by Karen Kelley
“You said you wanted freedom. I’m not sure being on call most of the time is the freedom you’re looking for.”
Her gaze moved to the window. “Sometimes I used to wonder where I belonged. I’m not Nerakian, but yet, I’m not one hundred percent earthling, either.” She looked at him. “Being an agent will give some definition to who I am. Does that make sense?”
He nodded. “I think I know where you’re coming from.” He hesitated.
“What?” There was something he wasn’t telling her. She was curious to know more about the man he was, and what had shaped his life.
“Nothing.” He reached for the door handle.
“Why did you want to become an agent?” she pressed, not willing to accept his silence.
“I guess I was a lot like you are now,” he finally said. “I don’t have any family. Not left anyway. An aunt raised me. My mother was killed in a car accident when I was twelve. I never really knew my dad. I don’t think he wanted a kid. Mom never married. The one time I asked about him, she had such a look of devastation on her face that I figured whatever it was, it wasn’t worth causing her that much pain. I never asked again. My aunt took over my care after my mother was killed.”
“You never asked your aunt about your father?”
He shook his head. “I doubted she would tell me, or that she had even known him. But she tried to make up for my lack of not having a mother or father around. My aunt never married, and never quite seemed to know what to do with me so I wasn’t sure exactly where I belonged. Not the situation you’re in, but similar.”
“I didn’t know my father, either. I guess we’re alike in more ways than one.”
“I have a theory about mine; I was better off not knowing him.”
“Yeah, I came up with the same theory.”
“Ready for the obstacle course?” he asked, changing the subject.
She’d rather walk in the woods, but she had to admit that gliding through them was pretty fun, too. “I’m ready.” She wasn’t looking forward to running the course, though. It had kicked her butt the last time. Would he still want her if she was sweaty and smelly? Doubtful.
Twenty minutes later, she forgot about everything as she flew through the trees, then landed on the big air bag. She scooted off the end and unhooked. God, it was so beautiful here. She breathed in the fresh scent of pine. It was a heady fragrance.
She turned when Roan came sliding in. If she squinted her eyes, she could almost pretend he was Tarzan about to scoop her into his arms and take her high into the treetops where he would make wild, passionate love to her.
He landed on the air bag and unhooked. “I thought we’d check out the backside of the course today.” He came to his feet.
“There’s more?”
“A lot more. We haven’t covered half of it yet.”
Great.
For the next hour they trudged through the dense woods. They hadn’t been this way before. She noticed the trees were getting thicker and she had to wonder if Roan knew where he was going.
“Roan?”
He stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“You do know where you’re going, right?”
His grin was slow to form. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach.
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked.
They were back to the trust issue. “Yes…of course I trust you.” That had to be the lamest response she’d ever given.
He shook his head. “You have to learn to trust me.” He faced her, reaching into his back pocket. “Trust is what it’s all about.”
“What are you doing?”
He brought a length of silk from his back pocket. Okay, they were going to do the blindfold again. She could pass this time. She knew how the game was played.
“I do trust you.” She turned around.
“We’ll see.” He placed the length of black silk over her eyes and knotted it in the back.
She heard him remove his backpack and drop it to the ground. Weren’t they going to the platform where she would fall backwards onto the big air bag?
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him.
“Do you trust me?”
“I said I did,” she told him, but she was starting to get a little worried.
“You don’t look as though you trust me. In fact, you look a little concerned.”
“I trust you,” she said between gritted teeth.
“Good.” He unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.
She took a step back. What exactly did this have to do with trust?
“Change your mind?” he asked.
Ass. This was another test and she didn’t plan to fail. She had no problem stripping outside. She stepped forward again. “Of course I haven’t changed my mind.” Besides, she knew what it would lead to—making love. She only hoped he could stand the heat. There wasn’t any ice out here.
He unbuttoned her shirt the rest of the way and slipped it down her arms. “Black lace. Sexy.” He ran his hand across the top of her breasts. “It barely covers your nipples.”
Heat began to swirl deep inside her. She thrust her chest forward wanting him to touch and caress. His laughter was light.
“Is that an invitation?” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath fanning her cheek.
“What do you think?”
“I think you don’t mind getting naked in the woods.”
“I told you that I love the woods. They’re like a second home to me.”
“Good, because I plan on stripping every last article of clothing from your body.” He ran his fingers across the top of her bra, scraping over her nipples and down her stomach. He stopped at the waistband of her pants.
She could barely breathe as she waited impatiently for him to take off her pants.
“Eager, aren’t you.”
She nodded.
First, he unlaced her hiking boots, then pulled them off. Next, he undid her pants and slid the zipper down. He didn’t hurry. She could have counted the teeth on the zipper as he slowly took it downward. Then he was tugging the material over her hips, down her thighs and helping her to step out of them.
“Black lacy panties. Did you wear them just for me, hoping we’d have sex?”
Had she? She knew the answer. She had. She just wished he wouldn’t point the truth of his words out to her.
“Did you?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“I like them.”
Pleasure rippled through her.
“I’m going to take them off. Not right now, but soon. First, I want to see your breasts. I want to feel the weight of them in the palms of my hands.” He slid his hands around behind her and unsnapped the clasp, then removed her bra.
If he didn’t touch her soon, she’d die. Her body ached for him. Last night had awakened her sexual cravings. She wanted to experience everything.
“I love looking at your breasts, your rosy nipples.” He pinched the nipples, her body quivered. “Sweet.”
She moaned.
“Do you like that?”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip.
He slid his hands over her hips, tugging on the waistband of her panties. “I want to see all of you.” He pulled them down, then placed her hand on his shoulder. He’d knelt in front of her so she knew he was looking at the most intimate part of her body, but she was so on fire for him right now that she didn’t care.
She raised her foot when he nudged her, then he was removing her panties. She stood before him completely naked, and she loved it.
“I’m going to kiss you right here.” He brushed his fingers through her curls.
She drew in a breath. “I don’t know…I’ve…”
“Trust me.” His mouth covered her, sucking and licking.
She gasped. No one had ever done this to her. Ohmygod, the sensations were almost too much, but it was so fantastic. She reached out, connected with his shoulders and held on before she collapsed.
“I can fe
el your heat. It sears me, but it doesn’t burn.”
“Your skin feels hot…too,” she finally managed to say. If they both burned to a crisp at least she would die happy.
He pulled her down to her knees. She didn’t want to move. What he was doing with his mouth felt too damn good, but she was too weak to resist.
“I put a blanket in my backpack. Don’t move.”
She nodded, not knowing if he saw the movement or not. She couldn’t speak. He’d drained all the energy out of her. She heard a rustle in the leaves, then he was reaching for her, helping her to lie down. He lay beside her, cupping one of her breasts, tweaking the nipple.
She reached toward him, the palm of her hand connecting with his shirt. She slipped her hand beneath it, sighing when she felt his rigid muscles. There was a lot more that she wanted to touch this time.
There was a rustle, then voices. She froze. His hand stilled.
“Someone’s coming,” she whispered. Why hadn’t she heard them before now? Some agent she would make. She hadn’t paid enough attention to her surroundings to hear whoever was stomping through the woods. She reached for the blindfold. He stopped her hand in midair.
“Trust me,” he said.
“Someone is coming. I need to get my clothes.”
“I’ll protect you. Just lie quietly.”
“No!” She kept her voice low. There were at least two of them and she could hear them getting closer. Being naked in the woods, making love in the woods was all well and good, but she’d just as soon not be caught outside like this by strangers.
“Trust me,” he repeated.
Trust him? She didn’t think so. Roan was still dressed. Okay, she could do this if she concentrated. She let out her breath, felt the blanket beneath her. All she had to do was concentrate, stay calm, and blend in.
Roan stroked between her legs, breaking her concentration. Damn! Did he even realize what he’d done? Probably not.
“I have to get my clothes. Now!”
“I told you, I’ll protect you, if you’ll only trust me. I swear I won’t let you come to any harm or embarrassment.”
The voices were getting nearer. She sat up, tugging at the silk fabric that covered her eyes. As soon as it was off, she flung it away from her. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. As soon as she could see, she scrambled into her clothes. Damn, why wouldn’t her fingers work?
She buttoned her shirt crooked, but she didn’t care as long as she was covered. She grabbed her pants and jerked them on. Forget her panties. She’d put them in her pocket.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Roan hadn’t made a move to get up. Why should he? He was dressed. He probably thought it was cool to be caught out in the woods with a naked woman. Well, she wasn’t about to be a trophy he could parade around.
Finally, she’d had enough. “Aren’t you going to at least get up?”
“Why?”
She whirled around and faced him. He was holding a small box. What the hell was going on? He pushed a button. It sounded as though someone was walking up on them. A tape recorder?
Anger boiled inside her. She’d never felt this much fury swirling inside her. She stomped her foot. “I hate you!”
He pushed the button and there was silence. No one was going to walk up on them.
“You still haven’t learned to trust me.”
“This…” She waved her arm. “It was all a test?”
He nodded.
“You used me.”
He stood. “I’m trying to save your life.”
She raised her chin. “Do you use this test on all your students?” She sneered. “Bring them out here and shame them?”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “You might not like what I did, but I only did it to protect you.”
“Go to hell, Roan.” She turned and was gone in a flash. She would never let him touch her again.
Chapter 14
Roan wanted to kick himself. He shouldn’t have done it. He doubted she would ever learn to trust him now. Damn it, he shouldn’t have gone that far.
He raked his fingers through his hair. Damn it, he had because she did mean so much to him. That was the kicker.
Lyraka had to learn to place complete trust in him, in the team she would eventually be assigned to. What choice did he have? When it came right down to it? None. He sank to the ground, leaning his back against a tree.
He’d seen it in her eyes the first day—innocence. It would get her killed. If she hated him for the rest of her life, at least she might stay alive. He was teaching her some hard lessons.
His cell rang. He reached inside his pocket and brought it out, glancing at the caller ID displayed on the screen. Joe. Great, that was all he needed.
“Yeah.”
“You sound like you’re in a good mood.”
“I couldn’t be better.”
“I have some news that might cheer you up.”
“I’m going back in the field?” Not that he felt as though he could leave Lyraka right now. She still needed too much training.
And he still wanted her.
“I want Lyraka integrated into the training here—with the team she will be working with.”
“There’s a lot she still needs to learn.” He shook his head. “No, she’s not ready.”
Silence.
“I need her back here,” Joe finally said. “There’s been some activity.”
“What kind of activity?”
“The Roverts. King Ethgar has died. Prince Banyon is the new ruler.”
A cold chill ran down Roan’s spine. He’d never met the Prince, and didn’t care to. The Roverts were nasty creatures, like vampires, who sucked the essence out of other species, draining them dry. It only lasted a week, but for that week, the victims were in a vegetative state.
If the Roverts wanted, they could keep their victims that way indefinitely, letting them come out of their coma long enough to realize what was happening before putting them down again. It was an extreme form of torture and Roan pitied the victims.
“When do I leave?”
“You don’t.”
“But…” Then it dawned on him what Joe was saying. “Surely you don’t plan to send Lyraka in. She’s not even close to being ready. If you do this, her death will be on your conscience.” And he would do everything in his power to stop her from going.
“She won’t be alone. You’ll be with her.”
“This isn’t a good idea, Joe.” Damn it. There was no way she’d be ready.
“We need her skills.”
“Speed won’t save her.”
“But her ability to blend in to her surroundings will.”
Roan closed his eyes, raking a hand through his hair. “You know about that?”
“Yeah, I saw her do it once. It was right before she came here. I knew then she was something special.”
“It doesn’t matter what she can do. It’s what she can’t do that bothers me. There’s more to being an agent then one or two special abilities.”
“Then you’ll need to make sure she learns. I want her here in the morning. Our spies tell me the Roverts are planning something. Right now, we’re still on yellow alert, but that could change.”
“They’d be stupid to go to war.”
“Would they? The Nerakians are all bluff. They haven’t fought a war in years. It wouldn’t take much to get control, especially if they join forces with another species who wouldn’t mind a fight.” There was a pause. “Roan, we might not have a choice.”
“Okay, okay. When do you want her back down the mountain?”
“Tomorrow morning. We’ll see how she does working with a team, but I still want you to oversee her training.”
They spoke for a few minutes, then Roan snapped his phone closed. Damn! He’d hoped for more time with her. Right now, Lyraka hated him with a passion.
He stood, grabbed his backpack, and headed up the hill. But when he got to the top, she wasn’t waiting for him at the Jeep. Had she walked back? It was at least five miles. He glanced around before he climbed inside. A niggling of worry crept over him.
There was no sign of her as he drove down the mountain. He didn’t like that she hadn’t waited for him. Not that he blamed her. He’d acted like a jerk using that kind of tactic. He wouldn’t have used it on anyone else.
He had hoped she would trust him—that they’d been through enough together she would know he wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her.
He pulled into the parking area and got out after turning off the ignition, looking around as he did. The sun was slipping lower in the sky. He didn’t sense her watching him. His gut said she was probably inside nursing her wounded pride. That made him feel lower than a grain of sand on the bottom of the ocean.
He found her in the living room sitting on the sofa, staring at the fireplace even though there wasn’t a fire. Damn, she looked lost and sad. He didn’t feel any better knowing he’d been the one to make her feel like this.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t look at him.
He walked around the sofa and stood in front of her. “I wanted you to trust me. After all we’ve been through, I thought you would.”
“It was mean. I thought someone was walking up on us.” She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. “You’re the only person who’s ever seen me naked. I did trust you. I trusted you enough to make love with you. Maybe it’s you who needs to learn to trust me. I’m part of the team, too.” She stood, looked at him with tears in her eyes, then walked from the room.
He thought he couldn’t feel lower than he had a few minutes ago. Man, had he been wrong. He drew in a ragged breath.
That night they ate in silence. He noticed Lyraka didn’t eat much at all. She spent most of the time moving the food around on her plate. She finally stood, dropping her white linen napkin on the table. When she brushed past his chair, he spoke.
“You’ll be joining the others tomorrow.”
She stopped immediately, and faced him. “What do you mean? Am I being kicked out?”
“No. It’s not like that all. Joe wants you to train with the others.”