by Mary Wine
“I’m not on any birth control.” Loren blurted it out like a shield. The smile disappeared off his face right before Rourke captured her. His arms closed around her, trapping her against his powerful chest. His mouth dropped onto hers with ruthless demand as he thrust his tongue inside to taste her. His hands cupped her bottom, lifting her to fit against the bulge in his pants. Loren whimpered as she fought the urge to wrap her thighs around his lean hips and cradle that hard flesh right in the center of her body.
“Take your clothes off, unless you don’t care what I do to them.” Rourke whispered his words against her ear. She shivered in response. He nipped the soft skin of her neck before lowering her feet to the floor. Her hands were twisted around his shoulders and trailed over his chest as he let her down.
She didn’t want to stop touching him. Loren let her fingers rest on his chest as she tried to remember why she needed to pull her hands away from his body. All she could think about was the way his skin smelled. Just the deep heady scent of him and the way he felt under her hands. She didn’t care anymore. She found a button on his shirt and pushed it through its hole. Hair sprung up from his bare chest as she moved to the next button and freed it. Loren smiled with satisfaction as the shirt fell away under her deft fingers. She pulled on the open sides of the garment to free it from his pants. A deep rumble of approval shook his chest as she rose on her toes to push the open shirt down his shoulders.
He smelled so incredibly strong. Loren threaded her fingers through the mat of dark hair exposed to her. It was springy and full. She found his flat nipples and rolled them between her fingers exactly the same way he’d handled her own. Her breasts swelled with the memory as she felt her nipples tighten even further.
She was unbearably hot. Her shirt scratched her skin. Rourke’s hands smoothed over her neck making her lift her chin with delight. The contact of bare skin to bare skin was pure pleasure. A tiny purr vibrated up her throat as his large hands stroked down her neck.
Rourke ripped the garment off her. His hands hooked into the neckline and jerked. The buttons gave loud pops as they scattered and fell to the floor. Loren gasped at the abruptness of the motion. Rourke’s control over his strength was amazing. He knew exactly how to apply it. She let her arms fall away from his chest as he stripped the shirt down her arms. His hands went after her bra.
“I’ll do it.” Loren sprang out of his grip as she fumbled with the hooks on the undergarment. It was the only one she had. Parading around the male population of the mountain without one made her protective of the garment.
His eyes watched her. Loren grasped the bra to her breasts as she watched the intensity of his eyes. His fingers flexed as she slowly lowered the bra a millimeter at a time. Feminine power flooded her as she watched his teeth bare in response to her teasing. The fabric caught on her nipples making them tighten with sharp sensation.
“Drop it.”
Rourke growled as he watched the scrap of lace flutter away from her body. Desire was raw as it pulsed through his body. Her nipples were swollen tight with invitation. Pulling a deep breath into his lungs, Rourke caught the smell of her sex. The two steps she’d retreated were too far. He reached for her waist and lifted her ‘til her breasts swayed in his face. Clamping his lips around one tight bud, Rourke pulled it into his mouth to taste.
His lips were scorching. Loren moaned as the tip of his tongue flicked across her nipple. Pleasure traveled in a direct line to her belly making her passage clench with need. She felt so empty. Her body was incomplete. He held her by her waist as he released her breast and sought out its twin. Tasting and licking, his arms didn’t even tremble as he held her up for his pleasure.
Rourke growled deeply as he licked her nipple a final time. Moving forward, he didn’t lower her body until his bed was waiting to catch her. Moonlight spilled in through his windows and onto her body. Rourke reached for her waistband and pulled the snap open before he grabbed the bottom of the garment and stripped it off her body. The crotch of her panties was dark with moisture. Rourke stared at the stain as he worked the buttons on his fly open.
Loren felt her eyes grow round. She clamped her teeth together as he dropped his pants to the floor and stood proudly before her. He was magnificently bare and completely sculpted to perfection. His sex stood forward in a swollen rod that looked impossibly large. But the walls of her passage ached with the need to grasp his length.
His fingers twisted in the thin scrape of fabric that shielded her from his eyes. Rourke pulled the panties down her legs as he watched her face struggle with temptation. Need and desire mixed together as she dropped her eyes back to his erection. But she rose up onto her elbows as his body made her wary. It was a reaction he was used to. He’d polished his exterior for years but under the exterior was the hunter he’d been trained to be. When he mated, he captured, and he intended to take Loren.
A tiny curl of fear hit her as Loren watched Rourke’s face. Need was pulsing with desperation through her blood, but the raw hunger reflected from his face made her wary. She rolled away from him. The bed bounced as he came down across it. A solid arm clamped her in place as his body pressed along her back. The contact of bare skin was intense. She could smell the heated aggression radiating from him. Firm lips landed on her neck making her whimper as her nerve endings erupted into sensation.
“Shh…”
Enjoying his touch was a bad idea. Loren knew it but she couldn’t stop herself from arching her neck. Rourke trailed tiny bites down her neck as she heard her own throat release a moan of approval. His body felt so incredibly solid behind her. Secure and warm in a way she couldn’t remember feeling before. His hands turned her ‘til she lay flat on the bed again. Lifting her eyelashes, Loren stared into Rourke’s face as he propped himself up on an elbow.
She raised her hand to trace the hard angle of his jaw. The skin was tough and slightly rough with a day’s growth of beard. Hunger rushed into her as she used her entire hand to smooth over his face again. This was a man. In the deepest part of her she recognized his superiority as a mate. The female inside her craved him with stunning force.
A deep groan rumbled out of his chest as Loren yielded to him. Rourke couldn’t think beyond the need anymore. She pressed toward him as her hips lifted with invitation. The scent of arousal flooded his senses as her thighs gently parted. Cradling her head in his hand, he took a deep taste of her mouth. Her tongue thrust hesitantly toward his as she followed his lead.
Later, he’d taste every inch of her. Need pulsed across his brain reducing him to the most basic of levels. He rolled over her as he caught the strands of her hair in his grip.
He still controlled his strength. Loren felt the tremors shaking his limbs as he kept his needs from turning brutal. His hips pushed her open. Spreading her flesh as the tip of his weapon probed for entry. The hard thrust of his body made her cry. Her passage stung as it stretched to admit him.
“You can take me, honey. Relax.” Elation swept through Rourke as he listened to her moan. Pulling his hips back he thrust forward into her depths ‘til her flesh gripped his entire length. Her passage pulsed around him as she shifted beneath his body. She was as tight as a virgin. It pleased the hell out of him even as he battled against the raging need to pummel her body ‘til he erupted inside her.
Reaching between their bodies, Rourke found the soft folds of her sex. He spread them ‘til her center was open to his thrusts. She gasped as his movements rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerve endings.
Loren felt the pain vanish with a single thrust from his hips. He pulled back and she shoved her pelvis up to capture his staff. Pleasure spiked through her as he buried his hardness inside her. Everything fell away as she matched his rhythm and clung to his shoulders.
Her body clenched and tightened ‘til it exploded. Loren felt the walls of her passage grip his staff as she tried to hold him even closer during her climax. Rourke didn’t resist. Instead he plunged his penis deep inside her as he growled
against her neck. She felt the deep spurting of his seed as it hit her womb.
His arms clenched as he held her beneath his body. The harsh rasp of his breathing matched her own as their bodies strained toward each other in the final moments of intimacy.
Chapter Nine
She should feel guilty. Loren looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She felt a lot of things but guilt was not one of them. The room was lit only with moonlight. But the silvery cast was plenty to see with. The master bathroom was large with two sinks and a double mirrored front closet.
Her nipples were still beaded. Loren shifted as her body ached. Her clothes were scattered all around the bed. She watched the deep rise and fall of Rourke’s chest before she reached for a towel and wrapped it around her body.
She needed to think. Her body was still radiating with the remains of pleasure from his touch. Her passage ached but was still wet and sensitive. As she walked, the folds of her sex rubbed against her clitoris, reminding her of just how intense her climax had been.
Loren set her feet down silently as she walked back into the room. Nothing stirred as she let her eyes linger over the man sleeping there. His chest and arms were sculpted to perfection. Temptation urged her to drop the towel and rub against that firm muscle. Loren moved toward the door instead. She couldn’t listen to her impulses.
The doorknob turned silently. There was a tiny click as it opened and Loren wrapped her fingers tighter around the knob to pull it open. Rourke’s hand landed on the door right in front of her eyes and kept it closed. His breath hit her ear as she felt the very distinct touch of his staff against her bottom.
“I’m tired, Rourke, I want to go to sleep.”
A sharp tug sent her towel toward the floor. His large hands closed over her hips as he lifted her feet off the floor and turned her to face him. Loren frantically grabbed his shoulders as she was lifted like a child. Rourke moved between her thighs as her back ended up against the door. Her thighs eagerly wrapped around his hips as his hands cupped the cheeks of her bottom.
“You can sleep right here in my bedroom.” The hard head of his sex probed her body. Loren gasped as she felt her body open for him. It was pure reaction. Once again her body sent fluid sliding down the inside of her passage to welcome his body. His eyes watched her intently as he very slowly thrust the head of his sex into her. She hung there as her body closed around his. Her breath rose from her chest in tiny pants as she yearned for him to fill her completely. His hands cupped her bottom and held her absolutely still while his eyes continued to watch her.
Her body quivered but Rourke waited. His staff was aching with the need to thrust into her body but he wanted her to demand it. She tried to tilt her hips but he held them firmly in place.
“Say it, Loren, tell me what you want.”
His voice was rough with demand. His hands were ruthless as they gripped her and kept her from completing the possession. Loren clenched her teeth together as she refused to surrender her will to him. His jaw tightened before he lifted her off his length. Loren felt the loss keenly as her passage clenched painfully.
“All right, Rourke.” The three words sounded like a surrender to her ears.
“All right, what?”
There wasn’t any kindness in his voice. Loren shivered as she contemplated just how basic their attraction was. Their bodies clashed against each other with a force that ripped away every hint of civilization. Right here it was male and female drawn together by the need to mate.
Wrapping her legs more firmly around his hips, Loren leaned toward his neck. She nipped the firm skin that covered his body before she licked the spot and moved slightly further up his neck. Her fingers were splayed across his shoulders, absorbing the immense strength of her companion. He issued a low grunt of approval before letting his sex probe hers again.
His thrust was smooth and slow this time. Loren felt his body quiver as he controlled the possession. Her body stretched around him as her hips encouraged deeper probing.
She felt too good, too hot, too tight. But Rourke didn’t care. His body demanded more and he thrust into her with a rhythm that made her body submit to his. Her hips tipped forward with surrender. He growled approval as he listened to the tiny sounds of pleasure coming from her throat.
“Look at me, Loren.”
It was a final intimacy that she resisted. Loren squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her climax peaking. His body stilled as his demand hung over her head. She needed to move but his hands held her captive.
“Loren, let me see your pleasure. Share it.” His voice was a dark whisper that drew her in like an addict. Lifting her eyelids, Loren gasped as he forcefully thrust his body into hers. Sensation broke like a wave as his eyes sank straight into her soul. They became one person in that moment as she felt her body clench around his and the deep jerk of his sex as it pumped his seed into her.
His lips landed on hers in a delicate kiss. His tongue traced her bottom lip before he caught a deeper taste from her mouth. He turned away from the door and walked back toward his bed with her still joined to him. It didn’t matter. Her body lingered in the ripples of pleasure that were born deep inside her satisfied body. Feeling him wrap his frame around her felt so complete. His arm bound her across his chest as he arranged her head onto his shoulder. Their legs twisted as Rourke pulled one of the sheets over her body.
Rourke watched her sleep. From somewhere inside him came the need to just watch her. His body was too aroused for slumber, his staff still hard. The sweet smell from her body kept his aroused even after taking her twice. He smoothed a hand over her back as she shifted in her sleep. Her head lifted and he pressed it back to the center of his chest. Loren was exactly where he’d been picturing her since he’d first seen her. She was staying there.
Lifting his eyes, Rourke caught the stars and their position. He knew the night sky intimately. He could find his direction or the time just by looking up. Right then, he noticed just how few hours there were between holding Loren and daybreak.
Sunrise would bring reality crashing down on his shoulders. Taking Loren to bed wasn’t going to win him any popularity points with his men. Rourke didn’t care. There was always a degree of distance that a commander kept from his men. But that detachment wasn’t going to solve their murder.
His mountain was loaded with suspects—including the woman in his arms. Smoothing his hand over her head, Rourke considered her face. It would be very simple to probe her mind, seek out any guilt that might be buried inside her. But the truth was, he didn’t want to know.
So at sunrise, Rourke Campbell intended to find his murderer. He was going to spend the rest of the night hoping the trail didn’t lead him back to Loren.
* * * * *
There were too many minutes in an hour. Loren rubbed her forehead for the hundredth time and tried to find some diversion from her thoughts. Nothing surfaced in her fatigued mind to rescue her. Tension was knotted around her throat like a noose.
She gave a dry laugh at that idea. There was more than one person who would love to see a noose around her neck today. The cutting looks coming her way from Chris’ buddies were enough to draw blood.
Well, she hadn’t killed him. Even if she wasn’t sorry he was dead. Guilt did surface right then. Loren felt her face flame with a blush as she considered her actions.
She was a complete idiot.
Reckless and foolish just didn’t seem harsh enough to describe her actions. How could she finally be free from one man and fall into another’s bed on the same night?
It took stupid to a new level.
Walking down the hallway, Loren looked in on Toby. Her son was still sleeping and she knew he would be right there ‘til tomorrow morning. Well, at least someone was resting. Her body ached with fatigue. But it was the soreness inside her that really bothered her today.
The small discomfort reminded her of exactly where Rourke had been the night before. It was blunt evidence that she didn’t have a sh
red of willpower anymore. The attraction was too deeply rooted inside her to ignore.
Loren hissed under her breath as she turned around. The master bedroom was right in front of her. She hurried past it but the slight scent of its master still drifted across her nose.
There was nothing to do but wait. She’d awoken to an empty bed and a brief note. Well, it wasn’t a note. Rourke had left his orders right next to her head.
Loren bristled again but she wasn’t foolish enough to disobey the man. She was restricted to the house. Period. That included the porch. But the looks coming in the kitchen windows told her to steer clear of even those limited escapes from the walls of the house.
So, she turned in another circle before heading for the den. Dread followed her as she considered the very real fact that there was going to be more death on the mountain. Murder had joined disease as both tried to claim more victims.
* * * * *
Sean Loren knew how to handle a weapon. Rourke watched the steady motion of the older man’s hands as he reassembled the automatic rifle he’d just oiled. No hesitation, not even the slightest tremble to the man’s motions. It was all done with whisper-smooth efficiency.
“I didn’t kill the bastard.” Loren’s father lifted blue eyes to look at Rourke before he returned to polishing the rifle in his hands. “Wish I had.”
Rourke snorted. Sean Loren lifted a cocky grin to his frustrated face.
“I’ve wanted to kill that asshole for years. But I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands. A bullet was too good for him.”
“So why didn’t you take Chris for a walk when you had the chance?”