Beyond the Edge (5 page)

“You can’t sleep in those clothes. Go change.”

“I’m fine.”

“All that tossing and turning is distracting me. And if I’m going to be distracted, it might as well be for a good cause.” He gentled his tone, but kept the ring of command. “Go change into that lace nightgown that’s hanging on the back of your door.”

“I haven’t agreed.”

She hadn’t said no, either. He’d taken a chance by snapping out the demand, knowing if she obeyed that she’d eventfully give him what he would ask for. “Do it. I want you to wear something sexy.”

Eyes full of fire, she stood and flung off the covers. And they locked gazes. He held his breath, wondering if she could find it within her to give up control. This moment wasn’t about her clothing, it was about whether she would follow his order.

Her eyes flashed with hesitation. And outrage. And interest.

He could see her fighting herself as she trembled. The air around them snapped with electricity. He waited, hoping she’d give in to what they both wanted.

And finally, head high, she headed up the stairs. He waited until she was partway up before speaking. “Fallon.” She halted on the stairs and glanced over her shoulder at him and he could have sworn desire rippled through her. “Don’t wear anything underneath it.”

F
ALLON WONDERED
if she’d lost her mind. Because she was going to do exactly as he asked. And while earlier, she’d thought to cooperate with the hopes of possibly intercepting some of his technical data for her country, she didn’t kid herself now. She wanted to do as Kane asked for the sheer pleasure of doing so. Just thinking about wearing her long, lace gown for him caused her mouth to go dry and her belly to pull with anticipation. While Fallon had never done anything like this before, if the idea of wearing that gown for him aroused her, she couldn’t imagine how much more exciting she’d find the actual act itself.

When she couldn’t bring herself to agree to his bargain, he’d taken the choice from her. She supposed if she wanted to be ill again, she could attempt to leave him, however, she’d much rather don the lace gown and see where her actions led.

So once she reached her room, she shucked her jeans and T-shirt and only hesitated at her panties and bra before those items joined the rest. And after she shimmied into the five thousand dollar Chanel nightgown, she figured it was worth every penny. Standing in front of her mirror, she fluffed her hair and grinned in satisfaction. The gown revealed streaks
and slashes of bare skin but still covered all the essentials. And she looked damn good in it. She watched her diet, exercised regularly, cross training between cycling, running and swimming. Still, she took a deep fortifying breath before heading back downstairs.

She knew so little about Kane. But her lack of knowledge made what she was doing all the more thrilling. Especially since she found him so attractive. And for once, she was going to forget her responsibilities and throw caution aside—even forget she could still hit the panic button. Because the idea of being totally at his mercy excited her more than any danger she’d ever placed herself in as an agent.

Chin high, she walked down the stairs, the lack of undergarments allowing her body freedom. Her breasts swaying against the lace felt decadent and decidedly perky as she anticipated Kane’s reaction.

Kane leaned back in the couch, his attention on the television, but apparently sensing her presence on the stairs, he looked up and caught her gaze. His bold stare raked her, and at her sudden hesitancy, his lips curled in cool amusement. Her flesh tingled with pleasant awareness, encouraging her progress. Seeing the satisfaction glimmer in his eyes that she’d done exactly as he asked caused her pulse to accelerate. He didn’t even pretend to divert his attention back to the television. As she advanced, each step toward him becoming more difficult, she realized that she’d agreed to their bargain in every way but words.

“Come.” As if sensing her second thoughts, he
held out his hand and gestured for her to join him. Determined to go through with whatever he requested, she placed one foot in front of the other and crossed the last few steps. He remained seated and opened his hand. In his palm was a shiny disk about the size of a dime. “This is part of the new technology I was telling you about.”

“What is it?”

“A body buff.” He held it out to her.

She picked up the innocent-looking disk by the edge between thumb and pointer finger. “What does it do?”

“It’s a multipurpose invention. Right now its primary purpose is to groom you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Once you place it flat on your skin, the program takes over. It can’t hurt you, and it won’t do anything you don’t want it to do.”

“My thoughts control it?”

“Not exactly. Mine do.” He shot her a challenging grin. “I programmed it to groom you the way I prefer. However, you can always override my decision if you don’t like what the body buff is doing.”

“I don’t know…”

“You must learn that I understand what you want and will give that to you.” He plucked the body buff from her fingers and placed it flat on her palm.

Curious but uncertain about what the gadget would do, she didn’t protest. The disk in her palm tingled pleasantly and of its own accord slid up to her neck—where it divided in half, then scooted back to
her fingers. She held up her hands and watched as the disks each cleaned, buffed and polished the nails of one hand with a plum-colored polish that dried upon contact.

“Amazing.” She admired the buff’s handiwork as it moved back up her arms and onto her face. She turned to watch her transformation in the mirror about the hearth. The body buff applied glitter over her cheeks, applied gloss on her lips and smudged eyeliner in a perfect line by her lashes. Automatically she closed her eyes and felt the featherlight touch of the disk over her lids while the other disk brushed blush on her cheeks. When it finished, she opened both eyes and stared at her reflection. It had applied a plum mascara and a soft sea-green eyeshadow. Never had she looked quite so exotic. Although she’d been made up by some of the best cosmetologists in the world, this coloring suited her skin exactly.

“Wow.”

She wasn’t quite done admiring the nifty device when the buffs promptly plunged below her neckline where she couldn’t see them. Immediately, the dual disks began to circle her breasts. Beginning at the outermost edges, the devices made a circuit over her skin, each circuit spiraling closer toward her nipples.

“Oh…my…God.” The sensation startled her, first with a wonderful warming, then a vibrating tingle. “What—”

“Relax. You’re enjoying the sensation or the buff would stop. It’s programmed to read your body’s signals.”

The prickling in her breasts was wonderful. Terrible. Arousing. And as the buffs glided over her skin, she felt them applying oil that seemed to make her flesh even more sensitive. “But what is it doing to me?”

“You may lower the gown to look if you like.” He laced his hands behind his head. And then he waited to see if she would reveal her breasts—but she wasn’t comfortable enough to stand in front of him and bare herself.

And then the disks found her nipples, and she almost jumped out of her skin. “Ah…it’s cold…now it’s hot.” She gasped as pleasure shot right to her core. Kane was staring at her breasts, her nipples now budding hard with arousal right through the lace material. Without thinking, she began to raise her hands to cover her reaction.

“Do not hide your pleasure from me.” His tone was not a request, not quite a demand.

She dropped her hands to her sides and wondered exactly when she’d lost the desire to do anything except what he commanded. Obeying his wishes made her realize how quickly he was conditioning her to submit to his orders. What she hadn’t understood was how much she would like it. She adored his attention on her, loved the way her body was heating up. One by one he was taking away her choices, liberating her so she had nothing to do but enjoy. He was directing the body buffs for her pleasure and it…was…
good.

Not having a choice was setting her free to enjoy
the sensations. Her breasts had never felt so tender, so achy, so feminine. But even better than the physical sensation was the idea of being so totally at his mercy.

“You like the body buffs on your breasts, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And do you know why it’s called a body buff, not a breast buff?”

“Because it buffs the entire body.” As soon as he led her thoughts to other possibilities, the body buffs dropped from her breasts to her stomach and skipped right down to her mons. And just like her breasts, they outlined the perimeter of the area.

But the vibration was very different. Her skin was…“Oh…my…are they shaving me?”

“Most of you.”

Kane’s eyes locked on hers and the intimate look combined with the knowledge of what his devices were doing made her legs weak. And yet, the sensations were indescribably delicious, tickling, gentle, softly mesmerizing. And since she liked it, they kept right on doing what they were doing.

Kane’s eyes twinkled. “Want to look?”

Yes.
“No.” Because that would mean he would look, too. And the idea of standing before him while his device performed such intimate tasks on her caused heat to flush her face.

“Spread your legs wider so the buff can do a proper job.”

She complied and her voice rose in surprise.
“It’s…sliding right…oh…oh.” One of the buffs had slid into the crease of her butt and was slowly going up and down and driving her insane. The other was sensuously gliding over her lips. Then one pulsing disc settled right on her clit. And the other in the most sensitive spot between her butt cheeks.

“Where are they now?” Kane asked, his tone demanding.

“You…know.”

“Tell me.”

She clamped her teeth down, refusing to answer. Kane acted as though he expected her resistance. He opened his hand and held out another disc. “By now your breasts could probably use more attention.”

Was he doubling the sensations because she hadn’t immediately answered him? She had no idea. But she was in no condition to resist him again, nor did she want to. Instead, she took the disk, placed it on her palm and it immediately scooted up her arm, divided in half and then busily went to work on her breasts. The sensation gently excited her but just as she began to relax into the stimulation, the disks altered their pattern.

All four discs began to vibrate in tandem, the rhythms playing off one another and shooting fizzing pulses through her. Standing became more difficult. The lacy gown that was covering her skin seemed more of a hindrance than a necessity.

She wanted the gown off. She wanted Kane’s clothes off. She wanted him to make love to her, to touch her where the disks had and to trace his lips over her sensitive skin.

She raised a hand to release the tie between her breasts that held up her gown. Kane shook his head. “I didn’t give you permission to undress.”

Damn him. Not even undressing was to be her choice. She should have been upset. Annoyed. But his taking all control had her head swimming and her body so aroused that she could barely stand. “May I undress?”

“Are you certain you want to stand in front of me naked?”

“Yes.”

“For as long as I like?”

With his heated eyes on her? “Yes.”

“You understand that I may or may not touch you? The decision is all mine.”

“Yes.” His words caused exhilarating anticipation and her nipples tightened and poked into the lace of the gown, showing him exactly how much she liked his suggestion. Doing what he wished excited her in a way she hadn’t known was possible.

“Fine. Then you may take off your gown. But do it slowly. And while you disrobe, I want you to look me in the eyes. I want you to understand that you have no rights except those that I give you. You will have no pleasure except what I allow you to have.”

Oh…She was shaking with need—he knew exactly how to turn her on, yet he hadn’t so much as touched her or kissed her. And she was going to be standing there naked. Waiting for him. And loving every second.

F
ALLON HAD NEVER
stripped for anyone before, not even for Allen during their short-lived marriage. But her feminine instincts had no difficulty taking over. She played with the ribbon that tied her bodice together. Then ever-so-slowly, she unfastened the bow. As directed, she kept her gaze on Kane, fascinated by how his dark blue eyes smoked.

She exposed the deep vee of skin between her breasts, allowing her fingers to enticingly pull back the gown’s edges to reveal more skin. And while she might have been obeying his commands, the power was all hers.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His cool amusement remained on his mouth, but a cord in his neck throbbed to reveal he was anticipating her next move with every cell in his body. She’d never had a man’s attention focused so intensely on her and only her. It was as if they were the only two people in the world, and with every sliver of skin she exposed, the connection between them swelled, filling up the air around them until she had trouble drawing a breath.

She hooked a finger under the spaghetti strap at
her shoulder and let it fall over her bicep. She began to do the same on the other side, drawing out the moment. But then with an impish grin, she shrugged her bared shoulder and the gown’s bodice fell to reveal one breast.

“Nice. Very nice.” The compliment seemed tugged from his lips without his permission. As if regretting he’d said anything at all, he drew his brows together. “Stay right there for now.”

Fallon barely dared to draw a breath. The gown, held up by one flimsy strap could fall at any time. Just moments ago, she would have sworn that was exactly what she’d wanted. But standing and waiting was even sexier. With one breast bared to the air, she’d never felt so wanton.

Kane gave her a knowing look and then placed television headphones over his ears. And she realized he wasn’t pausing her striptease for just a few seconds; he meant to leave her like that until he decided he wanted more. Stopping her just as her courage and desires had converged into seething determination not only upset her but it tilted her equilibrium.

Annoyed, aroused and aggravated, she almost spun on her heel and fled back to her room. But he cleared his throat and shook his head in warning. He wanted her right there and as that knowledge hissed through her, moisture seeped between her thighs. Damn. She was enjoying his domination.

The realization coiled around her gut and rose up her throat to choke her. This couldn’t be happening. She shouldn’t be so turned on by following Kane’s
demands. But she was. And though the liberated woman in her wanted to deny her reaction with every atom of her being, she couldn’t deny her own nature. It wasn’t his command keeping her there, but her own heated reaction to his command.

And damn him, he knew. From the cool amusement in his eyes to the upward smirk of his lips, he understood exactly what was happening to her. She might not like herself very much right now for playing his games, but no way did she want to quit. Oh no. Kane and his gadgets and her own nature were exciting her to the point that she was trembling with a cauldron of emotions. But the feeling that rose to the top of the boiling pot was exhilaration. She might be trapped by her own need to give him exactly what he asked for, but she intended to enjoy every moment.

Even as Kane used the remote control, she stood still, knowing his attention would return to her shortly. And she thought about what he would ask her to do and how much she would enjoy doing it.

Meanwhile, Kane flipped the channels. “I’m starting my search for Nigel by tracking the news channels.”

Apparently he could hear her through the headphones. “Why?”

“I’m listening for a news story that doesn’t fit. He’s going to try and sell his stolen technology and it’ll probably make the news. It’s my job to stop him.”

From her position to one side of him, Fallon
peered through her lashes and saw that his gaze had left her to focus on the television. When she saw he had no current interest in her, she let her gaze take in all of him. He’d gone from turning her on with one burning gaze to focusing on business in less than the span of a television commercial. And yet, she had no doubt he hadn’t forgotten about her. She certainly was very aware of him. His breathing patterns remained steady, but a knotted muscle by his jaw told her he wasn’t as unaffected by her as he pretended.

However, when he pressed the remote control unit buttons faster than an executive secretary typed, she had to wonder what the hell he was doing. The pictures on her giant screen focused and changed so swiftly she barely formed an image before he clicked to the next. At first she expected him to stop when a program caught his eye. But he continued to flip the channels in a mystifying manner for at least ten minutes before shutting off the set.

And each minute seemed both interminable and, contradictorily, to fly by with amazing speed. In either case, she was left wondering what he would do next. One moment she wanted him to kiss her, the next she hoped he’d simply be tired of the game until she could collect herself.

She should have known he wouldn’t tire easily. He rested the remote control on his knee. “You failed to keep your gaze on me.”

Her mouth went dry. His tone told her there would be consequences for her failure to obey and heat
flashed over her skin. She forced her gaze back to his, a gaze that shocked her with its intensity.

“Without bending, lift your gown.”

She bunched her hands in the lace and slowly drew the hem up from the floor past her ankles, her calves, her knees. There was something utterly wicked about standing there and revealing herself at his command. Her heart pounded and her breasts tingled.

“Higher.”

She drew the lace up to her thighs.

Fallon wanted to shut her eyes or look away, not out of humiliation or embarrassment but because she didn’t want him to know how excited she was. But being unable to hide her thrill from him was yet another turn-on. The material on her thigh tickled and taunted and she eased it a smidgen higher.

“Not enough.”

The cool air-conditioning was riding up under her gown. Without panties, with most of her pubic hair gone, she was about to expose herself to those burning eyes. She’d never been this vulnerable—or this ready to follow his command to the letter. He no longer bothered to hold her gaze. Oh no. He was watching her raise the hem. Watching her put herself on display.

Her stomach tightened. She couldn’t believe she was having so much fun. Couldn’t believe how pleasing him aroused her.

His voice turned husky, demanding. “Higher.”

Hands trembling with eagerness, she lifted the
gown above her thighs. The lace hem teased her newly shaved mons, then skimmed over the slender triangle of hair that he’d allowed her to keep.

The material cleared her pubic area and fluttered across her hips leaving her feeling totally decadent and seductive. His eyes took her in and heat burst in her belly. She sucked in a breath to steady her jumpy nerves.

“Turn around. Slowly.”

Oh…my. She should have expected the request. Should have realized the material wasn’t just above her mons but above her bottom, too. She began to turn but not before she spied the arrogant satisfaction in his eyes. But she couldn’t wait to turn around so he couldn’t see her face. She was wild with the need to hide her longing and relished a moment to regroup.

Except when she turned, she hadn’t counted on the mirror. All along he’d had a front and back view—but she hadn’t realized that until she’d turned. And if the sight of her body displayed and posed for him made her want to squirm, the excitement on her face almost set off panic.

Just one look at her face told him how much she was enjoying complying to his commands. She should be running away. But she wouldn’t, not when she had the opportunity to explore a side of herself that she hadn’t known existed until tonight.

How far would he push her? She didn’t know. How far would she go? She had no idea. And not knowing thrilled her, tested her, challenged her in
ways that made her feel fully alive. If anyone had told her that obeying Kane’s commands could arouse her, she would have laughed in their face. But she wasn’t laughing now.

She was holding her breath. Waiting for him to tell her what he wanted next. Or maybe he wouldn’t say anything at all. Just leave her in limbo, upping her anticipation another few degrees.

“Drop the gown to the floor.”

She released the hem, sorry when she was again covered except for one bare breast. In the mirror, he must have seen the disappointment on her face. But he ignored her again, shoved to his feet and strode to her work desk and computer. He booted the system and she watched his face in the mirror, wanting to see his expression when he failed to crack her password.

But the keys clicked nonstop, his fingers a blur of motion. A secret agent typing over two hundred words a minute?

“Would you like to help with my search?”

There were other things she’d rather do. However, she could use the time to collect herself. “Sure.”

“All right. Lose the gown and come here.” He patted the arm of his chair, indicating where he wanted her to sit and simply assuming she would get naked for him. She’d been so ready to take it off a few minutes ago. But he’d given her time to cool down, no doubt just to heat her up again.

Annoyed with her own hesitation, her pulse racing, she shrugged out of the remaining spaghetti
strap, shimmied once to free the material from her hips and stepped out of the gown. With his back to her, he didn’t even watch her disrobe or approach. And yet, heart dancing up her throat, she obeyed to the letter, stepping toward his chair.

Gingerly, she sat on the arm of the chair, taking care not to brush against him. The cool leather against her bare bottom combined with her agitation caused the chair to teeter. He missed a few keystrokes and stopped typing.

“Perhaps you’d be more comfortable on my lap.” He worded his statement as a suggestion but gave her no choice. His large hands closed around her waist and he lifted her off the chair’s arm and set her down.

The warmth of his hands on her cool skin made her gasp. And with him sitting there fully dressed while she wore nothing made her very aware of his hard thighs under her bottom, his powerful chest against her back. Unsettled by his maneuver, she sat stiff and wary. With his breath fanning her neck, his arms reaching around her for the keyboard, he’d neatly trapped her. She was all too aware of how close his arms were to her breasts, how easily he could touch her.

Corporate names, government agencies and private telephone numbers flashed on the screen and disappeared. When he logged onto the Internet and bypassed the Pentagon’s code, an icy tentacle wrapped around her gut.

“Who are you?”

“It’s okay, I’m authorized.” Kane spoke without
slowing his typing, seemingly unconcerned by the secrets he revealed. Obviously, Kane, or whoever he was, worked at the loftiest levels of her government to have access codes to such high-security agencies.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something out of the ordinary. Something that doesn’t fit the pattern.”

“What pattern?”

Kane worked his way through the daily newspapers next, the pages blinking by too fast for her to read them. She didn’t expect him to explain, but Kane seemed to make a habit of doing the unexpected. “If Nigel intends to sell the stolen information, he has to find a buyer.”

She couldn’t believe she was sitting naked on his lap having an ordinary conversation. The discs had settled to a soothing thrumming, keeping her on edge as she wondered what he’d programmed them to do next. Thinking about his mission was almost impossible while sitting on his lap, breathing in his scent, a crisp scent that was dominating and very male.

Every breath she took caused friction between her back against his chest. The growing hardness behind her bottom told her he was very aware of her skin next to his. However, she forced herself to focus. “But you don’t know exactly what Nigel took, so how can you guess who the buyer might be?”

“To optimize his sale and find the highest bidder, he only has limited choices of the wealthiest of—”

She frowned at the screen. “Hey. That’s illegal. You’re reading private e-mail.” Fallon recognized
the names of America’s leaders in banking, insurance and finance.

“Spread your legs.”

She’d been sitting with her knees pressed together, her ankles crossed. His sudden demand had her heart skipping. Unlocking her ankles, she allowed her knees to part a few inches.

“Wider.”

Oh…my…ah. She bit her bottom lip to keep from releasing a soft moan as she draped her legs over his and her bottom snuggled deeper against him.

“Now lean your head back against me.”

She did as she asked, realizing that the motion lifted her breasts. He took her hands that had been on her thighs and placed them to either side of the chair. She was squirming inside and the kindling desire burst into licking flames. He’d draped her over him and her parted legs released her musky scent into the air, telling him quite clearly that she was moist and needy and eager for whatever he wanted to do next.

Kane continued scanning the correspondence of some of the country’s biggest financial institutions. And she sat still, her legs parted and open, wondering if he was ever going to touch her. Her nipples were so tight, the ache between her thighs so intense that sitting still was sweet torture. But even worse, her breath was beginning to sound raspy. Hiding her arousal was no longer an option. She needed him to touch her. His hands were so close, but he had only made physical contact with her once to lift her to
position her on his lap. She wanted to beg him to stroke her.

She was trembling with her need, wondering if it was possible to find release by mental stimulation alone. Damn it. With her legs parted and draped over his, her mons shaved, he should be eager to touch her. But he didn’t, and every second seemed like…forever.

“Nigel’s dangerous. He can sell to the government, private industry or—yes. I think I’ve found him. He’s going to attempt to sell a stolen item at Kendals, an auction house.”