Kiss of Heat (12 page)

“I can’t explain it.” Dawn shook her head. “You can smell the truth just as easily as you can a lie,” she told him, her voice low. “He’s not lying, Kane.”

“He’s not the only one here, either,” Kane reminded her. “What about the others?”

She seemed surprised that he asked her opinion.

“I don’t know about the others,” she finally said nervously. “Some people are easier to read.”

He nodded quickly. “Okay, you shadow the son then, I’ll put others on the father and chauffer. Let me know what you sense, Dawn. We’re all in this together. We combine our strengths and weaknesses. That’s how we’ll survive.”

He was aware of Dawn’s start of surprise, the slow confidence that built in her gaze as she watched him closely. But Sherra’s look was like a physical caress. She was thrown off balance by the way he handled Dawn, but he didn’t agree with the others and their intent to shelter her through any and all of life’s hardships. She had been kicked too hard and too often in the past. Protecting her now would only harm the woman slowly emerging from her shell.

“That’s it,” Kane said decisively as they all rose to their feet. His gaze narrowed on his mate. “Except for you.” He gave Sherra a mocking, sardonic smile despite the growing arousal tightening his body. “I still need to talk to you.”

She lifted a brow. He hadn’t spoken to her since the night before but he had noticed her nervousness and irritability as the meeting progressed. She was so damned hot she was nearly blazing.

He watched her now, his gaze touching on her swollen breasts, her nipples poking against the dark cloth of her uniform tank top, the way her gaze, when it touched upon him, turned hungry. No hungrier than his, though, he was certain. He was starving for the taste of her. His own lust had only increased since taking her the night before; the need for the unique, dark taste of her kiss was making him crazy.

“Don’t fight with her, Kane,” Callan grumped as he moved to the door with the others. “We’re having a hard enough time getting along with her.”

Sherra clenched her teeth as she stared back at her Pride leader.

“That is not true,” she snapped.

Callan snorted. “Tell it to someone who doesn’t have the scars from sparring with you, little sister. They might believe it.”

A small warning growl was her only response as Callan chuckled and left the room, leaving Kane alone with her. He had watched the byplay between brother and sister, seeing the affection, the familial bond between them. Just as he shared one with Merinus.

“What do you want?” Sherra was damned irritable, he thought, just as Callan had warned. He also knew that irritability was one of the signs that accompanied her growing heat.

“Now there’s a loaded question.” Kane smiled slowly as he considered her. “Do you want a written list or do you have time for a verbal one? I could get rather descriptive verbally.”

She flushed. A wash of gentle pink flushed her face as she crossed her arms over her obviously sensitive breasts and watched him warily. She was equal parts innocence and seductress. It drove him crazy, seeing the fluid sensuality in each movement, yet the complete innocence of just how damned sexy she was as she watched with such wary surprise.

He had fucked her the night before until she came, screaming into the cushions of the couch as her tight pussy clamped on his raging cock. He hadn’t kissed her. He hadn’t tasted the liquid heat that ran from between her thighs and now he was starving for it. He wouldn’t wait much longer.

Chapter Twelve

“Don’t need a descriptive list, huh?” Kane asked regretfully as she continued to watch him with a flare of anger. “Fine. My main complaint is your nocturnal habits, which so far haven’t been a problem. But I need you to start sticking closer to the house at night instead of venturing into the mountain.”

“Why?” Sherra shifted restlessly.

Kane could see the refusal growing in her wary green eyes, the need for escape that was building in her body. He couldn’t allow it. He had nearly had a stroke knowing she was facing that bastard with the missile launcher. According to Merinus, Callan was more than worried about the progress of the heat, concerned it would lessen her wariness, her ability to track and fight efficiently.

“That should be pretty obvious,” he grunted as he moved closer to her. “If there are problems, I need you here to evacuate Merinus, Roni and Cassie. Besides that, we need to make certain the main Pride stays intact no matter what. That means you too, sweet pea.”

Sherra winced at the nickname. “Kane, can the bullshit,” she snapped, causing him to watch her with amused surprise. “You want me here for your convenience, nothing more. You keep hoping if I’m close enough that your round-the-clock fuck session will be harder for me to deny.”

He was praying she would. He wondered if he should explain the difference between a hope and a prayer to her. Then decided perhaps it best, considering the slow rise of anger in her expression, that he hold off there.

He tilted his head, watching her curiously. “Well, there is that consideration, mate,” he drawled instead.

“Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the females don’t truly mate?” she finally asked him sardonically. “Maybe just any man will do when it hits. I mean, there are so few women, so many men at this stage. Maybe we get to breed for all of you.”

He stopped. He could feel the anger pulsing at his veins at just the thought of it. If another man even tried to touch her, he would lose any semblance of control and try to kill him.

“I don’t think so,” he said through gritted teeth as he thought about it. “If that were the case, you’d be out there fucking anything with a hard-on. Instead, you’re so wet for me you can barely walk without coming.”

She lifted her head, staring back at him with cool mockery. “You’re overestimating yourself.”

“And you’re underestimating my intelligence,” he snapped. “Don’t make that mistake, Sherra. If you have the brains I know are rattling in that hot little head of yours, then you know I’ve already checked every angle concerning this. I know who you need. I know that little hormone floating around in my body that binds us is there for a reason. Don’t push me on this.”

She swallowed tightly. “That’s not possible. It was one kiss. That was all.”

Kane smiled tightly. “One was all it took. Don’t deny you’re hotter than ever. I bet your pussy is so damned wet I could drown in it when I get my mouth down there.”

Her face flamed, her eyes sparking with the fires raging inside her.

“Stop.” She drew in a hard, deep breath as she backed away from him.

“Stop running from me, Sherra,” he whispered softly as his arm hooked around her waist, pulling her to him. “I won’t let you do that anymore. There’s no reason to run.”

“Look.” She pressed her hands against his chest as though to push him away. “I told you last night, I can’t risk this. Neither of us can. We don’t know what will happen, Kane.”

“I don’t care what will happen, Sherra.” And that was the end of the line as far as he was concerned. “Aren’t you tired of hurting? Of aching? We could still the heat, baby.”

He lowered his head, nuzzling at her ear, letting his lips whisper over the small shell as she shivered in response. Her fingers curled against his chest, her nails kneading it through the thin material of his shirt almost unconsciously.

“We could both regret it far too much later.” Her voice was a hot little feminine sigh of need. “I can’t just jump into this, Kane.”

“Honey, I sucked every sweet drop of that drug out of your tongue yesterday and fucked you last night until you exploded around me,” he told her harshly, his hands running down her back, over the flare of her buttocks as he allowed his fingers to clench into the smooth curves there. “If that wasn’t jumping into it, then what is? Kiss me, Sherra. Don’t keep punishing us both like this.”

She was breathing just as hard and fast as he was when he raised his head enough to stare down at her. Her eyes were dazed, heavy-lidded, her soft pink lips parted and glistening with moisture. He licked his own lips, dying to taste her, to do the one thing that would make her so wild it would burn them both alive.

Her gaze centered on his lips, growing slumberous, her face softening with passion as she stared at them.

“I could eat you alive,” he told her gently. “From your lips to your pussy, suck every sweet drop of moisture from them then get you hot and wet all over again before I slide my cock so deep inside you that you can’t ever imagine refusing me again.”

The thought of it, the need for it, had his body on fire, not to mention what it was doing to the erection throbbing in agony between his thighs. And she was thinking about it. He could see the lust pouring into her eyes, softening her against him as a whimper escaped her throat.

* * * * *

Sherra stared into the heated depths of Kane’s eyes, seeing the determination, the lust raging through his body. His expression was tight, the flesh drawn over his cheekbones, his eyes narrowed, his lips heavy with sensuality. He was hard and he was horny and she had a feeling he was getting ready to drastically change the rules of the game they were playing.

“This is the wrong place for this.” She pushed against his shoulders.

If she could just put some distance between them then maybe she could fight against the effects of the heat for at least one more day. One day could possibly turn into two, two into longer. The hormonal fires raging in her body never lasted longer than a month; she was already two weeks into it. If she could just hold him off a little longer.

“It’s the perfect place for it.”

He released her, but before she could gain her freedom he was at the strong steel door, locking it carefully before he turned back to her, his fingers going to the buttons of his shirt.

“Dammit, Kane!” she snapped. “Couches are not comfortable for fucking. Wait until we can find a bed.”

“Then come to me while I’m around a bed,” he told her, his voice clipped and impatient. “Now take those off, Sherra, or you’ll be wearing my shirt and nothing more when we leave, because I’ll rip them off you.”

Sizzling awareness surged through her body; even her toes tingled with the demanding tone in his voice.

“Get a grip,” she hissed. “I am not going to let you fuck me here. Everyone will know what we did when we leave.”

“Then
you
can fuck
me
,” he growled, advancing on her. “But you’re not leaving here until I’ve shot every damned drop of seed tormenting my cock up your pussy. So get naked, baby, because my control is on a very short leash right now.”

Lust sucker-punched her womb. It had to be the heat that caused such a reaction. If he had said something so asinine any other time she would have kicked him. After clawing his eyes out. But now, her legs weakened and her breath caught at the sexual demand and she felt as stable as a weak noodle as she moved around the room, trying to maintain a reasonable distance.

“You’ve lost your mind.” She tried to snarl, to inject some anger into her voice, but it came out breathless and panting instead.

If she could just get to the door.

He dropped his shirt from his shoulders. Strong, wide shoulders. Shoulders that flexed with strength and glistened with health. He was an aroused, determined male in his prime and he had made up his mind to fuck. Her pussy ached at the thought. The strength of the needy contractions flexing within her vagina warned her that she might not fight this as hard as she needed to.

“I’ve lost my patience,” he corrected her, his eyes darkening as he somehow managed to maneuver her closer to the couch than she wanted to be. “I’m going to get you all naked, Sherra, and once I get my hands on you we both know it won’t take long. After I rip those pants from your long pretty legs then I’m going to bury my mouth so deep in your wet cunt that there won’t be an inch of it that doesn’t know my touch.”

She shivered. Shivered? Hell, she was shuddering, on the verge of climax from the force of his words alone.

“Kane.” She tried to slip around him before he could stop her. It was as though he knew what she was going to do before she did. “This is insane. We’ll never control this with you acting this way.”

“Who says I want to control it?” he asked her devilishly. “No, baby. No control. No thinking. No excuses. Just you and me as hot as lava and burning down the world around us. Now, are you going to strip or do I strip you?”

He toed off the leather sneakers he had worn to the meeting. It was then she knew he had arranged this ahead of time. Kane never, ever wore sneakers around the compound. He wore the tough leather boots that protected his feet and lower legs while working.

She would have snapped something hateful at him then if his hands hadn’t gone to his belt, the leather sliding free of the buckle as his fingers jerked the first button from his jeans loose.

“Damn you, my cock is on fire.” He was nearly snarling as he released the button of his jeans. “And you’re still dressed, Sherra. Don’t make me tear those clothes off you.”

Sherra swallowed tightly as his jeans and briefs were kicked free of his hard body. His cock strained toward her, heavy and engorged, the plum-shaped, purplish head beaded with pre-come and looking too tempting for her comfort.

“Kane,” she whispered, barely managing not to whimper in need. “This is not a good idea.”

“Best idea I’ve had in eight years,” he informed her, his voice harsh as he moved too fast for her to evade.

Before she could run, before she could even consider fighting, he had her on her back on the wide couch, his hands at the bottom of her stretchy top as he jerked it over her breasts.

“Hell, yeah,” he muttered, his hands enclosing her breasts as his lips lowered to hers.

She could have fought him, she assured herself. She could have pushed away, fought her way to the door; she could have escaped. A lie to salve her pride? Did it matter, she wondered? Because a second later his lips covered hers and escape was the last thing on her mind.

Chapter Thirteen

He didn’t give her a chance to fight him, but Sherra knew she should have never expected him to. His lips slanted over hers, his tongue plunging past her lips as she gasped, twining immediately with hers.