Shades of Ménage : A Dystopian Romance Ménage & Post Catastrophic Romance Ménage Boxed Set Series - Ultimate Four-Book Collection (2 page)

Unfortunately, he heard her coming and turned.

She moved faster.

Clasping the knife in front of her she gasped in shock as his arm came up in a defensive move slamming into the hideous blade. The edge sliced easily into the fleshy part of his arm just below his elbow. Crimson blood splashed out of the gash. Pain flashed in his blue eyes. It shot fear and guilt through her but quickly shifted to excitement as within the blink of an eye a strong hand clamped around her wrist. He squeezed so hard her fingers instantly went numb.

She dropped the knife and it clattered to the wood-planked floor.

Momentary shock zipped through his face when he looked at her. As if he liked what he saw, his sensually curved lips curled upward. In response, her pussy throbbed with an overwhelming eagerness for his mouth to feast on her down there between her thighs. She cursed the lingering side effects of the X-virus. Sometimes the after effects made her react inappropriately, like she was doing now.

“
Long time no see, Cate,” he growled. Instantly, he pushed her up against the wall, his thick shaft pressing intimately between her legs, his bare chest squishing her breasts.

Anger, pain and lust flashed in his eyes. He bared his white teeth.

“
You’re going to be sorry you cut me, Cate. Very sorry.”

Before she could protest, he cupped her chin firmly in his large hand and lowered his head.

Scorching lips came down upon hers with such fierceness it took her breath away. Her body awakened as one nerve after another short-circuited. Lusty heat uncurled and shot lightning bolts deep within her belly and she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him back.

His sensuous lips tasted of ocean salt and when she opened her mouth to him, she savored the taste of champagne on his rough tongue. Obviously, he’d been celebrating her capture before he’d boarded the boat!

A hand lifted the hem of her dress. Cool air brushed her sensitized clit. Hot fingers dipped between her legs and eagerly skimmed over the tight curls protecting her mon. When a firm, scorching finger slid against her clitoris she jolted against him as a dizzying rush of blood shot straight into her vagina.

Her legs weakened and she grabbed his shoulders as if he were her lifesaver on a sinking ship.

She whimpered beneath his lusty onslaught.

At the sound, he broke the kiss and cocked an amused eyebrow at her.

“
No underwear? You must have been expecting me.”

Her face flamed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He grinned with a profound wickedness that made her heart thump with wild abandon.

In one fluid motion, he slid his finger between the folds of her labia. Heat seared against her vaginal walls as he dipped inside.

She gasped from the pleasure.

His eyes smoldered with fiery arousal.

“
Never had a woman wet for me so fast. I won’t have any trouble sliding my cock into you and fucking you senseless for the rest of today.”

Son of a bitch
! Is that all she was to him? Just a woman he could fuck?

Anger tore through. Instinctively her foot came up and she stamped hard on his bare toes.

He swore and let her loose.

She took off, scrambling up the stairs.

The instant she cleared the hatch, she slammed it down with a bang.

“
Got you, Jude Outlaw!” she laughed as she secured the latch.

Adrenalin roared through her and she let out a whoop of joy.

She’d done it! She was free! And she had Jude Outlaw as her hostage.

“
I guess my brother isn’t as charming as I thought.” The amused masculine voice drifted over her excitement like a cold wave.

Cate froze as a tall brown haired man who looked a lot like Jude stepped right in front of her. He had a gun trained at her mid-section.

Oh, darn
!

“
Don’t look so shocked, Cate. My brother anticipated you’d put up a good fight so he brought me along as backup.”

Amusement tipped the sides of his lips.

She didn’t have time to be mad. Without warning the familiar wave of lightheadedness swept over her.

Damned cursed terrorists and their virus! The bad effects always grabbed her when she least expected it.

Weakness zipped through her spine. Her legs buckled. She fell hard to her knees.

“
That’s the perfect position for a woman about to be claimed,” Luke chuckled.

Despite his humor, she read concern in his dark blue eyes. It gave her little comfort.

“
I suppose you’ll be needing some of that medicine?”

Cate nodded numbly as the weakness spilled into the rest of her body.

Furious pounding and shouts erupted from the locked engine room.

“
I think we’ll leave Jude down there until your medicine kicks in. I know you’re going to need a rest before he takes you home. ”

Oh God.

She wished she could get up. Wished she could dive overboard. Escape the fear searing through her at what awaited her back home.

But she couldn’t move a muscle.

Her eyes grew heavy. Drifted closed. Her mind started shutting down.

She heard Luke swear softly and his hurried footsteps snapped against the deck as he went for her medicine.

Once again, she cursed the after effects of the sickness.

Researchers had originally developed an experimental drug so they could inject it into a target group of mentally ill people in order to reduce their chronic violent behaviors. Unfortunately, a brilliant but rather looney scientist by the name of Blakely managed to get his hands on the drug and altered its makeup. The resulting airborne virus was now specifically designed to attack estrogen rich female bodies. Once contained within the female body, the virus attacked the brain repressing independence while elevating the need for submission. Blakely sold the untried virus to a then little known, but richly endowed, terrorist group called the DogmarX, thereby providing them the means to put into motion their righteous plans for female submission to the male.

DogmarX had targeted a women’s equal rights group attending a convention in Afghanistan. The terrorists had sent a written warning to authorities informing them to cancel the convention or suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, the authorities had concluded the warning as just another hoax. The convention proceeded as scheduled. Within days, the women attending the convention began to exhibit signs of excessive sexual submission to men. The airborne virus spread like wildfire throughout the world mutating independently and destructively with other illnesses until more than eighty percent of the world’s women had died. Instead of merely suppressing certain areas of the brain, some of the mutated viruses painfully destroyed then consumed the brain before attacking other vital organs within the female body. Effectively acting like a cancer on speed. The survivors, she being one of them, were reduced to taking expensive medicines to stay alive. And by the way she was feeling right now she wouldn’t be living for long.

Blackness closed in around her like a welcome blanket and she slipped into heavenly unconsciousness.

Chapter Two

Jude Outlaw winced at the pain shooting through his injured arm as he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair off the unconscious Cate’s flushed forehead.

When Luke had let him out of the engine room and Jude had seen her sprawled on the deck of the boat, his heart had frozen solid. He’d thought she was dead. Relief had swept through him when his brother told him it was the sickness and she’d already been given the injection she needed in order to survive.

He smiled down at her as she lay sleeping on the bed in the yacht cabin.

God, he’d missed her.

He’d yearned to hold her in his arms. Had ached to touch her silky breasts. Most of all he missed plunging his rigid cock deep into her sweet cavern and listening to her sexy moans like when they’d been teenagers and before he’d gone to the Wars.

She looked so feminine, so soft and sultry.

Her shoulder length hair gave the appearance of a blonde halo splashed over the pillow. Her high pink cheekbones looked stunning. Sensually curved lips were red and slightly parted. Long eyelashes lay over her closed eyes.

Eyes that when open sparkled emerald green, like the ocean waves at sunrise.

He should have married her before he’d run off to fight the Wars. But everything had happened so fast. The terrorists had unleashed the final blow by setting loose that sexual virus.

Cate had been one of the millions of women who’d been hit by the virus. She’d almost died. Others hadn’t been so lucky, like his and Cate’s mothers. They’d died excruciating deaths.

That’s when he and his brothers had joined the fight against terrorists. They’d battled oversees for five long years.

During that time, world economies collapsed in a dominoes effect. Governments could no longer sustain their armies’ occupation of other countries. Soldiers were quickly being recalled. When Jude and his brothers received word they’d be pulling out they’d been glad.

The fights had been tough and long.

They were tired and anxious about the rumors they’d heard of the surviving women going into hiding to avoid the Claiming Law. Women who were barely existing off the land and stealing whatever they could get their hands on so they could buy the medicine that would keep them alive. Living like savages until captured by groups of men who would sexually claim them.

He’d feared for Cate’s safety and when he and his brothers had arrived home they’d discovered Cate had run off, too. She’d gone into hiding in order to avoid the Claiming Law.

Jude sighed wearily.

She shouldn’t have left. She should have waited for him. She should have given him a chance to tell her how much he loved her.

“
Are you both okay?” Luke asked as he entered the cabin.

“
Fine.” Jude replied tightly.

“
I’m glad we finally caught her. It’ll make finding Tyler that much easier.”

Jude grit his teeth and closed his eyes as he thought of their missing younger brother. Up until a couple of weeks ago they’d thought he was dead, a casualty of the Terrorist Wars.

But Clay Barlow from a neighboring farm had told them different. Clay, the youngest brother of the Barlow’s, had snuck off to join the Wars a few years back. A couple of weeks ago he’d shown up at the Outlaw farm declaring Tyler was alive. At first they’d all been stunned with disbelief. But when Clay Barlow shared information only Tyler could know, they knew Clay spoke the truth.

However, their happiness had been short lived. Clay revealed Tyler was rotting away in a prison somewhere but he wouldn’t give his exact whereabouts unless Clay and his three brothers got something first.

They wanted Cate. That’s when Jude had realized why Cate had run. The evil Barlows must have told her they wanted to Claim her.

“
She’s turned into quite a pretty woman from the tomboy we used to hang with,” Luke said softly.

“
She sure has,” Jude admitted as he gazed at her. She was more than pretty. She was beautiful.

“
Now that we have her you’re not going to change your mind are you? We’ll still use her to get the information about Tyler?”

Jude nodded his head slowly. Bile clogged up his throat at the idea of using Cate to get the information.

“
You sure? Because the longer it takes to find Tyler the more he’s gonna suffer.”

“
Dammit, Luke! I gave you all my word. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. So back off!”

Luke sighed.

“
When are you going to tell her the news about the deal we struck with the Barlows regarding Tyler?”

“
I don’t know.”