Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to gather her courage and meet his gaze. “Ripley Johnson.”
His eyes widened. “You’re lying. He’s dead.”
“No, he isn’t. He financed that attack and he’s planning another.”
He shook his head. She nodded.
“How do you expect me to believe you? Jesus, woman, he would have to be—”
“Close to ninety years old. I know. But he’s alive and planning another attack against the Federation, against Marcus especially. And I have the proof.”
Chapter 7
If it hadn’t been such damn bad information, Genoa would have laughed at the expression on David’s face. From the anger in his eyes and the downright ugly frown, she knew he was pissed.
“Proof? What kind of proof do you have?” His words dripped with sarcasm and disbelief.
She blinked, amazed she felt tears gather in her eyes. Refusing to show any weakness in front of him, she forged ahead. “I have a series of transmissions from him to Feross, Deras’ pack leader.”
“How can you prove that it is him? Maybe it’s someone just using his name.”
She pretended his cold disbelief in her abilities didn’t hurt.
“I thought of that, David. Don’t you think I did?”
He looked away, apparently not willing to answer. “What did you find?”
“Ripley survived the last battle with the Federation. He’s been living in the Ricinec Sector, on the outer edges of nowhere. He makes direct statements only Ripley would know about that last battle.”
He met her gaze. “And how do you know them?”
She swallowed, pushing aside the panic turning her stomach. She couldn’t tell him the whole truth. “I hacked into some of the classified files at the Counterterrorism Department.”
He shot out of the chair and crowded her against the wall. “You hacked into their computers?”
“What was I supposed to do?” She stepped around him. “My supervisor ignored all of my reports. He had access to that information, but he refused to check it out.”
Hard, steel-like fingers surrounded her upper arm. He stepped behind her. “Who was your supervisor?”
She shivered, not from fear, but from the heat coursing through her. His breath was hot on her skin, the very heat of his body warmed her back.
“John Marrow.”
Immediately, he turned her around. “Marrow?”
“Yes. I sent all my reports to him, and now you know why nothing got to Marcus, or has gotten to him.”
She wiggled her arm, freed herself, and stepped away from him. Thinking straight with him so close to her was impossible.
“If he was ignoring you, why not go straight to Marcus?”
“I didn’t know Marcus wasn’t getting the reports. And by the time I figured it out, Marrow had alerted Johnson. I had to disappear.”
His sigh was filled with aggravation and tension. “So, that’s why I’ve been chasing you for months?” She nodded. “You want to tell me what you have?”
She shook her head. “No.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she stopped him. “David, having two people with the information will do nothing. And truthfully, you know the important stuff. Ripley Johnson has disappeared, presumably to regroup for another attack. The real danger is to Marcus. From the transmissions, Ripley hates the Carlyle family with a passion that’s just not healthy.”
He turned and strode away to look out the portal. “When is this supposed to take place?”
“Not sure. But I do know he will not stop until he makes the Federation, and Marcus, pay. From his messages, he’s really gone off the deep end.”
“Ripley Johnson.” He said the name like a curse. “He should be rotting in a corner of hell.”
She agreed. But the smell of his anger was fading, and something she hadn’t smelled before drifted toward her. Panic. Panic from David? To ease his worries, she went to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping it would help a little. He’d almost lost his sister last time.
“It’s okay, David. We’ll make it back in time.”
He turned to face her. The scent of his alarm receded. Pure male arousal filled her senses.
“Now that we have that mess out of the way, princess…”
Immediately, her body responded to his husky voice. He bent his head, his arms snaking around her waist, drawing her closer. The hard ridge of his erection rested against her stomach. His lips captured hers in a forceful kiss. The intensity of it stole her breath. Her eyes closed as she allowed herself to dissolve into the feeling of being taken.
In her limited experience with males, Genoa had normally been the aggressor. Okay, there had only been one, but she had been the one who initiated their sexual relationship. She’d controlled the length of that relationship. With David, she loved just knowing he was there. She took comfort in his presence.
In less than twenty-four hours, she’d grown attached to him. And no matter how many times she told herself it was the situation, the danger they were facing that drew her to him as if she were the moth and he the flame, she knew that wasn’t it. Deep down inside of her, where her deepest fears lay, the thought that he was more than just another bedmate, another lover, flamed bright.
It scared the hell out of her.
His hands slid up her body, brushing over her hardened nipples, to cup her face. “Shhh, baby, there’s no reason to worry.”
Something broke inside of her at the tenderness of his voice, the gentle concern she saw when she opened her eyes. He was a lean, hungry predator, but there was a softness to him when he touched her that shook her foundations. His hands traveled back down her body to cup her ass. Without closing his eyes, he rubbed his cock against her. Liquid heat dampened the lips of her sex.
She slid her arms over his shoulders, then tangled her fingers in his hair. Applying just enough pressure with her hand, she brought his lips back to hers. She opened her mouth immediately, taking his tongue inside, sucking on it. Slowly, he backed to the bed without breaking the kiss. Once he reached it, he fell back and pulled Genoa with him. She landed on top of him with an, “Oomph.”
She lifted herself, resting her weight on her hands, and moved against him. A thrilling sense of power shifted through her as his eyes closed in obvious ecstasy. She bent her head and kissed his jaw, licking and nipping at the sensitive skin below his beard.
She wanted to feel his skin. Within moments, she was tugging off his jacket and splaying her hands over his well-muscled chest. She twirled her fingers around his nipples. He sucked in his breath and she laughed, delighted by the sound, by the power. Her lips replaced her fingers as she kissed a path down his chest to his stomach until she reached the top of his pants. Slowly, sensuously, she skimmed the top of his waistband, allowing the tips of her fingers to dip inside, grazing the head of his shaft. It was wet with pre-cum. She lifted her fingers to her tongue and licked. She hummed as she tasted it. His eyes darkened with promises of retribution.
“Genoa.” Half reprimand, half plea.
The sound of his voice, husky with desire, tingled along her skin. As she pulled her pants off, another burst of heat thrummed through her, gathering in her stomach and then sliding to her pussy at the heated look in his eyes.
“Now, David—”
She popped one button.
“—I think—”
Pop.
“—you need to learn—”
Pop.
“—how to control yourself.”
Pop.
“If you’re good, I just might reward you.”
Pop.
He groaned as the last button was released and his cock was freed. She trailed one finger from the base to the head. Oh, God, his shaft is hard and hot. She licked her lips when she saw the drop of liquid wetting the head.
He growled. She shifted her attention to his face. His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flared, and his eyes blazed.
“Really, I thought space rangers
had more power over their reactions.”
“I never said I minded losing control, Genoa. But if you keep teasing me, you’re going to end up getting yourself in trouble.”
“Hmmm.” She shivered at his dark tone. Running her hand down his dick to caress his balls, she thought of the taste of him, of what it would be like to have him come in her mouth. Wanting a different angle, she climbed next to him on the bed, gave him a quick kiss, then turned to situate herself where she wanted to be.
As she nipped at the head of his shaft, his hand skimmed up the inside of her thigh. A moment later, his fingers brushed her curls. As his fingers stroked, she took his cock between her lips. His legs shifted restlessly on the bed as she took almost the entire length of him in her mouth. Sliding the hard, hot length of him in and out, she hummed as his fingers slipped between the lips of her sex.
The scent of him was unlike anything she’d experienced. Strong, masculine, possessive, but there was an underlying scent of something she couldn’t define. Some emotion she couldn’t grasp, especially coming from David—a man who hid his emotions from most everyone, she was sure.
She continued sucking, taking him deeper and deeper into her mouth. He added another finger while his thumb caressed her clit. She moved against him. Each time she pushed back against his hand, his dick slid out of her mouth, then back in as she pulled away. Tension gathered in her stomach as her rush of emotion spiraled through her.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me.” His voice dark, guttural, pushed her over the edge.
She broke free, her body convulsing as she came. All the while she hummed, licking and sucking his dick. As her orgasm waned, he lifted her leg over him. Next, his hands grasped her ass as he buried his face between her legs.
Lord, she didn’t know how much more she could take. His tongue traced the lips of her sex, then delved inside. He squeezed her cheeks as he continued to lick, suck. The delicious pressure began to build within her again. He took her hardened clit between his teeth. That one little action sent her spiraling out of control as she came again.
Her own orgasm had her sucking harder, pulling his orgasm from him. He groaned her name as he came, his hot seed spurting into her mouth as she lapped and sucked. She didn’t stop until his body relaxed.
After settling next to him on the bed, he kissed the top of her head. The action was so tender, she had to swallow the lump in her throat. What the hell was wrong with her? She never let messy emotions screw with her concentration or a job. But with David, well, she’d grown too dependent too fast. She couldn’t fight the feelings that threatened to swamp her. Her fear of being discovered battled with her need, her want to tell David everything about her past.
What would he do if he found out that not only was she half-Gorgon, a species he despised for their traitorous ways, but the great-niece of the man whose actions almost killed Shana?
Chapter 8
David stroked his hand down Genoa’s back as she slept. Her head rested on his chest, close to his heart. As he listened to the sound of the off-tune music from the bar, his senses were alert for any noise that didn’t belong. Anything out of the ordinary. He knew they were still in danger. This assignment had turned into something different altogether.
He glanced down at Genoa’s face. Gently, he pushed back a few stray rebellious curls and noticed his hand still shook. His own emotions had been stripped down, and were still raw and primitive. Added to the tumultuous sensations he felt while making love to Genoa, he was a mess. The tidal wave of emotion had left him wary of his own feelings.
He sighed. He’d known her less than a full day and she had suddenly become important. Why?
Part of the answer lay in the day Marcus had handed her file to him. He’d opened it, looked at the pic of her, all that red hair, green eyes, and damn smirk, and his blood had heated. There was something so damn intriguing about the woman. He knew now it had more to do with their connection on the emotional plane than it did with her looks. Although, God couldn’t have made a woman more right for him. Long legs, rounded hips, tiny waist, and small, pert breasts that tasted of strawberries.
As usual, his body reacted. His cock tented the sheet that covered them. He’d laugh if it didn’t hurt so much. The emotional toll of making love to Genoa was almost not worth the feeling of completeness, of rightness. And that was just damn scary. He knew the only person Shana had felt that connection with was Marcus. Look how that ended. In love, married with a baby on the way, and happier than he’d ever seen her.
What really worried him was this connection he felt. Genoa was a woman he still couldn’t trust completely. Oh, she’d given him part of the info she had for Marcus, but damn it, she was still hiding something. He knew it as well as he knew the way she moaned his name when she came.
Her husky chuckle broke through his thoughts. “Well, I see a space ranger can rise to the occasion.”
She rested her chin on his chest as she slid her hand down and encircled his erection.
“Hmm.”
“Is that all you have to say?” The humor in her voice, teasing, light, not a hint of her usual sarcasm, warmed his blood. Clean, pure woman.
“What more can I say with no blood in my brain?”
Her pale green eyes twinkled as she smiled up at him. “Well, I do have a cure for that.”
She slipped her leg over and straddled him. Warm desire shimmered through him and he swallowed. Nothing had ever affected him like her emotions. During his childhood, David had had problems with blocking other people’s feelings. Still, he’d never had them mesh with his own emotions. It had gotten to the point where it was hard to tell where hers stopped and his started.
“Now.” She moved her hips. “I’m thinking I might have underestimated you. You certainly do know how to rise to the occasion. ”
She lifted herself and slowly, almost painfully, lowered herself onto his shaft. Her heat wrapped around his cock, her muscles clamping tight, pulling him deeper into her core.
Riding him, driving him crazy, she threw her head back, arching her spine, and offering him a magnificent view of her breasts. At that moment, power like he’d never felt from another person slammed through him. Her confidence fed into his arousal. He didn’t like wimpy women, and Genoa was far from that. But, at the same time, that self-assuredness was tinged with a vulnerability so sweet, he wanted to stop her, hold her, tell her that he’d take care of her.
The only thing he could manage at the moment was to reach up and cup her breast, grazing her nipple with his thumb. She moaned. The sound of it mingled with her emotions as they spiraled through him pushing him closer to the edge. He didn’t want that even as his body begged him for completion, to shove his cock deep inside her, and come. He needed to draw it out, heighten her pleasure, try to convey what her desire did to him.
He came up off the bed and took one turgid peak into his mouth. Her fingers speared through his hair, holding him closer. He sucked on one nipple, then pinched the other. Her rhythm increased as her moans grew. Each time she rose, her muscles clung tighter, pulling him closer to the brink. His mind, his body, his very soul were centered on her.
A wave of fulfillment swept through him as her body convulsed, drawing his cock deeper within her. Before he lost control, he rolled them over and rose to his knees. He spread her legs wider, thrusting deeper. The tremors from her first orgasm had barely subsided when she tensed again; another rush of tension exploded within him as she came, screaming his name, her nails digging into his skin. The sound of her voice saying his name, the torrent of her emotions streaming through him, pushed him past the pinnacle. One last thrust and he came, filling her with his seed, reveling in the feel of coming inside of her.
After releasing her legs, he collapsed on top of her. She kissed his shoulder, neck, and then his jaw.
“You smell good, Genoa.”
She laughed and he felt the vibrations along his dick. “I don’t know how. Running all over the damn place, being
attacked by an apparent sex maniac.”
With considerable effort, he rose up and rested his weight on his forearms. God, she was beautiful. Her skin was so soft; her eyes the shade of a Summerian sun; her hair a sinner’s dream.
She licked her lips and his cock hardened, just from that one little gesture. Her eyes widened as he pushed deeper into her. She was still wet with her arousal and his cum. As soon as the thought popped into his mind, he realized he hadn’t even asked about birth control.
“Have you had your contraception shots?”
Swift and almost painfully, sadness rolled from her. He could see it in her eyes, in the frown on her face, and feel it deep into his bones. As fast as it appeared, it vanished, and she smiled, although not a real smile.
“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s taken care of.”
“Well, then, how about I take care of you?”
She laughed and then moaned when he lifted himself to his hands and pushed deeper. “I think I can agree with that course of action.”
* * * *
Genoa allowed the shower to ease the ache in her muscles. Muscles she apparently hadn’t used in a while. Between being on the run and David’s lovemaking, she’d pushed her body to the limit. She couldn’t stop the smile or the familiar wave of tingles that swept through her body when she thought of him.
She hadn’t felt this close to anyone. Not even Drake, her best friend, ex-lover, and all-around great guy. Drake had been wounded by a love affair that had gone wrong and hadn’t wanted strings. What started as a one-night stand had moved on to a friendship that still lingered. Other than her parents, Drake was the one person she could trust. The one person who knew she would never conceive, and she would never be accepted by either of the races that mixed her blood. She could tell Drake anything.
A frown pulled on her lips as guilt turned her stomach. The fact was, she was keeping her familial relations and her heritage hidden from David. There had been so many times the night before, when she’d wanted to tell him. She wanted to confess that the reason she was on the run was due to a great-uncle so bent on revenge, he didn’t care who he destroyed in his quest. That, although she displayed all of the characteristics of Gorgon reproductive systems, from her heightened sense of smell to her over-the-top libido during mating seasons, she would never have a child, human or otherwise. But she didn’t.
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