by Karen Kelley
Dating Outside Your DNA
Dating Outside Your DNA
KAREN KELLEY
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
To Trevor Chase Wheeler
Dreams do come true
Always believe in yours
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 1
Roan Hendrix couldn’t believe his ears. What the hell was Joe trying to pull? His frown deepened. “You want me to do what?”
“Train her,” Joe Beacon said, leaning forward in his chair. With one finger, he pushed his glasses a little higher up the bridge of his nose. “One-on-one,” he repeated.
When Joe called him to his office, Roan had hoped his boss was going to let him return to active duty. The total opposite had happened, and he wasn’t happy about it.
“I don’t do one-on-one. At least, not at work,” Roan said.
At home was another story. Like Michelle last night. She was having a little R & R between flights. He really liked her idea of rest and relaxation.
Not that they’d rested that much, but he’d damn sure felt relaxed this morning when he rolled out of bed. Who knew his day would start off so good, only to turn to crap by late afternoon.
What Joe was asking was different from the way he normally trained agents. Roan didn’t work on a personal level with anyone, especially Nerakians. They were a strange breed, to say the least, and he still hadn’t gotten used to them.
Hell, he didn’t think they were that good in the first place, but they were given preferential treatment because of their so-called special abilities. He’d take a street cop with a dose of good old-fashioned gut instinct over a Nerakian any day.
“Lyraka is different.”
Roan crossed his legs. “I’ve heard that crap before.”
“She’s not full-blooded Nerakian. Her father is an earthling.”
He raised an eyebrow. Okay, Joe had his attention. “I didn’t know there were any half-breeds old enough to train, but it makes sense they would mate. The ones I’ve run across make no bones that they like a good roll in the hay.”
“Now you’re being crude,” Joe admonished.
“Just stating facts. Chocolate and sex are the only things they seem to care about.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
Yeah, he did, but he’d been in a particularly foul mood since Joe told Roan that he wanted him to stay at the training center a little longer. Now Joe was giving him this new assignment. Roan wanted to get back into field work and out of training. He was starting to feel trapped, and that didn’t set well with him.
A leg injury he’d sustained a few months ago had kept him on the sidelines. The doc still wouldn’t release him for full duty even though Roan felt fine. He had a feeling Joe was behind some of it.
“Train her, and I’ll get you the release you’ve been wanting,” Joe said.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“She must mean a lot to you. Is she that good?”
“You can’t imagine.” Joe handed Roan a manila envelope. “This is everything I have on her. I know it’s not much, but read it tonight.”
Roan was still skeptical, but believed Joe when he said he would get him the release. Hell, he’d do just about anything to get back to active duty. He believed there was more to training this chick, though. “What’s the catch? There has to be something wrong with her.”
Joe shrugged, a little too casually, if you asked Roan.
“Like I said, her abilities are different, stronger than the average Nerakian, but she needs to learn discipline and control.”
She was half Nerakian and half earthling, how strong could she be? He assumed she was a warrior so he wouldn’t have to actually do that much. A few weeks of his time and he’d be back getting his hands dirty. He could handle that.
“Okay, it’s a deal. When do I get to meet her?” He’d known Joe for quite a few years. At one time, Joe had been a kick-ass agent, but when the elite force was formed, Joe had taken over recruiting people who had the potential to be the best of the best. Roan knew it took a lot to impress Joe. So yeah, he was curious.
Joe beamed. “You get to meet her right now.” He pushed a button on his intercom. “Go get Lyraka and ask her to come in.”
A few minutes passed before the door opened. Roan didn’t move from his chair. Nerakian women were beautiful, but it hadn’t taken him long to realize they had strange ideas about things.
And they took everything literally. He didn’t have that much patience when it came to explaining every little detail. Women from Earth were more to his liking. They knew the score. He slowly turned in his chair, expecting to see a beautiful woman.
There were very few times in his life he’d ever felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. This just happened to be one of them. She didn’t look like most Nerakians. Warriors were darker—dark hair, dark eyes, dark clothes. Healers had long blond hair and usually wore green flowing robes, and man, were they a pain in the ass. He’d only met one, but that one had been more than enough. Each Nerakian had a different look that immediately said what their role on Nerak had been.
But this woman was different. God, was she different. His heart had already begun to pound, and the palms of his hands to sweat just looking at her. She was a walking, talking billboard of every man’s sexual fantasy—him included.
How the hell was he going to train her? She’d be nothing but a distraction to any team that she was on.
Crap, he felt as though Joe had sucker punched him. No wonder he’d wanted one-on-one training for her. Roan glared at him. Joe met his gaze head on, then gave a slight shake of his head. Yeah, Roan knew what Joe was trying to say—not here, not now.
Why the hell hadn’t he explained everything before she came in the room? Easy, because he’d known Roan wouldn’t have agreed to train her—too much distraction. She was the kind of woman that got men killed.
Man, this assignment was going to be a pain in the butt. Roan could see that already, but he slowly uncurled his body from the chair and came to his feet. He might be an asshole sometimes, but he was still a gentleman. He nodded his head. The gesture wasn’t that friendly, but hell, he was still in shock. And pissed at Joe because he could’ve warned Roan before the woman came in the room.
“Lyraka, sorry to keep you waiting. Please, have a seat,” Joe said as he also stood. “This is Roan. He’ll be your instructor.”
She glanced Roan’s way, then quickly sat in the other chair.
Yeah, she was different all right. He studied her. There was nothing specific to pinpoint what she was supposed to do in life. She didn’t carry herself with the self-assuredness of most Nerakians, either. Not that she came across as afraid, only wary, as though she didn’t easily trust.
She had the darkness of a warrior, like she tanned at the beach every weekend. Her hair was short and black
. Her body lean, but with curves in all the right places.
It was her eyes that drew a man in and kept him from looking away. They were pale blue—hypnotic, and fringed with long, thick lashes. Bedroom eyes. The kind of eyes that conjured visions of two people in bed, naked bodies pressed against each other.
Roan quickly cleared his throat, and the images in his mind. He needed to stay focused on the matter at hand.
Joe had said Lyraka was only half Nerakian so that would explain why she didn’t look like other warriors. But did she have the skills of a warrior? If he had to start from scratch, it would mean he was stuck at the training center longer than he wanted.
He mentally shook his head. Of course she had skills. Joe wouldn’t send someone to him who didn’t at least know the basics.
Lyraka glanced in Roan’s direction. How could she not when his presence filled the room. He was the tallest man she’d ever been around. Not that she’d been around that many. Her mother, Aasera, had seen to that.
She guessed him to be at least six-four. His hair was as dark as hers, but his eyes were a clear, penetrating green and they seemed to look into her very soul. That was unnerving in itself. But it was more than that. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen.
And he was going to be her instructor? This wasn’t good. Not at all. Was Mr. Beacon unaware of a Nerakian’s need for sex? Sure, she was only half Nerakian, but she’d noticed the impulses were getting stronger every day.
Nervously, she looked away, and then forced herself to smile at Mr. Beacon as she crossed her legs.
It didn’t help. She could still feel the body heat radiating from Roan. This wasn’t going to work. How in the world was she going to learn anything from him when all she wanted to do was drool all over him? All her life she’d been around artistic types—writers, painters and poets. They always wore dreamy expressions, lost in their own world. But Roan was…was…muscle, and hard planes and…
No, she wouldn’t go down that path. She wasn’t here for sex. Excitement, adventure—that was what she craved. She had a feeling Roan didn’t sit idly by and watch the world pass. She imagined he would be the type of man who lived his dreams and adventures. She took a deep, steadying breath. Everything would work out just fine. She would be on a team so it wasn’t as though she would be alone with him.
At least he was sitting again. His presence didn’t quite feel as though it were swallowing her. It was much easier to concentrate on why she was here. She was going to be an elite agent, fighting crime and…and putting away the bad guys. Anticipation flittered through her.
She was going to actually do the things she’d only read about in adventure books while growing up at the colony. She’d devoured all the books in the local library, and watched all the secret agent movies she could get her hands on. It was hard to believe she was actually here, and soon she would start her training.
Her gaze strayed toward Roan and she saw that he was checking her out. That was unexpected and unnerving. She quickly looked forward again. Of course he would check her out. He was an agent. Duh. They did stuff like that.
“How was your trip?” Mr. Beacon asked.
“Long,” she said as she returned her full attention back to him and off Roan.
Mr. Beacon looked different from the man who’d stayed at the colony. Not as relaxed, but that had only been a cover for him. No wonder he couldn’t paint. The man didn’t have an artistic bone in his body.
No, Mr. Beacon had chanced upon Lyraka’s mother one day, and suspected she was Nerakian. He’d begun to watch her more closely, even renting one of the cabins, hoping to one day recruit her.
After her mother returned to Nerak, he’d recruited Lyraka instead. She’d jumped at the chance to train for the elite force of agents who kept the world safe.
Had she made the right choice? Roan hadn’t said or done anything, but he made her nervous the way he seemed to study her every move. She was getting the distinct impression that he didn’t even like her. There hadn’t been an ounce of welcome in his expression.
Now she was being ridiculous. The trip had been tiresome from East Texas to Colorado, and she wasn’t the most experienced driver in the world. She was exhausted, nothing more. The man didn’t even know her.
“You’re special, Lyraka,” Mr. Beacon continued. “For now, I don’t want you mingling with other Nerakians, or anyone else for that matter.”
Dread washed over her. She closed her eyes for a moment. This was going to be just like her life at the colony. Always watched, always having to be careful of what she said or did so no one would suspect she was part alien. This was the one place she thought would be different. She knew she wasn’t like other earthlings, or other Nerakians, but she was tired of being alone.
She made a quick decision and came to her feet. “You know what life was like at my mother’s colony, the isolation.” She shook her head. “I thought it would be different here. I was wrong.” She started to turn away.
“It’s only until Roan can teach you how best to use your…unique abilities,” he hurried on. “Give it a chance, at least. I promise you won’t be isolated for long.”
She looked at Mr. Beacon, but could see nothing deceiving in his expression. He’d been good at fooling everyone at the colony while he’d studied her mother, though.
But he’d been more than just a guest at the colony. He’d been like a father to her, and had even taught her to drive. She suddenly felt as though she were being tugged in two different directions.
“Please, just give this a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
She watched his expression, but saw only sincerity. Maybe she wouldn’t completely trust him, or Roan, but then, she didn’t have much of a choice. It was either stay here or make the drive back to the colony. Did she really want to leave? If it did work out, then all the better. “Okay, for a while.”
“Good,” Mr. Beacon rubbed his hands together. “I know it’s late, and you’ve had a long day. Rest tonight. Tomorrow morning will be early enough for you to start.” He turned to Roan. “I took the liberty of having your things moved, and Lyraka’s as well, to Building F. I thought it would be better if you had as few interruptions as possible. You’ll find everything you need when you get there.”
“Remind me later to thank you,” Roan said.
His deep voice was like a rush of hot air washing over her. It was raspy, and had a way of touching her in places that hadn’t been touched in a long time. She fought down the tingling sensation that quickly spread over her body as her Nerakian blood heated. She would control her sexual urges this time. She would.
Her one and only night of sex had ended in disaster, and she didn’t want to repeat the experience. She had a feeling she’d scarred the man for life. Poor Rick.
He’d run back to his cabin before they could finish, but what she had experienced had only whet her appetite for more. Except Rick had been gone the next morning. Since that disaster, she’d tried to keep all her sexual thoughts under control.
Lyraka glanced Roan’s way. She could tell by the way his jaw twitched that he wasn’t happy about the situation. What was his problem? She wasn’t that thrilled, either.
Damn it, she’d hoped for more freedom and the ability to do as she pleased while in training. Rather than show her disappointment, she raised her chin and met his frown when he looked her way. She wasn’t afraid of him.
Well, maybe a little. He was really big…and had lots of sexy muscles.
Joe came to his feet. “I’ll check your progress in a few days.”
Roan stood. She did the same. So this was it. The beginning of a new life.
She chewed her bottom lip.
But no sex. Her gaze moved to Roan. She would just take a lot of cold showers. And hope they worked.
Chapter 2
Lyraka followed Roan outside to an olive green Jeep that was parked in front of the building. She cast one last glance at the building before she stepped off the curb. It woul
d have been nice training with other people, and probably safer—for him.
Roan climbed in on the driver’s side, tossing a manila envelope into the backseat. Lyraka slid in on the passenger side. Even with a gear shift between them, he was way too close to suit her. When she inhaled, she caught the spicy scent of his aftershave. It was a little too nice, a little too pleasant. She subtly moved closer to her door.
“I won’t bite,” he spoke gruffly, breaking the silence.
No, but she might.
Roan would be training her. She would need to get used to being around him. Easier said than done. His presence filled the Jeep.
“I didn’t think you would bite,” she told him. “Most earthlings aren’t cannibals.”
He snorted. She wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a laugh or not.
“You don’t like me very much, do you?” She might as well bring her thoughts out into the open. She wanted to know why he disliked her so much. She hadn’t done anything to him.
He met her gaze. “You’re a means to an end,” he said, then returned his attention to the road.
“What exactly does that mean?”
“That as soon as you’re trained, I get to go back on active duty.”
“Why can’t you do that now?”
“Do you always ask this many question?”
“No.”
He chuckled at her words. The sound was different from the snort of a moment ago. It rippled over her in small waves of excitement. Her nipples tightened in response. This wasn’t good. She glanced his way. His shoulders were less tense than they had been when he’d first climbed behind the wheel. Angry was better, safer.