Chapter 28
Kane took her hand as he led her down the track from the cave.
When she’d been growing up, Sam was the only person who had ever shown her any physical affection.
The only person who ever touched her, apart from medical staff.
Certainly, the colonel had never given her or Sam a hug.
Maybe from the start, he had known that he might, at some point, have to sacrifice one or the other of them and hadn’t felt hugging was appropriate under those circumstances.
By all accounts—or at least according to Christa—he had been a good father.
Christa, however, wasn’t his biological child.
She’d been one of the rejects from the genetic trials.
She had two human parents with added DNA from one of the original tribe.
But it had failed to take—or so they thought—and she’d been rejected from the program.
In fact, she had the four toes of the Kindred, and she was also very empathic.
Anyway—whatever. No doubt the colonel had given her plenty of hugs.
So Kaitlin had grown up not expecting physical contact and now she was finding it a little weird. Not unpleasant, just...weird.
“Are you all right?” Kane asked.
“Why?”
“You’re frowning.”
“I was just thinking that I’ve never really held hands with anyone before you.”
He grinned. “Neither have I—we’re clearly two of a kind. But I can’t help feeling that if I let you go, you might make a run for it.”
“I’m done running. For a little while anyway.”
“Good. I think I’ll keep hold of you anyway. Just in case. Besides, I quite like holding hands.”
“Me too.” She glanced around her. They were on a narrow trail leading through dense jungle. “Is this safe? I mean, are there wild animals?”
“Yes. But don’t worry, we have a bodyguard.”
“We do?” She glanced around, half-expecting to see one of the Kindred following them, armed with a weapon and ready to shoot. But she couldn’t see or hear anyone.
“There.” Kane waved a hand into the thick bush to the left of the trail.
At first, she couldn’t see anything. Then she made out the form of an enormous black cat, weaving through the shadows, his huge pads making no sound on the forest floor.
He appeared part shadow himself, then he turned his head and stared at her through yellow eyes. A shiver ran through her.
“I don’t think he likes me,” she murmured.
“He’s jealous because we’re holding hands.”
“I hope he doesn’t feel the need to get rid of the competition.”
“So do I.” He was silent for a moment. “He’s good. I’ve told him you’re a friend.”
“You can really talk to him?”
“Sort of. It’s not like I can talk to you and the others—it’s more thoughts and feelings and pictures. But he usually understands what I’m communicating.”
“Cool.” Something occurred to her. “Did Janelle talk to you about the Foci thing?”
“She mentioned it. But I don’t know anything more than she does. Less, actually—I’d never even heard of the term. Leila might know something, but if not, I’ll set up a call with my mother, and we’ll find out everything we can.”
“Thank you.”
She could hear a sound now—running water.
Up ahead, the trail widened onto an open area with a pool surrounded by smooth boulders.
At the far side of the clearing, water tumbled down a sheer rock face.
The pool looked cool and inviting, with a pale sandy beach.
She searched the water for any sign of movement that might indicate something lurking beneath the surface but saw nothing.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“I used to swim here a lot as a child.” He’d dropped her hand and was already tugging his shirt over his head. She stood and stared. He was perfect, all long and lean, sleek muscle under golden skin, with a line of silky dark hair that disappeared into the waistband of his pants.
He’d stopped moving and she forced her gaze up to his face, to find him watching her through half-closed eyes. Heat stirred in her belly.
She blinked, breaking the contact, then took a step toward him.
“Take off your clothes, Kaitlin.”
His voice was like dark velvet, caressing her ears and sending shivers running down through her body.
She stood for a moment, counting her breaths, then she took hold of the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head.
Kicking off her boots, she unfastened her jeans and wriggled out of them, leaving her in black panties and black bra, her bare toes digging into the soft sand.
Kane kept his eyes on her as he unfastened his pants and pushed them down revealing a truly impressive erection. He got them tangled as he tried to kick off his boots and swore, and she almost smiled. Then he was free, and he straightened up and faced her, and the smile was wiped from her face.
She’d never seen anything quite so perfect in her life.
Suddenly, she needed him to know her thoughts, to understand how he made her feel.
She took a step toward him and rested her hand on his chest. His skin was warm and silky. Raising her gaze to his face, she stared into his blue eyes. They were the same intense blue as the sky arching over their heads.
“I want you in my mind,” she murmured.
Shock flared on his face, and for a moment he was still. Then he gave her a slow smile. “I wasn’t going to hold out, you know.”
She flashed a glance at his dick, huge and long and almost vertical against his belly. “Yeah, I’d guessed that. But that’s not why I changed my mind. I want you in there. I’ve got nothing to hide from you. Though I do have to warn you, my mind can get pretty chaotic.”
He cupped her cheeks and stared down into her eyes. He made her feel small and protected. Then she felt the soft brush of his mind against hers. For a minute, they were silent as he searched her thoughts. A slow smile curled his lips, and she released her breath.
She’d been scared. Terrified he wouldn’t like what he found in there.
“Well, at least you’re not thinking of me as ‘that asshole Kane’ anymore.”
“No, not anymore.”
“I like your mind. Hell, I love your mind. It was what I first loved about you. What I’ll always love about you.
” He frowned. “You think you don’t know what love is.
I’ll show you, but for now, let’s swim.” He raised a brow.
“You should lose the rest of your clothes. You don’t want the crocs to tear them. ”
“Hah.” But she stepped back and unhooked her bra. She dropped it onto her jeans, then pushed her panties down her legs. Finally, she was as naked as he was.
For the first time in her life, she felt shy. She glanced away, until he took her chin and turned her to face him. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I was just thinking the same about you.”
“I know.”
He moved suddenly, scooping her up in his arms. Striding to the pool, he waded in. Then he dropped her. The water was cold against her heated skin; it went up her nose and she surfaced snorting. She stood, hands on her hips, water lapping at her breasts. “That was not nice.”
“When have I ever been nice?” he asked.
That made her go still, and she frowned.
“Don’t think I’m any different,” he said when she remained silent. “That I’m not an asshole. I’ll have my asshole moments, just as you’ll no doubt be a pain in the ass at some point in the not-too-distant future. It’s who we are.”
She supposed he was right. And the truth was, she didn’t want him to change. She’d never been particularly fond of “nice” people.
“Just as well,” he muttered.
“And yeah, I’ll probably be a pain in the ass, but I’ll try and give you a little time first. And I do promise I won’t steal your time machine.”
“And I’ll promise not to blow up the world. And the time machine is not mine.”
“Hah. I’ve been in your head. You’re very possessive.”
“I am. You’re mine now and don’t you forget it.”
She heard the last words in her mind. Part of her liked it. Part of her didn’t. She didn’t belong to anyone. She might lend herself to him, but she wasn’t a possession, and he could get that out of his head right now.
He must have caught the thoughts because he gave her a small smile. “It’s a two-way thing. I’m yours, too. I know you’re wary, and I don’t blame you. I’ve had longer to get used to the idea than you. You’ve been fighting it for so long that it’s hard for you to accept.”
She snorted. “You think?”
“I know. Now if you want to swim, then swim. Because I need to make love to you. If I don’t get inside you soon, I might explode.”
Heat washed over her skin and her nipples tightened. She felt the need as well, but at the same time, she was enjoying this build-up, the sense of inevitability.
They would make love.
The world wasn’t due to end for a few weeks.
She turned and dived under the water and swam the distance across the pool, then came up at the far side.
She swam a couple of laps, loving the stretch of her muscles, getting out the kinks.
Finally, she came up under the waterfall and stood, letting the water pound down on her.
She closed her eyes and raised her face.
It felt so good. When she opened her eyes, her gaze locked on Kane, still standing where she had left him.
He ducked under the surface, then headed her way with long powerful strokes that cut through the water.
He swam like he did everything else—with power and purpose.
He surfaced right beside her, so close that he only needed to take one step for his chest to brush against her sensitive nipples.
Her breasts swelled, and heat sank down in her belly as he lowered his head and took her mouth in a slow, lingering kiss.
When he raised his head, his eyes were dark with passion.
“Are you ready to do this now?”
She didn’t need to think. The decision was made when she let him into her mind. She nodded and he gave her another slow smile, his eyelids drooping, nostrils flaring.
“At fucking long last.”
He moved closer, his hands sliding down her skin, skimming her waist, then cupping her ass. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him, her fingers gripping his shoulders. She could feel him all the way along the length of her body. His skin burned hot against hers.
He kept his hands on her ass, his fingers kneading her flesh as he carried her out of the water and onto the grassy bank.
Her legs tightened around him as he sank to his knees, lowering her to the ground.
Then he was kissing her, his mouth hard, his tongue pushing inside, and she opened to him.
His hard hands were on her breasts, his fingers tugging at her nipples.
She arched her back, pushing into him, then rolled her head to the side, and her gaze caught on a pair of yellow eyes, staring at them from the bushes.
“We have an audience.”
“I don’t care.”
“Neither do I.”
Then his mouth was on her breasts, hot and wet, licking and sucking her nipples, and all conscious thoughts fled her mind as she gave herself up to the pleasure.
She could feel him hard against her belly.
Her sex felt hot and swollen, and she opened her thighs for him as his hand slid down over her skin, through the curls at the base of her belly.
An insistent pulse was beating at her core.
And then he was there, where she needed him most.
She’d never felt this wild, this out of control.
Never experienced such a burning need. She was on the edge of flying, and she pushed up against him, needing to get closer.
As he slid one finger along the line of her sex, pushing inside, gliding over the bundle of nerves, she exploded into a thousand pieces, the orgasm taking her by surprise, and she arched her back and screamed.
She was hardly aware of him moving, positioning himself at the entrance to her body. Then he went still, and she opened her eyes to find him gazing down at her. She opened her mind and let him inside, let his thoughts and feelings mingle with her own. Let his desire feed hers.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She gave a small nod; she wasn’t sure she could speak at that point.
“Thank God.”
And then he filled her with one firm flex of his powerful body. He was big, and he stretched her, and for a moment, they both remained motionless. Then he slowly pulled out of her, and she clasped her legs around him to hold him to her. He pushed back in, and the sensation was exquisite.
She felt him everywhere, all through her body, in her blood, along her nerves. For the first time, she knew what this act should truly be like between two people. Forging a bond, both mental and physical.
He nodded as though knowing her thoughts, which of course he did. “I feel it as well.”
Then he was moving, and she concentrated on that place where their bodies joined. He was moving harder and faster now, slamming into her, and she could feel the strength and power he still kept leashed.
She needed him to let go, to give her everything. To be as out of control as she felt. She gripped his shoulders, pulled his head down toward her, and kissed him, her tongue plunging into his mouth in time with his thrusts into her body.
He went wild, raging into her, and she could feel the pleasure building again, climbing to such impossible heights, she wasn’t sure she would survive the inevitable fall.
Then she was coming, spasming around him, and she felt the moment when the pleasure burst through him as well, felt his orgasm, powering her own so she came again and again. Each time she came down, he ground against her, and the pleasure burst again.
“Too much.”
Only she wasn’t sure who said the words. Her or Kane.