In Heat

by Leigh Wyndfield

  "Are you okay?" Jax whispered into her ear, making her shiver with need.

  "I'm not feeling well."

  She jumped as his arm came around her, pulling her into his body. "Does your head hurt?" His voice sounded so concerned. She wanted to scream at him for making her want him this much, but she forced herself to stay calm.

  "Don't touch me, Jax," she said into her hands.

  His arm stiffened, but he didn't pull away. "What's wrong?" This time some of the concern was replaced by command.

  She sighed. Now he was going to get all bossy on her. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

  She needed to bathe so badly, she could smell herself. Her hands were grimy on her face. Three days with only a splash of water to rinse with would have been too much by itself, even without this need crawling through her.

  "Nothing's wrong."

  "Bullshit, Waverly. You're strung tighter than I've ever seen you."

  "Oh and you've seen me so many times." She met his gaze, anger racing through her, mixing with desire. "How long have I even known you Jax? Four days?"

  Jax studied her face as if he could find the reason there for her uncharacteristic bitch session. "What's going on here?"

  "Nothing," she said, dropping her head back down. She shouldn't take it out on him. It wasn't his fault her heat lasted so much longer.

  His arm tightened, and he ran his hand down the side of her body, making her gasp. "Hey, what's wrong?" He repeated the stroke.

  "I'm still in heat," she said into her grubby fingers.

  Jax's head dropped beside hers to catch her words. She wanted to pull him closer and run her tongue into his mouth. Her fingers itched to rub against the front of his pants. She gripped her head tighter to keep her hands to herself.

  "Did you just say you're still in heat? I'm having a hard time hearing you with your hands over your mouth."

  "Go to hell, Jax."

  "Hmmm. I guess you did." He started turning circles on her back.

  "Stop touching me."

  "How bad is it?" he asked, not moving away.

  "Bad." She raised her head, tears filling her eyes. She wanted him so badly, it literally hurt. Jax stroked her hair out of her face.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't know." With his finger under her chin, he stopped her from looking down. "We don't have privacy here."

  Fourteen other people crowded the circular room of the transport. Most were sleeping. They had been on this ship for the last twenty hours.

  Jax seemed to consider for a moment, then said, "Take off your jacket."

  She opened her mouth to protest. It was cool in the ship. Then she closed it and followed his directions.

  Taking the jacket from her, he said, "Lay across my lap with your head against my chest."

  He helped her get into the position he wanted, with her half sitting sideways on his lap, and placed the coat over her body like a blanket.

  Jax kissed her forehead. Her pulse increased with the small, sweet gesture.

  "Don't tease me, Jax. I'm on the edge here."

  "Oh, I'm not planning to tease you." He ran a finger down her cheek. "In two hours, we'll be on Jimlee, and I promise I'll find us a place where we can hole up for awhile." He shifted her, pressing her closer. "Hold on to me."

  She wrapped her arms around his chest. Jax put the heel of his hand at the top of her thighs and moved it in a small circle. She moaned.

  "Don't make a sound and don't squirm around." He stopped moving his hand. "Okay?"

  "Yes." The word came out as a gasp of need. "Please don't stop." Waverly wanted to scream with frustration.

  "I'm not going to stop until you get some relief," he promised.

  He circled again. Waverly rolled her face into his chest to keep herself from crying out. The pure male scent of him surrounded her, not as strong as it had been a few days ago, but still him. It made her even hotter. She bit lightly at his nipple through his shirt and moved her own hand to rest on the rising erection she felt between their bodies.

  "Woman," he growled. He disengaged her hand. "I'll need to wait to have my pleasure."

  He fumbled at the top of her pants, then slipped below her underwear. She almost cried out when he touched her clitoris. Shooting waves of pleasure ran through her, radiating out from that one place. Her body convulsed, the pleasure more intense since she had to keep it bottled inside. Lying there, immobile and silent, was an exquisite form of torture.

  She came on the third stroke. Only three turns of his finger, and he had her gasping into his shirt.

  Jax left his finger pressed against her and hugged her into his chest with his other hand. "I want you so badly right now, it's all I can do not to take you with fourteen sets of eyes looking on," he whispered into her ear. Then he kissed her cheek.

  Waverly felt a slow burn start again the moment he removed his hand and zipped up her pants. She wondered how long she would want him like this. If this all-consuming desire was one-sided, she was in serious trouble.

  CHAPTER TWO RAIN AFTER THE DESERT

  Jax walked off the transport into the rain. The air was warm, although not uncomfortably so, and the rolling green hills of Jimlee surprised him. It had been a long time since he'd seen the lush beauty of his home planet.

  Beside him, Waverly laughed, holding her hands straight out from her body to catch the rain in her palms. She turned a circle, causing the rest of the passengers to part and walk around her with curious stares.

  "It's heaven here."

  He smiled, watching her joy instead of Jimlee. She reveled in the feel of the rain, shrugging out of her jacket in the warm pressing heat of the planet. Letting it drop to the ground, she turned again. She'd switched into her own body armor when they'd gone to Alexander's house, and it fit her like a glove. Shanks, she was beautiful, with her clothes sticking to her skin, outlining her slim body, her breasts pressed forward, her face savoring the moment. Jax decided he liked her happy.

  She caught enough raindrops in her hands to splash her face. They were both filthy. Dirt ran off his own body as the shower slowly soaked him to the skin. Dropping his bags to the ground, he gave Waverly her moment.

  When she stripped off her body armor, Jax had to refrain from stopping her. On Sector 12, people wore it almost all the time. Even in the heat, it was better to sweat than to be killed by a passing blaster pulse. Her shirt became drenched within seconds. She turned another circle, and he realized she was so caught up in a world of her making, that she had unbuttoned her shirt.

  He didn't stop her. He couldn't. When she'd come in his arms earlier, he'd almost orgasmed with her. He wanted her badly.

  Dropping her shirt to the ground, Waverly raised her hands to the sky, her body slick with rain. The slow circle revealed her back. She'd tucked a blaster into the top of her pants below her bra. He wondered for a second when she'd put it there.

  Then his gaze wandered up to the tattoo.

  It brought him crashing back to reality. He waited until her back was to him once more to confirm that he'd really seen it.

  There it was. The Screamin' Eagle. On a mythical planet called Earth, there had been a bird called an Eagle, which had symbolized courage and strength. It was also the symbol of the Cronus Flight School, the toughest pilot school in the galaxies. Only the small number of people who finished the program got to wear it. A tiny number of women were admitted. A fraction of these completed the grueling months of training.

  And there his mate stood, almost naked to the waist, with an ugly, fierce tattoo of a mythical bird on her shoulder blade.

  Jax realized he didn't know her, didn't know about the flight school or why she was separated from her family, or any of those little details that make a person who they are inside. But he would, he vowed. He'd ask her tonight about her past, after he'd had her repeatedly, and they lay entwined in bed.

  Something moved off to his right, and he looked away from Waverly's sensuous movements.

  A man stood watching.


  An immediate need to cover her swelled up through his body. Jealousy burned on its heels. He bent to grab her shirt.

  Waverly grinned, oblivious to his feelings. He forced himself to smile. "You have an audience, mate," he said, needing to say the last word to stake his claim on her, to stop some of the foreign feelings that flew though him.

  She turned until she saw the man. "He's looking at you, not me."

  Jax jammed one of her hands into the wet cloth and looked up only after he had her shirt on.

  The man watched him now.

  Jax squinted his eyes, trying to see him better in the rain. There was something vaguely familiar about him.

  Waverly buttoned her shirt, while he picked up her body armor. Slipping it over her head, he pulled the sides closed with an extra jerk and glanced back at the man again. He approached them now. Jax grabbed her jacket and waited. He had a bad feeling about this.

  "Jaxon." The man put out his hand in the Jimlee greeting. "I thought it might be you."

  Jax didn't offer his hand in return. "Who are you?" he asked, his tone sharp. He stepped partially in front of Waverly. Every instinct told him this man was a threat, but he couldn't place his face. In any case, he wanted his mate covered.

  Waverly stroked his back in a calming caress.

  "You don't recognize me?" The man's eyes widened with surprise. "I'm your father's secretary, Caelen."

  Jax had a flash of memory, one from his trial. Caelen had come to take notes for his father, who hadn't attended. Yes, he remembered now. "How did you know I was here? Did my father send you?" Jax hadn't planned to meet with his father for several days. He wanted to rest, bathe and love Waverly first.

  "No, actually this was just chance. I'm here to see my wife off. She's traveling to Borrus for the Inter-world Council session." Caelen stared at Waverly while he spoke. He wanted to ask about her, Jax could tell. Jimlee culture considered it rude to speak to someone who hadn't been introduced first. "Your father will want you to come to him immediately. He has missed you these seven years."

  The minute Caelen said the words, Jax knew he was stuck. He would have to go, even dressed like a dirty street beggar. If his father found out Jax hadn't gone to him immediately, Jax would have a harder time convincing him of his innocence. Although why in the hell it mattered to him, he didn't know.

  Still, Jax didn't want to go. He ached for Waverly and not just for sex. He needed long hours holding her.

  "We will need to clean up somewhat," he said, hoping Caelen would hold off for a few hours before telling his father they were on planet.

  "You can use the washrooms at Romely," Caelen said, not giving Jax what he wanted. The secretary turned and walked away, fully expecting them to follow.

  "I can't meet your father like this," Waverly said behind him.

  Jax took in her soaking wet clothes and hair hanging in strings around her face. Unable to help himself, he touched her cheek in a small caress. He left a smug of dirt where he touched her. Attempting to brush it off, he only succeeded in leaving a bigger streak. He hummed in frustration.

  "If there was a way we could get out of this, believe me, I would take it. But Jimlee culture dictates seeing family when you first arrive on the planet. It would be a serious breach of custom." Rain ran down his neck into his collar. Jax resisted the impulse to wipe it away. Not that it would make things worse. He was filthy.

  He looked at Caelen's retreating back. "I guess we should follow him." His tone sounded reluctant even to his own ears. As much as he'd longed to be home, the reality was that he didn't think he'd be welcome there. Picking up the bags, he held his free hand out to Waverly. It was time to finish what was started seven years ago.

  * * * *

  Caelen set a brisk pace through the city to the Romely headquarters. The older man disappeared through double doors into the large, imposing building. Romely Corporation had been in Jax's family for generations now. It was one of Jimlee's biggest traders. The company specialized in luxury items, constantly pushing to gain market share and hold onto its massive wealth.

  Jax had grown up preparing to be at the helm when he came of age. The thought usually excited him and filled him with pride, but climbing the steps before the building, he wasn't sure he wanted to lead anymore. Fighting off corporate rivals didn't seem as important after he'd spent seven years fighting for his life.

  They entered the building without speaking. Jax found it hard to concentrate on anything but the coming moment with his father.

  His father had believed Jax sold the weapons he had been caught with seven years ago. He'd made it clear that while he loved Jax, he was disappointed in him and supported his banishment to teach his son maturity and proper decorum.

  Standing there on the transport platform before he'd left, Jax had felt an overwhelming hatred for the man who had raised him.

  Now he felt frustration, combined with a hopeless longing, two things he didn't like feeling.

  Jax stopped for a second to take in the sumptuousness of the lobby. Waverly gasped beside him, and he knew she was shocked by the wealth surrounding them. Red plush carpeting ran the length of the room. Huge crystal chandeliers hung two storeys above their heads. Wood paneling covered the walls, broken only by full-scale paintings of Jax's forefathers.

  After years on Sector 12, the room overwhelmed Jax, making him feel ten times grubbier than he had only minutes before. Heads turned as they walked to the far door leading to his father's private offices.

  Waverly clutched his hand tightly. Her eyes darted, and she had a white-knuckled hold on him.

  Leaning over, he whispered, "Don't panic. We're together, that's what's important."

  "Let me wait outside for you," she whispered back, her eyes wide as she stared at Uncle Rupart hanging on the wall beside them.

  "And miss all the fun? Not on your life."

  Her head whipped around, her gaze snapping. "Are you trying to annoy me?"

  "There you are. For a second I thought you'd lost your nerve on me."

  "I'm filthy."

  "Yes." Jax pulled back to stare at her for a moment. He didn't see dirt, he saw his woman. His cock hardened and he quickly looked forward again.

  "I smell," she hissed.

  He leaned close to catch a whiff of her as she passed under his arm through the door to the back offices. "You do smell. Like rain and desire and cinnamon."

  Waverly met his gaze, then gave him a little smile. "You do know how to make me feel better, don't you?"

  "I would hope so, considering you're my mate."

  She narrowed her eyes, her face turning stubborn. "You don't know that for sure."

  "Of course I do." Jax grinned at her irritation. He liked her better in this mood than when she'd been intimidated.

  Caelen cleared his throat to get their attention. "The washrooms are over there," he said, pointing to two doors.

  Jax handed Waverly her bag. "Take your time. He's probably busy so we'll have to wait for him anyway."

  Nodding, she disappeared through a door marked "Females." Jax fought the desire to follow her. He would have to be patient. His father wasn't someone who liked to be kept waiting and he would know within minutes that Jax was on the planet, so Jax had to deal with him.

  With sadness in his heart, Jax went into the other washroom--alone.

  CHAPTER THREE JAX CHANGES HIS MIND

  Waverly looked at her face in the mirror and gasped. "Shanks! I look terrible!"

  She locked the door and stripped out of her clothes. Jax said they had time, but she'd still have to rush if she was going to have any chance at looking decent. If his father worked here, he had to be some sort of a bigwig, and that made her appearance even more important.

  A stench filtered up from her clothes, now that she had them off. Ugh! Naked, she grabbed a hand towel from beside the sink and wet it. With fast sweeps, she cleaned her body using a special soap from her pack. Her hair was a mess, but she patiently worked her way
through it with a brush. It would have to stay like this. She didn't have time for more.

  Searching though her pack, she put on underwear and a pair of black pants. Then she pulled a black flight shirt over her head. It was the nicest thing she had with her. She tugged on her tall boots. Returning the blaster to rest in her waistband, Waverly looked at herself in the mirror.

  Blue-on-blue eyes stared back at her from a face that was pretty enough, she supposed. On impulse, she went back to her bag for the small makeup case. She outlined her eyes in a dark gray and slashed red gloss across her lips.

  It was the best she could do, so it would have to be enough.

  Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door. She'd rather fly without navigational systems than face Jax's father unwashed and without proper clothes.

  Before she could go out, Jax forced her back into the bathroom. He leaned against the door, the lock snapping as the bolt went home.

  "Jax?" Waverly blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. Her mouth itched to feel his, while her body throbbed with desire at the sight of him.

  His nostrils flared wide as if he could smell her desire, and he straightened. He took two steps towards her, his movements aggressive and predatory, and leaned down slowly.

  "Hello beautiful. I missed you," he breathed in her ear.

  Waverly's whole body trembled. "Your father," she whispered.

  "I tried to fight it but lost. I need to touch you. And you can't expect me to think about him when you look at me that way. I want you so badly, I'm surprised my pants haven't ripped from the strength of this erection I've had since you came in my lap."

  Waverly closed her eyes and took a deep breath to center herself. Instead, his scent filled her lungs and invaded her body. "Dammit."

  He tipped her head to make her look at him. "If you're still in heat, I know you must be hurting worse then I am. And I'm hurting so badly, I'm going to do something that probably isn't such a good idea." He grinned, his eyes shining with a wicked space-pirate's gleam. "Don't say anything." His lips smoothed over hers, increasing her heart rate with a leap. "We have to be quick."