Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (31 page)

Roni shook her head. "A pressure. Nothing else. It was the only way I could manage. The only way I could go on day after day, year after year." She was unaware that she had withdrawn into herself until she felt his hand close over hers.

His warmth and touch spread his love throughout her body as soothingly as the calming scent of lemonade clung to her skin.

"I was very picky about who I took. Who I accepted. After I escaped from the Arra, I swore I would let no man touch me unless I wanted him to. No man would ever force me ... and no man has." She raised her head to give him a weak smile.

"Although it was a bit tougher to fight off a few of my more insistent clients."

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"How'd you manage that?"

"I may not be able to reveal my claws when I'm locked into my human form, but I still have my strength. And my ability to run. I wouldn't fight them. Just shove them away and run. My body is mine. Wholly mine. And now it's yours."

"No," DeGrassi insisted softly. "It's still wholly yours. If at any time you don't feel like doing something, no matter how insistent I become, I will never force you if you say no."

Leaning over, Roni kissed the top of his hand that continued to clutch hers. "Thank you. Does that mean that one day you'll want to make love to me in my human form?"

The smile that went from his lips into his eyes was enough to make her wet all over again for him. "That may be sooner than you think."

The promise in his voice made her whole body shiver with anticipation. Smiling shyly, Roni rose from the table and took the dirty plates to the sink. A moment later, she felt DeGrassi come up behind her as his hands wrapped around her waist, then moved slowly, deliberately, down to the cleft between her legs. She leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes.

"You know ... for an alien you are breathtakingly beautiful.

And when you're human, you're just as stunning." He nuzzled the sheer, fanlike arch of her ear. "When we're making love, it's as though there's no difference between us. Not in the way we look, or where we're from. At that moment, we're simply a man and a woman in love, expressing that love, and dreaming of making more love in the future."

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She could feel his erection like an enormous, stiff poker pressing into her lower back. There wasn't a position she hadn't been asked to assume in her four years of working the streets. But with her new life partner, the feelings she had never allowed herself to experience made each one new. The emotions he brought out of her and shared with her crystallized into huge shining mirrors, reflecting back their passions again and again, so that each orgasm and the feelings that accompanied it were just as powerful as the last.

The room was permeated with the scent of their lust and their love. DeGrassi guided her head down until she was leaning over the kitchen counter. She heard a scraping noise, then something nudged her feet.

"Step up."

It was the little red stool she used to reach the top shelves. Obediently, Roni stood up on it, which raised her rear end to just the right height.

He was lightly stroking her spinal plates. She could feel the tingling begin in her legs as her response curled and wove its way into her womb. Feathery kisses down her back pulled several low, breathy moans from her. And then she felt his hands at her buttocks, tickling and warming her as he continued toward his ultimate destination.

When he parted her cheeks, he paused at the same time she heard him gasp. "Okay," he muttered almost to himself.

"This'll take some getting used to."

"It took me almost a year to find out humans have an anus and to learn how to create one." She giggled nervously.

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"Any more surprises you want to forewarn me about?" he teased, but with a serious overtone.

"Nope. I'll let you keep hunting for treasure."

He nipped her gently on the butt for that remark, then let his fingers slide down to the folds already moistened and ready for him. "God, I'm so hard for you," he murmured. He continued to kiss her, occasionally licking her. "I never thought I'd find a woman who could satisfy me. Who could keep me hard and hot long enough. What is it about you, Roni, that gives me that release?"

It was difficult to concentrate. His fingers were fondling her, finding all the tiny nerve endings that sent sparks of electricity bursting between her legs. Biting her lips, she tried to answer him, but her body was betraying her. She forced her bottom back toward him, lifting up on tiptoe, silently beseeching him. But still his fingers dipped downward, stroking, teasing, building that need into a lust that was becoming as flammable as dry tinder.

Sweat broke out on her body as she pushed herself against his hands, forcing his fingers to slide into her well. Her breathing was becoming shorter and faster as he obliged her, guiding his fingers into her deep recesses, then out—in, then out. Roni wriggled her hips and tried to pump him faster.

"Thomas!"

Suddenly he took his hand away. She almost cried at the loss, when she felt something else replace it. White-hot flames shot through her a second later when his mouth and tongue trespassed over that fragile erotic line.

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Roni shrieked at the searing pleasure arching under her skin. Vaguely, she could hear her nails rasping over the counter tiles as she clutched the edge for support.

"T'korra, there is nothing about you that isn't pure, sweet syrup."

She opened her lips to respond, to beg him to take her, and to end this sinfully perfect torment, when he blew a puff of heated air into her.

"I don't believe it."

He had finally seen for himself. "Mmm, believe it," she managed to gasp. She would laugh at his shock if she wasn't burning alive at the moment. "Please, Thomas. Please?

Hurry!"

Before the words were out of her mouth, he rose up behind her, and a cement-hard rod covered in velvet invaded her. It pushed and filled and stretched her until she couldn't think, breathe, or react except to lift her buttocks to allow him easier entry. He was nearly all the way in when he withdrew, letting their mutual heat and moisture lubricate their skin.

In and out, in and out, plunge—withdraw, fast in and slow to pull out. Skin nested within skin, sliding and rasping over and past the millions of nerve endings and blood vessels. Roni bent over more as he spread her legs further apart. Grasping her thighs, he began to spear her with rougher, jerkier movements. Every thrust plunged her into a fire pit that singed her. Every withdrawal left her desolate and begging for more. She started to plead for him to go faster, make it 434

harder. She should have known their mutual need would be equally matched.

Need overrode their carnal desires. Pleasure surpassed their lust. Their love and need to have the other succumb to that explosive pinnacle became paramount. Weightless, they soared upward, higher and higher, swirling amid the embers that sparked, until they reached that final combustion.

DeGrassi rammed into her once more, twice, a third time, and the world demolished itself in a hail of fireworks. He yelled as his body repeatedly pushed and emptied into her as Roni shrieked her own release.

Several minutes went by as their bodies jerked and cooled.

Roni lay across the counter, unable to move because of the sheer, delicious tremors still pouring over her. DeGrassi blanketed her with his body, lying partly on his side where his weight wouldn't crush her. She could hear him panting heavily at the nape of her neck. One large hand crept up from her hip to cup her breast and hold it tenderly. Tears rose to sting her eyes.

"I love you, t'korra," his sex-sodden voice whispered behind her.

Her bond mate. Her life partner. A chance at a life on a world that resembled her home.

For years she had convinced herself she didn't deserve happiness; Roni realized now that it wasn't true. Miracles could and did happen. And they were living proof of that fact.

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There was something so very wonderful about lying in bed, body exhausted beyond all reserves, and letting your mated lover feed you a hundred sensuous kisses. Gentle kisses.

Loving kisses. Tender kisses. Kisses that explored and breathed soft promises into your mouth.

And falling asleep to the beautiful sound of his voice, with his raw, musky male scent filling your lungs with every breath.

How odd that, even though she was the sexually experienced one, and he the inexperienced neophyte, in love play their roles would reverse. He was the one now who wanted to try different positions in different locations throughout the house, whereas she wanted him simply to dominate her. Possess her. Take full control of her, and leave her with no choice but to savor the ride.

Roni felt the beating of his heart beneath the hand she'd left resting on his chest. Her head was nestled in the curve of his shoulder, where she lay on her side, hugging him.

DeGrassi was flat on his back, legs splayed to the point where he nearly took up the entire double bed. But that was all right with her. The bed had always been too damn big and cold to suit her anyway. And the twin size had been too close to the size of the cell she had been forced to live in for over a decade.

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Now she had a big, warm blood mate filling her bed, as well as her life. Who did she have to thank for this miracle?

They slept until nearly three. DeGrassi awoke first, reluctantly pulling himself away from her so he could use the facilities and place another call to the station. She was teetering on the edge of her dreams when he padded back into the bedroom and climbed under the covers.

"Roni? I can tell you're not quite asleep, although I can't figure out how I know. Guess it's one of those life partner things I'm growing accustomed to, isn't it?"

She managed a partial smile and grunted in response.

"Can we talk?"

"Go ahead. I'm listening." If she nodded off, he would know. Her smile reappeared on her face when she felt his fingers caress her cheek.

"This is serious."

The room was permeated with the spicy scent of apples.

His worry had tripled since he made his phone call. Opening her eyes, she turned onto her back to look up at him.

"Captain wants to put you under police protection pronto."

"Why? What's happened?"

"The guys down at the lab are running diagnostics on Cowven's home computer. They've discovered a file that refers to at least three other hookers that match some Jane Does we've had filed under 'unsolved.'" He paused to chew on his lower lip.

Roni propped herself up on one elbow. "So where do I fit in?" she asked him, already suspecting the worst.

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"In the column marked 'the ones I ain't got yet.'" His apple smell darkened until it smelled burnt and harsh. He wasn't just worried about her; he was terrified for her.

She widened her eyes. "Just me?"

"Just you, t'korra. According to his records, he interviewed Janice Warringfeld two days before he killed her. We're guessing he tracked her down to observe her. See what her routine was. Tayson told me there were practically no signs of a struggle, which leads us to believe the victim felt comfortable enough around the guy to let him get close enough to start gutting her. If you didn't know any better, and this guy approached you out on the street or in some dark alleyway somewhere, you probably wouldn't suspect anything until it was too late, too."

"You're wrong there, Thomas." She sat up in bed. The sheet dropped into her lap, and she noticed how his eyes glanced down at her breasts. His dick reacted almost instantaneously. For the moment, she pretended to ignore it.

"That guy creeped me out. Plus he smelled worse. Like rotting evil. If he approached me on the street, there would be no way on this earth I would let him get close enough to do anything, much less try to stick a knife in me."

"Regardless, we need to keep you under our protection.

There's an unmarked vehicle on its way over now."

"But I have you here with me," she tried to object. He waved off her protestations.

"Tayson wants me to join in their manhunt. Frankly, I personally want to make sure this guy is taken down as soon as possible. They want Cowven off the streets before 438

nightfall. I know the two men coming to relieve me. They're good men, Roni. I trust them."

"You know ... come sunset, I could just assume a whole new identity. It wouldn't be any trouble to become a redhead with a turned-up nose and freckles. Or a blonde. Hell, before I decided on the black hair I first went brunette. It was Ginger who told me that with my skin tone and eye color that black hair would best suit me." She gave a little laugh. "She thinks I put a rinse on my hair now."

DeGrassi reached out again to stroke her face. His worry grew, tempered by his love and determination. "I'm taking you away from this place," he promised. "You deserve a fresh chance in a town where no one knows you or your past. A town where you don't have to worry about nut jobs drawing little red targets on your ID."

"But what about you? What about your job? You've been a cop for how long?"

He made a little motion with his head. "Eight years. But don't worry about me. I can get a transfer to just about anywhere. I have enough good marks on my record to get me listed on any roster." Pausing for a moment to think, he added, "I've been putting off taking that test to advance to detective. Maybe it's time I gave it a try."

Grabbing his hand that continued to cup her cheek, Roni kissed the calloused palm. "You never told me about your parents. What will they say when they find out you're marrying an alien who used to be a hooker?"

He snorted in amusement. "My folks are dead. Dad died of lung cancer when I was six. Mom passed away three years 439

later from a stroke. My Uncle Walt and Aunt Wendy raised me. She and my mom were sisters."

"Your outside family took on the responsibility to care for you after your real parents died?" She nuzzled his fingers, which tried to play with her fanlike ears. "There seem to be a lot of the ways of the Ruinos in your people."

Several gentle seconds passed in silence as they caressed.

The sunlight streaming through the half-open window spread a pattern of brightness over the tossed bed. The colors on the pattern of flowers and stitching appeared more vivid. Looking around, DeGrassi realized the entire room seemed clearer and more distinct. Had he always been this unobservant? Or was being in love giving him a sharpness he wouldn't have had otherwise? Throwing his eyes back to the woman leaning slightly against him, he spotted a deep slash on the inside of her left arm and immediately brought it to her attention.

"When did you cut yourself, t'korra?"

Roni raised her face to give him a confused smile. He waved toward her arm.

"You've hurt yourself. Is it bleeding?"

Raising her arm, she glanced at the tiny iridescent line running from her inner wrist to her elbow. Her body stiffened with shock, and Roni let out a loud gasp and a cry. DeGrassi went into action, automatically grabbing her arm and shoving part of the coverlet over it to help staunch the flow of blood.

"Where's your first aid kit?" he tersely demanded.

"No, Thomas. Wait!" she called out to him as he hastened into the bathroom. A moment later he reappeared in the doorway. "I'm not bleeding."

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He saw the tears on her face and the trembling in her lower lip and chin. But she wasn't crying out of pain or sadness. In some indefinable way, he knew she was crying out of happiness.

"Then what's that scratch on your arm? It looks deep."

Dropping the covers, she held out her arm for him to see it more clearly in the sunlight. "It's a miracle." Her voice cracked, and she buried her face against her tented knees.

Walking back to her, DeGrassi lowered himself beside her and took her quaking shoulders into his arms. "A miracle?"

She nodded, then raised her head to look at him as she wiped away the wetness with the hem of the sheet. "If it's a true blood bond between life partners, we take on the blood line of our mates. It's ... it's the proof Ruinos seek. It's ... you could say it's our version of a wedding band."

Taking her arm, he turned it slightly to watch the thread-thin line pulsing in her skin. She noticed his confusion and added, "That's you, my t'kor. That line is your beating heart.

As long as we live, I'll bear your mark."

A smile came over her when she watched him check his own arm. Before he could ask, she shrugged. "I don't know if you'll ever bear my blood line. Maybe not, because you're human. I never thought—" Her breath caught in her chest, making her hiccup with emotion. Another fresh wave of hot tears rose in her eyes. "So much of what we're experiencing is a miracle, Thomas. The fact that I found you, and you've accepted me ... that I now bear your blood line ... I never thought it would be possible. I believed I would never be this blessed." She opened her mouth to say more when her voice 441

died. Raising her arms toward him, DeGrassi pulled her against his chest so they could both celebrate this new discovery.

Holding her like this, he leaned over to run his lips across her cheek. The woman brought out feelings in him he never knew he had. If the guys back at the station saw him acting like this, they'd rag him something fierce. But DeGrassi no longer cared. Now he understood what drove a man to act like a starved puppy when he was with a particular woman.

He knew it had less to do with sex and more to do with the perfection of two separate souls becoming a whole.

"I feel like a groom on his honeymoon," he murmured huskily.

"Then you have some idea what our honeymoon will be like when we finally get to take it," Roni whispered back.

They kissed. And kissed again, delving into the sweet caverns of each other's mouths. He had been pleasantly surprised to discover she retracted her teeth, making them retreat partway into her gums so he wouldn't accidentally hurt himself. DeGrassi groaned loudly as he forced himself to pull away. He was aware of Roni watching his every move as he started to dress. "You might want to think about putting something on," he nodded at her.

She grinned and added a wink. "In case you've forgotten, Lieutenant, I seem to be in more than a state of undress. I'm in a state of 'unskin.'"

The remark caught him unaware. Within the short span of a few hours, he had stopped noticing her Ruinos features. The soft mottled green skin, the bald head—even the needle-442

sharp teeth and long, thin talons had simply faded into the background. The real Roni was the glowing spirit now emerging from behind those pearl-gray eyes with the diamond flecks. He shrugged.

"Will you be able to cover up that line in your arm when you change?"

Roni nodded. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt, either. But how will you keep the other officers from seeing me like this?"

"When they arrive, I'll tell them you're asleep. They might come to the door to check to see if you're okay, but you won't have to open up to them. They can't force their way into the house unless they feel you're in danger."

"Okay. As soon as the sun's down I'll change, just in case."

"How long can you keep up your appearance?"

"Not all night." She laughed lightly. "But I can go back and forth as long as I'm awake." She gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'll be okay, t'kor. What will happen after they get here?"

He buckled on his holster and checked his pistol as he answered. "I'll go out and let them know the situation. They'll then make themselves conspicuous. If that Cowven guy comes here, he won't try anything. Not with the car parked in plain sight. And with a little luck, they might be able to collar the guy." Leaning over the bed for a final kiss, he added a quick peck to the tip of her nose. "Just to be on the safe side, start packing."

"Packing? You mean a suitcase?"

"No. I mean the house."

"Thomas—"

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"I meant it when I said I'm taking you away from here. I want us to start fresh. I want you to be able to walk outside and not worry about where your next dollar is coming from.

You're my life partner, remember? It's my responsibility now to take care of you." Pulling back slightly, he gave her a look that burned with desire. "Besides, I want us to have the next few weeks alone together so we can get to know each other better. I want more time to explore that little oddity about you that drives you over the brink."

"You mean the fact that I have two clits?"

"Oh, God, yes." He cocked his head to one side and squinted, as if he was trying to peer inside her. "Are there any other surprises you're keeping from me?"

Roni feigned shock. "What? You expect me to tell you and ruin it all?"

DeGrassi laughed aloud and slowly shook his head. "So tell me, Tiron. Is there anything special your kind does when they announce they're joined? I mean, how do they announce it?"

"You mean like a ceremony?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

Drawing her knees up to her chin, Roni wrapped her arms around her legs. "Ruinos don't have a ceremony. We don't have to announce ourselves as joined. The rest will know."

One eyebrow arched upward. "How?"

"Because of our scents. Because you now have my scent on you, just like I'm wearing your scent. We're a part of each other, and when we get around others of my kind, they'll be able to smell us on each other." She waved her left arm at him. "Plus, this is our proof positive."

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DeGrassi gave a little grunt of thoughtful amusement.

"Wish it could be that easy here on Earth. Unfortunately, it isn't, and that means having a little civil ceremony to make it official for my kind." A huge grin suddenly split his face.

"Imagine that. Thom DeGrassi going shopping for wedding rings with his fiancée."

"Hard to believe?" she teased him.

"Still getting used to the idea." He dropped his eyes back down at her. "Out of bed, woman, before I jump your bones again. You're too damn tempting sitting there with those perfect breasts peeking at me." He paused suddenly. "I think I hear a car."