Desperate Measures (15 page)

“If we find him on the planet, that‟s something you can take care of yourself. We‟ll be

busy enough with tracking the buyers.” She shrugged.

“We‟ll do that. He‟s given us enough trouble that there are a few of us who wouldn‟t

mind getting our hands on him after what he‟s done.” Connal smiled. “Any more questions? I‟ve

been wondering for a while if it‟s only the intensity of our meeting that makes me want to take

you to bed whenever I see you.”

She could tell just from the tone that he was teasing. “Maybe it‟s just the danger.”

He laughed and using the arm behind her shoulders tugged her closer. “It could be. I

haven‟t felt on even footing since I met you.”

Raine laughed and relaxed against him. She‟d needed that. All the focus on the questions

and the situation with Tricia had sidetracked her for a little while, but she had been very nervous

about how he was going to treat their attraction and how she should deal with it. They hadn‟t

exactly met and felt an undeniable attraction. They‟d both played risky games to keep the other

at a distance. Until he‟d come back, she‟d thought that maybe it simply was the danger fueling

the pull she‟d felt toward him. Now she knew it wasn‟t that. She was still as nervous as hell. He

knew where they lived and before they left the ship they‟d have to make some hard decisions,

because he would be coming after them regardless of what breed of shifter he believed them to

be.

“It feels good to hold you again.” His words were muffled against her neck as his teeth

grazed the cord of muscle where her throat and shoulder joined.

She had to agree. Being back in his arms felt wonderful. Almost the moment his arms

closed around her, the tension began easing from her body. She slipped her arms around his

waist and held on content for the moment just to be near him. That scared her a little even more

than the pull she felt toward him. She didn‟t know him and he wasn‟t someone she could have in

her life and walk away from later.

“Whatever you‟re thinking about, stop it. It‟s making you all tense again.” His hand

smoothed down her back in a slow, soothing motion.

“Is that an order, Captain?” She leaned back and arched a brow at him.

“No, just a suggestion. I don‟t want to fight with you and whatever you‟re thinking about

isn‟t improving your mood.” He kissed his way up her neck.

She had to admit he had a point. Thinking about what her feelings meant was making her

edgy and irritable. It wasn‟t something she could easily stop doing though, because she didn‟t

see anything about the situation changing soon. He was the leader of a pack. That wasn‟t going

to change. She‟d seen the worst side of pack life and couldn‟t see herself changing her mind

about it now.

“Maybe you need to find something that will distract me from those thoughts. Do you

think you can handle that?” She looked up at him through her lashes and put just enough

questioning in her tone to challenge him. From their last time together, she knew he responded

very well to challenges.

His smile grew even wider and he tugged her into his lap. “I know I can do that.”

She drew her hand up his chest. She loved the slight growl in his voice. It sent a delicious

curl of heat shooting through her. The fabric was getting in her way, but she didn‟t intend to let

that stop her for long. Her hands slid down to his waist and gripped the bottom of his shirt. She

got it as far as his chest before his arms hindered her progress.

“You‟re not making this easy.” She tugged a little harder just to let him know she was

trying to do something there.

“I‟m supposed to be distracting you and you‟re jumping ahead.” He slipped his hand

underneath her shirt.

His thumb traced circles at the base of her spine. Just that, his hand didn‟t slip to any of

the obvious erogenous zones, yet the sensation low in her belly tightened. She felt those lazy

circles echoed in her pulse. Drawing in a slow breath, she tried to calm herself. She hadn‟t

expected it to feel this intense in spite of the fact that her attraction to him was so strong.

“I didn‟t say I was just going to passively wait for you to make a move. I have a few

wants of my own, but if you don‟t get to work, I might begin to think and who knows what I‟ll

decide to do. I might decide that I‟d be better off doing something other than staying in your

room with you.” She teasingly wriggled in his lap just to remind him that she could decide to

leave.

“You might? I don‟t think so.” His teeth grazed her earlobe.

She grinned as his arms lifted and he allowed her to tug his shirt over his head. Once she

saw the expanse of his golden chest, she was satisfied for the moment. She did wish he‟d stop

lazing around. It wasn‟t that she didn‟t want to think. She‟d do that later. Now she wanted to feel

and savor the desire rising within her. Part of her had wanted to jump on him immediately, but

she‟d held back from that. This time, she didn‟t have to worry about questions in the middle of

their lovemaking. He‟d promised and she trusted him to keep his word.

He drew his hand up her back. He tugged at the neckline of her shirt, moving it out of his

way as his mouth roamed over her neck and shoulder. This was far better than any of the

fantasies and dreams she‟d had after they‟d left the
Raitan
. Even though she was a little afraid that he‟d find them, she‟d been unable to stop thinking about him. She‟d tried to attribute it to

nervousness about the future, but that didn‟t quite ring true even then.

Her fantasies had run the gamut from soft and tender to wild and untamed. Just thinking

about him had been enough to get the first tendrils of excitement curling through her. Actually

having him here and touching her was setting live energy running over her skin. Drawing her

tongue over the spot just above his heart, she slowly worked her way down. She hoped he felt

just as excited and aroused by it as she did. The increased rate of his heartbeat and his breaths did give her a little reassurance in that area.

“Your lips feel good. Touch me more.” His voice sounded a little rougher than normal.

It wasn‟t how she‟d thought he‟d distract her, but if this was his plan it was working. His

slowness made her want to push him and make him so wild for her he couldn‟t stay calm and

controlled. She‟d expected him to react to her challenge with a fierce kiss that drew all her

thoughts from everything except him. Maybe even draw a little of the alpha from him. She‟d like

to see and feel that. It was as if he‟d challenged her and she couldn‟t let that pass.

She let her hands flow down the sides of his ribs as she traced circles around the flat

darkened skin of his nipples. She felt his muscles tighten beneath her hands and smiled. She

wanted to draw more than that from him. He still seemed way too calm and unaffected.

She trailed her hands inward but kept her fingers above his waistband. She wanted to

push him without doing the obvious. She knew from experience that leaving him wondering

when she‟d touch his cock would push his desire even higher than a firm stroke over that

hardened ridge. Her nails scraped as she traced a meandering path back up to his ribs.

He tensed. His lips dragged over her neck. She felt the scrape of his teeth over her jaw.

She shivered and arched her neck to give him better access. He dropped kisses along her cheek.

Even better. She wanted to feel his mouth on hers. She turned her head a little and his lips

brushed against hers.

His tongue slipped between her lips and he kissed her hungrily. She leaned into him but

kept her hands moving over his sides and muscled stomach. She loved his taste and sank into the

kiss, wanting more of it. She felt his hands trail down her back and then felt the heat of his palms

as they slipped beneath her shirt. She wished he‟d already peeled her out of it. She‟d like to rip

the last of his clothes off too. The barrier between them irritated her. She wanted to feel his full

body against hers flesh to flesh.

He pushed the material up slowly. Too damn slowly. She broke the kiss and grabbed the

bottom of her shirt and took it off herself. She wasn‟t in the mood to wait for him to get around

to it. When her hands went to her bra, he stopped her.

“Don‟t get impatient. I‟ll do that.” He nipped at her lips.

She gasped at the small sting, but her breath seemed to lock in her throat when his hands

cupped her breasts. Even through the fabric of her bra she felt the heat of his palms. His hands

moved in slow circles. The pressure was light, but the slight scrape over her sensitive nipples

sent sparks straight down to the building desire in her belly. He hadn‟t even taken her bra off yet

and she was panting for more.

He teased and tormented. His hands grazed in light circles and then brushed over with a

little more pressure, but never seemed to be what she needed. Her hands slipped down to his

waist and she tried to tug him closer. She wanted to feel the heat of his chest against hers and his

hard muscles pressing close. She knew he had to feel the edge of her nails digging into him but

he didn‟t so much as flinch. Her breasts felt swollen and the bra felt too tight and abrasive. She

wanted out of it, but he‟d already stopped her from taking it off once. She was fairly sure he‟d do

it again.

She scraped her teeth over his lips. The man was moving too slow. She groaned and let

her hands wander. If she couldn‟t get him to move his hands one way, maybe she could push him

to do it another way. Her hands molded over his buttocks before smoothing over the material

molding his thighs and around to the front. She felt the muscles beneath her fingers tense and

heard his indrawn breath as her fingers trailed inward. She‟d gone past enjoying his subtle and

toying touches and was willing to do anything to get him to appease the aching need pulsing

through her. His thumbs brushed over the hardened beads of her nipple. She gasped at the

sensation that zipped straight down to her core. She trailed her fingers along the ridge of his cock

clearly outlined by his snug pants.

His hands slipped around her back and he hauled her close. She reveled in the hard press

of his chest against hers, but before she could savor the sensation too much, he rose to his feet,

holding her tight against him. She felt the release of her bra. The sudden shift in position grabbed

her attention. By the time she focused on him and the wonderful friction again, he was lowering

her to the bed.

He pulled away from her clutching hands and pulled off his shoes and pants. He was

naked when he once again approached the bed. She reached for him, but he brushed her hands

aside and unfastened her pants with a few quick flicks of his fingers. In moments he‟d stripped

them down her legs. He took them off along with her slip-on shoes. He gave them a toss as he

climbed onto the bed. She didn‟t care where they landed. Her attention was fully on him. She

reached for him. Her hands brushed over his arms, but she was drawn back to those flat, dark

nipples. She plucked at one hardened peak and then the other. He growled. She grinned at the

reaction. It only made her want to draw more of a response from him.

“I know you like that done to you too.” His head lowered and his teeth scraped along her

jawline.

His eyes were narrowed and she couldn‟t mistake the sexual challenge in them. He

wasn‟t going to let her play alone. His hand cupped her breast, shaping it gently in his strong

palm. The tip of his thumb grazed her nipple. She gasped. He was right. She loved the feel of his

hands on her breasts.

“I like that and a lot more. Are you going to do anything about it? Or are you going to let

me seduce both of us again?” She didn‟t bother to try to hide her grin. She wanted him to feel

challenged.

His thumb flicked back and forth across her nipple in response and his eyes locked on her

face. She knew he was noting every response. It didn‟t make her nervous. It made her feel

wanted.

“I thought it was a good plan. I didn‟t have to worry about scaring you away by being too

aggressive and you got what you needed.” He shrugged, but his thumb kept brushing across the

taut nipple.

Each pass sent a dart of sensation curling through her body. She clenched her fists.

Coherent conversation wasn‟t easy considering how much she wanted him, but she needed to

respond to that. She didn‟t want him to think that a little aggressive lovemaking would send her

for the door.

“You think I would have run? After what happened the last time I was on this ship? That

was the stuff of nightmares, Connal. Always having to be on guard so that I didn‟t inadvertently

slip and say something that could lead you to us. You can‟t know how much I wanted to relax

and just let things go.” She shook her head and smoothed her hand up to his shoulder. That scene

in his rec room hadn‟t exactly been tame. If she‟d been the scared-of-aggressiveness type, she‟d

have done everything possible not to see him again after that.

“So nothing I do could scare you.” He didn‟t sound convinced, but then again he wasn‟t

stopping. His fingers plucked at her nipple.

“I don‟t know about that, but a little forcefulness isn‟t going to make me back away. In