Desperate Measures (24 page)

burned with need and he couldn‟t wait any longer.

Stepping between her thighs, he trailed his hand around her hip and over her thigh. He

had to know if she was ready for him. His fingers traced over the plump lips between her thighs

and found them wet and slick. Her thighs widened even more at his touch and her teeth grazed

across his neck.

He smiled, thrilled at her response. Her nails dug into his back as she tugged at him,

trying to draw him closer. He wasn‟t going to risk her pain no matter how much his balls ached

or his cock throbbed to drive into her. Parting the lips of her pussy, he circled her clit a few times before drawing his finger down to her entrance. Her warm juices welcomed him as he thrust

them into her.

He had to clench his jaw and grab for his control as her hips lifted against his hand. He

drove her excitement higher before he drew his hand away and stepped closer. The heated

moisture scorched him as his cock brushed against the swollen lips. She bared her teeth at him as

her nails sank deeper into his skin. His cock nudged at her entrance and it was all he could do not

to slam his hips forward. He slowly rocked his hips. Her walls clasped around his cock and

squeezed tight as he slowly pushed into her. He drew in a hissing breath, but the last of his

restraint broke. He withdrew and then drove forward again.

His lips slashed down over hers and their tongues met in a fierce duel. Her teeth nipped at

his lips and she fought to get as close as she could. He tightened his hands at her hips, drawing

them against his as he drove into her. His body felt like it was on fire and he knew he wouldn‟t

be able to hold out much longer. He wanted to reach between them and pluck at her nipples to

drive her desire even higher, but he couldn‟t slow down. Couldn‟t take his hands off her.

She was as out of control as he was. Her hands never stopped moving over him and she

strained to get closer. Her breasts rubbed against his chest as she arched against him. Her breath

hitched and he saw her eyes widen as a shudder ripped over her body. The rippling, pulling grip

of her pussy as she groaned her pleasure took him right over the edge. Raw energy slammed up

his spine and exploded as he drove his hips into hers. Sheer bliss rolled over him and his knees

went weak. He braced his hands on the table and struggled to catch his breath.

When he looked up, he saw her watching him. Her skin glistened with a light film of

sweat and he wanted to lick away the dewy moisture. Her eyes were slumberous and the hands

that had clawed at his back now stroked over his shoulders in a slow circular pattern.

“I‟ll find you, Raine. Tomorrow, I‟ll let you go and I know you‟ll disappear, but never

doubt that I will find you.” He cupped the side of her face and locked his eyes with hers. He

wanted her to see how determined he was about this. Even without scenting her, the connection

and pull between them was too strong to be anything other than the bond between mates. He was

certain of that.

“If I want you to find me, you will. If I don‟t, well you might as well be trying to see the

wind.” Her smile was a little wobbly.

He leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. The woman was confident and he liked that, but

this time he‟d prove her wrong. “I‟ll find you.”

Raine lounged at the table across from her friends. The music was too loud and there

were too many people around her, but that wasn‟t the problem. She was restless and part of her

just wanted to get up and walk out of the bar and straight to the nearest space port. They weren‟t

near one and that was definitely intentional. This wasn‟t a new feeling. She‟d felt it almost since

the moment that she‟d stepped on the shuttle to leave the
Raitan
.

Connal had been a man of his word. He hadn‟t tried any tricks and she‟d expected that.

She‟d known he‟d keep his promise to let them go, but he never said how long he‟d wait to

follow. She‟d thought he‟d be on the landing pad waiting for them when they landed or at least

inside the port. The man was honorable and that drew her to him even as she wanted to hit

something.

They‟d gotten off the planet of Sebell where Connor had docked temporarily without

problem and since that time had switched identities three times before stopping on Sirocco. It

was the last place she thought Connor would look for them. First because it wasn‟t overrun by

cities and they had been living on one of the most populated worlds in that sector. The other

reason he‟d rule it out was because it was just on this side of the Central Command space. If a

pilot started flying in the wrong direction, they could end up crossing the boundary into Shifter

Protected space before they could turn the craft.

“Have you made your decision yet?” Deanne asked. She sat in her chair with her feet up

on the seat of a chair pulled from one of the neighboring tables.

“No.” Raine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew what she wanted. She just

didn‟t know if it was what was right.

“You still haven‟t checked that piece of shirt you stole, have you?” Krissa took a drink of

the fine brandy in front of her and held it between her hands.

She had her chair tipped back against the wall where she sat in the corner. Krissa‟s eyes

looked at the room beyond them. In ways, she was still hyperaware and very defensive. Not that

Raine could blame her. After what Krissa had gone through, Raine knew she‟d behave much the

same way if it had been her.

“No, I haven‟t. I want to be absolutely sure the drug is fully out of my system.” Raine bit

her lip. She admitted that it had probably been long enough, but she didn‟t want to chance

getting it wrong.

“What? Are you waiting on us to decide what we want to do?” Nara tilted her head and

leaned forward, bracing her elbows on the polished surface of the wood table.

“No, when I make my decision it will be regardless of what you decide. If I am, I‟ll be

going to find him. If not, I‟ll be looking for a new life where he won‟t have a chance to find me.”

Raine grimaced. Even thinking about it wasn‟t easy, but she knew it was the only way.

“If you are his mate and that‟s the only way you‟d think of going back to the
Raitan
.”

Deanna slowly spoke the words as if she didn‟t really believe it.

“I told you that I wouldn‟t be able to watch him take someone else as mate. I‟d want to

rip her apart. He‟s mine and if he‟s not my biological mate I‟m not getting near him again.”

Raine‟s lips firmed. That was something that wasn‟t going to change no matter how much time

passed. It would hurt so much more to have him turn from her to another woman later than it

would if she simply disappeared now.

“Don‟t you think the intensity of your feelings is too strong to be simple lust or

infatuation?” Deanna frowned and dropped her feet to the floor.

“It‟s love, but love isn‟t part of a mating. It‟s something that either grows or doesn‟t after

it. A mate is biological and he‟ll want his true mate enough to turn from me or any other woman

for that matter. That‟s something I can‟t fight. Either I am or I‟m not and being in the same pack

with him would be impossible if I‟m not.” She exhaled slowly.

Deanne knew about mates just as much as she did. She shouldn‟t have had to explain it.

Then again, Deanne wasn‟t in this situation and didn‟t have to worry about whether the man

she‟d come to love would one day find the woman who was his true mate.

Raine shook her head and tried to pull her thoughts away from that direction. She was

getting angry and maudlin. She didn‟t want to get so mad she started a fight and she really didn‟t

feel like crying. Even though he wasn‟t here, Connal was making her crazy.

“How about we put all this aside until you do make your decision?” Nara smiled and

relaxed back in her seat. “We have time. We know the
Raitan
and Connal‟s other ships aren‟t

anywhere near here.”

“Have any of you made a decision yet?” Raine raised a brow. They were as much a part

of this as she was and she wasn‟t expecting them to simply follow her blindly if she did go to

Connal. It was their lives and their choice.

“No, I‟m still weighing the pros and cons of going, but you know if you decide to

disappear, I‟m right there beside you. Starting new with basically only wits and some money

would be an adventure.” Nara grinned.

“How come I got singled out for the questions then? I didn‟t hear you asking Gianna

about it.” Raine glanced over at her friend who‟d been unusually quiet for most of the evening.

She sat in her chair. Her eyes were focused on the table, but Raine was fairly sure that that

wasn‟t what she was seeing. Some scene was replaying in her mind.

“We already know she hasn‟t. If you‟d been paying attention as we walked out of our

lodge then you‟d have heard her muttering about how she‟s being such a pussy and she just

needs to get it over with. Something you need to do too.” Deanne looked over at Raine and

raised a brow.

Raine narrowed her eyes at the taunting tone. “Do we need to go for another round? I

would have thought that the last time would have been enough to teach you not to push me when

my temper is already stretched.”

“No, you have more control than you think.” Deanne slowly stood. “What do you say we

leave this place and go somewhere with a little more life?”

“That sounds like a good idea to me. Some place with music and dancing maybe.” Raine

agreed, but she wasn‟t quite sure about the control thing.

* * * * *

Two nights later, Raine stood in front of the dresser in her room at the lodge. She held the

sealed packet that contained the scrap of Connal‟s shirt. She had been delaying doing this. Not

just because she was concerned about the drug still being in her system. She hadn‟t wanted to be

able to make any excuses to delay when she finally did it if the answer wasn‟t the one she hoped

to find. It would be hard enough to realize he wasn‟t without there being a glimmer of hope that

he could be.

She unsealed the packet and slowly lowered her nose to the opening. Closing her eyes,

she inhaled. A spicy tang with a little hint of the
grita
bitterness drifted up to her and then her stomach clenched. Her eyes snapped open wide. Desire slammed through her and she almost fell

to her knees. Her mate. He was her mate and she‟d left him.

She shakily put the bag on the carved dresser. The desire to find him and grab him almost

had her walking out the door. The only thing that stopped her was that she had no idea where he

was. That had been deliberate. She hadn‟t wanted to tip him off by keeping too close an eye on

his ships. They‟d know if he came within three systems of the planet, but other than that, she

wanted a primarily hands-off approach to keeping track of him. It wasn‟t the fact that she didn‟t

know where he was that frustrated her. It was that she couldn‟t get in contact with him yet. The

others deserved the time to make their own decisions about what they wanted to do. She‟d have

to be patient regardless of how much her instincts were pushing at her to go find him before he

could escape.

She took a deep breath, walked away from the bag and put on her shoes. It was time to

join the others. They were going out again tonight. It would probably be one of the last times

they went out as a group. She didn‟t know about Krissa, but she was fairly sure at least Nara was

going to leave and disappear. She didn‟t want to lose any of her friends, but she knew she

couldn‟t walk away from Connal again now that she knew he was her mate. Shaking off the

wave of depression, she strode to the door and went into the hallway. She‟d face that when she

came to it.

She went straight down to the lower levels. She needed a little time to clear her mind of

the sadness. She didn‟t want to drag their moods as low as hers had gone. She turned on some

music and walked over to stare out the window at the large lake. The water lapped at the shore

and boats with colorful sails bobbed out in the water. She just watched until she‟d regained a

little peace. No matter what choice they made, she‟d see them again. Maybe it was a little

intuition or just wishful thinking, but she felt certain of it.

Raine heard footsteps on the stairway. She turned her head and saw Gianna walking

down them slowly. The other woman walked to the window and looked out for a moment.

“Is it good news for you or bad news?” Gianna asked quietly.

“He‟s my mate. What did you find?” Raine couldn‟t think of a way to answer that

question because even though she‟d wanted him to be her mate, her feelings were mixed.

“Terrell‟s my mate, but it‟s not entirely good news, is it? I don‟t think Deanna and Nara

will want to go to the
Feiral
. I don‟t think they‟re ready for clan life yet.” Gianna grimaced.

“They‟re still hunting the next adventure.”

“The same could be said for us not too long ago, but you‟re probably right.” Raine

exhaled slowly and straightened her back. That was what made it so hard. She could understand

why they wouldn‟t want to join with a pack. If part of her heart didn‟t belong with Connal, she

was fairly sure she‟d feel the same way even though she‟d found a lot to admire in the people on

the
Raitan
.