Desperate Measures (5 page)

to Forunes. What in hell was she going to do? The pull to him became worse every time she saw

him. It was the most intense attraction she‟d ever felt to a man. She felt so out of control it scared her.

She exhaled slowly, trying to slow her breathing and her racing heart. It was time to get

up and put some distance between them. She should be able think a little better without his hard

body so temptingly close.

“Time to let me go. I paid your forfeit.” She tried for a relaxed smile but could feel the

tremble in her lips.

“Yes, you did.” His hand slipped free of her hair and the other slid off her buttocks. “I

almost wish you‟d negotiated for some other payment. I don‟t want to lose the feel of you against

me.”

She rose to her feet and stepped away from him. “Now, we need to get back to playing. I

was only two points away from beating you.”

“It was three points. That last point doesn‟t count as yours. If anything, it would be mine,

because you did miss it.” He frowned.

“You interfered with the play. Where I play, that‟s automatic loss of point.” She knew

that wasn‟t technically correct, but it kept him from any more personal conversation at the

moment.

“Then you play by the wrong rules. In non-competitive matches like ours, it‟s standard to

replay the point. In the competitive, it‟s your loss of point. So it‟s a redo. I can go find some

rules if you want to argue the point.” He lifted a brow and waited utterly relaxed for her to either

argue or agree with him.

She sighed as if she was granting him a huge concession. “All right, we replay the point.”

“Good. Let‟s get to it. I believe it was my throw.” He walked over and grabbed the ball

off the floor.

She waited for him to throw the ball and dived for it when it hit the wall and seemed to

hug the ground. That was just one of the difficult plays he had in store for her. She barely got

that ball, but he won that point and the next three, pulling even with her. She didn‟t know if he‟d

been holding back, trying to lure her into a false sense of security, but his play had improved

dramatically. They remained tied, trading points. The game continued because the winner had to

be two points ahead. He went one point ahead of her on her throw and he tossed a ball that hit

low on the wall. She rushed forward and managed to get it and slam it into the wall, but she

couldn‟t get the next ball when he threw it with a soft touch into the opposite corner. She gritted

her teeth, but then smiled. She didn‟t like losing, but it had been a good game.

“That was one of the best games I‟ve had in about a year. Thank you.” She picked up the

ball and bounced it.

“You‟re good. Why don‟t you have a meal with me and we can talk.” He strolled over to

her and looked down at her.

His voice was smooth and conversational, but the intensity in his eyes belied the relaxed

words. The invitation came as a surprise. She really hadn‟t expected that and she knew she

should have. He would want a chance to lure her into trusting him. Luckily she had an excuse to

put him off for at least one meal, but she wasn‟t going to forget her new tactic to limit and

control the time they had together.

“I can‟t. I‟ve already made plans with my friend, but I‟d like to have dinner with you if

you don‟t mind waiting.” She bit her lip. If he agreed, she‟d eat with him, but not much else.

There wouldn‟t be time. She went on duty not too long after that.

“I‟ll arrange it. I‟ll expect you at my quarters just before the meal. I have to get cleaned

up myself. I‟m due on deck soon.” He touched her cheek lightly. “I look forward to playing with

you again.”

Her mouth dropped open and he left before she could force it to close again. Damn, the

man was dangerous. In his quarters. When had she agreed to that? She may not have specified a

location, but she‟d expected to eat in the dining area surrounded by other people. He had to know

that that was what she‟d thought. The man wasn‟t stupid. She‟d never have agreed if he‟d said

they‟d be eating alone in his room. She wanted to run after him and tell him she‟d forgotten

some plan, but she couldn‟t back out now short of an injury. That wouldn‟t happen. She wasn‟t

that lucky.

Connal smiled as he remembered the look on her face just before he‟d walked out of the

room. It had been priceless and he‟d had a hard time resisting the urge to laugh. He couldn‟t

remember ever seeing such blatant horror on a person‟s face. He didn‟t feel at all guilty for

causing it. She was playing the game as much as he was. One check of the duty log when he‟d

returned to his quarters had been all it took to explain why she wanted to eat the later meal with

him. She was banking on there not being time for anything to happen between them. He was

going to do his best to prove her wrong.

Raine wanted control and he‟d give her the illusion of it. He had to make her as

comfortable as possible to get the answers he needed out of her. She wasn‟t going to just blurt

them out accidentally. This wasn‟t her first time playing. Maybe he could use her attraction to

him to his advantage, but he wasn‟t going to underestimate his own desire for her. Not after the

way they‟d practically burned each other up on the ball court. He finished setting the table and

opened a chilled bottle of wine to let it breathe. The food was waiting on a warmer plate.

Everything was ready. He hadn‟t gone so far as to turn down the lights or put on soft music, but

he‟d wanted to make sure everything was as intimate as possible.

He couldn‟t remember when he‟d been this drawn to a woman. He wondered if it was

just the challenge she offered that drew him. She was sexy, but he could think of at least three

other women on the ship who were just as attractive. Still, he hadn‟t been even tempted to pursue

either one of her friends. She‟d been the only one who fascinated him even before she‟d resisted

the small push he‟d given her.

What species was she that she could do that?
He was determined to find out her secrets

before they reached Forunes and the women left the ship. He had a feeling they‟d disappear like

the wind once they were on the planet.

The buzzer for his door sounded. He walked over to open it and glanced around the room

with its pale green walls one more time to ensure he‟d remembered everything. It was probably

Raine. He‟d told his men not to disturb him unless it was an emergency, but he wanted her to

think they might be interrupted. It might help her to relax a little.

He pushed the button, waited as the door slid open and smiled as he saw that she‟d

dressed to distract. Well, as much as she could and still go on duty afterward. Her shirt was low

cut and emphasized the sweet rise of her breasts. Her sleek form drew him and he wanted to taste

the hard nipples he‟d glimpsed through the tight top of her workout clothing. She wore a

mid-thigh-length blue skirt and some strappy shoes that drew his eyes to her great legs.

“I‟m glad you made it. Are you hungry? The food will stay warm if you‟re not ready to

eat.” He stepped back and let her walk into the room.

She smiled. He could tell by the tightness of her lips that she was nervous. She looked

around the room. He saw her eyes linger on the bed with its gray and green blanket before

sliding to the deep brown table and the covered platters. One of her hands balled into a fist.

“I‟m hungry now and I do have duty tonight as well. I wouldn‟t want to be late.” She

grinned at him.

“Don‟t worry about it. I‟ll make sure you don‟t get in trouble.” He winked and led her

over to the table. “Since you do have to work, I‟m sure one glass of wine will be your limit, but I

do want you to try this. We picked it up from a small planet called Ayul and it‟s some of the best

wine I‟ve ever had.”

Once at the table he pulled out a chair and waited for her to take a seat. She sat and lifted

the covers off the food on the table. It smelled delicious. He‟d deliberately chosen dishes with

little to no meat in them tonight. He wanted to see her reaction. Neither the
Anjuri
nor the
Corlan
would have any qualms about eating what he‟d placed before her. In fact, the
Anjuri
were nearly exclusively vegetarian. He saw her eyes search the platters and just a hint of dejection. She

wanted meat. It wasn‟t conclusive, but it did support his belief that she was hiding her real

identity and was probably a shifter.

“This looks good,” she said as he took the seat across from her.

“Thank you. I wanted something that would seem familiar to you.” He smiled and poured

a little wine in her glass.

She looked down at the plate. He could swear he heard her grind her teeth. She didn‟t say

anything for a little while and he wondered if she was going to reply at all. F inally, she raised her eyes and smiled.

“It‟s almost exactly like what I‟ve had on Jovala. Your cook must be very good.” She

drew her finger over the rim of her cup.

“He can cook almost anything we want. I much prefer to have food prepared by hand

rather than by machine.” He picked up his fork and began eating.

“I haven‟t seen that on many of the ships I‟ve worked on. It was just more efficient to

have the food prep automated considering the number of people to feed.” She shrugged. “This is

much better than most of the meals on ship I‟ve had.”

“It‟s one of the advantages of working on a smaller ship. Plus you get to know the crew

better.” He couldn‟t keep from smiling at that. If the crew was much larger than it was, he

wouldn‟t have had reason to suspect there was something different about her. With thousands of

crew members, some captains wouldn‟t have time to deal with personnel matters.

He heard her swallow hard and would bet she was wishing this was one of those ships.

He didn‟t want her running out of the room before he could talk with her a little more so he

backed off the provoking remarks. The last thing he wanted was her leaving. He wasn‟t going to

let her get out of this room tonight without feeling the heat of her desire again. He hadn‟t

planned on making her this tense, but at least with dessert, he should be able to lure her close.

Maybe he‟d be able to push through a few of those walls. She ate slowly, trying to take up extra

time, but he didn‟t try to hurry her.

“Why don‟t you go over to the couch and I‟ll bring our dessert?” He gestured to the small

area directly across from the bed with a small couch on the other side of the room. He‟d placed it

in front of a video monitor, a place to relax and get a little work done in comfort if necessary.

One of the privileges of being a higher ranked officer was larger quarters.

She slid him a glance out of the corner of her eyes, but nodded. He watched her walk

over to the couch, admiring the sway of her hips. She glided with grace and strength. It

fascinated him and reminded him of something, but he couldn‟t put his finger on it. As she sat on

the couch, he gathered the platter of berries and rectangles of cake. He carried them over to the

couch, letting her take them while he went back for their glasses and a small bowl of creamy dip.

Before he sat, he dragged a small round table over in front of them. He didn‟t want the

platter between them. It would just be an obstacle. She was placing enough barriers with her

attitude. He sat down on the couch but left about half a cushion space between his thigh and hers.

She seemed to relax a little bit when she noticed. He lifted one of the pieces of fruit and dipped it into the thick sauce. Cupping his hand underneath it, he brought it to her lips. She looked at him,

surprised for a moment, and then opened her mouth. He put the berry into her mouth. She bit into

the ripe, juicy fruit.

“Mmm…” She slowly licked her lips, wiping away the slightly purple stain.

“They‟re good, aren‟t they? We just picked them up.” He smiled.

He wondered if he‟d have to prompt her, but then he noticed her fingers hovering over

the tray. She picked up one of the fingers of cake, dunked it into the sauce and lifted the piece to

his lips. Opening his mouth, he made a point to brush his lips over her finger as he took it. She

drew in a sharp breath and her eyes locked with his. He wasn‟t going to make it easy for her to

ignore him or to wait until she had to go on duty.

He saw her mouth firm and her brow arch just a little. He didn‟t give any sign that he‟d

seen her reaction. He picked up one of the larger berries. She‟d have to open her mouth wide to

take it. He wanted to see her hot pink lips close over it. Eating berries shouldn‟t be all that erotic, but he was semi-hard already.

Her lips opened as he brought the bright blue berry closer. She opened wide and took the

piece of fruit in one bite. Her tongue swiped over her lips. He looked at the wet pink curve and

swallowed. He knew she‟d done that deliberately. He could tell by the challenging look in her

eyes. It affected him, but he had plans of his own.

She picked up a wedge of fruit and dipped it. As she lifted it to his lips, he turned his

head just slightly to the side. The cream smeared over his cheek. He drew in a breath as if he was

surprised by what happened. He waited to see what she‟d do next.

“I‟m sorry. Let me clean that.” She leaned close and brushed her lips over his in a