Desperate Measures (8 page)

expected an all-out assault on her defenses. It was his last chance to get her to make a mistake

and he‟d want that mistake or some kind of proof before he pounced. She was nervous because

she had no idea what he‟d try. Her mind was churning even though she knew it was a useless

endeavor. She wouldn‟t know until he tried.

She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts and

calming herself. The last thing she wanted to do was go in there looking nervous. After a few

moments she pressed the button to announce her arrival to Connal. It took only a few moments

for the door to slide open in front of her.

Connal smiled down at her and clasped her hand to draw her inside. Tonight there was no

meal waiting for them. That might come later, but at the moment, she was focused on only one

thing. This was the last chance she‟d have to be with him. She didn‟t want to waste a moment of

it. She stepped forward and ran her hands over his chest.

“It‟s hard to believe that this time tomorrow I won‟t be able to do this.” She flexed her

fingers on his shoulders. That was both a relief and a disappointment. She wouldn‟t miss the

tension of her jousting and trying to hide things from him, but she liked ta lking to him and

definitely liked touching him.

He tugged her close and his lips grazed across her cheek. “Yes, time has seemed to roll

by much too fast, but we‟ll worry about that when it comes. I want to enjoy the time we have

now.”

“I have an idea about how we can enjoy the time we have now.” She grinned and with a

little pressure on his chest began to guide him backward.

“What do you have in mind?” He grinned and went along as she steered him toward the

bed.

“You undress and I‟ll show you.” She licked her lips as wonderful lascivious ideas

flashed through her head. It was going to be hard to pick just one, but she did have a few

favorites.

His gaze ran over her face before he pulled his light blue shirt over his head and flung it

toward the couch. She took off her shirt and dropped it to the floor even as her hands reached for

the clasp of her barely there bra. She‟d worn it and her sexiest red pair of panties for tonight with the image of him peeling the scrap off her, but now she had other plans. Letting the bra fall to the

floor, she moved her hand down to her pants. She had wanted to wear a flowing skirt, but she

didn‟t have one in her bag so she‟d gone with her favorite, most curve-hugging pair of pants. Not

easy access, but she knew she looked sexy. She slipped out of her shoes and then began sliding

her pants down her thighs, wiggling her hips for extra effect when she noticed he was watching.

She might not have much in the way of curves, but Connal seemed to appreciate what she did

have.

He reached out as she stepped out of her pants and pulled her against him. He still wore

his dark blue pants and the gleaming black shoes and she fervently wished those articles gone

when she felt the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her belly. She wanted to see and touch

him, not just feel.

“Um, you‟re slow.” She rose up on tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. “You‟ll have

to pay the price now.”

His lips traced the line of her jaw as she tried to glance past him to see how far they were

from the bed. Luckily, his calves almost touched the end of it. She wouldn‟t have to maneuver

him back more before she began.

“What‟s the price? I‟m sure I can give you what you want.” His hips rolled against her,

emphasizing that he was hard and ready for her.

“You don‟t give me what I want. You didn‟t get undressed and now you have to pay.”

She pushed against his chest and he stepped back. His leg hit the bed and he tumbled back onto

it. She followed quickly before he could get to his feet. Her fingers unfastened the snaps of his

fly in quick order and she pulled the flaps wide and circled his cock with her hand. Her hand

pumped up and down his length in a slow, torturous glide.

“What are you planning to do?” One of his hands cupped the back of her neck and the

other rested on her shoulder.

“Torture you.” She ran her tongue over the skin just below his bellybutton. She really did

want to push him to his limits. “How much can you take?”

His hips rose as she drew her hand up and released his cock. She smiled as she saw his

eyes narrow. She could almost see the big male thinking, trying to decide how far to let her go

and if there was any way he could take control.

“And this is making me pay?” He smiled. “It just makes me want you more.”

“You are a confident man.” She nipped at his stomach and let her fingers trail around the

head of his cock.

His hand tightened on her shoulder and pushed. In the next instant, she felt the softness of

the mattress beneath her back as he loomed over her. His lips pulled back, revealing a lot of teeth

and smug masculine triumph. The weight of his lower body pressed against her and he rolled his

hips.

“Because I know what I want and how to get it,” he whispered as his head lowered. His

mouth brushed over her cheek and his teeth grazed over her lips.

Her mouth tingled from the light contact. She wanted more. Her head lifted, her lips

pressed against his and she kissed him. A wild need throbbed inside her, surging and writhing

low in her belly. Her mind thrilled at the dominant move and she fought the urge to bare her

teeth at him and push him into a more intense demonstration of his power. As much as she

wanted to feel it, she couldn‟t do it. It was too risky to her and the others. She settled for

threading the fingers of her right hand through his hair and holding him close.

His hips rolled against her and she couldn‟t help lifting into that pressure. Her free hand

snaked around his side and she was right where she wanted to be. Under him, kissing him and

touching him, the only way this could get better was if he‟d peel off those pants and do more

than let her feel his hardness. She didn‟t know if she‟d ever felt anything this intense before.

Right now, she wasn‟t going to overanalyze the situation or why everything felt so sharp. She

simply wanted to enjoy it.

Her hand slid down his back and over his taut buttocks. She sunk her nails into his skin as

her fingers clenched in his hair, lifting his head up. “Don‟t tease!”

He laughed. “Let‟s see if you‟re as ready as you seem.”

His body lifted and the fingers of one hand skimmed over her chest pausing to flick and

pull at her hardened nipples for a little while as if he couldn‟t resist. She gasped and her back

arched off the bed. She could feel the moisture on her thighs and clenching them only made the

ache worse, but she couldn‟t stay relaxed. She felt the warmth of his palm like a brand searing

through her as it touched her abdomen and moved lower. As soon as his hand touched her thigh,

she opened her legs eagerly. His fingertips glided over the slick lips of her pussy before parting

the folds. She held her breath as she felt his fingers near her clit, but he circled the bundle of

nerves without touching it, the pressure light and teasing. Her breath exploded from her lips and

she reached for his hand.

His eyes narrowed and he captured her wrist and pushed it to the blanket beside her hip.

“Keep it there or on my back. I‟ll stop if you try to interfere.”

Her lips pulled away from her teeth in a snarl before she could control it but luckily he‟d

turned his attention back to her breasts and pussy. His head lowered and his lips plucked at her

right nipple just as his hand slid back between her thighs. His thumb traced the plump sensitized

lips as his fingers found the juices flowing from her entrance. While his fingers played between

her legs, his lips, teeth and tongue tormented the reddened peak.

Shivers rolled over her body and her hands clenched in his hair and on the blanket. Her

body bowed, lifting against his hand, but he merely kept circling the opening. Her inner muscles

clenched and pulses of hot need thrummed low in her belly, taking away the last of her thoughts.

Sensation ruled and she craved more.

“Connal,” she groaned his name and tugged at his head. Part of her didn‟t want him to

stop what he was doing. In spite of driving her to the edge, it felt so good.

“I‟ve found a bit of juice here.” He glanced up and two fingers dipped into her pussy.

If he had said that earlier, he would have gotten back a load of sarcasm. Now she only

wanted him to stop exploring and fuck her. His lips firmed over her breast and he drew the

nipple into his mouth. She gasped and arched up as sharp pleasure speared down her spine. His

fingers plunged deep and her muscles clenched around the large digits. Just a little more. She

was so close to coming. If he‟d just brush his thumb across her clit, she‟d fly right over the edge.

Her hips lifted in silent pleading, but his hand moved up with her pelvis, denying her the extra

friction.

His teeth scraped over her nipple just before he lifted his head. “If you‟re going to come,

I want to be buried deep inside you and feel those ripples pulling at me like they are my finger.”

He rose and pushed his pants down his legs, kicking free of them. It wasn‟t the most

graceful motion she‟d ever seen, but she wanted to yell in joy when he knelt between her legs.

He grasped his cock and slid over the heated lips of her pussy. Juices coated the darkened head

as it moved down to her entrance. His hips rocked forward slowly. He groaned as her inner

muscles squeezed and pulled at him. That got her attention. She tightened the muscles again, not

willing to wait for a long fuck. She wanted it hard, fast and now. His hands landed beside her

shoulders as he tried to remain still when his cock was only halfway inside her. His forehead

touched hers and his body shook as he fought against his own need.

She didn‟t want him fighting that urge. She wanted him swamped by it just as she was.

She brought her hand up and scraped her nails down his back before grabbing his butt and

squeezing. A growl rumbled through him and she arched up as his hips drove down against her

pelvis. He thrust against her, but he wasn‟t content to just fuck her. Bracing his weight on one

elbow, he reached between them and tugged at her nipples.

Her fingers dug into his skin and she moaned brokenly as hot pleasure crashed over her.

Her entire body shook and she couldn‟t let go of him even if she wanted to try. His hips lunged

against hers and his breath rasped over her neck as he sought his own release. His teeth grazed

along her neck as his hips ground in a circular motion before he stiffened and jerked with his

release.

She felt the spurt of his semen inside her and reluctantly released him. She was going to

miss this when they left. It was crazy, but she liked being near him. He attracted her in a way that

went beyond his physical good looks.

“What are you going to do on Forunes?” Connal‟s voice cut through her musings.

She closed her eyes and shook her head as she hurriedly gathered her thoughts. “My

friend is going to get us a posting on the trade ship she works on. I know you don‟t have memory

problems. Why do you keep asking those kinds of questions?”

That was something she wasn‟t going to miss. It would be a relief not to have to always

be on guard.

Raine breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the shuttle. She made sure she kept it silent

though. They weren‟t alone just yet so they had to keep the façade in place. She was ready to get

down to the real business of finding Krissa and getting her off this planet.

Walking across the black-topped landing area to the sliding silver entry doors of the port

buildings, she focused on getting into the dark gray building. The path was clearly marked for

passengers departing from a trade shuttle and she didn‟t deviate. That could be dangerous with

the carts pulling the loads of goods whizzing past.

This wasn‟t the gleaming, pretty port that the tourists saw, but a working area that

allowed access to those doing business here. The doors opened with a near silent whoosh and she

walked into the white and gray entry room. She saw a scanner for both bags and people near the

exit to the long rectangular room. Very serious, uniformed guards stood on either side of those

machines as enforcement, but she wasn‟t interested in them. She saw the way to get some

distance between them and the crew of the
Raitan
. She smiled slightly and slipped a glance

toward Gianna and Nara.

They all wore comfortable clothes, but they were the brightest and most unrestricting

articles of what they‟d brought with them. This had to seem casual, as if they were going to meet

a friend. Nara wore a flowing white and yellow shirt and a long skirt, while Gianna had chosen a

sleeveless bright blue-green top held up by two thin strips and tight black pants. When she‟d

seen what they were wearing, Raine had wondered if her short-sleeved, button-down red top with

black slashes across the chest and back was a little too normal, but it wasn‟t like she had that

many outfits to wear. She‟d packed for comfort and to fit in with the crew, but she hadn‟t

expected to be under so much scrutiny.

She knew her friends were as relieved as she was to be walking away from the crew. It