One broad hand was planted between her shoulder blades and shoved down. Her arms gave, and her face hit the pillow again, leaving her ass in the air and exposed. Desire, raw and hot, warmed her head to toe. He grasped one cheek and squeezed, shoving a knee between her legs to widen them. “Move from this position, Nora, and I swear to fucking God I’ll make sure you don’t sit again by giving you the spanking I should’ve years ago.”
A protest rose in her, and she began to lift her head, when the bed shifted. He pulled up on her thighs, tilting her, and his mouth found her core.
She cried out, sparks of light flashing behind her eyes. Strong, determined, and with a mission, he ate at her. From behind, his head between her legs, somehow he found the right angle. No finesse, none of the teasing licks he usually used. The scruff on his jaw scraped her thighs, and he went at her for his pleasure. Damn hers.
The first orgasm hit her with a flash of light, and yet she fought it, fighting him. But the waves took her over, pounding through her, and she came down with a soft moan. He moved again, and his fingers replaced his mouth. His chest arched over her back, and his heated breath brushed her ear.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You will,” he said, his free hand squeezing one nipple, his cock hard against the back of her thigh. “Your mind may not be clear, or your heart. But your body knows who owns it.” His brogue thickened to the point she could barely understand him. “Before this night is over, I’ll hear it from you.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he pinched her clit, and she went off again. His talented fingers prolonged the ecstasy until she moaned into the pillow, pleading for relief. Finally, he relented.
Air whooshed from her lungs, and she turned her head on the pillow to breathe.
Both hands grabbed her hips, he levered himself up, and in one hard thrust impaled his cock so deep, he’d always be there. She gasped, and small tremors rippled inside her. That quickly, that easily, a renewed craving for him consumed her.
He tethered her hair again, this time drawing back. “Now you get up,” he said. She planted her hands and knees and rose, forced to arch her back as he kept a tight hold. The sensation of being controlled, of being vulnerable, filled her with a hunger so hot it burned.
His thighs settled on the outside of hers, one hand tangled in her hair, and the other clamped on her hip strong enough to bruise. Then he thrust. Harder and faster than she would’ve thought possible, he hammered into her, taking everything. Her arms trembled, and her vision hazed.
The devastating pleasure he pounded into her edged close to pain, all the sharper for the thin line. A set of mini-detonations exploded inside her, and she gasped, her body stiffening. The next thrust threw her into such an intense orgasm, she vibrated head to toe and screamed his name.
Her body stopped shaking, and her sex relaxed.
Still, he pounded.
“You’re killing me,” she moaned, trying to free her head.
His mouth nipped at her earlobe. “Definitely not my intention.” He reached around her and slid two fingers along her clit.
She moaned. “God, Deke. So much.”
He continued to hammer into her without even a hitch in his pace, his fingers sliding, plucking, and pinching. Sensation upon sensation whirled through her, taking over, stealing her will. She rose higher and higher, her breath catching, her heart maybe stopping. Time extended with no beginning, with no ending, and he showed no sign of slowing. Of weakening. As if he had a point to make, one he’d held back, he gave her everything he had without mercy.
She kept climbing, bombarded by sensation. When she reached the top, the world stopped. Then she fell.
She screamed his name, pummeled by waves, the explosion so powerful she’d never recover. He held her tight, his body jerking as he found his own release.
Then he stopped moving. Still inside her, with the aftermath of the pounding still echoing in the silence, he placed a searing kiss between her shoulder blades.
He released her hair, and her head dropped forward. Breath panted out from her lungs, and her mind blanked. Sleep half claimed her, right then and there. Deacan pulled out and turned her around.
She flopped onto her back, her body beyond exhaustion. Everything inside her quieted almost to the point of numbness. Yep. She was going to be sore the next morning.
He smoothed the hair off her forehead and traced a path between her breasts to her still-vibrating core, his broad hand hot. “Say it,” he murmured, his green gaze intent.
She frowned, trying to follow his words. “Hmm.”
His hand flattened over her already sore mound, and her eyelids flew wide open to study him as a threat. “I said to say it, or we’ll go for round two.” The set of his jaw didn’t allow for any misunderstanding.
She blinked, her body too satiated to find any outrage. “You’re such a throwback. Highlander.”
His chin lifted. “Aye. Now, Nora.”
Sleep tried once again to entice her, and she wanted to fall into it. “Fine.” She yawned. “You win. I’m yours. Do with me what you will . . . after I sleep.”
In the early dawn light, his face changed. Not in an obvious way, and not in a way she would’ve noticed had she not been watching. What she saw there was absolute and carved in stone as ancient as those around his homeland. “Again, Nora. Without the yawn, in this moment and in this place. Ye will say it.”
Her mind cleared to razor-sharp focus, the feeling unpleasant after her dreamy state. Her body felt well taken and overcome, and her heart beat in tune with his. On some level, a purely feminine one that had nothing to do with logic or reason, she felt his call. His demand. She also knew, after she’d pushed him, after what they’d just shared, he wouldn’t allow her to evade or diminish the moment. He wouldn’t let her deny what had passed between them, whether she liked it or not. Whether she fully understood it or not. “Fine, but it goes both ways. If I’m yours, you’re all mine.” It was as close as she could come to finding some balance.
“True. One more time. No qualification.” The look on his face, determined and dark, stole her breath.
Nerves tingled across her abdomen at the possessive tone, and she had to take a deep breath before speaking. Sometimes words held meaning that changed lives, and he was demanding acknowledgment of something easier left unsaid. Knowing full well what he was doing, to be sure.
Yet she had to answer. “I’m yours.” She gave him the only words that would satisfy him.
His chin lifted and for several long, quiet moments, he studied her. “You are mine. And you won’t be forgetting it again.” He lay next to her and rolled her into his embrace, covering them with a blanket.
Warmth seduced her, but something, a flare of awareness, opened her eyes. His hard body all but enclosed her. “I never really knew you, did I?” she murmured.
His breath brushed her hair. “You knew half of me.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Now I know all.”
“Aye, you do. God help you, Nora.” His hold tightened. “Now you have all of me.”
Chapter Eleven
After only two hours of sleep with Nora in his arms, Deke jerked his truck to a stop in a small driveway just as a local squad car screeched to a halt behind him. “Stay here,” he muttered to her, halting her reach for the door handle. When the call had come in, he hadn’t had time to get her to safety, and he sure as shit wasn’t leaving her at his apartment, alarm system or not.
She nodded, her face pale, her eyes wide. “The newest nanoparticle results will be available in about two hours, maybe three. I need to be there to see if the charges reversed when the particles found the bacteria. I’ve been working with zinc oxide nanoparticles, since Lynne thought zinc affected Scorpius somehow.”
He had no clue what charges she was talking about. “I’ll make sure you’re back by then.” He jumped from the truck and squinted in the sun before giving a short nod to a gnarled Metro Police deputy. “Th
e FBI has secured the scene. Keep the neighbors back.”
The cop rested his hand on his hip, his bushy eyebrows rising toward Nora.
“Keep an eye on her. She doesn’t come near the house.” Waiting for a grim nod, Deke stalked toward the front door and knocked, leather gloves covering his hands and making them sweat. An FBI agent in full black suit opened the door. “What?”
Deke flashed his badge, the serious one nobody fucked with.
The agent’s eyes widened, and he stepped back. “All righty. Want to tell me why I was called down to secure an attempted rape scene?”
Deke sighed. “No. Go outside and wait for the CDC.”
The guy pivoted and took off, mumbling something sounding suspiciously like dickhead.
A trilling ambulance siren blasted through the day, and Deke glanced back toward the cop, who waited far away. “Don’t let them come in unless the CDC is with them and geared up.” Deke had called the CDC workers at the hospital the second he’d gotten the report of the assault.
“Yep,” the cop said, hand on his holster.
Deke walked around the vestibule to a quaint living room where a young woman sported a nasty black eye and split lip.
Anger and lingering fear darkened her pretty blue eyes. “Who are you?” she asked.
“Hi, Mandy. My name is Deke McDougall, and I’m with the police.” He remained on the other side of the room to keep from spooking her, having no problem lying about his affiliation. “An ambulance is coming, and they’re going to take you to the hospital.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Fought the prick off.”
Deke nodded. “I know, and good job, by the way. You sure it was Zach Barter?”
“Yes.” She fingered the crack in her bottom lip and winced. “We went to undergrad together and have kept in touch. When he got into D.C. last week, he gave me a call, and I hoped we’d get a chance to meet up.” She flushed. “He’s cute, you know?” Red stained her cheeks.
Deke lowered his voice. “This wasn’t your fault, and don’t think for a second that it was. Tell me what happened.”
She patted the couch next to her. “I’m not scared. You can come sit down.”
He sighed. “Honey, I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want you to get too worried. Okay?”
She blinked and her movements halted. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not. There’s a possibility Zach is infected with some sort of bacterial pathogen.” Deke tried for reassurance, but as the ambulance pulled into the driveway, panic crossed the girl’s face. “Stay calm. Trust me.”
She pressed a hand to her chest.
“You’re probably just fine.” Deke ignored the ruckus behind him. “But we need to make sure, you know?”
She gulped, and tears filled her eyes. “Okay.”
Deke nodded. “Tell me what happened.”
She glanced beyond him and then focused back. “Zach called, and I invited him to dinner. When he got here, he came in, and almost immediately, he grabbed me and kissed me.”
Fuck it all. Deke nodded. “Then?”
“He tried to rip off my shirt, and I panicked. Starting fighting back. Hit him in the nose.” A tear fell down her cheek.
“Good job.” Deke glanced over his shoulder to see two workers from the CDC donning protective gear outside on the lawn. “Did he bleed?” Deke asked.
“Yes. We fought some more, and then he ran out.” Mandy shrugged. “I don’t understand.”
Neither did Deke, but it seemed that Zach had tried to infect the girl. He moved to the side. “Thank you. I know this is difficult. I’m going to let the CDC take over, and they’ll get you to the hospital just to run some routine tests. As soon as I can get in to see you, I will.”
Fear all but cascaded from her, but she lifted her chin. “How bad is this?”
He shook his head. “I’m sure it’s fine, but we need to double-check. Do you have any idea where Zach would’ve gone?”
She rubbed her eye. “No. Sorry.”
He forced a smile, hoping it held some reassurance. His gut was brewing, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Be strong, sweetheart. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He moved out of the way and walked outside as the CDC workers, looking like something from a science fiction movie, approached the house.
The first one, a short black guy, stopped near him with a plastic bag. “Did you touch anything?”
“I just knocked on the door.” Deke slid off the gloves to deposit in the bag. “She’s hurt and she’s scared. Be easy with her.”
The guy nodded. “Not my first rodeo, pal.”
Deke paused and then moved toward the cop. “Keep the onlookers away from the scene. More FBI should be arriving soon.”
The officer returned to his squad car with an uneasy glance at the CDC guys before turning around. “We’ve been canvassing per FBI instructions with the picture of the suspect. Two restaurants blocks over said he’d been in earlier.”
Deke frowned. Jesus. “Did they mention any weird behavior?”
“Not really. Just said the guy ate from the salad bar.”
“Fuck. Call them back and shut them down. Then call the CDC and have them go test the restaurants, especially salad dressing or anything he could’ve contaminated.” Deke paused at his door.
The deputy winced. “You think he spit in the salad dressing?” “Hell if I know.” Deke sighed and jumped into his truck. Apparently the cop had figured out there was a contagion on the loose. Of course, with the CDC stomping around in full suits, it wasn’t a huge leap.
“Well?” Nora asked, her arms crossed.
He glanced at her, not liking the pallor of her usually tan skin. They had things to discuss, and now wasn’t the time. “Zach attacked her, but she’s okay. I mean, depending on whether he was able to infect her or not.”
Nora shook her head. “It’s like he wanted to infect her.”
“Yes, and it’s interesting he sought out somebody he already knew.” For whatever reason, Zach was fixated on Nora. “He’ll come for you again.”
She nodded. “Let him come.”
Now that was Deke’s badass woman. “Right. For now, I have to go coordinate a manhunt. You want to stay with me or go back to the CDC labs?”
She swallowed. “CDC labs. I want to check on Lynne and see if I can do anything.”
That’s what Deke had figured. “We will have a serious chat, and soon.”
She cut him a look. “Uh-huh.”
He ignited the engine just as his radio beeped.
“McDougall,” the FBI dispatcher called.
“Yes,” he answered.
“We have a report of a rape over on Miller Street, three blocks from your current location. Student from the college was knocked out and just woke up to call nine-one-one,” the dispatch said, her voice crisp.
A rock hit Deke’s gut. “I’m on my way. Did she mention a suspect?”
“No. Just said it was a blond guy who looked like a movie star from the fifties.”
Shit. Zach Barter.
After dropping by the lab to discover the experiments were still running, Nora was frisked by a Secret Service agent and then escorted through another hallway to find Lynne. A man stood outside a plastic bubble, his gaze on Lynne, lying inside the bubble and all alone. The last round of tests had been conducted, and the CDC health workers had gone to decontaminate and find some answers.
The extra security made sense, but Secret Service?
Lynne sat up in her hospital bed, pale and wan, her chest glowing a bright blue. “Nora, meet Bret Atherton.”
Nora stood up straighter. Aha. The man now second in line to the presidency. “Mr. Speaker.”
Bret Atherton half turned, deep blue eyes twinkling. “Bret.”
“Okay.” Tight and trim, he stood to about six-two with thick blond hair and worried eyes. Even with tension cutting lines into the sides of his mouth, charisma flowed from him. She had the oddest urg
e to study pheromones. “What’s the news?” she asked.
“None of it good,” he said, turning back to face Lynne. “The country is in unrest, and as soon as the truth gets out, the stock market will plummet. We have foreign enemies gearing up to make attacks because they think we’re weak, and they don’t even know the details about Scorpius yet, although their spies have been pretty effective.” He sighed. “Although at the moment, I’m more worried about Sweetcakes.”
Nora blinked. Once and then again. “Sweetcakes?”
He grinned. “She hates that.”
Yes, Lynne would hate being called that. Nora eyed her friend. “If you two need a moment, I can come back.”
“No,” Bret said. “I have to get back to work and figure out if we should make an announcement to the American public yet or not. The White House is against it at this point.” His gaze darkened as he studied Lynne. “If you need anything, you call me. I mean it.”
Lynne nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Bret turned and nodded at Nora. “It was nice to meet you, Dr. Medina.”
“You too,” Nora said. “For the record, I think it’s time to announce.”
He nodded. “Me too.”
She waited until he and his guards had cleared the door and had time to walk down the hallway. “What the fuck is with the blue?” she asked through a speaker set into the wall, at a loss for any other words.
Lynne nodded and glanced down. “I know, right?” Her voice emerged weak, and the monitor to her left recorded a slowed heart rate. “The altered bacteria and experimental antibiotic did something freaky weird to me.”
Nora tried to smile. “I don’t think ‘freaky weird’ sounds very scientific.”
Lynne sighed and leaned back against the pillows. Sweat dotted her brow from the high fever. “It’s all we’ve got. So far, the tests show a ramped-up bacteria that’s attacking my cells. If it keeps going like this, I’ll be in a coma within a day or so.”
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