Dating Outside Your DNA

by Karen Kelley

  He didn’t disappoint her as he deepened the kiss, moving his hand from the back of her neck to slide beneath her T-shirt and under her bra as he cupped her breast.

  Shocked by his unexpected touch, she stepped back, but he followed her. The tree that had once meant safety now became her prison, but one she wasn’t sure she wanted to escape as Roan rubbed his thumb over her hard nipple. Her body began to ache. She could feel the light, the colors.

  Did he know what he was doing? Oh, God, yes, he knew exactly what he was doing, and he did it very well.

  Rick had said she’d burned him. He had even cried out in pain. What if she did the same thing to Roan? Could she scar a man for life? Would she have an orgasm only to open her eyes afterwards and find a pile of ashes where a man had once been?

  Bleh!

  But she didn’t want him to stop causing the sensations of pleasure that swarmed over her, and she couldn’t think straight. Her arms automatically went around his neck.

  He pressed closer, his erection pushing against the front of her pants. He nudged against her sex. Roan was making it difficult for her to breathe as the ache inside her grew.

  Even Rick had never made her feel anything like this. Not this sudden burst of fire rushing through her. There was no awkward fumbling this time.

  No, this wasn’t Roan’s first time, and she found herself wanting more, even though she wasn’t sure she liked him. If this was what it felt like to be slutty, she didn’t care, because it felt so damn good.

  He abruptly pulled away from her. She grabbed his arms to keep from falling. Her breathing was ragged and filled the air around them.

  “There’s more than one kind of danger, and you just proved you can’t protect yourself.” Roan spoke softly, his words caressing her as much as his hands had a moment ago. That was probably why it took longer for the meaning of his words to sink in.

  Lyraka shoved away from him, her back bumping the tree. He’d only been using her.

  “Like I said,” he continued. “Don’t go into the woods alone again. And take a couple of aspirins, your skin felt hot. You might be coming down with something. Sick or not, we start your training tomorrow.”

  She used her speed to move away from him, and didn’t stop until she was nearly back at the building. Before stepping from the trees, she dropped down to the ground.

  He’d ruined the one place where she’d always been able to find solace. What was worse, he’d used her weakness against her. Of course he would know Nerakians were a passionate race. She hated him!

  When she heard his heavier steps, she blended with her surroundings and glared at him. He stopped and looked around as if he sensed she watched him. She held her breath.

  “As long as I’m your instructor, you’ll follow my orders. If you don’t, I’ll tell Joe you’re not working out. He might like you, but he’ll go along with my recommendation. I guess it all comes down to how bad do you want this.” He stepped from the woods and walked back toward the building.

  She picked up a fistful of leaves and crumbled them in her hands. Roan was an ass. He probably wanted her to quit so he could be released to go back to active duty.

  When Joe had told her about the elite force, she’d jumped at the chance. This was an opportunity to use her gifts. She didn’t want to hide who she was any longer. She’d been doing that all her life. Growing up had been like living in a closed room where there was no light, no windows, but now the door was open, and she actually had the opportunity to do something she could be proud of.

  At least, Lyraka hoped she could. Joe had already told her the training would be intense and that she would have a lot to learn in a short period of time. Only the best made it through his boot camp, and then there was more training. Maybe she wouldn’t be good enough.

  One thing she knew for sure, she wouldn’t give Roan the satisfaction of knowing he’d made her quit.

  Roan stomped back inside the building, but before he could close the door a breeze swept past him. He caught just a glimpse of short dark hair and the light fragrance Lyraka wore.

  He’d had a feeling she was going to be some kind of pissed off at him for kissing her, then leaving her wanting more. He’d been right.

  This wasn’t the way to start off her training. Damn it, he shouldn’t have kissed her. Now he’d be thinking about how she’d tasted, how her breast had felt cupped in his hand, the way her nipple had hardened when he’d brushed his thumb over it.

  He stopped just inside and took a deep breath. He didn’t need that image in his head, not when he was stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a woman he knew would join him in his bed with very little encouragement on his part. At least, in that respect, she was like all the other Nerakians he’d ever met. But he’d never taken one to his bed. None had ever tempted him, at least, until now.

  He started up to his room, but changed his mind and went in the opposite direction. The building they were staying in was small and industrial looking. There certainly wasn’t a feeling of home and hearth. But then, he had a job to do and he needed to make sure he remembered that. Getting cozy was not on his agenda, no matter how tempting Lyraka was. Better to get the lay of the building than to lay her.

  The kitchen was to his right so he went to the left. There was a living room of sorts with a big fireplace, a couple of chairs, a coffee table, and a sofa just off the main entry. This room came closer to being comfortable.

  The living room opened into the training area. It was about half the size of a gym and was equipped with treadmills and weights—all the equipment anyone would need to stay in shape. He walked closer, then frowned. There were also machines to gauge one’s performance. Joe could’ve forewarned him about Lyraka’s abilities. His boss had a sick sense of humor.

  Just off the gym was a classroom where he’d teach Lyraka the fundamentals of the force—bookwork. The one thing that every trainee detested, including the Nerakians.

  Most of them were more like psychics. They could sense things others couldn’t. There were a couple of warriors in the bunch—which was a joke. Their planet was at peace.

  Warriors without a war. But they were trained, and some of them were pretty good fighters. He figured Lyraka was in that group since Joe said it should only take a few weeks to train her. It didn’t mean he had to like doing it though.

  Every last Nerakian was a female. Not a man among them.

  That wasn’t right. Not right at all.

  The Nerakians knew about the universe and some of the other species that inhabited neighboring planets so the agency used the knowledge of the ones who’d left Nerak looking for something more.

  Not that the Nerakians were getting much action on Earth. So far, the force hadn’t had any trouble keeping the peace in the third zone, but it always paid to stay on one’s toes. He didn’t trust any aliens.

  Especially Lyraka, now that he knew her skills went beyond the norm. No wonder Joe had practically been salivating when he talked about her. Her speed was phenomenal. But this camouflage thing she had was something else.

  Excitement coursed through his veins at the thought of training someone like her. What other abilities did she have? His gaze moved upward, toward her room. He looked forward to finding out.

  Except for the fact that she was probably put off by him right now. Not that he could really blame her. He hadn’t acted like Mr. Charm.

  He ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t even that irritated with her. Joe was the one who’d pissed him off. Roan could only take so much when it came to training people. He wanted to get back to actually working, rather than talking about it.

  As long as the third zone was quiet, agents only had to make a couple of flybys to let other inhabitants know they were watching. The rest of the time he could do investigative work, maybe some undercover. With his clearance code, the possibilities were endless.

  He walked out of the training area, glanced toward the stairs once more, and knew deep down inside himself that this assign
ment wasn’t going to be as dreary as he’d first thought. His pulse sped up at the thought of working with Lyraka. He didn’t think it was all because of her skills, either.

  He’d pushed a button in her this afternoon, and she’d shown him what she could do. He wondered how many buttons he would need to push to find out all her secrets.

  Chapter 4

  Dinner that night was quiet. Lyraka sat at one end of a long table and Roan at the other. Frances had silently served them. As soon as they finished the meal, Lyraka moved to what she supposed could be called a living room.

  The only thing that kept it from being cold and stark was the furniture and the fireplace. There were no pictures on the wall, no throws or pillows on the sofa or chair.

  Shivers ran down her spine. There was a chill in the evening air that the crackling fire didn’t quite remove, but she had a feeling that came more from Roan than the actual temperature. He’d spoken barely two words to her, but that was okay. After the incident in the woods, she wasn’t sure she wanted to make idle conversation with him.

  She walked closer to the fire and held out her hands in front of it, absorbing some of its warmth. She supposed Cole had started it. She had caught glimpses of him, but otherwise he and Frances had done exactly what they said they would do—stay in the background. It was nice to know she and Roan weren’t the only two in the building.

  Even at the colony, she hadn’t felt this isolated from the outside world. She suddenly had a deep longing for home, and the comfortable silence that existed between her and her mother. Sometimes Aasera would read poetry, or they would walk beneath the night sky. As an explorer, her mother had told her all about the stars.

  But Aasera was back on Nerak. She’d returned only once to Earth to make sure Lyraka was all right. Her mother had fairly glowed with happiness. Jealousy had flittered through Lyraka because her mother was training other Nerakians to explore. Once again, Aasera’s world was exciting. Lyraka had never seen her mother so full of life.

  It hurt, and she felt even more lonely, she wouldn’t deny it. On the other hand, she couldn’t take away her mother’s joy. Not when the longing to return to Nerak had burned in Aasera’s eyes the few times she’d mentioned her home planet. Lyraka was glad for her.

  Although Lyraka missed her mother more than she thought she ever could, she’d told her everything was fine and that Mr. Beacon would take good care of her. He would, too. She wasn’t so sure about Roan, though.

  She glanced toward him and hoped she hadn’t lied to her mother, albeit unknowingly. Lyraka wasn’t so sure Roan would look out for her best interest. She glanced in his direction as he sat in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, legs stretched out in front of him.

  What was he thinking about? Was he remembering when he’d kissed her? Not likely. Roan had probably known many women, had made love to most of them. She was certain sharing one kiss with her wouldn’t affect him one way or the other.

  But it had her. More than she wanted to even think about. How could she enjoy when a man held her close, and hate him at the same time?

  She moved away from the fireplace and stood in front of the window, staring at the blackness outside. She didn’t need any more heat.

  God, what was she doing here? If she was home, she’d take a walk to ease the restlessness growing inside her. She was even more restricted than before. Roan would probably get pissed if she even suggested going for a walk.

  Anger flared inside her, but just as quickly was gone. She wanted to become a part of this elite force more than anything. If she went against Roan’s demands, he would tell Joe about her non-compliance and it would all be over, then where would she be?

  For a brief moment, headlights illuminated the trees. Cole and Frances were leaving for the evening. She was alone with Roan, and she was very aware of his presence. She might not like him that much but she couldn’t stop the quickening of her pulse. There was just enough Nerakian blood flowing through her veins that her lust was strong, and enough Earth blood to be really pissed at him, all at the same time.

  “We’ll start early in the morning,” he said, breaking the silence of the room.

  She looked at him, then turned back to the window. “I always wake early.” There was something peaceful about walking through the woods in the early morning when the dew kissed the earth. When the sun broke through the trees, the ground shimmered like diamonds.

  Aasera had said there were lots of gems on Nerak. Diamonds as big as her thumb. Emeralds, rubies…stones that sparkled in the light of the bright sunshine. Someday she would like to go there.

  Not that she thought that would ever really happen. She would probably be an outcast—not an earthling, not Nerakian. She wasn’t quite sure exactly who she was.

  Now she was getting maudlin. She knew who she was. She just wasn’t sure exactly where she fit in. She was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

  “Do you play chess?” Roan asked.

  “No,” she said without looking at him. They’d already played enough games for one day.

  “Checkers?”

  “No.” She glanced at him.

  He stood and again she marveled at just how tall he was. If he ever came to her mother’s home he would have to duck just to get past the door. Not that she thought he’d ever visit.

  “I noticed some board games when I was looking around earlier.”

  He went to a cabinet and opened it. There were stacks of boxed games. They seemed out of place here.

  “I told you that I don’t know how to play either of those games.” What? Now he was trying to be Mr. Nice Guy?

  “Then it’s time you learned. I’ll take it easy on you. We’ll start off with checkers.”

  “Easy on me?” She was very smart and learned quickly. No one had to take it easy on her. But it still didn’t mean she wanted to learn what would probably prove to be a very boring game.

  He dragged his chair over to the coffee table and sat down, removing the board from the box. When he had it set up, he looked at her. “It’s kind of hard to play from over there. Unless you have elastic arms or something.”

  “No, my arms don’t stretch.” Ass.

  “Then let’s play.”

  She frowned. It wasn’t as though she had plans for tonight, unless she wanted to meditate in her room. She’d never enjoyed sitting in a corner with her legs crossed, thinking about absolutely nothing.

  Okay, she’d play his stupid game. She dragged the other chair over, sitting across from him.

  “You’re black and I’m red,” he said.

  “Why do I have to be black?” Her favorite color was red, not black.

  He turned the board so that the red disks faced her. “Okay, you’re red. Better?”

  She shrugged. It hadn’t mattered that much, but since there was a choice, she’d rather be red. Roan probably thought she was spoiled and had to have her way. Not that she cared what he thought.

  “The object of the game is to win my black pieces by moving around the board.”

  “How do I win them?” She stared at the board.

  He quickly explained the rules which sounded simple enough.

  “You move first,” he said.

  It was probably a trick. If she moved first, he would take her red game piece. “No, you move first.”

  “Whatever.” He moved out. “Your turn.”

  He hadn’t left himself unprotected so she couldn’t steal his checker. She moved hers, he moved one of his, she moved hers, he moved his, then she moved again. He jumped two of her checkers and scooped them up. She frowned when she looked at him. “You took my checkers.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “That is the object of the game.”

  It might be the object of the game but she didn’t have any of his. She was losing and it didn’t sit very well with her.

  She moved again, careful to protect her red pieces this time. He moved, leaving a checker vulnerable. She jumped him, gloating when she picked
up his black chip. As she had first thought, this was a simple game and she did catch on fast. She made a production out of setting his chip on her side.

  He jumped the piece that she’d used to take his, then had the nerve to gloat.

  That hadn’t been very nice.

  “Your turn,” he told her.

  She glared at him. “I know.” Leaning forward, she stared at the game board, calculating her next move. Five minutes later, she moved. He quickly followed her chip with his black one.

  So, that was his strategy. He was trying to trap her. She studied the board, then moved a checker three rows over. He advanced another square. She moved in for the kill and jumped his. He jumped both hers.

  “King me,” he said.

  Her frown deepened. That’s exactly what she’d like to do! But instead of turning violent, she placed one of her hard earned black chips on top of his. Then she studied the board again. She wanted a king. And why did they call it king, anyway. She’d call hers queens.

  Roan watched Lyraka as she gazed intently at the board. Amazing how much you could learn from someone just playing a board game. She hated losing and didn’t easily give up. No, she studied each one of his moves, weighed the risks, then moved her piece. She wouldn’t win this game, but he had no doubt she would be winning before the night was over. He liked the way she thought out what she was going to do before she did it, rather than blindly rushing in.

  She jumped three of his black pieces. He sat forward. How had she done that? He scanned the board. Did she maneuver him into position, or had it just been dumb luck? He looked at her. She smirked. For a moment, he forgot all about the game as he got lost in her eyes. When she turned her attention to taking his three checkers, the spell was broken.

  “Good move,” he told her.

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Your modesty is admirable.”

  She laughed. The sound washed over him, touching him, caressing him. Was tempting men beyond reason another of her gifts?

  “I won your pieces fair and square because I outthought you.”