Drifter

by Leslie Georgeson

  Kate wrapped an arm around his shoulders, gently squeezed. “She sounds like a nice lady.”

  He leaned into her, unable to resist, accepting her comfort, her strength. “Yeah. Over the next several years, she helped turn me into a better person. Then my father came back from Dubai. I was in awe of him, this corporate big wig with more money and more intelligence than I could imagine. He was a little distant with me, but I think he was just nervous about getting to know me the same way I was nervous around him. My grandmother helped smooth that transition as well. And when I turned eighteen, my father said he was taking me to Dubai with him so I could learn about the company and what they did.”

  Mitch sighed. “The asteroid shower hit the night we arrived in Africa. I lost my father almost as soon as I’d found him. I was once again alone in the world, but now I was in a foreign country. With no way out. Just a dumb kid trying to get his life back on track with no one to help guide him.”

  Kate’s arm moved from his shoulder to his waist. She snuggled closer to him, laying her head against his shoulder. “Go on.”

  God, she felt so good snuggled against him. Mitch lifted his own arm to curl around her shoulders. They fit together perfectly. A feeling of contentedness settled over him. He and Kate, they were simply meant to be. Why hadn’t he figured that out before?

  Because he’d been too much of a coward. Too afraid to get close to another woman. Too afraid to fall in love again.

  “I joined up with a group of other young men, kind of like the gang I’d been in back in California as a kid. We traveled around the continent, terrorizing and stealing from people. Some of the guys weren’t good people. They hurt and abused others.” He lowered his voice. “They raped woman. They killed.” He swallowed hard. “I killed my first man when I was nineteen. It was stupid, really. I shouldn’t have done it. I let peer pressure get to me. I told the guy to give me his shoes. He refused. Shoes were hard to come by back then. The ones I had were worn out and holey, barely covered my feet. It was before traders like you came around, bringing much needed items to trade. Anyway, he kept refusing to give me his shoes, and my so-called friends egged me on, told me to punish him, to take his shoes.” Mitch sighed. “So I did. I tackled him and tried to pull his shoes off. But he was strong and bigger than me. He fought back hard. It turned into kill or be killed. He had me in a stranglehold, choking off my air. I lifted a hand and slammed it into his throat. He gagged and fell back. I jumped on him, shoving my arm against his neck. And pressed down until he died.”

  Kate didn’t say a word. She just waited patiently, her arm tightening around his waist.

  “I took his shoes and left the group of assholes that were bringing me down. I felt like a disgrace to my grandmother. After all she’d done for me, I’d succumbed to the trash I’d once been. The scum of the earth. I’d killed someone for a fucking pair of shoes.” He puffed out a breath. “I found myself wandering alone around the savannah for several years after that. I met a Swahili man who taught me how to use a bow and arrow and a spear. He taught me how to hunt and how to protect myself. I stayed with him and his family for a few months before moving on. I met a few other people in my travels, joined up with a few groups here and there, but never stayed in any one place for very long. Three years after the asteroid shower, I was attacked by a pack of drifters one night. Ethan found me and saved me. He brought me into this crater here and said he was doing research on the drifters and wanted to use me as one of his subjects. I agreed. Together we learned about the creatures and what we thought their purpose here was.”

  He paused a moment, lost in memories.

  Kate leaned away from him, slowly sitting up. “So how did you meet Lisa?”

  “She was one of Ethan’s subjects. She’d also been bitten. We became friends, and it slowly turned into something more.”

  Mitch felt Kate’s gaze on his face, but he didn’t turn his head to look at her. He couldn’t right now. Lisa was a painful subject. Losing her had nearly killed him.

  But Kate gave him a small reprieve from the subject by asking, “So what are all your gifts from the drifters? You only told me about the teleporting, the empathy, the night vision, the camouflage, and the flame. You said you had eight gifts. What are the others?”

  “The heightened senses of the cheetah, and the cheetah’s speed when teleporting are also gifts. I also have a strength far superior to a normal human. Not nearly as strong as Ronin, but it does come in handy from time to time. Like when my friend Gabe was injured, I picked him up and carried him to a safe place so Claire could tend to him. It was easy, like I was picking up a small child.”

  “That’s cool,” Kate murmured. She paused a moment, hesitated. “What happened to Lisa?”

  Mitch swallowed hard and stared down at his lap. “Lisa made me want to be good, to make my grandmother proud, to be the grandson she’d helped mold me into. We joined a small colony in Mwanza and were happy there for several years. Then Ronin’s army showed up and overtook the colony. They killed all the men who refused to join. I was one of the men who refused, but for some reason, Ronin was determined to have me in his army. Maybe he could sense that I’d been bitten or maybe he just wanted to torture me. I don’t know. When I refused to join, he grabbed Lisa and handed her over to his men. He said I needed to be persuaded.” Mitch broke off, his throat closing with emotion. Kate’s arm came around his waist again as she offered her comfort.

  Mitch drew in a ragged breath. “He forced me to watch while they raped her.” His breath hitched. “She’d shared my empathy after we bonded, and all those evil bastards and their soulless hearts broke her, their evilness too much for her to bear. She wasn’t the same after that. A walking shadow. Ronin told me if I joined the army, he would put her out of her misery, save her from being raped anymore. But the damage had already been done. The Lisa I’d known was dead now. They’d stripped her soul from her when they’d brutalized her. I told him I was never joining his army now, because he’d taken the only woman I’d loved away from me.”

  Mitch let out a snort. “That bastard, he dragged Lisa back over to me, lifted his sword, and chopped her head off right in front of me.” Mitch’s voice caught. He swallowed hard. “Then Ronin said, ‘Now I’ve taken the woman you loved. Join me or fucking die.’”

  Kate let out a soft gasp. “I’m so sorry, Mitch.”

  “I swore at that moment I would get my revenge. I joined his army not because he forced me. I joined because I knew the only way to seek vengeance was to get close to Ronin. Once again I became the man my grandmother would be disappointed in. I did bad things with the army, stealing, hurting, even killing. I became as soulless as they were. And all the while, I kept telling myself I was doing it so I could avenge Lisa’s death.”

  Kate gently ran her hand up and down his arm. After a long silence, she asked, “So how did you escape from the army?”

  “I ran into Ethan again a few years after joining the army. I’d been bitten a few more times since then and he and I discussed what we had learned about the drifters. The mountain had begun calling to me in my dreams at night. Then its voice started talking to me during the day. I thought at first that I was losing my mind. But Ethan said to listen to the mountain when it spoke. It led me on a search for Honest Gabe, who happens to be Ethan’s brother, but I didn’t know it at the time, because Ethan had never mentioned having a brother. I knew he had a daughter, because he’d mentioned her before, and when I met Claire a few weeks ago and discovered her child was Ethan’s daughter, and that Gabe, the man she’d bonded with was Ethan’s brother, the puzzle pieces started fitting together. I helped Claire escape from the soldiers, and as a result, Ronin started hunting me.” He shrugged. “So now here we are. You know almost everything about me.” He lowered his gaze. “If you want to move on now, Kate, I won’t blame you. I’ll understand. In fact, I still think it would be best if you left.”

  She didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Why are you one of the
cones and what do you plan to do if you gain control of the mountain?”

  Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know why the mountain chose me or Gabe or Ethan. I may never know why. As far as what I plan to do, at first, I was hell-bent on just getting revenge against Ronin. That’s what has kept me going the past few years. It’s true I still want to see him pay for what he did to Lisa, for what he did to lots of innocent people, but now it’s more than that. When and if we gain control of the mountain, I will not only use it to stop Ronin, but also to make the world a better place. If I ever see my grandmother again, I want her to see that all her hard work wasn’t for nothing. I want her to be proud of the man I’ve become.”

  Kate smiled. She hugged him against her. Then she leaned back, her gaze meeting his. “I have no doubt your grandmother would be proud of the man you’ve become. I may not understand all this talk about the mountain and its power, but I want to help you. Thank you for sharing your story, for trusting me.” She brushed a finger along his jaw. “You’re not alone anymore, Mitch. You’ll never be alone again.”

  His chest squeezed, emotion clogging his throat. Kate was what he’d needed all along. Her goodness healed him, made him want to live. Made him want to share and become a part of something beautiful.

  He captured her hand in his.

  Their gazes locked.

  Then he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers.

  And for the first time in years, Mitch let himself feel.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kate let out a startled gasp. Mitch was kissing her. His mouth was on hers, his lips soft and gentle. Coaxing. Just the way she’d imagined. He was letting himself get personal. Letting himself feel. Her heart swelled, emotion overwhelming her. She slipped her hands in his hair, brushing her fingers through its softness, pulling him closer. He was an amazing kisser.

  He turned more fully toward her, his hands dropping to her hips. He drew her closer, until she was nearly in his lap.

  All the while, he continued to kiss her, his lips soft and gentle, then growing more insistent as he urged her to part for him, to let him in. She let out a soft sigh and opened for him. Their tongues touched, tangled, retreated and came back to mate again. Kate soon became lost in him, in his touch, in his essence, their energies flowing freely between them, their emotions snaring them and holding them tight.

  He moaned, his tongue delving inside again, dancing with hers, stroking softly, then harder, deeper. Demanding. Taking and giving. A fire ignited within her, hot and all consuming, making her burn with desire. No wonder he thought kissing was too personal, too intimate. That’s exactly what this was: intimate and very personal. She couldn’t imagine kissing someone she didn’t share a strong emotional connection with. She couldn’t imagine kissing anyone but Mitch.

  He drew back, breathing heavily, and rested his forehead against hers. Kate stared into his glowing amber-gold eyes. There was drifter in him, perhaps more drifter than man, but she didn’t see that right now. All she saw was the man she was attracted to, the man who’d told her personal things about himself, the man she was falling in love with.

  His breath caught. He closed his eyes. “I felt that, Kate. It almost felt like…love.”

  “That’s what it is: love. I’m falling for you, Mitch. I’m falling hard.”

  He kissed her again, more fiercely than before, his tongue more demanding in its pursuit of hers. She pressed closer, kissing him back, letting her emotions guide her. Breaths mingled, tongues stroked intimately, hands explored…

  She pressed her palms against his hard chest, feeling the muscles tighten beneath his shirt. He gently stroked up her sides, his hands pausing beneath her breasts. He drew back, his gaze seeking hers.

  “I want you, Kate. I want to share everything I am with you. I want you to share everything you are with me.”

  His words choked her up. That was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her before. It was a long moment before she could speak. “Yes,” she whispered. She pulled at his shirt, wanting it off, wanting to see him. He obliged, yanking it over his head and tossing it aside. Kate stared at his sheer, masculine perfection, her breath catching in her throat. Lean, corded muscles lined every inch of his torso. No chest hair obstructed her view. To say he was beautiful would be an understatement. She hesitantly lifted a hand, gently running a fingertip around his left nipple.

  He hissed in a breath, his gaze smoldering into hers. “Careful, Kate,” he whispered. “The drifter in me is urging that I take you hard and fast, right this very second, but the man in me is telling me to go slow, do this right, savor the moment and make it good for both of us.”

  She pulled her hand back, uncertain. “So what do you want me to do?”

  He swallowed hard, his gaze never leaving hers. “Kiss me and don’t stop. Keep kissing me so I remember I’m human, not a beast.” A hint of worry crossed his features. “I’m afraid if you don’t keep reminding me that I’m human, that the drifter will take hold, and if it does, I might lose control and hurt you.”

  Kate took his hand and pressed it against her heart. “You’ll never hurt me. I trust you. But I love kissing you, so I won’t stop.”

  She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. And became lost in him once again.

  They kissed and kissed, the heat between them flaring hotter and hotter. Clothes were discarded, skin melted against skin, hands and lips seared sensitive areas, bringing gasps and moans of pleasure from each of them. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined it could be like this. Mitch was so gentle with her, almost too gentle, as if he was afraid to touch her too long, as if he feared he would hurt her. It wasn’t enough, this gentleness. It was good. It was sweet. It was beautiful. But she wanted more. She wanted to feel him.

  She pulled her mouth from his. They were lying back on the bed, their bodies entwined, limbs tangled, touching everywhere. “I’m not fragile, Mitch. Kiss me like you mean it. Touch me like you can’t get enough. Don’t hold back. Please, let me feel all of you. Turn your emotions loose and let yourself feel. Act like you really want me.”

  Panic flashed across his face. “I do want you. But if I let myself go, the drifter might take control. I don’t want to hurt you. I have to hold back.”

  “No.” She rolled over on top of him, pulling her legs free from his. “You’re treating me like you’re afraid I might break. You’re holding back.” She reached down between his legs and squeezed him. “I want this inside me, Mitch. I want to feel you.”

  His eyes flared with heat. He let out a snarl and flipped her over, crushing her beneath his weight. “Goddammit, I warned you.” His chest heaved in and out as excitement overtook him, his eyes smoldering with lust. He lowered his head, his mouth closing over an already swollen nipple, and nipped at her with his teeth. Again and again. Little bites that sent tingles of desire shooting through her entire body. He nipped across her chest to her other breast, then up her neck to her earlobe, and back down again. Little hickey sucks and bites and pinches that would leave a mark. His mark.

  Kate moaned and arched against his mouth. “Yes. That’s what I’m talking about.” She purred in pleasure, her hands moving up to tangle in his hair. “I can feel that. I can feel you. The passion, the desire. Show me that, Mitch. Take me like you truly want me. Don’t hold back.”

  He growled, deep and low, his mouth moving lower. If Kate thought she’d been lost in him before, in his sweet tenderness, she was even more lost now, in his possessiveness, his passion, his hot arousal, his undeniable need.

  He kissed back up her body, his mouth claiming hers again. There was no escaping from him, no denying the passion in his kiss. He kept kissing her and kissing her, all tenderness gone. In him, she now felt a need to take, a need to possess. And she loved it, reveled in it. This was Mitch letting himself go. Letting himself feel.

  The pulsing heat of his erection throbbed against the juncture of her thighs, making her squirm with need. She arched up, needing him to take he
r, to relieve the ache inside her.

  “Mitch, please.”

  He lifted his head, his gaze locking on hers. Leaning up on his elbows, he continued to hold her gaze, as he pressed his body closer. Closer.

  Kate gasped at the feel of him.

  “Like that?” he asked huskily, pressing into her.

  It wasn’t…quite what she’d expected. It was…so much more. She arched up again, forcing him deeper.

  He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Then he began to move. Slowly at first. Then faster. Deeper. Harder.

  Kate held on, riding the tidal wave with him, caught up in the emotions that blazed between them, their passion a force neither of them could deny. The orgasm built, intensified, then hit her hard, spiraling throughout her, making her gasp and moan, arching harder and faster with him. She had no doubt this was love. This was destiny. Mitch was her future and she was his.

  Sweat broke out on his skin. He made a sound in his throat, then stiffened. He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily, and went limp.

  Long moments passed while they each caught their breath. Kate reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

  He opened his eyes. Their gazes met. Locked. Emotion swelled between them. It was beautiful. Incredible. And it was real. Mitch was real. This thing between them was so very, very real.

  He kissed her, long and slow, then leaned back. “Thank you, Kate. For freeing me. For giving me the faith in myself that I needed to let myself go. I was so afraid of hurting you that I blamed it on the drifter in my veins, when in actuality it was just my own fear of not wanting to get too close, not wanting to feel anything again.” He paused. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”