could turn around. He was breathing as hard as she was, face stark and flushed. Her gaze dropped to his erection and she smiled. “Are you sure?”
Laughing, he picked up her clothes and tossed them to her. “I’m sure, and don’t try to change my mind. I want more than ten minutes.”
The look he gave her made her sex clench. It was pure Elect male. Hot, possessive, arrogant. She moistened her lips and tried to hide her trembling hands when she pulled the shirt over her head. She accepted the pants and yanked them on, then followed him out of their house and down the path, entering the main house into Brax’s kitchen.
Someone had gone for take-out. They grabbed a carton of rice and one of Mongolian beef and took two empty chairs in the middle of the long table. It wasn’t until they pushed their food away that the meeting got started.
“What did you find out after we left last night?” Zach asked.
“Stine had three guards with him, including the telepath who was holding Mallory. Unfortunately, when the telepath realized they were caught, he killed the other two and himself. We didn’t get anything. Stine was no better. It’s like he had a psychotic break.”
“Great. What did you do with them?”
“They had an accident on the way back to Stirling. Stine is in a coma.” He gave his mate, Esme, a baleful look. “Some people objected to that step, but it was necessary. We don’t know who else is involved. Until we do, Stine stays silent.”
Mallory didn’t have a problem with that. “Do we know anything useful?” she asked. They’d better have, considering all the trouble she’d gone through.
“They’ve been kidnapping and experimenting on Elect for at least ten years,” Gabe said. “It looks like before that they took a back off and observe approach. Some counseling. Some parapsych research.”
“What changed ten years ago?” Mallory asked.
“The younger generation took over Stirling.”
“Why are we just hearing about them now?” Brax asked.
“It looks like they targeted Elect who didn’t know what they were and didn’t have people who’d go looking for them. They made a mistake with Kaden and Esme,” Gabe responded.
“So what’s next?” Zach asked.
“According to the files, there were only four patients on the seventh floor. Until we find out otherwise, we’re going to assume that’s it. In the meantime,” Brax said, looking around the table and briefly meeting everyone’s gaze, “we’re on high alert. The compound will be locked down.” He took a deep breath, before meeting Mallory’s gaze. “I want you to take a leave of absence from your job.”
She’d expected the demand from Zach, but shouldn’t be surprised to hear it from Brax. “What do you propose I do instead, Brax? I’m not used to idleness, you know.”
“You can’t use your investigative skills here? Mason and Gabe have a lot of information to go through on Stirling.”
“I’ll think about it,” Mallory said.
Brax didn’t look happy, but he didn’t try to convince her either. Mallory figured she knew why. He assumed Zach would do it for him.
The meeting broke up shortly after that. Zach went to his lab to check an ongoing experiment and she returned to their house to contemplate her future. In the end, she didn’t have much to decide. Zach may have his impossible moments, but she’d rather be part of them than not. So when he did come to her, hours later and strung so tight she could easily read it, she was ready.
She was sitting on the couch idly flipping channels when he entered. She pushed the off button and set the remote on the table but didn’t stand. His stance was rigid, his gaze determined, and she felt a laugh bubble up. He blinked, once, then moved so fast she barely registered the motion. One second he was across the room and the next he held her stretched out and pinned on the couch. His heavy weight settled over her and she felt a welcoming sigh slip.
“What’s so damned funny?” he bit out.
“You, babe. You didn’t really think you were going to have to convince me to stay, did you?”
He gave her a wary look as if expecting some kind of trap. “You aren’t going to argue?”
“I’m stubborn, not stupid. I know it’s too dangerous to go back to my house. Probably my job too, for now at least.”
“You’re going to quit?” he asked hopefully.
She hated to disappoint him, but she wasn’t ready to go that far yet. She shook her head. “I’ll take a leave of absence.”
“Because you figure it’s safer here.”
His voice was too calm, almost wooden. She lifted her hands to cup his face.
“Because I love you. Because I don’t want to go back to living half a life.”
He exhaled a gusty sigh of relief but then narrowed his eyes. “And when did you accept this?” he asked. She knew he must have felt at least some of it earlier. He wanted her to admit it. He wanted her to say it out loud. “How long have you kept me in suspense, baby?”
“I don’t know,” she answered as honestly as she could. She’d known when he came back into her life she wouldn’t be able to free herself again. She was less certain when she’d stopped caring about that freedom, though. His cold expression was making her nervous, however. Maybe she’d misjudged him and the situation. “Does it really matter? You said you wanted to go forward.”
She felt the ice in him crack, felt him let go of anger and fear.
“Forward, yes.”
He slid his hand between their bodies, under the waistband of her pants and panties, and gave the curls hiding her sex a small tug. His lips brushed over hers then trailed down her neck. His free hand edged under the hem of her shirt. His palm flattened on her belly, but he moved it so slow she wanted to scream. It was pure torture until he cupped her breast, until he squeezed her nipple between his fingertips.
He was gone with a suddenness that left her stunned and shaking, but it was only to yank off his clothes. She wasn’t as quick, but it didn’t matter. He did it for her, then he sat on the couch holding her perched over him.
“Ride me, baby,” he said harshly, but his grin was all wicked encouragement.
How could she resist? She took his cock in her hand and lowered herself, watching him as he entered and stretched her.
“Oh yeah,” he moaned and she couldn’t agree with that approving sentiment more.
She was full, filled, needy and she wasn’t holding back. Not any of herself. She set a fast pace that became hurried when she opened the bond and let him feel what she did. The sharp edge of lust that filled her. The love that overwhelmed her. The certainty that this thing between them was solid and forever. He returned the emotions and thoughts with a rush that sent her blindly into orgasm. She clung to him as she lost control of her body and mind. All that mattered was the connection between them, the bliss that took her over.
When her brain cells came back together, she was amazed to find him still hard inside her, a lazy grin curving his lips. “We should move this to the bedroom,” he said softly.
“No way. I’m never moving again.” She snuggled up against his chest, clasping her hands behind his neck, and reveled in the satiation that made her
limp. He chuckled and patted her ass.
“Can’t keep up?”
“It’s not a contest, is it?” she mumbled, then complained as he slowly pulled out of her.
Every hard inch scraped over her sensitized nerves, reviving her as nothing else could. He stood with her in his arms and carried her to bed, not giving her even a second to adjust before he came down over her and thrust back inside her pussy. She almost came right then.
“No contest,” he murmured.
He kissed her deep and thorough. She felt his love vibrating on the bond between them. Then he started to move, deep hard strokes she felt clear to her soul, claiming her as only he could. Riding the emotional high, she couldn’t hold back and the next orgasm was as intense as the last. She screamed her release, barely registering his muffled roar as he joined her. It was a long time later before she stirred, pulled into the circle of his arms.
“Go back to sleep, baby,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I love you.”
She smiled and burrowed deeper into his warmth. “I know.”
That earned her a slap on the ass and a mock growl. “Not nice. Say it.”
“Bossy. I love you too, Zach.”
His arms tightened around her and, content and safe, she went back to sleep.
About the Author
Loribelle is a former Army MP who traded in her combat boots for motherhood, flip-flops and all the Diet Coke she can drink. (She almost misses the combat boots.) She’s the author of more than twenty books, none of which her children are allowed to read. Ever. Visit her website, www.loribellehunt.com, or www.facebook.com/loribelle.hunt for information on new releases.
Look for these titles by Loribelle Hunt
Now Available:
Fireworks
Forbidden Passions
Passions Recalled
Renegade Passions
The Elect
Protector
Guardian
Print Anthologies
Forbidden Passions
Coming Soon:
The Elect
Warrior
He will protect her. No matter the threat.
Protector
© 2012 Loribelle Hunt
The Elect. They aren’t human. They’re the next step in evolution and they’re hiding in plain sight. They’re stronger, smarter, and faster. Nature’s perfect predator.
Welcome to the top of the food chain.
Braxton Lee is the protector of the Elect and it’s a job he takes seriously. As president of the committee that governs the Elect, he overseas everything from finance to security to keeping their existence hidden. He’s driven and ruthless. The Elect will not be exposed on his watch.
Unfortunately his research chief, Zach Littman, is contacted by a former colleague who’s run a DNA analysis of a blood sample and gotten weird results. The blood isn’t human, and Dr. Esme Durand is smart enough to know it. Brax will do whatever it takes to keep her silent. Until he meets her. Because Esme has a secret. She’s one of them. Brax wants nothing more but to bring her into the fold and into his bed.
Warning: This book contains hot sex, the next evolution of mankind, hot sex, a race to find a bad guy, a hot hero trying to prove his love, and did I mention the hot sex?
Enjoy the following excerpt for Protector:
“Time to go, baby.”
She tried to dig in her heels, but he was bigger and stronger. He tossed her bag to her and dragged her back through her lab to the private stairwell, figuring it was there to escape chemistry experiments gone wrong. He pulled the key from the deadbolt on one side and relocked it on the other. Hopefully, the lab occupants on the floors below kept their doors secured. They’d gone from the sixth floor to the second when she jerked to a stop.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“There’s where you’re wrong, Esme,” he snapped. “You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from him. He was fucked. Short of tossing her over his shoulder, he couldn’t budge her.
“Why would I agree to that?” she asked.
Her demeanor had completely changed. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was dealing with a hard-nosed street cop. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed tight. She’d taken on an aura of determined calm that made him realize she’d give him hell if he tried to force the issue. She’d try a different tactic if she knew how intriguing he found that.
“You want to wait and hang around for whoever just broke in?”
“You broke in,” she reminded him.
His earpiece gave a warning click before Mason Cole, his security director, spoke. Brax had forgotten he was wearing the damn thing. “Unfriendlies in the front, Brax. The back is clear for now, but hurry.”
Damn it. “Look,” he ground out, “I can’t explain anything here. I’ll take you to Zach. You trust him.”
Four floors above them, the door rattled and they both looked up as the intruder fired two fast shots.
“I’m not the one shooting at you,” he pointed out.
“He’s shooting at the lock,” she snapped back, already hurrying down the stairs. “But, point taken.”
They exited on the bottom floor and Brax pulled her at a dead run with him to the back doors. He was impressed as hell when she kept up, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He flipped the mic down and spoke softly while peeking outside. It looked clear. “Pick-up,” he ordered.
“Two minutes.”
“Not good enough, Mason.”
“It’s okay,” Esme whispered, tugging at his sleeve.
She held up a set of keys. Her smile was tight and angry, but she was cautious when she stepped out the door as if she’d run into the night many times before. She set off into the parking lot with an efficient, smooth gait that was fast but unhurried. If anyone drew the attention of unwanted eyes it was him, but he couldn’t help himself. The need to protect her was riding him hard. He stuck close to her side, one hand on the small of her back, the other holding his pistol next to his thigh. She hadn’t even batted an eye when he pulled it out. Who was this woman? She wasn’t only the cerebral scientist he’d imagined her to be, for sure.
They stopped next to a new Camaro, and he bit back a curse. The damned things were not designed with six-foot-four men in mind. She unlocked the door with the key instead of the remote, silently, so there were no flashing headlights to alert anyone to their presence. She’d either done this before or planned in advance. He took the keys from her, reached in to hit the unlock button for the other door and escorted her around.
“I’m driving.”
Seconds later, he backed out of the space and checked the rearview mirror in time to see a man bursting from the door they’d just exited. He lifted his weapon but didn’t fire as Brax accelerated. Instead, he lifted his wrist to his mouth. If Brax had to guess it would be he was calling in the rest of the team Mason had seen enter the building, or a backup follow team. It seemed like a lot of work and effort for one lone researcher. Brax had a bad feeling the situation was a hell of a lot more complicated than he’d first believed.
He keyed the mic on his earpiece. “Follow us to the compound.”
Esme didn’t speak until they were off the small college campus and on the highway heading out of the city. “Care to explain what the hell is going on?”
“I’m saving your pretty little ass,” he hissed, spotting their tail. He’d guessed right about the second team. He would have had a team standing by to follow in case his prey escaped too. Acting without intelligence and a plan was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. He accelerated, whipping around slower cars while she gasped and grabbed the oh shit handle.
“Seems more like you’re trying to kill me the hard way.”
He loved that flash of waspishness. He grinned, punching it when a stretch of clear lane opened on the left and watching in the rearview as the SUV behind them smoothly moved in to block the
ir pursuers.
“Baby, I have no intention of killing you.”
Unless it was with ecstasy. Damn. He didn’t know what the hell had come over him, but he was staking his claim. He’d have her in his bed within the next twenty-four hours.
It wasn’t going to be as hard to lose the tail as he’d feared. Traffic was heavy and he remembered there’d been a big concert and baseball game that evening. One or both must had recently finished. He saw an opening in traffic in the right lane and slid into it just in time to take the next exit. There was no pursuit in the mirror when he checked, so he keyed the mic.
“You still got them?” he asked Mason.
“Yep. By the time they realize they lost you and circle back, it’ll be too late,” he said. “Get her safe. Zach is waiting.”
He didn’t bother with a response. He flipped the speaker up and turned off the earpiece.
“Tell me what you think you found, Esme, and who you shared that information with.” He needed to know who to kill.
“Dr. Durand,” she said primly. Grinning, he glanced over at her. She sat straight, hands clenched together in her lap, and stared out the front window.
“Esme,” he crooned. “If you don’t consider this situation enough for a first name basis, I promise to change your mind at the earliest opportunity.”
There was no mistaking his meaning. The look she flashed him was full of awareness. Shock and disbelief, but also interest and desire. Her scent was lush with it. He wanted to drown in her, and it would be hours yet before he could.
“The tests?” he reminded her, desperate to retain some semblance of control before he pulled to the side of the road and took her with all the finesse of a horny teenager.
The silence stretched, a not-so-subtle sign of defiance. The primitive core of him rose to the surface. He wasn’t human. He was something more. More advanced. More evolved. A predator. And his woman was defying him. Disobeying him. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t realized yet he’d claimed her. He was the hunter. She was the prey.
“Esme.” It was a snarl, a demand full of menace and promise of retribution. Her hand convulsed on the door handle. “Don’t even think about it, baby. You’d never survive the fall.”
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