Tempting Evil (13 page)

Badly.

He stepped free of the blanket and girth, his gaze holding mine as he pulled the halter away from his neck.

“Do you know,” he said, his voice deep and somewhat husky, “how long it has been since I’ve had a woman?”

I let my gaze slide down to the tent pole he had happening. “A while by the look of that.”

“Three weeks,” he murmured, as he moved toward me. “Three horrible, torturous weeks in which heaven was so close, and yet so far.”

I grinned as he pressed a hand against my shoulder and pushed me backward, until my spine was pressed up against a tree. “I gather we’re talking about the naked women riding you?”

There was only inches between us. The heat of him burned across my skin, and the air was deliciously filled with his musky odor and the rich scent of desire. It had me melting in an instant, and wanting him more than I’d wanted anyone for a while. Well, for at least the last twenty-four hours, and for wolf, that was a
long
time.

He raised a hand and brushed wispy strands of hair from my cheek. “I missed you.”

His fingers trailed heat where they touched, and the longing already trembling inside became a symphony. I touched his chest and let my fingers explore the well-defined ridge of muscles that ran down his stomach. This man was hot in so many ways. “And I you.”

The smile that tugged his lips went beyond sexy, and my hormones did an excited little jig. Of course, my hormones never needed much prompting.

His touch moved gently down my neck and sent my pulse tripping. Between his caress, the way his breath teased my lips, and the desire that singed my senses, I was pretty much in danger of internally combusting. But he didn’t get on with it, just said, “You realize this first time will be fast. I need you too badly for it to be anything else.”

“Fast is good.” Right now, even
I
didn’t want slow.

He smiled, then wrapped his arms around my body and crushed me close. His lips claimed mine and for several minutes, it felt like I was tasting heaven. And yet, despite the urgency that burned between us, our kiss was slow, and tender, and so very, very thorough.

But I could feel the tension in his broad shoulders. The hardness of his erection pressing against my stomach. The quivering in his muscles as he restrained desire. It was too much. I didn’t want his restraint. I wanted
him
. Wanted to feel the heat of him deep inside. Not in five minutes, not in two minutes.
Now.
And if he wasn’t going to take any action, then I damn well would.

I slipped a hand between us and wrapped my fingers around his cock. His body reacted to my touch, seeming to jump with eagerness.

“Someone’s anxious,” he murmured, as I guided him to where it was warm and wet and ready.

“Very,” I whispered. “So stop mucking around and get down to the serious stuff.”

The words were barely out of my mouth and he was in me, driving hard and deep. Horse-shifters took after their animal counterparts when it came to the shape and size of their cock, and having him fill me so completely was an incredibly satisfying sensation.

His thick groan was a sound I echoed, especially when he began to move. His strokes were fierce, like he couldn’t drive himself hard enough or deep enough. Or simply couldn’t
get
enough—a feeling I understood completely. Sex with Kade was entirely different from sex with either Quinn or Kellen—not better, not worse, just different. And it wasn’t something I was ready to give up in a hurry—no matter what the other two might wish.

I wrapped my legs around his hips and urged him deeper still, using the tree to support my back as he thrust and thrust, until it felt as if the rigid heat of him was trying to spear right through my spine.

My breathing sharpened as pleasure spiraled, and all too quickly my climax hit, the convulsions stealing my breath and tearing a strangled sound from my throat. He came a heartbeat later, his body slamming into mine, the force of it driving slivers of bark into my back.

At that moment in time, the slivers could have been daggers and I wouldn’t have given a damn.

When the tremors eased, he leaned his sweaty forehead against mine, his breathing harsh, velvet eyes alive with amusement and desire.

“Well, that took a little of the edge off.”

I grinned and ran a hand down his hot, sweaty cheek. “So there’s energy left for a more timely seduction?”

“Hell, yeah.” He kissed me fiercely, then added, “Did I mention I haven’t had sex for three weeks?”

“It’s a wonder the sperm factories didn’t explode under the stress of all that production and no outlet.”

He snorted. “Isn’t that the truth.”

I lowered my feet to the ground, and he stepped back. “How much time have you got?”

I glanced at my watch. “About three-quarters of an hour.”

“Good.” He took my hand, walked across to grab the saddle blanket, then led me to the water’s edge. “Sit,” he ordered, after spreading the blanket. “And I’ll remove the bark you undoubtedly have in your back while I update you.”

“Update being a new term for sex?” I said hopefully.

He grinned and slapped my butt. “Behave. We need to discuss business before we get down to more serious pleasure.”

“And here I was thinking sex came first, second, and third in line for horse-shifters.”

“When I’m not working, it does. You turning Jack on?”

“God, what a revolting thought.”

He chuckled. “You know what I mean.”

I did, and flicked the com-link into action. “Jack? I’m with Kade.”

“About time you reported in. I was getting worried.”

“I had to pass a few more tests, and that house is shored up tighter than a straight boy’s ass at a gay bar.”

He snorted. “You have such a lovely way with words.”

“Blame my pack-mate for that one.” Kade still wasn’t aware that Rhoan was my brother—it was a secret we kept from all but a few. I folded my legs and sat cross-legged on the mat. Kade squatted behind me, filling my senses with his warm, musky scent.

“Has Rhoan reported in yet?”

I repeated the question and Kade shook his head. Not that I could actually see it, but right now all my senses were attuned to his every move, so the head shake was something I could “feel.” Which maybe was something I should be scared about, because I wasn’t emphatic, and I shouldn’t be able to “feel” anything.

“It often takes several days for the new security officers to appear.” His fingers skimmed my skin, sending little skitters of pleasure across my skin and stirring barely sated desire.

“Do they lose security personnel that often?” I asked.

“Yes, because part of their job is checking the zoo. Let me tell you, there’s some very angry creatures penned in that area, and they often take it out on the guards.”

No surprise, given the fact that being penned for any amount of time was enough to drive most nonhumans insane. There again, the nonhumans filling these particular pens were bred in a lab then locked in the zoo, so they probably wouldn’t have had much of a grip on sanity to begin with. Not that Starr would care what his creations did as long as they killed on order.

“Did Kade get the floor plans I sent to him?” Jack asked.

Again I repeated the question, then winced as Kade pulled a sliver of wood from my skin.

“Yeah. Not that it’ll do me much good. I have to stay outside—they’d pick me up as an unknown the minute I entered any of the buildings.”

“So the cameras are monitored twenty-four hours a day?”

“Afraid so.” He picked another bit of wood from my skin and flicked it away. It landed in the middle of the water and bobbled its way downstream. “Shift changes are seven in the morning and seven at night. You might have a few minutes’ leeway there, but that’s about it.”

“Has he seen Starr about at all?”

I repeated Jack’s question.

“I get the impression that except for mealtimes, he never moves from his bolt-hole.”

“And there’s been no mention of Libraska from anyone else?”

“None at all.” He kissed my shoulder then sat down, his long, leanly muscled legs stretching out either side of me. “But there’s been a lot of new arrivals in the last few days. Something is happening.”

Jack snorted. “Starr is marshaling his forces for a war against the other cartels.”

I repeated the comment, felt more than saw Kade’s disagreement. Which was yet another worrying indication that the drug Talon had forced onto me was starting to affect my system.

Damn it, I didn’t
want
any more psychic powers. And I definitely didn’t want an increase in power in those that I did have. I was quite happy as I was, thank you very much.

But like so many other things in my life of late, I didn’t appear to have much choice.

“I’ve studied the files and know most of Starr’s generals by sight,” Kade said. “A lot of the arrivals don’t match what’s in the files.”

I frowned. “Maybe there’s more generals than we know about.”

“Or there’s a whole lot more happening than we realize.”

And wasn’t that a pleasant thought. “Have you seen Dia Jones around?”

“The white psychic? Yeah. Pretty bit of tail, too.”

“You seen her with a kid at all?”

He hesitated. “No. But word is Starr’s holding her kid hostage for her good behavior.”

So she was telling the truth there, too. “In the labs underground, apparently. You know anything about them?”

“Not really. I know they’re on a lower level, but not the same one as Starr’s. I also heard they have completely different access points and codes than Starr’s quarters.”

“Riley, why is this important?” Jack said. “You are not going after the kid. It’ll jeopardize everything.”

I ignored him. I was here, he was sitting in his van, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop me now. And short of endangering Rhoan or Kade, I was going to do what I could to rescue that kid. “What about the scientists?”

“Six that I know of.”

“You able to point them out?”

He pulled me back against him. The stallion was up and ready to go again, and I couldn’t help grinning in anticipation.

“Why?” he asked.

“I need to get in there, which means I’ll probably have to fuck one of them to get the information I need.”

“Riley, I forbid you to do this.”

“Bite me.”

“Me or Jack?” Kade murmured, his teeth grazing my neck and sending shivers of delight skittering across my skin.

“Jack. And I’m not a fool, boss. I won’t jeopardize the mission. I want Starr every bit as badly as you do.”

He grunted. Whether that was agreement or merely the realization he couldn’t actually stop me was anyone’s guess.

“So, the scientists,” I prompted.

“They’re a pretty motley-looking lot,” Kade answered.

“As long as they’re male and therefore have a dick that takes over from the brain when confronted by a naked woman, I don’t give a damn.”

He chuckled, and slid his hands up to cup my breasts. “God, I do so love a werewolf’s lack of inhibitions.”

And I loved his touch. The way his large hands could cover and contain my breasts. The finesse of his clever fingers as they teased and pinched my engorged nipples. I leaned my head against his shoulder, closed my eyes, and simply enjoyed.

And it was in that moment I heard it. The snap of a twig, the gentle rustle of undergrowth. Someone was coming toward us.

I tensed and sat upright.

“What?” Kade asked immediately.

“Shift shape,” I murmured as I scrambled to my feet. “Someone’s approaching. Jack, I’m switching you off.”

“Be caref—” His warning was cut off as I flicked the com-link. Kade shifted into horse form and moved away to graze while I stepped into the icy water and began scooping it up to wash away the evidence of lovemaking. Goose bumps fled across my skin, but the cause wasn’t only the chilly water. The presence of the person approaching burned across my skin, as powerful as the electricity that ran before a summer storm. Unpleasant and yet, at the same time, exhilarating.

A man stepped through the trees to my right. He was thickset, broad shouldered, with golden skin and rippling muscles. His hair was a mane of darker gold, thick and lush, and his face was almost feline. His eyes, when he looked up, were tawny. Like a cat’s.

He stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowing. The electricity in the air sharpened abruptly, rolling around me in waves that left me breathless, hot. But there was an undercurrent of brutality in what he was projecting, suggesting this man was into more than just vanilla sex.

“Who are you?” he said, voice harsh, rough. He moved his hand, and I noted the gun at his waist of his jeans.

“Poppy Burns. You?”

“And who is Poppy Burns when she’s home?” he asked.

“I’ve been employed to fight in the arena. I came in today.”

“Indeed?”

His gaze slid down my body, and moisture skated across my skin, tiny beads of perspiration that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with arousal. My nipples hardened almost painfully and the throbbing, low-down ache got stronger, especially when his gaze seemed to linger on my hips and groin. As if, even from that distance, he could see the pooling desire. His gaze completed its erotic journey and rose to meet mine again. The lust so evident in those tawny depths just about melted my insides.

I might be wolf, and I might be so very easily attracted to a good-looking man, but what
this
particular man was projecting wasn’t natural. It was too overwhelming. Not even a male werewolf using the full strength of his aura could create this sort of reaction in me. Not if I didn’t want it to.

But I
had
reacted like this several times before—with Talon, who’d been lab-made by Starr’s father. Obviously, given the heated desire boiling around me and his feline features, this man had werelion in him rather than lion-shifter. Shifters—even wolf-shifters—didn’t possess this sort of aura. It only came with those who were forced to shift shape on the rise of the full moon. It was her gift to us, if you will.

Or curse, as many shifters
and
humans seemed to think.