With a sudden burst of aggression, he snapped one side of her thong and then the other, tossing the scrap of material off to the side. “Make room for my hand between your legs.” He absently rolled her nipple while he waited for her to reposition; then he pushed his fingers between her thighs. She murmured around the glove and closed her eyes. He pinched her nipple until she whimpered. “Your body belongs to me now. You’re mine to do with as I will. Open your eyes.”
Her thick lashes flickered before she raised her lids. Lust blazed in those rich blue depths, but he saw uncertainty too. She already had a safe word. Milo wouldn’t operate without some sort of abort code. All she had to do was say the word or make the motion and the guards would end this farce. But Cruz didn’t want to end it. He wanted to play out the scene for as long as Emily would allow it, which meant he had to play his part.
“Let go of the glove.” It landed between her breasts like a third hand caressing her from above. Gods, that was hot! “If you want me to stop, for any reason, your safe word is ‘departure.’ Do you understand what a safe word is?”
“Yes, Sir.” Her breathing was so ragged it dislodged the glove.
He moved one hand to the small of her back and parted her folds with the other. “You’re so wet.” He traced her slit with his middle finger, his gaze locked with hers. “I can’t wait to --” His finger brushed her clit, and she came in short, sharp spasms. He prolonged the spontaneous climax with his touch, and her body coated his fingers with a fresh rush of cream. “Either it’s been way too long for you, or we need to work on your control.”
Emily wanted to crawl under the bed and hide. How humiliating! She was naked and panting while he was fully dressed. Even her erotic dream hadn’t been like this. Her skin tingled and her blood seemed to sizzle and hum. No wonder one flick on her clit had made her come. Her entire body was electrified.
“Look at me, Emily.”
A tingle skittered down her spine at the sound of her name on his lips. She slowly lifted her gaze and pressed her lips together, determined not to reveal her anxiety.
“Your body belongs to me, which means your pleasure does too.” He took off the remaining glove and tossed it in the general direction of the first. There didn’t appear to be anything wrong with his hands. So what was with the gloves? “From now on you’ll ask permission to come, and any disobedience will be punished.”
“Punished?” The word snapped her back to attention.
“Yes, punished. Now undress me.” She pulled his shirt off over his head and stared at his sculpted torso while she unfastened his pants. He chuckled and nudged her with his foot. “These have to come off before the pants.”
“Right. Sorry.” Gods, what was wrong with her? She’d never been with a man like Cruz. Not that her experience with men was extensive. Still, he made her feel… like she’d never done this before. The contrast was so glaring she might as well have been a virgin. Cruz was so sure of himself, so assertive, so delightfully dominant.
Her heart fluttered and her core ached as she knelt before him. This wasn’t real. She was still on a mission. If she let herself forget that, she was a fool. She tugged off one of his boots and then the other. He combed her hair with his fingers, caressing her face with his eyes. They didn’t clutter the moment with words, but let their bodies communicate their hunger.
She took her time removing his pants, touching his lean hips and muscular legs, while ignoring his erection. He hadn’t given her permission to touch him there, but that didn’t keep her from looking. His shaft rose thick and long from a dark nest of hair. She’d heard rumors that morphs were larger than humans, and Cruz was certainly more impressively proportioned than any man she’d ever seen naked. In fact he was… wow.
“Lock your hands behind your head.”
She glanced up at him as she obeyed. It wasn’t hard to imagine what he wanted to do. She was still on her knees in front of him, but why did he want her hands behind her head?
He took her face between his hands and guided her forward, bringing her mouth to the tip of his cock. She parted her lips, and he pushed inside as one hand fisted the back of her hair. As long as she didn’t resist, his grip didn’t hurt. It was a firm reminder of his control.
She explored him with her lips and tongue, while he stood still and enjoyed the attention. She inhaled his scent and learned his taste. He caressed her breasts, teasing her nipples. Soon her efforts weren’t enough. Steadying her with his hand, he moved in and out of her mouth.
Her lips maintained a firm circle while her tongue swirled and flicked. His hips rocked faster, driving deeper, bumping the back of her mouth. Would he pull out, or expect her to swallow? Heat burst between her thighs at the possibility. She’d always finished her other lovers with her hand, or used this as foreplay for intercourse. So why was she sucking so hard and begging him with her eyes?
He let go of her hair and she whimpered, thinking he meant to pull out. But he moved both his hands to her face and thrust faster into her mouth. “Take it.” He growled, sending heated tingles all through her body. “Take it all.”
She tilted her head back and took him deeper than he’d gone before. He groaned in approval, sliding smoothly against her tongue. She gazed up at him, willing him to look at her, needing the connection of his shimmering eyes.
Their gazes locked as he thrust to the back of her throat, his hands framing her face. His expression was possessive, triumphant, yet achingly tender all at once. She opened for him, swallowing each burst of hot seed as he released it to her. He caressed her lips and then her face.
“So beautiful,” he whispered as he slowly withdrew, his gaze still locked with hers.
He pulled her to her feet and kissed her. His tongue swept into her mouth and he growled again as he tasted himself on her tongue. He motioned toward the bed. “Lie down sideways with your legs hanging over the side. It’s my turn to taste you.”
* * * * *
Karah Balentine burst into Allen’s office with an infuriated cry. His personal assistant was a step behind her. “I’m sorry, sir. She rushed right past me.”
He dismissed the younger man with a wave and pushed back from his desk. “What’s the crisis this time?” They’d already dealt with the morning’s catastrophe, at least from Ms. Balentine’s perspective. His business partner was a bona fide drama queen.
Of course, he hadn’t realized Karah’s penchant for exaggeration when he’d proposed their first joint venture eight years before. Unfortunately DOMA had certain resources no one else could supply, and he couldn’t deny the profitability of their association. Her childish antics were something he’d learned to tolerate over the years.
“How can you even ask me that?” Karah crossed the office on ridiculously high heels that accented her shapely legs and tight round butt. The only thing Karah liked better than drama was sex, a fact Allen had only recently discovered. Rather than sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk, she stood behind it and grasped the back, leaning slightly forward.
She had lovely breasts, plump and creamy, but she was a bit too willing to show them off. Stubbornly keeping his gaze fixed on her face, he said, “I’ve been in meetings all day. What’s going on?”
“They published a list of companies with financial ties to DOMA, and they’re calling for worldwide boycotts. My com has been beeping nonstop for the past three hours. All of our affiliates are in a panic.”
“They… being Milo and his troop of troublemakers?”
“Who else?” She huffed. “The posts are always anonymous, but everyone knows the source. Why can’t we shut down that freaking farm?”
“‘They’d only relocate or scatter to the wind. The Cloud belongs to everyone and no one,’” he quoted the Supreme Court ruling. “That concept has been contested by forces more powerful than DOMA.”
She unbuttoned her jacket and sat in the chair, a bit of the little girl bravado fading from her demeanor. “There has to be something we can do. I will no
t be taken down by a group of… reporters!”
Folding his hands on his tight abs, he studied her flushed face. She was attractive, when she wasn’t throwing a fit. Her light brown hair was styled in a simple twist at the back of her head. He knew she was in her forties, but she looked closer to thirty. Of course, age was becoming more and more relative with every passing day. Genetic manipulation and sophisticated medical procedures prolonged life and sustained youthful appearance. He was pushing sixty and looked forty-five.
“There are always choices.” He intentionally lowered his voice, drawing her attention.
“I know and I set one in motion this morning.”
Her practiced pout was replaced by a triumphant grin and Allen tensed. “I know that look. What are you up to?”
“Milo has a new toy, some sort of long-range DNA scanner. It’s only a prototype now, but --”
“There is no such thing as a DNA scanner. Genetic mapping has become routine, but it still requires an initial sample.”
“Well, then Milo has invented one, because I contracted Cruz to steal it for me.”
He folded his hands to keep from throttling her. It took all the control he could muster to appear calm. “You sent our most valuable operative to steal a nonexistent prototype?”
“Won’t you feel stupid when Cruz turns it over to me right on schedule?” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and glared.
“When is he scheduled to return?”
“I gave him three days. Milo was going to send either Tayla or Emily and I wanted him to have some time to play.”
“You set Cruz loose on Emily? Gods, woman, I had no idea how malicious you really are. That creature makes my skin crawl.”
She shrugged, bending her fingers so she could study her elaborately sculpted fingernails. “I don’t know that it will be Emily. That nosy reporter would be just as good.”
“Little liar. You want it to be Emily, and you know it. You’ve been looking for a way to get back at her for years. You better pray she doesn’t hide sexual deviance under her prim and proper persona. This plan could backfire in more ways than you can imagine.” He dismissed the subject with a superficial smile. “But if it makes you happy, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
“Superstitions are a waste of time. I arrange things as well as I can and move out of the way.”
“That’s an interesting attitude.” And he only wished it were true. She was a passive-aggressive nightmare. “What if I told you that there was something we could do to arrange things far more to our advantage?”
She paused, eyes owlish as she asked, “What are you talking about?”
“We’re in agreement that your predecessors took the project in the wrong direction?”
“Morphs were a mistake. They should have expanded the concept of hybrids.” She scooted to the edge of her chair, all traces of the drama queen gone. For the moment.
“Exactly.” He’d been waiting for the right moment to approach her with this strategy. It was brazen and highly controversial. Milo’s meddling had created a hostile environment for DOMA, in turn opening the door for him much sooner than expected. “I propose we wipe the slate clean and start over.”
Her gaze narrowed and her lips pursed. “How? Even if we walked away from the colonies, we’d never be allowed to --”
“That’s not what I’m proposing.” He cleared his throat and scooted closer to the desk. “There’s a safety mechanism built into the genome of every morph. When triggered, it causes cellular deterioration and death. I suggest we activate it.”
She shuddered, averting her gaze. “This was considered before the colonies were built. Everyone disregarded the strategy. No one wanted to be responsible for… genocide.” She whispered the word with obvious dread.
“That’s the beauty of my suggestion.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “My researchers have found a delivery mechanism that will make it look spontaneous. We slip it into their water supply and walk away.”
Silence descended on the office. She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them, covered her mouth with her hand, then pushed to her feet. Stepping closer, she planted her palms on the desktop and leaned toward him. “There’s one small problem with your plan.”
He arched his brow, waiting for her objection while he ogled her half-exposed breasts.
“Everyone on the planet will blame me!” She pushed off the desktop and straightened her spine.
“Everyone on the planet will suspect you. There’s a big difference.” Her nipples created distinct peaks even through her jacket. His sex hardened and his pulse raced. He had her! All he had to do was quash her fear and he had her. “Every medical test on the planet will prove your innocence. It will look like a spontaneous breakdown of their DNA. Religious fanatics will blame it on God’s wrath. Genetic purists will say that’s what happens whenever we start screwing with the natural order of life.”
“And after the… slate is wiped clean?”
“We accept the offer of one of the countries who have begged us to relocate. We’ll have to be discreet, start slowly. But we can pursue our own agenda this time.”
Her lips quirked in a pouty little smile. “How long have you known about this new delivery mechanism?”
“A couple of weeks,” he lied. It had taken a year to silence his conscience. Accepting responsibility for thousands of deaths wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. “I was waiting for just the right time. Now, I have another idea.”
“What sort of idea?” She slipped out of her jacket and kicked off her heels, obviously guessing the nature of his suggestion.
“I know how you love games, and I have a new one I’d like to try.” They had played all sorts of games since he walked in after a meeting and found her screwing his assistant on his desk. Rather than being embarrassed or shamed, he’d seen a glimpse of her true nature burning in her leaf green eyes.
“Go on.” She dragged her index finger along the desktop as she rounded the desk.
“I have several coms that can’t wait, but I don’t want you to become bored. I propose you kneel on the floor and do whatever you want with my body, as long as you stay out of sight.”
She considered the possibilities for a moment, then a slow, salacious grin parting her lips. “What happens if I make you come?”
“What would you like to happen?”
“You bend over your desk, drop your pants, and let me use a strap-on.” Her reply came without hesitation and Allen whimpered.
Chapter Four
Trembling with emotions he didn’t understand, Cruz kissed his way up the inside of Emily’s thigh. Her scent grew stronger as he neared his destination. She lay sideways, body spanning the narrow bed. One of her legs dangled toward the floor, the other rested over his shoulder.
Cream slicked her inner thighs and drew his attention to her delicate folds. Already she was deeply flushed and ready to be claimed. But he wanted this, needed her taste in his mouth as he pushed into her hot passage.
He sucked and licked, drawing nearer to her dusky cleft. She fidgeted and murmured, making restless needy sounds that urged him onward. His lips brushed against her sex and she stilled. He shifted her other leg to his shoulder as well, then rotated both legs out until her ankles crossed behind his head.
Pausing, he drew in her scent, saturating his ravenous senses. She arched as he lowered his head and he squeezed her hips. “Be still. Relax and let me know you.”
“Yes, Sir.” Her thighs remained tense, but she stopped thrashing.
He caressed her folds with his lips and his tongue, learning her texture as well as her taste. It was a primal exploration, undeniably sexual, yet something different, something more. He devoured her cream, then savored her flesh, pressing her folds between his lips and pushing his tongue deep into her opening. He stroked around and beside, but avoided direct contact with her clit. She hadn’t asked permission to come and one firm suck would have her blasting into orgasm.
; She grew restless again, her abdomen tightening as her breasts quivered. “What’s the matter, love?” He pushed two fingers into her core and raised his head.
“Are you punishing me because I came so fast before?”
“Does this feel like punishment?” He slowly drew his fingers out, then thrust them in again.
She gasped and shivered. “No, but I really need to come.”
“And what did I tell you about that?”
Understanding widened her eyes and she licked her lips. “Please, Sir, may I come now? Right now!”
He chuckled and parted her folds with his tongue, triggering her climax with a firm swirl. Wanting to feel the ripples with his fingers, he thrust deep and kept the spasms going with his mouth. She cried out sharply and squeezed him with her inner muscles. He closed his eyes and imagined how the rolling pressure would feel around his aching cock.
Hot, demanding hunger spread through him like living fire. He had to be inside her, really inside her, pounding into her snug passage as she clung to him and moaned. He withdrew his fingers and grasped the underside of her knees, flipping her over as he pushed to his feet.
She cried out at his sudden aggression, but he needed her too badly to soothe her now. Once he was buried inside her he’d calm her, help her understand she was in no danger.
He grabbed her ass cheeks, giving them a nice firm squeeze. She screamed, her entire body bowing. Snatching back his hands, he stared down at the burns in horror. “I’m sorry. Oh, shit, I…” Heal her, now! With his palms still glowing, he forced his index finger beneath the suppression collar and fed energy into his hand. Pain stabbed into his throat and sliced through his shoulder. He ignored the sensations. Hotter. Agonizing.
Rhythmic pounding echoed in the room. The guards were trying to get in. He had to hurry.
Uninhibited Fire Page 5