“What, Letty?” He added another finger. The sensation increased, sending another rush of heat rolling through her. “Tell me exactly what you want.”
“Fuck me.”
He chuckled at her bluntness but didn’t move to accommodate her. “You have to tell me what you want. Exactly.”
She knew what he was doing. He wanted her to relinquish power to him, to allow him the one thing they had never done together. This side of Drake had always been arousing but given what they were talking about, another gush of liquid filled her cunt.
“Fuck me in the ass, Drake.”
A wave of satisfaction filled her, stemming from him. It should piss the hell out of her, but it didn’t. She couldn’t get mad. Pleasure held her captive.
He moved his fingers away and she sensed he was getting more lube. “On your knees.” His arousal at saying those words spiked. She felt a shot of it all the way to her toes. He situated himself behind her. The broad head of his penis brushed against her opening. Slowly, almost tenderly, he began to push his way into her. A shaft of pleasure/pain shot through her. But she had done this before. She waited until he pushed past the first ring of muscles and then pulled back out.
A rush of satisfaction burst through her as he worked himself into a slow rhythm. She tried to force him to speed up, but he smacked her ass hard. The sting on her skin shot to her pussy. She shivered.
“My way.” It was all that he said, but a spark of arousal lanced through her. She knew slapping her had not only had her body reacting, it was causing his to react, too.
She tried the same move, and he slapped her ass again, twice. The third slap zinged right to her sex.
Blinding, white-hot pleasure ripped through her as she orgasmed. Blood flushed her face and spread to her breasts. As she continued to convulse, Drake shouted her name as he came, holding her hips steady as he pulsed his seed into her.
Later, he gently pulled out of her and both of them collapsed on the bed. He brushed his lips against her temple. A dual wave of contentment threaded through her as he gathered her close. Neither of them probably had any idea where this was leading them, but both of them were apparently happy enough to ignore their problems for a grab at pleasure.
She just hoped to God they wouldn’t come to regret it.
Chapter 5
Nolete looked over another report of yet one more drug overdose and sighed. She just didn’t know what they were missing, but she knew there was some connection to the labs.
Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She’d had problems lately and she knew the reason: Drake.
Each day her abilities strengthened. Oh, she seemed to be able to hear and feel only him, but she wondered if she was just blocking the others. He’d slipped beneath her defenses.
Who the hell was she kidding? She’d never had any protection against him. It had been that way since she met him all those years ago. One smile, one heated look, and she was a puddle of lust on the ground. And just what the hell was wrong with her? What kind of self-destructive behavior was it when she lusted after a man who had betrayed her?
And, even now, with all the evidence pointing to that, she questioned her reasoning there. Yes, Drake had disappeared, but he seemed to have as much revulsion for the labs as she did. And there was no mistaking the way he felt about her. Even if she couldn’t feel it, couldn’t hear his thoughts, she would’ve been able to see it in the way he looked at her, touched her.
Just like many times before, she pushed Drake aside, and tried thinking about the case. It was important that she figure this out. Already there had been comments from a reporter that had made both her and Carlyle twitchy. Someone was leaking enough info to entice questions, but not all of it.
So, back to basics. There were paras involved, no doubt about that. She looked at the report again. Friends of the deceased said he’d been getting the drug free for months. Yes, drug pushers might give a drug free in the beginning, or at least really cheap, and then get a person hooked on it. They knew once a person was there, captured by the high, they would do anything to capture it again.
But, as with many reports, the drug had been free. He hadn’t had money to keep himself hooked. And the name…Edward Childress…was familiar. Childress…
The memory of her first days at the lab burst through her, and she knew where she had heard the name. Childress had been one of Killigan’s lackeys. Although a para, his abilities were slight, and he would do anything to please the doctor.
So, there was the connection to the labs she had wanted to find. She’d already figured that, but what were they planning if not to make money? They wanted to control the addict, but to what purpose?
A drug that increased their abilities, and the maker wasn’t making money. The user became an addict after only a couple times, completely and absolutely concentrating on getting the next high. They would do anything.
Anything…including following the pusher. Having a horde of paras hopped up, their abilities increased, but to be used for what?
Rebellion. Ripley Johnson hadn’t been found. And he would be crazy enough to do this. He would want to make sure that no one turned on him like last time. Several members of his command had given information to the Federation. This time, if they were addicted, in the grip of need for the drug, they wouldn’t question any of his decisions.
Moments later, she was trying not to run as she hurried to Drake’s office with her revelation. She didn’t question why he was the first one she wanted to tell.
She arrived at his door and pushed the ringer. A moment later she rushed into his office. He was sitting behind his desk, his brow furrowed in concern, and warmth stole into her heart. Since he’d left, she hadn’t had anyone to worry about her, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. Even as she tried to deny it, her second revelation came to her in one knock against her chest.
Dammit, she still loved him.
* * * *
All the color drained out of Letty’s face and Drake jumped out of his chair.
“Letty? Are you all right?”
She swallowed and drew in a deep breath. The doors slid shut behind her as he reached her and pulled her into his arms.
“I’m fine. Really, Drake.” She was trying to sound brave, but her voice shook. He hugged her tighter, and she calmed her breathing. Seconds later, she shoved at him, and he looked down at her. A quirk of her lips told him she would be fine.
“Just too much excitement. That’s all. ”
Although he didn’t believe that for a minute, he decided to play along for the moment. “Whatcha got?”
She stepped away from him and he fought the protest lodged in his throat.
“I think I figured out where…why someone is manufacturing Dream Weaver.”
That wasn’t what she was planning to tell him, but he let it go. “Why?”
“To overthrow the Federation.”
* * * *
They worked tirelessly for weeks trying to find more of the drug. The problem, was, and had been from the beginning, that this wasn’t really a street drug. Oh, they got it there, but it wasn’t sold, so therefore, there wasn’t competition. No gangs were associated with it and any pusher or drug lord they brought in told them he or she had no idea what the hell was going on with them. As addicted as the paras became to the drug, Nolete knew some of that scum would have killed their own mother to get it. But none of them had the sources.
“So you are sure it is for an overthrow?” Drake asked. He was lounging on the sofa reading over another report as she lay on the floor going over her notes.
“What else?”
He shrugged. “I understand where you’re coming from, but why a rebellion? And why paras?”
She sighed. His confused thoughts jumbled in her brain. He wasn’t saying he didn’t believe her, he just couldn’t understand anyone wanting to take on the Federation.
“Both of us agree that if my theory is corre
ct, there’s a good chance it is Johnson. There is one thing he would love to show the universe, and that is his triumph. You read the report from Genoa. She said he was crazed. More so than reported in the past.”
“Okay, I’m not sure I agree at the moment, but there’s still something nagging me. This whole idea of the drugs being developed…it had to happen somewhere secret. Maybe off-planet. And to get these things, it would take years of testing.”
She swallowed the guilt every time he mentioned this. Nolete had decided not to tell Drake about her thoughts on the labs being connected. Maybe there was a bit of her that still didn’t trust him, understandably, but there was something else.
Shame. She didn’t understand why she should feel it because of what was done to her against her will, but just the fact she hadn’t fought harder to get out of there and away from those bastards was still a lead weight in her stomach.
And it was still hard to think of Drake as her friend, her lover, instead of the asshole who turned her in. There were moments she thought that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t done it. She still wasn’t sure that wasn’t her heart fucking with her brain.
“When do you want to go to Marcus with this?”
She thought about the reports, their proof. “Tomorrow?”
He nodded, set aside the report and then motioned for her to join him on the couch. Once there, he pulled her against his chest and draped his arm over her shoulders. He brushed his fingers down her arm; a rush of goose bumps followed the same path. She waited for him to do something else, but all he did was tangle his fingers in hers and brush his lips against her hair.
A sense of warm contentment filled her. At the moment, she had no idea if it was his feelings or her own, but somehow they had become intertwined. The feeling had been growing since the first time they made love.
So beautiful.
He’d called her beautiful before, but she had never thought he’d meant it. With his every thought, he wedged himself deeper into her heart, and the panic that resulted every time she thought about it almost choked her.
She didn’t need this. She had a career and friends. Well, okay she had co-workers, not friends, but her life was full…dammit.
She tilted her head back so she could see his face. His eyes were closed and a smile curved his lips.
Oh, God she loved him. She was going to be so lonely when he left. She’d thought she’d gotten used to late nights at work, weekends at home, an occasional tumble, but nothing was like being with Drake.
Before she said something she regretted, she rose to her knees. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his and felt a shaft of sheer delight spin through her. Not caring who it was from, whether it was him or her, she deepened the kiss. She slid her arms around his neck needing to touch him, knowing she would go crazy if she didn’t.
His tongue pushed past her lips and tangled with hers. One moment she was on her knees and the next she was sitting in his lap.
“Slowly.” If she hadn’t heard the heat in his voice, she would have thought he wasn’t hurting like she was. She settled into the kiss and decided for once she would do what he suggested.
Chapter 6
As he recorded the level of opiates in the new batch of Dream Weaver they’d busted off two thugs, Drake reflected that Letty and he were no closer to finding the culprit in the six weeks they’d been working on the case than they were at the start. No closer to figuring out what the hell was going on with the two of them, either. The woman was driving him insane with lust during the day and making all his dreams come true at night. His one irritation came from the way she expected him to act at work. No touching. He sighed. She’d insisted no one know they were involved. The word left a bad taste in his mouth. They weren’t involved. They were…
Hell, he didn’t know what the fuck was going on between them. Oh, they were screwing around like a couple of rabbits, that was for sure. But in the intensity, in the wonderful pleasure they’d experienced, Letty still held back. Except at that moment when she came. Then he knew she was being totally honest with him, that she hid no secrets from him.
He shifted on his stool trying to ease the tightness of his pants as his cock hardened. They’d never had a problem with that. Not now, not ten years ago. It had never been so…intense. But the intimacy wasn’t there. And dammit, he wanted it.
Since her nightmare their first night together, there hadn’t been any more. But he had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with their time apart. Something had happened when she disappeared ten years ago. Something that had to do with those marks on the backs of her legs he’d seen a few weeks ago which she had refused to discuss. Something that maybe he didn’t want to know about.
“Do you always wear such a fierce look when you’re working?”
He glanced up and found Marcus Carlyle leaning against the doorjamb of his office. Since Drake had returned to Earth, he’d formed a friendly rapport with the head of the CTD.
“No, not normally. But I’m not thinking about work.” He set aside the microrecorder. “What’s up, Marcus?”
Marcus stepped inside the room and ordered the door shut. “I just wanted to know if you have any more ideas about who might be leaking information.”
Irritation crept up Drake’s spine. “No. The leaks have stopped, I think. And thank God for that. I worried that to make the Federation look incompetent, they might get something in the press.”
“Hmm.” He settled in a chair in front of Drake’s desk and looked thoughtful. “But that would also hurt whoever is producing it with public interest. Operating in the background is advantageous.”
“I’ve thought about that. Why would someone want something like Dream Weaver?”
“Money.”
“No, it’s more that than. A lot of work went into this drug. Opiates mixed in the right amount with some substance I can’t discern. This mixture is not only highly addictive, the user is so totally in the grip of the drug, they have no idea what they are doing. They hallucinate. And the fact it enhances their powers should cause concern, too.”
“Of course it causes concern.” Apparently agitated, Marcus stood and began to pace. “Months of work within the Federation could be torn apart.”
“That isn’t what I was talking about.”
Marcus stopped pacing and turned to look at him.
“Letty has a theory. She thinks it might be someone planning another uprising. But this time, he or she wants to make sure the paras they have are not only invincible, but will also follow without question.”
“Johnson.” Marcus spat out the word with enough venom for Drake to feel it to his bones.
“Him or one of his followers. We never did find him in that mess.”
His monitor chimed that someone was waiting. “Conners, authorize.” Letty’s image materialized on the miniature screen. Instantly, his blood heated, his body hardened.
“Is that Ashford? I sent for her before I came here. ”
So that explained the frown. “Conners, authorize open.”
Letty came through the door, her lips still turned down, her expression telling him she was not happy about being there. She looked like she’d swallowed a lemon. And it just made him want her more.
“Ashford,” Marcus said easily. She nodded in his direction but shot daggers at Drake. And damn if that didn’t make his cock harden and the ache in his balls intensify.
“I thought it would be better to meet in Conners’ office. There are too many LTs who would like to get a break on this case. They get hold of the information we have, they could go investigating on their own. Cause all kinds of problems.”
She straightened her spine so tight, Drake was afraid she might snap it in two.
“I have no problems with leaks at my end.” He laughed; he couldn’t help it. She was so cute when she tried to get all professional. The look she shot him told him she wouldn’t appreciate his thoughts. Drake looked at Marcus and saw his lips quirk.
/> “Ashford, relax. If I show up in your area, they know I’m there about this.”
“But not here?”
“Are you questioning my actions, Ashford?” Her face flushed and she opened her mouth, but Marcus held up his hand. “I’m only kidding. Don’t take it seriously. People wouldn’t think twice about a visit to another man I’m friendly with. But a woman…they know I wouldn’t be there for a personal visit. Have a seat.” Letty hesitated and then chose the same chair Marcus had occupied. He rested his hip on Drake’s desk. “Now, Drake here was telling me that you came up with a theory.”
She licked her lips, and Drake wanted to groan. Walking around with a boner most of the day was downright uncomfortable, but in a meeting with Marcus and Letty, it could end up being downright embarrassing.
“The only thing I can think of is another rebellion. Any idiot can come up with a new drug, something that takes you higher. But someone spent a lot of time in development on this one. And most of the paras we know are getting it for free, or so they report. They aren’t making any money on it.”
“That’s the way they always start it. X started out like that in the late twentieth, handed out free at clubs.”
“Yes, and that’s what I thought at first.” She leaned forward, her face intense. “But there’s a reason behind this one. No one is making money, the usual reason for manufacturing a drug. There can only be one other reason.”
“Fuck.” Marcus sighed. “So what do you recommend?”
“I want the records from the labs.” Letty’s voice was filled with conviction. Drake was taken a bit by surprise because she hadn’t said a word to him about this.
“That’s going to be tough. The Federation is going to fight it.”
“They don’t have to know.”
The air in the office filled with tension immediately. Drake glanced at Marcus, whose complete concentration was on Letty.
“That would break the rules, and I am not sure it’s worth it. Not sure if your theory is right.”
Telepathic Cravings Page 22