Driven to the Limit (2 page)

He crouched, and immediately his body stretched. Some flesh
became rubber where tires appeared against the floor. What had been his back
and chest turned into the leather seat and gas tank. In no more than a few
heartbeats, machinery had replaced the man, and the air settled into normalcy.

“Jake?” she said. “Jakob?”

I’m here
.

“You can talk to me in my mind?”

I always could. You weren’t ready to listen
.

“I’m ready now,” she said. “We only have two problems. One,
you don’t start.”

With that, his engine came to life, filling the garage with
its roar. It was a magnificent sound, rich and deep. She couldn’t help but
smile as she pressed her palm to the bike’s leather seat and felt the
vibration. No wonder people paid insane amounts for a Mannhof -- when they
could find one. Classic beauty, great engineering. Even an untrained eye had to
appreciate the lines and the barely contained power.

Put on a helmet and climb aboard
, he said.

“That’s our second problem. I’ve only ridden on the back. I
don’t know how to drive a motorcycle.”

Don’t worry. I do
.

“Still, I’d hate to crash us. You’re beautiful, and I’m…
well… at least I’m still alive.”

You’ll be more alive after our ride
. The engine revved,
sounding like a mechanical version of joy.
Come on. How do you think Dagger
will feel watching you drive his bike?

She laughed. “It’ll piss him off royally.”

Climb on
.

She found a helmet on the utility bench and slipped it on
then hit the automatic door opener. As the door opened, she slipped the
controls into her pocket and approached the Mannhof. Jake.

She couldn’t keep a silly grin from her face. Her friend,
Jake, was real. And he was a man, and he was going to take her for a ride.

She climbed onto his back and released the kickstand.
Together, they roared out of the garage and down the drive.

* * *

Finally whole, Jake sped along the country roads with
Lauren’s thighs clasped around him. At first, she’d hung on so tightly the
pressure of her legs against his seat had been palpable. Her palms had felt
sweaty against his controls, and he’d had to exert pressure to manipulate them
for her. Eventually, she’d relaxed, though, and now they rode as one entity,
machine and human, past lush countryside filled with grape vines and pastures.

Lauren’s laughter floated to him as he banked into a turn
and came out on the other side, righting them again. She seemed delighted with
their ride and for good reason. Together, the two of them made up so much more
than the sum of two individuals.

Certainly, his machine identity had changed in important
ways. He’d had senses before, had been able to detect wind speed, light, and
temperature. Now, with Lauren, he could feel the air whooshing by and bask in
the warmth of the sunlight. They both had much to learn -- he about his human
body and she about her human spirit. When he found the right place, they’d join
the way men and women did and begin their journey together.

Enjoying yourself
, Schatzie?

“Oh, Jake.” Her words hardly came to him over the noise of
his engine.

Ready for the next step?

“Lead on.”

After a bit, the right opportunity appeared. To one side of
the road, a gate stood open, giving access to a dirt road that went up a small
rise. In the distance, the road disappeared into a stand of tall trees. He
slowed as he left pavement and rode onto dirt. Though the surface was uneven,
Lauren balanced easily, leaning with him so well he didn’t have to worry about
correcting for her weight.

Klaus Mannhof had built Jake specifically for her, but the
women Klaus selected to receive his handmade bikes didn’t always accept the
gift without a struggle. He’d have struggles with Lauren before he could
convince her to leave Dagger and the hell the man had made of her life. So far,
they seemed well suited for riding together. That could be a useful tool as
they confronted ugly truths and went forward together.

The trees loomed over them as they approached, casting the
area underneath in deep shade. With no direct sunlight penetrating to the
ground, not much could grow at the bases of the giants besides ferns. Rather
than dirt beneath his wheels, now he met a fine dust that rose up in small
clouds around his tires. Somehow, even the sound of his engine came out hushed
here, as if they’d entered a place of worship. What a perfect setting for
knowing his woman’s body for the first time.

He stopped beside a downed tree. Here, the sunlight slanted
in among the remaining trunks, creating shafts of gold that lit ferns and
branches into brilliant hues of green. A blue bird with a head and comb of
midnight black hopped along the dead tree’s trunk, squawking. Oddly, the harsh
note only served to underscore the peace of the place. They’d truly found
magic.

Jake turned off his engine and waited while Lauren set the
kickstand and climbed off. After walking a few feet away, she turned back to
him, removed her helmet, and ran her fingers through her hair. She stood there,
staring at him. Waiting for him to change, no doubt. Why not?

Now that he’d shifted twice, the transformation came easier.
Metal and leather turned into flesh with no conscious effort. He only wished
himself human, and the changes followed. Air rushed into his lungs, bringing
the taste of sunshine and warm earth into his nostrils and his heart. He
stretched upward and raised his arms over his head.

A few feet away, Lauren watched him. The fear had gone from
her face, but she still looked wary, not facing him straight on. He had a lot
of work to do with her, but that was exactly why Klaus had designed him. First
he had to win her over, and luckily, her body had fewer defenses against him
than her mind did.

He lowered his arms and smiled at her. “Such beauty.”

She half-smiled back. “It’s a pretty place.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“You can’t beat a bunch of redwood trees for charm.”

“Redwoods,” he repeated. “Is that what they are?”

“You’ve never seen a redwood tree before?”

“I have a lot to learn. I hope you’ll teach me.”

“Me? Teach someone else?” She huffed. “Good luck with that.”

He studied her for a moment “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer but just stood there, avoiding his gaze.

“I thought you enjoyed the ride,” he said.

That got her attention, and her chin rose. “It was amazing.”

“Yet, now you seem afraid.”

“This may be a little hard to understand for a guy who was a
machine this morning,” she said, “but it’s kind of scary for a woman to find
herself alone in the woods with a strange man.”

“You’ve known me for months.”

“I thought I was talking to a motorcycle. That’s not exactly
a deep, emotional relationship.”

“A woman’s bond with a Mannhof is one of the strongest in
the world.”

She got that wary look in her eyes again. “You should listen
to yourself. That’s pretty creepy.”

“You think I’m creepy?”

“It’s hard to explain.” She paced a few steps and then
stopped to look back at him. “We’ll ignore for now that I’ve seen you change
back and forth from person to machine a couple of times now.”

He sighed. That could be considered creepy, to use her word.
But honestly, she might have gotten past that by now. If not, why had she
agreed to a ride? Just to make Dagger angry?

“Now, here I am in the middle of nowhere with a naked man.”
She cleared her throat. “A naked, aroused man.”

Ah yes, his cock. It stood, thick and long. It was only
natural that he wanted her. He’d been designed to fit her exactly, to fill her
every need. He’d waited so long for her to complete the first part of her
recovery in that facility. Nights of waiting and wanting, afraid she wouldn’t
come back and he’d have to go looking for her. When she’d returned, his machine
body had readied itself for the shift. Now, his human body had readied itself
to join with her. Clearly, that would prove harder than he’d thought.

“I’d never touch you if you don’t want me to,” he said.

She slid her arms around her ribs and hugged herself. “Then,
there’s the way you talk about a bond between a woman and a Mannhof. That
sounds, well, stalky.”

“Stalky?”

She shrugged. “Unhealthy. Fixated.”

Well, now she’d confused him completely. “If you felt this
way, why did you come out with me?”

Her shoulders slumped. “You may have noticed I don’t exactly
have the best taste in men.”

“I’m not like Dagger.”

“I know.” She walked to the fallen log and sat on it. “Oh,
hell. I don’t know what I know anymore.”

He joined her and sat. The bark chafed against the skin of
his buttocks, and he jumped up.

She laughed. “You really aren’t used to being made out of
flesh, are you?”

“At least it got you to laugh.”

She rose, removed her jacket, and handed it to him. “Better
sit on this. You have a lot of sensitive parts down there.”

He took the garment, set it on the log, and sat. She joined
him and rested with her elbows on her knees. She wasn’t dressed for sitting in
the cool shade of redwood trees, let alone a motorcycle ride. In fact, he’d
never have let her ride with so much skin exposed if he hadn’t known he’d
operate the controls.

She wore heeled sandals on her feet, a pair of shorts that
hardly made it to mid-thigh, and a halter-top with a plunging neckline. Now,
gooseflesh covered her bare arms, and her nipples had hardened and stood
stiffly against her top.

A woman’s body responded that way to cold, according to
Klaus, but it also responded that way to arousal. His own body’s response came
through with no confusion. She’d dressed provocatively, showing her cleavage,
much of her midriff, and even more of her thighs. She looked soft everywhere,
her skin pale with a hint of a blush. That, too, could signal her desire. She
might claim to find him stalky, but she hadn’t put any distance between them.
To the contrary, she sat close enough that he could detect the clean scent of
her hair and see the slight rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed.

His heartbeat sped up in much the same way that his engine
idled -- a strong and steady rhythm of life. Klaus had given Jake so much by
allowing him to become human, but he hadn’t meant the gift for Jake alone. He’d
meant for Jake to share the miracles with one special woman -- Lauren. Whether
she knew it or not, whether she was ready for it or not, the time had come for
her to accept him into her life. Not as a machine that she could open herself
to, thinking -- incorrectly -- that he had no mind, heart, or soul.

This machine was also a man. A man who could make demands
for honesty and intimacy. This machine could compel her to face herself. To
open up to her own past, with all her mistakes, and her own future. Most of
all, he could make her admit her own feelings. Especially love. She would love
him. Klaus had given her no choice. More important, when he was through with
her, she’d love herself.

“Hello.”

He looked at her and discovered her staring at him. “I’m
sorry.”

“You were off somewhere.”

He took her hand and rested it on his knee, curling their
fingers together. “I’m back now.”

She blushed but didn’t pull away. A light flush colored the
tops of her breasts, creeping up her throat to her cheeks. Shyness, perhaps,
but excitement too.

“I’d very much like to make love to you,” he said softly.

“So I gathered.”

“I want you to want me as well.”

She shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

“I’m not talking about having lunch or going to a movie
together,” he said. “I want to be intimate with you.”

“Sex is sex, Jake. It’s not a big deal.”

“There, you’re wrong. I’m going to show you how wrong you
are.”

Chapter Two

Lauren’s breath caught. The world had turned upside-down
today, from coming home to The Pit, to discovering that the motorcycle she’d admired
for months was also a man, to a wild ride through the country. Now, the man in
question -- a stunning specimen she’d so far only seen in the nude and with an
impressive erection -- had asked to make love to her. She’d agreed. What woman
with so much as a teaspoonful of libido would refuse? But from the look in his
remarkable blue eyes, she’d get a lot more than a roll in the hay. Or in this
case, in the redwood duff. If the expression of innocence and raw desire gave
any indication, this would be lovemaking of the type that changed lives.

He leaned toward her, closing his eyes as his lips parted.
Before his face met hers, she lifted a hand to touch his cheek.

His eyes opened again. And one brow went up in a silent
question. They sat that way for a moment. Oddly enough, this was the first time
she’d touched him. She’d ridden here with her legs wrapped around him, but this
was her first contact with the man. It felt right, so she closed her eyes and
lifted her face to receive his kiss.

When his lips met hers, the contact sent a shock to her
heart. Soft and tentative, the kiss drew her closer until the heat of his body
sank into her skin.

She moved nearer to him so she could slide her arms around
his neck and kiss him more deeply. He groaned and opened his lips over hers,
moving them apart. The movement stole her breath. Over the years, many men had
kissed her, but none of them had taken such care to taste every corner of her
mouth, every curve of her lips. He continued, slowly and deliberately, drawing
out the tension until her breath came hard and fast and her nipples tingled. A
throbbing started between her thighs as her pussy readied itself to take him
inside her. Amazing. With no more than a kiss, he’d already aroused her. What
would happen when he touched her there?

He groaned and pulled back. “Ah, Lauren, how could this be
real?”

She looked into his face, at his parted lips and eyes grown
bright with excitement. “You like?” she said.

“Klaus told me I’d feel so much more in a human body, but
still…”

“This Klaus sounds like an interesting guy.”

“I’ll tell you all about him. Later.” With that, he put his
arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Now hip to hip, they could twine
their arms around each other and explore while their lips met in another kiss
-- this one hungrier, more urgent. She ran her hands over his ribs to his back,
savoring the feel of muscle under her palms. It felt so natural to touch him,
as if she’d done it for years. And yet, each new sensation took her by
surprise. The sounds of his sighs, each one sending a puff of his breath into
her mouth. The scent of him, warm flesh and leather. The way his fingers slid
through the hair at the nape of her neck as he turned her face to give his
mouth better access to hers.

The natural beauty of the place surrounded them like a
cocoon. Green scents of the forest blending with birdcalls and the sunlight
heating her skin. This magical man had found this magical place to make love
for the first time.

His fingers trailed over her neck and along the valley
between her breasts. He stopped kissing and watched his hand as it moved toward
the fastening of her halter- top.

“I’d never imagined anything could be as soft as this,” he
whispered, as he slipped his hand inside and stroked the top of one breast.

“No one’s ever looked at me the way you do.”

“Fools. You’re a treasure.
Ein lebendiger Schatz
.”

“
Schatz
?”

He smiled at her. “It’s German for treasure.”

“That’s what you’ve been calling me.”

“
Schatzie
, yes.”

No one had called her anything like that for as long as she
could remember. The endearment took this to a whole new level. He’d said he
planned to show her how wrong she was when she’d said sex was no big deal. This
sex -- this lovemaking -- would be.

“I want you to touch me,” she said.

“I will. Tell me how.”

Words stuck in her throat. Normally, anything that came into
her head would come easily out of her mouth. Language foul enough to make a
church lady faint. Now, she couldn’t tell him how she wanted him to stroke her
breast.

Her silence didn’t stop him from doing exactly what she
wanted, though. He unfastened the halter-top and pushed the fabric aside to
expose her breast. He slid his fingers under it and lifted it, studying it as
if he’d never seen anything more beautiful. When he finally, finally, flicked
his thumb over the nipple, she shuddered and moaned with pleasure.

He smiled, bent, and took the sensitive tip into his mouth.
Sucking gently, he teased her flesh to full hardness and sensitivity. After a
few seconds, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back, pressing herself
upward to him. In response, he took more of her into his mouth and continued
the pressure until she went limp. Deep in her pussy, the throbbing grew. Even
the most skillful lover had never brought her to this level of arousal by
kissing her breasts. If he could do this so quickly and without even touching
her sex, what could he do with his fingers on her clit? With his huge cock
inside her?

He lifted his face and studied his work, blowing softly onto
the turgid nipple. “You’re truly a miracle,
Schatzie
.”

“You work miracles on my body.”

“Klaus taught me well.”

“Klaus needs to write sex manuals.”

“It isn’t something you learn from a book,” he said.

“Have you ever touched a woman before?”

He kissed her mouth briefly. “I first became a man back in
the garage. With you.”

“Then, why is it you know how to play my body?”

“I was designed for you alone.” He pushed her top from her
shoulders and let it drop to the ground. “Now, let’s see if the other breast
tastes as good as this one.”

This time, while he caressed her nipple, she slid her
fingers into his hair to hold him for support. Moisture gathered at the
juncture of her thighs as she slipped into a state of arousal so intense the
rest of the world faded away. Tall redwoods still stood all around them with
ferns gathered at the bases of their trunks. Jays still squawked, and the sun
still beamed into the spaces between the trees. All that became a backdrop for
the hunger that drove her closer to orgasm. Soon, he’d touch her where she most
ached for him. Soon, he’d slide his swollen member inside her. She’d come then,
likely more than once. She’d feel him come inside her too.

While he loved her breast with his mouth, his hand went
wandering over her ribs to her belly. His fingers left a trail of fire as they
moved, making circles as they went lower and lower. Toward her crotch. She held
her breath, waiting for his touch where she most needed it. She ached and
throbbed, her clit stiff and sensitive, even against the soft fabric of her
panties. After what seemed like forever, he reached the top of her shorts.

More. Damn, but she needed more. If he stopped now, she’d
have to take his hand and put it against her pussy. Even through the cloth of
her shorts, he could make her come if only he’d rub her in the right spot.

“Jake,” she gasped. “Please touch me. Please now.”

“Inside your panties?”

“Yes! Oh, yes, please.”

“You want to climax?” he whispered into her ear.

A tremor shot through her, and she whimpered with need.

He reached to the pull of her zipper and slowly tugged it
down. Then, his fingers slipped beneath her shorts and into her panties.
Finally, he parted the lips of her sex and stroked her wetness.

Her whole body went stiff as her arousal rocketed up into
her heart.

“Ah, love,” he crooned. “You’re so hot. Just what I wanted.”

“I can’t stand it,” she gasped. “Please make me come.”

“Soon.” He removed his hand from her pussy and brought his
fingers to his nose. “Sweet perfume. I’ve done well.”

“Damn it, you’ve done more than well,” she cried. “Fuck me.”

“Yes. You’re ready.” He helped her to stand just long enough
to slide her shorts and panties over her hips and down her legs. She found
enough strength to step out of them and then allowed him to take her hips and pull
her back to his lap.

His hard-on waited for her there, and she grasped it as she
lowered herself to him. Spreading her legs, she straddled him. Then, she guided
the head of his cock into her and sank lower, her back pressed against his
chest. Her pussy stretched to accept all of him, and in a moment, she’d taken
every inch inside her.

“
Ach, Gott
,” he gasped. “So sweet. Hot.”

She raised herself a bit and then lowered herself along his
length, squeezing. “You see how you make me feel?”

“Too much. I have to please you first.”

“You know how to do that?”

“Yes.”

He reached in front of her to where her clit only needed a
few strokes to push her past the breaking point. His thumb flicked over it, at
first lightly and then more firmly. Her whole body tensed, readying itself for
the inevitable. As he continued driving her higher with his fingers, he moved
his hips, thrusting his glorious hardness into her. It seemed to swell,
stretching and pushing while her climax built.

Her arousal went to impossible levels as his cock plowed
into her and his fingers played over her clit. She floated there, experiencing
her own body as she never had before. An eternity of delicious madness, without
thought or breath or any power to resist.

He growled into her ear, near climax himself. His thrusts
came faster and harder, the friction on her clit pressing her on until she had
to surrender to it.

The orgasm crashed over her, tightening in her belly and
coursing out to her whole body. Her pussy clenched and then burst into spasms.
So strong, so powerful, she couldn’t even cry out.

He joined her, his whole body stiffening. He did shout as he
spilled his essence deep inside her. They soared together, their spirits
floating up among the redwoods as their bodies claimed them in the most primitive
of all feelings.

When it had finally ended, she took a breath and looked over
her shoulder into his face. It held such an expression of joy and peace, she
could only sigh and rest back against his chest and let him cradle her in his
arms.

* * *

Dagger and some of the others were waiting in the driveway
when Lauren rode Jake’s motorcycle identity back into the compound. The look on
Dagger’s face said someone was going to get an ass chewing or worse. Fine. As
long as he didn’t get violent.

Jake pulled right up to Dagger where he stood between Andy,
the chief engineer, and his personal trainer, Jill. The minute Lauren turned
off the engine, Dagger charged up to her and almost pulled her off the bike by
force. Before he knocked both her and Jake over, she set the kickstand and
climbed off.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he said.

“I went for a ride.”

Andy stared at Jake and then at her. “How’d you get it
started?”

She shrugged. “I figured I’d try one more time. I don’t know
what happened.”

“I didn’t say you could ride my motorcycle,” Dagger said.

“Your bike?” She snorted. “You wanted to melt him into a
paperweight.”

“Him?” Jill said.

“It. The Mannhof.” Damn, she’d better watch that. She and
Jake had to figure out what how to explain his appearance. Until then, he’d
remain a machine to everyone but her.

Dagger’s face got red. “Look, bitch. Everything on this
compound is mine. The buildings, the grounds, that bike. Even you.”

She stared into his face. “You don’t own people, Dagger.”

“Like hell I don’t. You want to go back to where you were
when I let you tag along with us?”

As if. Her family was probably glad they’d seen the last of
her.

“You owe me,” Dagger said.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You made me what I am today. Whatever
the hell that is.”

Dagger glared down into her face. Without stage make-up, his
face was pretty unappealing. His rages made him even uglier, and he’d worked up
a good one today. “Don’t piss me off, Lauren. I’ll kick the shit out of you.”

Would he do that?

Jake. Damn. What would happen if he shifted to human to try
to defend her? If they all saw that happen, would they turn him into some kind
of freak show? Before she had to do anything, Andy grabbed Dagger from behind
and held him. “No violence, Craig.”

Dagger’s head whipped around, and he glared venom at Andy, a
guy who’d been with him from the beginning. The only one who could get away
with using his real name.

“Remember your probation,” Andy said. “Do you want prison
this time?”

Dagger stood there, clenching his hands into fists by his
side. He might not lash out this time, but they’d all have to deal with his
foul mood for days.

At least the interruption would let her get Jake back into
the garage.

She went to swing her leg over Jake, but Dagger grabbed her
arm and pulled her back roughly enough that she almost fell. “Where do you
think you’re going?” he said.

She pointed to Jake. “I’m going to put the bike away.”

“Fuck that. You got it started. I’m going to ride.”

Shit. In one of his moods, Dagger would ride Jake like a
maniac. He’d crashed more than one car, and he’d been stone cold sober for some
of his worst driving. A disaster wouldn’t only damage a beautiful machine. It
would hurt or kill a beautiful man, as well. And if Jake tried to get control
from Dagger, the resulting chaos could make matters even worse.

Dagger climbed onto the bike and gave the starter a savage
kick. Nothing happened. The engine didn’t even stutter.