Dating Outside Your DNA

by Karen Kelley

  It amazed Roan to know that with very little effort he could probably get Lyraka into his bed, and could be making sweet love to her, but instead, he was strapping metal spikes to her legs, and they were about to climb a really tall tree. He needed his head examined. Sometimes he wondered if this job was worth it. He strapped the other spike on, then straightened.

  “Now what?” Her words came out kind of husky, breathless.

  That was almost enough to do him in. He had a blanket in his Jeep and…

  Joe would kill him. Probably wouldn’t give him his release, either. Damned if he wasn’t tempted to keep teaching a bunch of over-eager, trigger-happy rookies for just one day spent in Lyraka’s arms.

  But she was wearing metal spikes and her feet were really fast. Now might not be the time to push his luck by asking her if she wanted to have a quickie instead of flying through the trees, even if he did think he might talk her into it. There was still that little percentage that he might make her mad instead. He’d rather not become shish kabob today.

  Okay, she wanted to know what was next. Maybe it was better to concentrate on that. “We’ll put on the harnesses, then I’ll put on my spikes and we climb the tree.” But man was he tempted.

  The harnesses went over the shoulder, like a vest. They’d use them when they went down the cable. He put his on. Before he could help Lyraka with hers, she already had it fastened. A shame. He’d have liked to tighten her straps.

  It only took him a few minutes to finish putting all the gear on. “I’ll show you first, then I’ll let you go in front of me. If you fall, you’ll land on me.”

  “What if you fall?”

  “Then we’re both screwed, so try not to fall.” He stood next to the tree, then hooked the strap on the belt. “The strap goes around the tree and buckles to the other side of the belt. Next you jab the spike into the tree, then you jab the other spike in, let the waist strap help hold your weight.” He demonstrated how to climb the tree by moving the strap up and continuing to climb using the spikes. He went up a few feet, then came back down. “Do you think you can do that?”

  “Of course. It doesn’t look that hard.”

  He could almost hear her adding, if you can do it, so can I. He liked the competitive streak in her. It made his life more interesting. He was curious to see how long it would last as the day progressed.

  She positioned herself in front of the tree and leaned forward so she could swing her strap around it.

  “Be careful you don’t get a splinter.”

  She frowned at him. He smiled.

  She started up the tree just as he’d shown her, with only a wobble or two. She was a fast learner. He got his footing and started up after her. Nice view. He liked the way the material cupped her ass and…

  Her spike dug into the tree an inch from his fingers.

  “Jesus!” He jerked his hand away, lost his footing and hugged the tree, sliding down a couple of inches before he got another foothold.

  She looked down at him. “Be careful you don’t get a splinter,” she said before continuing up the tree as though she’d been climbing with spikes all her life.

  “You sure you haven’t done this before?”

  “Positive. Like I said, I’m a fast learner.”

  They made it up the rest of the tree without incident. At the top was a small platform barely big enough for two people to stand on. As he squeezed in next to her, Roan realized this was a hell of a lot nicer than when he’d been up here with his burly instructor. Lyraka smelled a lot better, and he liked being up close and personal with her curves.

  “This is really high. I didn’t realize we’d climbed up this far.”

  “Scared?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I like being able to see this far. I feel as though I’m on top of the world. I almost don’t want to leave.”

  She looked at him and he became lost in her eyes, her scent. If he wasn’t afraid of falling out of the tree, he’d kiss her.

  Instead, he grabbed the metal loop and strapped it to her harness, then removed her spikes, letting them fall to the ground below. “Ready?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Roan hadn’t thought she’d last very long, but he hadn’t expected her to give up this soon. He couldn’t stop the flash of disappointment that swept through him.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Some people are just not cut out for this kind of life.”

  “No, it’s not that. I know this is where we start, but exactly where and how do we finish?”

  He’d forgotten that detail. Man, Lyraka could make a man forget his own name when she stood this close, smelled this sweet, and looked so incredibly hot.

  He cleared his throat, then reached up and tugged on the cable. “It’s not that tight. Your weight will slacken it some more. Because it’s a more gradual drop, rather than a sharper angle, you won’t actually be going that fast. At the end of the cable, there’s a big inflated mattress to land on. Just keep your feet straight out in front of you.”

  “You know it’s inflated? I mean, someone could forget to take off their spikes or something.”

  “Everything on the course is checked twice a day. Trust me.”

  She didn’t. He could tell by the look in her eyes, but if she lasted the next few days, he would make sure she didn’t hesitate to put her complete faith in him.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded and grabbed hold of the sides of the harness. “Geronimo,” she said as she raised her feet.

  Roan gave her a little shove and off she went with a squeal. He knew exactly what she felt—the exhilaration, the adrenaline rush, and the thrill.

  He undid his spikes and let them drop to the ground, then strapped in and pushed off. There was a little bounce, then he was gliding through the trees, feeling the rush of air on his face. This was living.

  When he got to the end, Lyraka was sitting in the middle of the inflated mattress. Now that was temptation. The cable dipped lower and lower. He landed with the ease of a hawk honing in on its prey. Careful not to ram his legs into her, he spread his, coming to a stop against her backside.

  “Oh, I guess I should have unhooked and moved out of the way.”

  “I don’t know. This is kind of nice.” He reached around her waist and pulled her back against him. God, she felt good snuggled next to him. Her curves melted against his harder muscles.

  He turned her just a bit so he had easy access to her mouth. When he lowered his lips to hers, he couldn’t stop the groan that escaped. The dreams he’d had of her all week, her naked body pressed against his, her breasts crushed against his chest, her nipples hard little nubs—all of it came back to him in a flood of memories and created a burning ache deep inside him.

  And she was kissing him back, pulling his head closer. He tasted her need for more.

  “No,” she said, suddenly pulling away.

  Roan immediately let go. She was breathing hard as she lay in his arms. Her eyes were wide as she fought her own battle to control her natural instincts to lie back and let nature run its course.

  He should apologize, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he said, “I want you. I think you want me, too.”

  “No, I don’t. I’m here to…to…”

  “Become an agent?”

  She frowned. “I know exactly what I’m here for and it isn’t to have sex with you.”

  She was killing him. “We’d both enjoy it.”

  She visibly swallowed, her pupils dilating.

  “I want to remove each article of your clothing until you’re completely naked in front of me, then I’ll stroke you, run my finger down your clit and slip a finger inside the moist heat of your body.” Damn it, he was being a jerk, but there was something about her that pushed him past rational thought.

  “I’m…Oh, God…I can’t.”

  He looked around. “There’s no one here to stop us.”

  “I just…can’t. It wouldn’t be safe.”

  “I have pr
otection.”

  She grimaced. “Not that kind of safe.”

  Roan had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Maybe she was afraid someone would stumble on them while they were making love. It wouldn’t happen. At least, he didn’t think so.

  He sighed when she unhooked from the cable and scrambled to her feet. It had been nice while it lasted.

  “I don’t want to even talk about it. What’s next?”

  A dip in the lake to cool him off? Clothes optional. He really needed to get control of his thoughts. He unhooked and came to his feet.

  “Please,” she said.

  How could he resist when she put it that way?

  “Okay, we’ll see if you have what it takes to become an agent.” He’d let the matter drop, for now. But he was definitely curious to know exactly what she’d meant about it not being safe.

  She squared her shoulders. “Bring it on. I can take everything you want to dish out.”

  They would soon see.

  Chapter 7

  The only thing fun about the obstacle course had been when she’d glided through the trees. It had gone downhill from there.

  Had Roan really held her in his arms, kissed her? Awakened desires that she’d been trying desperately to keep under control? Lyraka glanced his way, then had to bite back a moan. Oh, yeah, he’d awakened everything inside her.

  All her adult life, she’d tried to control that side of her emotions. She knew that Nerakians could be consumed by their need for sex. But with her, the need was stronger because of her mixed blood. She didn’t know why, it just was. She felt everything more intensely than earthlings or Nerakians. She was cursed.

  Rick, her one and only experience, had given her sexual side a little nudge. She would’ve gladly continued to meet him in the woods if he hadn’t been frightened and run away before they’d finished what he’d started.

  He’d said she’d burned him. It wasn’t as if he’d been on fire, or even smoking, for that matter. As far as she could tell, he hadn’t been scarred.

  All the excuses in the world wouldn’t change the fact that something had happened. If they had finished the act, poor Rick might have disintegrated. Now, she was afraid to have sex. She gave new meaning to the phrase “hot babe.”

  If they’d continued, would he have incinerated? She wasn’t sure. The only thing she knew for certain was that her frustratingly short experience with a man had only made her want more. And now Roan was fueling the fire of her passion.

  The sex would be good, a little voice inside her head told her.

  No, she wouldn’t give in to temptation. She was here to learn, and learn she would. She wouldn’t disintegrate the teacher.

  Maybe there was more to his advances than met the eye. Maybe this was Roan’s way of breaking her. She already knew he didn’t want to train her. If she quit, he’d be off the hook. That had to be why he was toying with her, setting the trap for the unsuspecting mouse. She could almost feel the snap of the metal bar crushing her neck if she got too close. There was more to her than that. She wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t give Roan the satisfaction.

  “This obstacle is about balance,” Roan said, breaking into her thoughts as they approached the next torture device, which was what she’d begun to think of each obstacle. She focused on what he was telling her, determined to conquer this one, too.

  “Balance and strength,” he said.

  They stood in front of an oversized net. She looked up. It was only as tall as a single story house. The cargo net didn’t look that difficult to master. In fact, Lyraka had a feeling she’d surprised Roan with her abilities. She hadn’t mastered anything, but she hadn’t let any of the obstacles beat her. She’d finished each and every one of them.

  She grabbed the rope and put her foot into one of the slots, then began pulling herself up, one rung at a time. They were farther apart than they looked so she had to stretch out her body to move up.

  “Keep your body close to the ropes. If you lean out, you’ll lose your balance.”

  “Easier said than done,” she muttered as she reached for another cross rope. It didn’t help that the ropes were as big around as her wrist and hard to grip. By the time she got to the top, she was sweating. There were more wet patches on her shirt than there were dry ones. But this obstacle hadn’t beaten her, either. She straddled the top bar and smiled triumphantly down at him.

  Roan smiled back as if he knew something she didn’t, then he flipped a switch. There was a deep, throbbing noise as a motor started up.

  What the hell was he up to? She looked around.

  “Hold on tight, princess.”

  He flipped another switch. The frame began to move.

  “I don’t think that’s the safest place for you right now,” he said. “How fast can you get down before it collapses?”

  He was going to kill her! That had been his plan all along. Kill her, then Joe would let him go back on active duty. Everyone would think she hadn’t been cut out to be an agent, but they wouldn’t dream of blaming him.

  “Are you sure you want to stay up there? The whole structure is about to collapse.”

  He was right. The frame was teetering back and forth. She flung her leg over the side, grasping the top rail. It shifted and she was left grabbing air. Panic squeezed her chest.

  “Grab the rope!”

  She blindly obeyed and caught one of the rungs, clinging to it.

  “The whole thing is going to come down, Lyraka. You have to get off now!”

  There was no taking her time this go-round. She blindly found her footing, falling and grabbing as she went. The ropes burned her arms, chafing her skin until she finally felt solid ground beneath her feet. She untangled from the ropes and scrambled back, out of harm’s way, plopping down hard on the ground when she stumbled over a branch, her chest barely expanding as she gasped for air.

  She watched as Roan calmly hit the switch. The A-frame stopped moving. She looked from him, back to the A-frame, then back to him.

  “Good job,” he said and calmly began to walk away.

  She came to her feet and hurried after him. When she caught up to him, she grabbed his arm, and forced him to stop and look at her.

  “It wasn’t going to fall, was it?”

  “No.”

  She shoved against his chest as hard as she could. It frustrated her when he didn’t move. His feet stayed firmly planted on the ground.

  “I hate you!”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Yes, I do! You can’t tell me that I don’t hate you when I do,” she ground out.

  He pulled her against him and lowered his mouth to hers. For a second, she resisted, but the heat of his mouth, the way his tongue stabbed hers, then lightly stroked, sent flames licking over her body. She returned his kiss with all the pain and anger she felt and all the terror that had gone through her when she thought the A-frame was falling. She kissed him back with all the pent-up sexual deprivation she was feeling right now.

  But he pulled away, leaving her wanting more, needing more, her body aching for more.

  “See, I told you that you didn’t hate me. You wouldn’t kiss me like that if you hated me.”

  “Ugh!” She stomped her foot and pursed her lips.

  “You had to think the frame would fall. Sure, you made it up with little effort. No biggie. Sometimes when we go on what looks like an easy mission things will happen and all of a sudden, what should’ve been easy becomes difficult without notice. You have to be prepared for the unexpected.”

  Okay, he’d made a point, and it was a valid one. “You still didn’t have to kiss me.”

  “You’re sexy as hell when you’re angry. I couldn’t resist.”

  “Well make an effort next time.”

  “Ready for another obstacle?”

  “I’m hungry.” And sweaty, and tired, and she probably smelled to high heaven and had no idea why any man would think she was sexy right now.

  “One more, and
then we’ll eat.”

  Her stomach rumbled and she knew she was heading toward a foul mood. She could do one more even if it was to prove she could. He hadn’t beaten her yet. “One more then.”

  He reached into his pocket and brought out a piece of black silk. She warily eyed the scrap of material.

  “What are you going to do with that?”

  “Blindfold you.” He walked behind her.

  “I’m not so sure about this.”

  “You have to learn to trust everyone on the elite force.”

  “Do I have to kiss them, too?”

  He laughed lightly as he placed the blindfold over her eyes. “No. Just trust them. It’s a two way street. They’ll be trusting you with their lives as well.”

  As the light went out and she was in the dark, uneasiness trickled down her spine. She wasn’t so sure this was a good idea. “What are we going to do?” She felt Roan knot the scarf at the back of her head.

  “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  She didn’t want to trust him. She’d never trusted in anyone except herself. She’d known coming into this that she would have to work with a team, at the very least, a partner. There was always a certain amount of trust that went along with that, but Roan wanted her to give one hundred percent and for the first time since coming here, she wasn’t sure she could complete the training. Asking her to give one hundred percent was asking too much.

  “Ready?”

  The other alternative would be to go back to her mother’s artist colony and help Anna run it. Anna was a friend of her mother’s. A little scatter-brained at times, but nice enough and her mother had known her a long time. Was she ready to go back to being alone even though she was surrounded by people? She’d hated being alone.

  “Lyraka?”

  “I’m ready,” she said, quickly making up her mind.

  “Trust me to be your eyes.”

  He took her hand in his. Maybe it was because she had the blindfold on, but she was more aware of how his hand felt, the calluses, but also the strength. And the heat. The heat was good.