Desperate Measures (4 page)

back to make a one-on-one contact with you.” Gianna smiled.

Raine didn‟t see what was so funny. Gianna was right. There was no use denying it. The

captain was on the hunt. Raine had to figure out how she was going to handle him. The attraction

was mutual, but the risk of discovery wasn‟t going to fade. She could slip and say something

revealing around him if she wasn‟t extremely careful. If she didn‟t know they doubted the story,

she wouldn‟t have had any hesitation about jumping him and enjoying every moment of it.

It wasn‟t that she thought they‟d get hot and sweaty and he‟d be able to smell or see that

she was a shifter. Their scent had been masked and the body paint wouldn‟t come off even if she

stayed in water for the entire journey to Forunes. He wouldn‟t be able to tell physically that she

was
Feiral
, but she‟d always have to be careful of what she said and did when she was with him.

The only problem with not having sex with him or any other member of the crew was

that it would focus attention on them. Short liaisons were the norm on trade and commercial

ships. No emotions involved, no regrets at the end of the tour. Falling too easily in bed with him

would be just as bad. He‟d probably think she wanted to pump him for information when she got

him nice and relaxed. She didn‟t see any way to make this trip easier. They‟d be watched and

studied the entire journey. She hated feeling hunted and cornered. At the moment, she couldn‟t

think of any plan to turn this situation to her advantage, but was confident she‟d eventually find a

way.

Connal watched Raine walking to the gym section of the ship on a monitor. Today, he

really enjoyed watching her. Her tight red top bared a little of her midriff and showed the curve

of her breasts to great advantage. As for those shorts, the way they clung to her butt and thighs

only made him want to peel them off her.

The security cameras enabled them to track the women without unduly alerting them.

They knew everything the women were doing on the ship with the exception of the time they

spent in their quarters. As a
Feiral
, he had a respect for privacy. If the searches had turned up any weapons or anything at all, he wouldn‟t have a qualm about doing it. But there wasn‟t a

reason to go that far yet.

The women had shown little interest in the ship or what the people aboard did beyond the

details necessary for them to complete their duties. It was as if the women were going out of

their way to prove they were no threat to the people on the ship. He was beginning to believe that

whatever they were doing, it had nothing to do with the
Raitan
, but his curiosity had been stirred.

The women were hiding something. They didn‟t want to draw the attention of anyone and

had tried from the first to prevent it.
What secret did the women hold that they felt the need to
hide their differences even from a people they knew weren’t human?
The women knew they were

dealing with shifters. Connal felt confident about that assumption. They‟d probably known

before they‟d stepped onto the ship and begun the journey.

That left him and his men days to find out what they were hiding. The way Raine had

shaken off his attempt to mesmerize her had given him his first clue. There weren‟t that many

groups who could do that and the two peoples in the region she claimed as home weren‟t on the

list. He rose to his feet. It was time for a little exercise and another go at Raine‟s defenses. He

relished the challenge she gave him.

* * * * *

Raine stepped into the large, empty, rectangular gray room with a bright yellow ball in

her hand. The rec area was the only part of the ship that actually looked like it hadn‟t been

redesigned too much during the modification, with the exception of some high-end equipment.

She could have been climbing or working out on some of the gym equipment, but she didn‟t

want to talk. She knew that if she stayed in the public rooms someone would come up and want

to make conversation or, even worse, Connal would show up.

The man seemed to pop up wherever she was and he‟d begun actively making her aware

of him. Touching would come next. It wouldn‟t be so bad if she wasn‟t so attracted to him. Her

heart began beating faster simply at the thought of him, but fear wasn‟t behind the acceleration.

She wanted him so badly it scared her. The feeling was too intense and they hadn‟t touched. She

didn‟t understand it.

Groaning, she resolutely thrust thoughts of the captain out of her mind. She threw the ball

against the far wall and ran to intercept it just after the first bounce. She‟d begun to get into a

rhythm when the door behind her opened. She caught the ball and turned to see who‟d decided to

interrupt her this time, although she had a good idea who it was. Her skin tingled with

excitement and awareness. Only one man caused that sensation.

Connal stood there wearing a too-innocent smile on his face. Her eyes ran over his

mussed hair. To get her mind off going over there and smoothing it back into place, she lowered

her gaze to what he was wearing and nearly groaned. His skin-tight, sleeveless blue and yellow

shirt emphasized the breadth of his chest and the muscles in his arms. The snug, black shorts at

his hips left little to her imagination and ended just above the knee. He wasn‟t making it easy to

resist temptation.

“Would you mind a partner? I need to get some exercise too.” He stood in the doorway as

if he really had doubts about her answer.

She was certain he knew she‟d say yes. Raine fumed. She suspected the jerk knew she

didn‟t want to draw any attention to herself and was blatantly using that against her. She‟d have

loved to have an excuse, any excuse, to walk right out that door, but thinking about Krissa and

the danger she was facing focused Raine‟s thoughts. For Krissa, she‟d endure these exchanges

with the captain and try to get out of here without getting into deeper trouble.

“Sure.” She smiled and bounced the ball on the floor. If she was lucky, she could

“accidentally” hit him a time or two with it.

He took a position behind and to the right of her. She smelled a light spicy scent, but

couldn‟t identify it. That didn‟t surprise her. Her sense of smell as well as taste was a little off

because of the drug she was using to mask her scent and prevent her from finding her mate while

on this jaunt.

When he was set, she threw the ball as hard as she could. As it hit the wall, she dropped

back. She saw Connal run forward. He caught the ball and threw it almost in the same motion.

Mentally, she couldn‟t help admire the lithe grace of his body, but she didn‟t have time to think

about it. She ran forward to take her turn.

She caught and lobbed the sphere at a sharp angle so that it hit the back wall and careened

off the side wall. He cursed beneath his breath and dashed for it, catching it just before it hit the back wall again. She smiled and ran to get it when he hurled it. She lost track of time as they

played, intent only on the game. He tossed the ball at a low, wicked angle and she ran for it. She

was so intent on getting to the ball before it hit the back wall that she didn‟t notice him in front

of her until she hit his chest.

Air exploded from her and she grabbed his shirt. The world seemed to tilt and she

realized they were falling only a breath before they hit the floor. Slamming against his chest

again didn‟t help her get her breath back. Her chest felt tight and she was acutely aware of her

body pressing against his. His arms had locked around her, holding her tight to him, probably to

prevent her from being hurt during the fall, but he hadn‟t released her. She pushed against his

chest, trying to put a little distance between them. It only pressed her hips more firmly against

his. She was too damn aware of the way his cock pressed against her stomach and how hard that

part of him felt. She wanted to grind against him and forget about all the reasons why she should

keep her distance.

“Sorry about not moving out of your way.” He brushed a hand over her hair. “Are you all

right?”

“I should probably be asking you that question. I ran into you and I don‟t think you had

much of a chance to shield yourself from that landing. Are you hurt?” She looked up at him. His

lips were tilted up into a friendly smile and she didn‟t see any sign of pain on his face.

His leg moved a little and one of her legs fell between his. She hadn‟t thought it would be

possible without removing a few clothes, but the situation became more intimate. Her pussy was

pressed against his muscular leg and his hand slid down to her buttocks. His fingers molded over

the curve and it was all she could do to stop herself from rocking her hips forward. She

swallowed heavily. Damn, this had to stop now.

“I‟m good. You didn‟t hurt me. You feel wonderful.” He drew in a deep breath.

“Although this wasn‟t how I envisioned learning that.”

“Um, thanks. How about we get up, before this gets too… We have a game to finish.”

She bit her lip. She hadn‟t intended to say anything about it getting too involved or too hard to

resist. It wouldn‟t take a genius to figure out what she‟d meant. The captain was far from dense.

He‟d know what she meant.

“I think you owe me a forfeit for nearly taking me out. You could have hurt me and I

wouldn‟t be able to complete my duties.” His lips straightened and he looked utterly serious.

“I could have just as easily been hurt and you were the one who didn‟t get out of the way

like you were supposed to.” She raised an eyebrow, trying to resist the urge to grin at the blatant

flirting.

“According to some you should have been watching out for the other player as well as

where the ball is going.” His hand tightened and the leg between her thighs lifted, pressing

against her more firmly.

His muscled leg pressed too close to her aching clit. She longed to grind down on the

thick column to get the pressure she needed, but forced herself to remain still. How in hell could

he tempt her so much without really caressing her? If she stayed on top of him for too much

longer, he wouldn‟t be left in any doubt of her interest in him. Her juices would soak right

through her shorts and probably through his.

“They‟d be wrong, but let‟s say I pay this forfeit. What would it be?” She tilted her head

and waited for him to answer. She really expected him to ask her to join him for dinner. That was

something that would allow him to get closer to her, but still not be too threatening.

“I want a kiss. If you kiss me, I‟ll release you and we can go back to the game.” His eyes

locked on her lips.

She had to fight hard not to slick her tongue over her lips. Damn, that was a step she

hadn‟t thought he‟d take this quickly. But it was just a kiss, she reasoned. She could control it,

keep it light and friendly. Maybe it would even dissuade his pursuit. If he thought there was no

chemistry between them, he might back away from her and let one of the other men approach

her. That could only work to the better for her. None of them drew her as much as he did. She

couldn‟t stop thinking about what it would feel like to fuck him anytime she was near him. That

was supremely bad, because she needed to remember the mission and what was at stake at all

times.

“Okay, a kiss, but once I kiss you, you have to let me go. I‟m two points away from

beating you.” She planted a hand on his chest. She pressed up enough to let him know that she

was serious.

“One kiss and I‟ll let you go.” He seemed smug now that he had her agreement.

She didn‟t know if a kiss was all he wanted. Maybe he just wanted to see if they were

compatible or to see if it was more than curiosity and surface attraction. She couldn‟t control his

reaction, but she could do her best to keep the kiss short and cool. And then get off him.

She took a deep breath. She brushed her lips lightly over his, determined to make it as

impersonal as she possibly could. He didn‟t make a move, leaving her to kiss him. She knew a

buss on the lips wasn‟t what he meant and he‟d call her on it if she tried to keep it that short. She lapped at his lips until he opened them for her. His lack of reaction challenged her. She wanted

him to at least respond to her before she pulled back from the kiss. She stroked her tongue

against his. His hand laced through her hair. He tasted so good, she wanted to taste more and

especially to see more. His tongue brushed against hers and he sucked at her tongue as if trying

to draw her into him. The hand at her butt tightened, pulling her against him. The pressure of his

thigh pushing against her pussy nearly made her moan. It felt too good. A low growl rumbled

from him. She felt it through her entire body and it sent a thrill of excitement through her. She‟d

never had a shifter lover and the primal sounds of appreciation shot through her, inciting a deep

need to respond.

She tore her mouth free from his. Her breath came in harsh pants. That hadn‟t gone as

planned. There had been nothing light or impersonal about that. Kissing had been a mistake.

She‟d thought to dissuade him from pursuing her, but she‟d proven something entirely different

to herself. She wasn‟t going to be able to stay away from him even for the few days of the transit