Ruthless Game

  He had known it was a dangerous game he was playing with himself. The likelihood of meeting her had been small, but he'd developed a need to see her every day, even if from a distance. He thought he'd hidden his growing need very well, but obviously Whitney had known. Rose had once asked Kane what his weakness was, and he'd replied honestly that it was her, Rose. Whitney had known all along.

  Kane rolled over and linked his hands behind his head. Rose did the same. They lay staring at their toes. Her foot was nearly half the size of his, and he rubbed his along hers, wiggling his toes. She laughed, and he closed his eyes briefly, savoring the sound. He threaded his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his mouth to nibble some more on her.

  "I knew you came out into the yard three times a day, the gym once, and the training buildings twice a day. I traded shifts and pulled doubles so I could be where you were. I felt like a damned stalker, but after a few times, I couldn't help myself."

  She turned her head, her dark, almond eyes wide and a little shocked. "Before Whitney paired us?"

  He bit down on her finger and then sucked the sting away. "Way before."

  "Are you certain he didn't pair us before you ever saw me? Because I was pretty much--to the best of my ability--doing the same thing to you."

  Her voice was a little shy as she admitted it to him, stealing his heart even more. "If the body reaction was anything to go by, I'd say no to that, Rose. Once he did his thing, every time I got close to you, I couldn't control myself, and I'm pretty damned disciplined in that department." He looked down at his heavy erection. "I still can't. Fortunately, I don't want to."

  Her gaze caressed his thick shaft hungrily. "Then let me see what I can do to help out."

  "I want to be inside you. You're only making me crave you more."

  Her face lit up, and he inwardly groaned. That had been the wrong thing to say. She sat up, her hair swinging around her face in all directions, sexy as hell. He groaned, knowing he was lost. The woman had a hold on him and was slowly but surely wrapping him around her little finger. He caught her finger and bit it, just to try to articulate without words what he thought about that particular fate.

  She laughed, leaned down, and took him deep into the heat of her mouth, without preamble, shocking him with sheer erotic magic. She engulfed him completely, pushing her head down, holding him tight for a moment, her throat working as if she might be swallowing and then, just as abruptly, she slid her lips lovingly back up his shaft, her tongue fluttering as she drew the sensitive mushroom head free. He saw stars.

  Rose sat up, quickly straddling his hips and very slowly, inch by slow inch, began to take him inside her body.

  "Rose," his faint protest came out strangled. His hands went to her hips, but he couldn't find the strength to lift her away from him. She'd engulfed the head of his shaft with sheer fire. He opened his mouth again, but nothing came out but a long-drawn-out groan of pleasure.

  "Yeah." She smirked at him. "That's what I thought you'd say."

  "Easy, then, sweetheart. We have to go easy."

  She smiled her mysterious smile. "I promise I'll be easy on you."

  She threw back her head, arched her back, reaching behind her with both hands to steady herself as she continued to lower herself on him. Due to breast-feeding, her breasts were large for her frame, emphasizing her narrow rib cage and slender hips. She looked so wild and sexy he could barely catch his breath, let alone protest.

  She did a lazy spiral with her hips, as his shaft penetrated deeper. The movement was exquisite on his cock, a slow gripping like a tight fist, closing around him in slow motion, drawing his shaft deeper into her tight, hot, silken sheath. The feeling was unlike anything he'd imagined, that slow, scorching clasp that took his breath and mind all at the same time. He heard his own heartbeat and reached up to press his hand over her heart so that it beat into his palm.

  She wiggled again, an aching circle as her body opened for him, accepting his invasion, taking him farther into her haven. She lifted her hips just a little and dropped down, seating herself to the hilt. His breath exploded from his lungs; the friction sent flames rushing out of control throughout his system. He felt as if his very skin sizzled with electricity.

  Eyes narrowed to slits, he watched every movement, as she began an unhurried sensual ride. He loved the undulating motion of her body, graceful and sinuous, her muscles flowing beneath her soft skin. Her eyes were slumberous, her lips parted. He stroked her silken skin, unable to keep his hands off her. She didn't like her milk to start flowing, thinking it messy; he loved the idea of her carrying and giving birth to his child. The evidence of it only inflamed him more.

  Her breasts jutted toward him, swaying gently, the nipples hard and peaked. She looked so beautiful with her skin flushed and her eyes slightly glazed. His shaft swelled even more with the attention. He was deeper than ever, thrusting up through those soft petal folds, meeting resistance with each stroke, and driving to meet her downward rhythm. Her muscles tightened around him, milking, eliciting a strangled groan from him.

  "You're going to make me crazy," he whispered, feeling on fire.

  She had an almost dreamy look on her face, concentrating on each rhythmic stroke as her body rose and fell. He gathered the strength in his body, and as she began her descent he drove up. She cried out, her head tossing.

  The feel of filling her, stretching her, her silken body reluctantly giving way for the steel of his shaft, bathing the broad, flared head filled with sensitive nerve endings with her scorching-hot feminine lubrication was an incomparable feeling. He knew he was coming far too close to adoration, but what the hell did it matter when he felt like this? When she looked like that?

  "That's right, sweetheart," he encouraged. His hands fell to her hips, urging her to keep going. He didn't want her to ever stop. He could feel every nerve ending as her silken body suckled his cock as she rose over him again.

  The mixture of such deep love shaking him and the rising lust as his body anticipated the explosion shook him. He actually felt her stomach muscles clench, and his followed suit. She shuddered with the effort to hold back as she lowered her body over his, circling, gripping, squeezing him tight so the sensation was almost excruciating, whether with pain or pleasure he couldn't quite comprehend.

  His hands gripped her hips harder, and he drove into her again as she came down. She cried out, as the ripples radiated through her body. He picked up the pace, thrusting deep over and over, taking them both careening over the edge. Little stars burst behind his eyes, and for a moment he swore there were fireworks exploding in his head--and maybe through his entire body as well.

  He flooded her body with jet after jet of his hot seed with her orgasm pulsing around him, still gripping hard and milking the last drop from him. He reached up and drew her down over him, her breasts pressing tight against his chest. The action sent powerful ripples through her body, and he shuddered with pleasure as the almost brutal pressure squeezed his cock.

  Rose would forever hear her own heart beating wildly. The sound roared in her ears and pounded through her veins. She hadn't had many sensual experiences, but each time he touched her felt incredibly sensual. The erotic orgasm continued to pulse through her body with shocking intensity. She lay with her head on his chest, allowing, just for a moment, true terror to hold her in its grip.

  Kane could shatter her with the wrong look. The wrong touch. One word. He owned her. Shared her skin. Her heart. Even her soul. She touched her head to his heaving chest, inhaling him. This man. Her man. Her body came apart and flew. Her soul did the same. She'd never considered, all those months ago, that he would become such a part of her that she wouldn't want to have to find a way to live without him.

  It all came down to trust. She'd trusted him with her body. And with her son. And now with her heart. She had just given herself to him. All of her. Every inch. Was that what love was supposed to be? Handing the very core of your being into another's keeping? The doing o
f it was terrifying. Exhilarating. So unexpected.

  Kane's arms were comforting, as was his scent. She stayed right where she was, straddling his hips, her thighs hugging his, feeling safe, even as she felt totally exposed. He stroked her hair, his hands gentle. She always found his gentleness surprising. He was a big man and looked as dangerous as hell. She wasn't used to gentleness or caring. She hadn't known she could feel the way she did about anyone, let alone a man.

  Because of Kane, she had Sebastian. She had a home. A life. At least the opportunity for those things if she had the courage to see it through.

  "Are you crying, sweetheart?" Kane asked.

  His tone, unfailingly understanding, made her want to weep the tears that remained gathered behind her eyes. "Not exactly. It's just that you've given me so much, Kane."

  His hand stilled in her hair. "It's the other way around, Rose. I wasn't fully alive until you came into my life. I wasn't unhappy, but then I didn't know enough to be. You showed me what life could be like."

  Rose's heart took a slow, somersaulting turn. He'd described in words exactly how she felt about her life. She knew the few soldiers she'd met felt sorry for her, but neither she or her "sisters" felt that way about their lives. They didn't know any other way to live. They had enjoyed many aspects of their childhood. It had been harsh and even at times cruel, but they had been close and enjoyed the physical activities they excelled in.

  Now, after feeling an alien in a strange world when she'd been on her own, she realized she hadn't known real happiness. Kane had shown that to her. He had brought her so much, and if he ever betrayed her ...

  A small sob escaped, and she clamped down on it immediately, ashamed of her weakness.

  "Baby," Kane soothed. "Listen to me. You have to look at me while I tell you this. I know when you look into my eyes, you know when I'm speaking the truth."

  Baby. He'd never called her by that specific endearment. She wasn't a baby, but she felt newly born. The caress in his voice shook her almost as much as the tenderness. Rose took a deep, steadying breath and forced herself to lift her head. If he hadn't heard what her body had said to him, he would see it when he looked into her face. She loved him with every breath she took, and she was terrified. She'd put herself into his hands without meaning to do so, and now he had all the power.

  Kane's green eyes searched her face for what seemed a long time before meeting her gaze steadily. "I can only guess how scared you are right now, Rose. I am too. Not of Whitney. Not of being a father. I can handle both of those things, but of you--us. I've never felt so vulnerable to another human being. You have my heart, Rose. It sounds stupid and corny and I'm not that kind of man to say pretty words women like to hear, but if I could--if I could find the right way to say you terrify me without sounding like an idiot--I would."

  Happiness swept through her. He was right; she could see the naked truth in his eyes. She liked that he deliberately made himself so vulnerable to her, exposing his feelings and trusting that she wouldn't ... betray him. He was telling her he understood, taking the chance before she could find the courage.

  She found his mouth almost blindly, melting into him, uncaring that her milk was beginning to flow, something that embarrassed her and made her feel decidedly not glamorous or sexy. She felt his firm lips heat, and her heart skittered in her chest. Kissing him was rather like tumbling into a beautiful dream. She could kiss him forever, for always. His hand bunched in her hair, sending a thrill down her spine. There was an instant response, his arms turning to steel, caging her, his mouth moving over hers, deepening the kiss until she thought her heart might explode from her chest.

  She raised her head slightly and looked down at him, the tip of her tongue sliding along his bottom lip, savoring the taste of him. "I'm scared too, Kane," she admitted. "I thought you were a logical choice for the father of my baby." A slight smile welled up. "You're very good-looking, and you have strength of character and integrity. There's no cruelty in you. No subterfuge. I thought we'd live together and be happy and comfortable."

  She watched the smile soften his beautiful mouth and creep into the vivid green of his eyes. "Comfortable?" he repeated and squirmed a little so that she felt him, semi-hard, moving deep inside her. "That might not be the best word to describe us together."

  The sensation along with that teasing, suggestive grin, set off tiny explosions throughout her body. "My point exactly. My body's reaction to you might be more than I expected, but with Whitney pairing us, I knew we'd be compatible sexually. I just didn't know how deeply I would feel about you. I thought it was too soon. Too fast. But I realize it's been growing in me since the very first day I saw you."

  "We're in this together." His voice was so tender, so gentle, she almost felt the sound like a caress washing over her skin. "And it will get rough, Rose. Whitney isn't going to let up just because we found each other. If something happens, you know I'll never stop looking for you. I would find both you and Sebastian. I'd come for you."

  She studied his face. He hadn't raised his voice. There was a quiet strength in Kane. A core of steel. He would never back down, never swerve from his chosen path. She shivered, thankful that she was his chosen path.

  "I know that," she replied, surprised that the conviction was strong in her.

  "You have to trust me, no matter how bad it gets, Rose. We can do it if we're together. That's the entire point of a pairing. We should have all the tools to defeat anything or anyone in battle together. He manipulated our DNA and enhanced us both physically and psychically to fit together in every conceivable situation, so together we're strong."

  Whitney had always been the all-powerful figure in her life. She'd never conceived of the idea of actually defeating him. She had run, but in the back of her mind, she'd accepted the idea that in the end he would reacquire her. She had wanted to make it as difficult as possible, and if she could, hide the baby where Whitney could never find him. She even accepted that Whitney might kill her for her actions, but always, she knew, he loomed large, a dark threat that would ultimately find her.

  She reached down and rubbed at the tattoo she'd grown so fond of. Instantly Kane covered her hand with his. "Did you tell Mack or Javier about the satellite?"

  She nodded uneasily. "Javier and Jaimie spent some time looking at it. I didn't mention because ... well ..." Her voice drifted off. The truth was, Whitney already knew where she was, and Kane had been unconscious a lot of the time. The tattoo had become the least of her problems.

  The doctor, who she distrusted on principle, had performed a three-hour surgery while she paced, nearly inconsolable, outside the door of the makeshift operating room. The last few weeks, she'd immersed herself in caring for Kane and the baby, and for once in her life, she'd allowed herself to think of nothing else, not even the threat of Whitney.

  Jaimie McKinley, who owned the building, had been nice to her, shopping for clothes and baby items, but nothing had mattered but Kane's recovery. She'd barely forced herself to get sleep, afraid if she closed her eyes, he would die. She'd kept Sebastian with them every minute, uncaring that the doctor wanted her to rest or that everyone had offered to watch the baby for her. Rather than accept help, she'd kept them all together.

  Jaimie brought meals, and men poked their heads in constantly to check on Kane, but she tried to ignore them, terrified but determined. She didn't want to admit she hadn't been exactly cooperative with his friends.

  A strobe went off, flashing in the bedroom, a signal the front door had been opened. Automatically, she slid off Kane and reached for her robe and the gun she kept inches from her fingertips.

  "Sweetheart, no one has the code but family," Kane said. "You just can't break Jaimie's codes."

  "Nevertheless." She crept silently across the floor and stood to one side of the door, the gun ready.

  CHAPTER 12

  "Dr. Lambert is here to check the baby, Rose," Jaimie McKinley called out, knocking even as she pushed open the door to the living
area. "You decent?"

  Rose tightened her hold on the gun and threw Kane an anxious look. "Why does he have to keep checking him?" she hissed, indignant. "He's a normal baby. The man acts like he's going to grow horns and a tail the way he carries on all the time."

  "Be right out," Kane called, shifting off the bed. "Sebastian is sleeping peacefully." He winced a little as he made his way toward the bathroom. "Offer them coffee." He stuck his head around the door. "But put some clothes on first. I don't want to have to kill anyone."

  "Offer them coffee," Rose muttered under her breath and dragged on her clothes as quickly as she could. She was a mess. Seed running down her thighs and milk dripping from her breasts. She hurried to the doorway of the bathroom. "I can't possibly ..." She broke off, seeing the laughter in Kane's eyes. He had pulled on a pair of jeans, and he grinned at her, clearly teasing. "You're so horrible."

  He bent his head to brush a kiss over her upturned mouth as he passed her. "The shower's all yours."

  She cast an anxious look toward the sleeping baby. "I don't want them touching Sebastian without me right there."

  His lashes flickered, sweeping down to cover his expression and then up so he was meeting her eyes. "Is trust already going out the window?"

  Remorse and guilt nearly crushed her, but she wasn't going to lie. "I don't trust them. I know you've known them a long time, but I haven't. Please be patient with me, Kane."

  "Jaimie is family--a sister to me. She'd walk into hell for me--for us. I don't know Eric well, but he's always been the doctor to the GhostWalkers," Kane said. "I don't expect instant trust for the others on your part, Rose, but I do expect you to have an open mind when it comes to my family."