by BJ Brandon
"The feelings are mutual, believe me!" she whispered.
"Come, before I find a closet or other dark place to hide you," he grinned, pushing away from her.
"You don't hear me complaining, do you?"
"Stop it!" With that he tucked her hand back around his arm and strode out the front doors and across the manicured lawns.
The property was amazing, more of a compound nestled in the foothills and woods made to resemble a rambling ranch and private property to the outside world. She could see a gun range, complete with soundproof shoot house, garages that Kayne explained housed various types of vehicles and an outdoor area that resembled a football field. When she asked, Kayne actually grinned.
"We use the field to expend our aggression when the teams have too much downtime. Of course, we have several medics on the team, which helps."
"Why on earth would you need medics for a football game?" she asked, shocked as she stared up at him.
"Our teams are different, Chayle," he hedged, trying not to reveal too much yet. "They need avenues to take out tension and sometimes some of them can get hurt." He saw her face and quickly added, "No one means to cause harm, it just happens in the heat of battle."
"Kayne, it's a game, not a war." She shook her head, reminded of the times her father had tried to explain how some of his men relaxed during their downtime. It dawned on her that this had to be very similar, men who were always on the edge and the many ways they found to take that edge off once they got back to their base.
"Enough talk about the field, I want to show you the training facilities. You mentioned you wanted to work out, but you'll have to wait for the doctor's approval." He pulled her toward another building, this one closer to the main house but off to the side. She could see it was connected to the main house, which she had not noticed before.
"How do you get to the training faculties from the house? I didn't see any corridors from the inside when we came out." She searched the exterior but could not see how it connected from where they stood.
Kayne grinned, waiting for her to figure it out. When she continued to search the walls he laughed.
"I'll show you once we head back to the house, how's that?"
"You had better. I plan on spending some time in there so I can work out this soreness. I miss my instructor, my muscles miss him!" she huffed, starting toward the double doors.
"What do you mean, you miss him?" Kayne growled.
"You need to stop the growly thing," she turned, pointing her finger at him.
"What do you miss?" he growled again, getting right in her face and refusing to move.
Fists on her hips, Chayle faced off with her tall dark lover, watching as his wonderful blue eyes darkened to almost black. She really wanted to let it draw out a bit, recognizing jealousy when she saw it, but Chayle had a feeling that her alpha male just would not see the pure fun in it from her perspective. When his growling only got louder, she finally gave in.
"Oh for pete's sake, would you stop it! He's my instructor . . . he would work my ass off and make me earn each workout no matter how tired I was, every day." Chayle reached up and grabbed Kayne's chin, pulling him down to her level.
"There was never anything personal between us, so stop growling!"
"What kind of instructor was he?" her lover finally managed to ask without growling, his voice low and soft.
"He's teaching me kick-boxing now. I've been taking martial arts classes from him for about five years since before my dad died, and I love them." She reached up and kissed him, finally letting him off the hook. "Sometimes his bones hurt afterward because at his age he hasn't taken a student like me in a long time but he says I'm worth it."
"How old is he, Chayle?" he whispered, unable to take his eyes from her lips.
"He was seventy-two years old on his last birthday."
"What?" Kayne's gasp made her grin.
"Gotcha!" she patted his cheek, turned and headed back toward the doors of the training facility.
Kayne watched her walk away and groaned. "You deserved that one, brother!"
"Shut up!" If he could not growl at Chayle then he could take it out on Rafe.
When he entered the facility Kayne found his mate against one of the walls on a mat, stretching. Watching her gently bend and pull her muscles back into place was a thing of beauty to his eyes so he leaned against a bar bell stand and just watched. The bruises were still there but she carefully stretched hamstrings, arches, hips, the back of the arms, the lower back. He could tell Chayle was practiced at working each part of her body to ensure the muscles were warmed up before any exercise she started. Just as she started for a set of weights Kayne stepped in to stop her.
"Not yet," he lifted the heavy barbells from her hands and put them back on the stands.
"But I need to at least work out the muscles. The doc can't restrict that, can he?" she groused, back to her hands on hips stance.
"Not only has he restricted it, but forbid it for at least another week. You can stretch, do some light workouts, but nothing that will strain the body beyond what it has already taken." Immediately seeing her temper rise, Kayne grinned. "Come, let's check to see if my brother is still alive."
"What do you mean?" Instant alarm in her dark eyes again reminded him of all she had endured in so short of time.
"Easy," he growled, pulling her against his chest. "He is just getting the shit kicked out of him, I'm sure. Let's go watch his humiliation." With a mischievous grin Chayle followed him through another set of double doors that led to the right. Instantly she was assailed by sounds of growls and heavy bodies hitting the floor, and as they rounded a corner partition that hid the room from the doors she saw why.
Two heavily muscled men were in the throes of what looked like mortal combat. She watched as each threw punches and kicks that could have broken bones or killed if they had connected. Chayle had watched many of the advanced students at the gym where she regularly trained, workout at the same level but never with the intensity of the two men on the mats.
"Come on pussy, why are you holding back?" she heard the bulkier of the two men goad his opponent just before landing a punishing kick to his ribcage. "See, you can't even keep your mind in the game when your brother walks in the room."
"Stop playing, Merc, and pay attention." Rafe suddenly flipped over the top of the taller man and chopped him between the shoulder blades, sending his opponent crashing to the ground. "Call me a pussy again and I'll make sure you can't service one for a while!" The feral grin and gleam in Rafe's eyes told Chayle the man would relish doling the promised retribution.
"In your dreams, rookie!" The man called Mercury flipped up from the floor using only his massive legs and neck muscles, rising to his full height.
"I stopped being a rookie a long time ago and you of all people know it!" The two continued to bait each other, landing punches and kicks that Chayle knew would leave bruises later. However, watching the two men was a thing of beauty. The way they moved, knowing and recognizing each other's weaknesses, it was evident they were evenly matched.
"Won't they hurt each other?" she whispered to Kayne as he leaned against a wall watching the men spar. He tucked her close to his side, continuing to watch his friends on the mat.
"A warrior needs to know their limitations, Chayle. Where they are vulnerable and how to combat those vulnerabilities in the event they are caught. The harder we train the better we are." He sounded so confident, so sure of the outcomes that she did not have the heart to mention the possibility that one of them could be killed.
Suddenly, there was an inhuman growl and Kayne's brother did another flip, this one out of Mercury's reach just as he sent a crushing chop to the man's neck just below the ear. Merc went down, breathing hard and did not get up.
"Enough!" The shout echoed in the now quiet room, the boom ringing in Chayle's ears. When Rafe moved in again against the downed man a blur moved from her side, his huge arms around his twin's neck to stop
further harm. "Rafe, he's down! Stop, brother, before you kill him!"
Kayne shook his brother harder, forcing the battle rage back from the edge. It appeared to take several deep breathes before Rafe finally realized where he was and what was happening.
"Damn-it!"
Only when Rafe felt his brother's voice penetrate the red haze controlling his mind did he realize what he had done to their friend. Instantly, his body language relaxed, his hands coming down to his sides, eyes closing.
"I have not lost control like that in a very long time," he told Kayne silently. "Will you see to him? I need to go calm myself before I apologize to Merc and your mate."
"You know there is no apology needed, brother" Kayne watched him, worried because Rafe was the calmer of the two of them and if the stress of the situation was getting to him then it could crack any of them.
"Take care of him," was all Rafe could manage before he abruptly turned and strode out the doors toward the showers. Kayne closed his eyes, praying to any entity that would hear that things were different.
"Where is he going? Shouldn't he help your friend?" He had momentarily forgotten Chayle but quickly shook off his worries.
"He went to cool off." Bending down, Kayne felt for a pulse, knowing before touching Merc that he was alive but thankful it was strong and steady. Rafe was one of the strongest warriors they had and he could easily kill an opponent with that particular technique, and had when necessary.
"Is he alright? Do we need to call a doctor?" Chayle bent down next to him, filling him with her scent. Kayne immediately felt it all the way to his cock. He looked up at her and grinned before answering, a dark simmer in those beautiful eyes of his, causing Chayle's stomach to clench.
"He's good, but out cold. Rafe has taught that particular maneuver to many of the men and some of the women who have the strength to pull it off. Mercury just forgot to duck." Walking over to a corner she had not seen before, Kayne pulled a small bottle of water from a cooler, twisting the cap off as he came back.
Chayle watched in amazement as he slowly and deliberately poured the entire contents over the injured man's head. Mercury instantly rolled over and came up sputtering, ready to fight.
"Have a nice nap?" Kayne teased, watching the murderous glare in Mercury's dark eyes.
"Your brother is a . . ." he suddenly stopped, realizing the two of them were not alone.
"You were saying?" Kayne goaded him, knowing exactly what he was going to say, since he had called his brother many such names after a particularly hard work out.
"Where is he?" Mercury growled, shaking his wet hair.
"He went to cool off and calm down." Chayle said, watching the huge man standing in front of her. Without realizing it, she had automatically moved closer to Kayne as soon as Mercury came awake and stood up. His size and the look in those angry eyes terrified her.
Mercury closed his eyes for a few moments, then shook his head. "He won't answer," he whispered.
"Leave it, Merc." Kayne handed the huge man a towel that Chayle had not seen him retrieve earlier with the water. "Let him cool off and then talk to him."
"What do you mean, he won't answer? You haven't talked to him yet." Chayle watched the two men pass a silent look between them before she realized they were not going to answer her. "Well, at least tell me if I'm in the crazy house or not?"
Mercury's grin was instantaneous and infectious. "Of course you are, didn't Kayne explain all of it to you yet?"
With a hard slap on Kayne's back and another growl as Mercury moved toward the doors of the shower room, Chayle could have sworn she heard her lover growl.
"Stop the growly thing!" she whispered, gently slapping his huge arm.
"You need to stop ordering me around, woman!" Before Chayle knew what was happening Kayne picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, head hanging down his back. She had a perfect view of his tight ass and long legs. Damn, it was a long way down to the ground from where she was.
"Put me down, you moron! You cannot just decide to cart me around anytime you get the urge!" she screamed, slapping those tight buns.
"Wanna bet?" came his only reply.
"But I want to see the rest of this place. You promised!" she continued screaming, hoping someone would stop them, but of course, there was not a soul in sight. She did hear male chuckles just out of sight but no a soul stepped in to help as he stomped off toward the house.
"I'll show you the rest of it later. Right now I want you under me!" There was what sounded like another growl and she tried to bite him on his ass.
"You bite me, woman and I'll bite back. You may not like where I bite you!" he promised.
"Tyrant!" she screamed, slapping his tight ass.
"You have no idea," His laugh echoed in the empty foyer of the house as he quickly climbed the stairs.
Chapter Eleven
Kayne dropped her in the middle of their bed after taking the stairs two at a time. He stared down at her as Chaley huffed and puffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. Her color was high, giving her cheekbones a beautiful flush and her breasts rose at the rise and fall of her chest as she tried to calm her temper but Kayne didn't care. To him, she was the most beautiful thing in his world.
Slowly, like a huge cat stalking its prey, he crawled onto the foot of the bed, his dark blue eyes never leaving Chayle's face. She crab crawled backward away from him toward the head of the bed but the look in his eyes stopped her when he growled again.
"Stop the growly thing," she hissed.
"You leave this bed and I will redden your ass," he purred, moving toward her again.
"You wouldn't dare!" Chayle screamed, appalled that he would even threaten such a thing.
"Yes, I would dare, woman!" he growled again. "You need to learn that when I say drop, you drop. When I say run, you run. If I say stay, you will damn well stay!"
"I am NOT a dog, and I will not STAY!" she screamed, scrambling off the side of the bed toward the French doors.
Kayne grabbed a slim ankle just as she made to slip off the bed, dragging her back under him. In one move he covered her slight body with his heavier one, making sure to keep his bulk off of her. He could feel the tremors and anger vibrate from head to toe no matter how Chayle tried to hide them.
"I want to keep you safe, mate," he whispered in her ear, licking behind at the tender spot he had discovered the night before. "I cannot breathe when you are in danger, can you not understand that?"
"There was no danger, Kayne." She shoved at his shoulders, trying to move the mountain of muscle holding her down, knowing it was impossible to do so. "You can't wrap me in cotton and lace and expect me to stay there now. I have to fight this my way."
He felt wetness on his shoulder and looked down. Silent tears streamed down her face and Kayne's heart melted.
"Ah Corazon," he crooned. "I do not want to coddle you, just protect you."
He kissed each tear, licking them away and feeling his heartbreak with each one that slipped down. Chayle shuddered in his arms and he pulled her close.
"I want you to use the facilities. Train, but go slowly. I want you strong, and I know you think you can usually defend yourself but I just need to make sure you are safe." He pushed back the bangs hanging her in eyes and forced her to look at him. When she finally, did he smiled. "I cannot live without you, Chayle. You may not realize it and I know you do not understand yet, but you are my heart now, and I will not give you up. Not to any monster out there. Not to anyone!"
"Oh Kayne," she whispered. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Let me love you," he growled, and began to show her just what he meant.
Their loving was slow and tender. Kayne took his time stripping their clothes, licking and touching every inch and spot as it was bared, making a slow game of pulling each piece away from her body. It was as if he discovered a new treasure and wanted to investigate every inch, memorizing and mapping it with his fingertips and tongue.
When C
hayle was insane with need, begging for him to take her, he finally spread her thighs and entered her in one swift arch. Kayne's earlier revelation that he and his men could not transmit any kind of STDs, and were immune to most human diseases because of all of the genetic experimentation that had been done had been an interesting discussion. To say the least.
Basically, they were a new species of homo sapiens, created by Chayle's own government in a misguided attempt to create the super solider that could be ordered to follow any commands once they were reprogramed. Faster and heartier, deadlier. Totally alienated from the population they were created to protect and kept secret from most of the government. Now, she was just thankful, because she could feel him skin to skin and it was glorious.
Kayne sank into the warmth of the woman who held his heart, mentally reached for his lover, hoping she was ready to experience all that they would have together. There was no way he could not hold back, not now, not anymore. He mentally reached out for Chaley, and the connection snapped into place like an umbilical cord between them. Kayne could feel every emotion, every rise and fall of Chayle's chemical makeup and love as she stared into his eyes, and it was glorious. He knew the exact instant she realized he was there, inside her emotions and she inside of his.
"Kayne?" she whispered softly, her mind-voice quivering with need and shock.
"Yes baby, feel me!" He pushed deeply inside of her, holding still as he watched her eyes round and her breath catch as his emotions twined deeply with hers. He wove an intricate web around them that looped their emotions and sexual desires back and forth until neither of them could feel where one began and the other ended.
"Oh God, Kayne, so good . . ." she managed to say just before her world exploded into a thousand stars and Kayne's arms held her safe and warm as she fell deeper under his spell.