Parallel Desire (10 page)

He reached for the door handle, fumbling with it awkwardly, but all at once she was on him. Her arm braced between his body and the door.

"Not so fast, sir."

He pressed his palm against the glass, trying to find his breath. "I'm so sorry, Shelby." Damn it, he meant it, too; he never should have come on to her, not so strongly, and not when she'd been charged with the duty of bringing him back to base. This was a mission for her. For him, it was all about the ever-loving
strka
right between his legs. She deserved someone better than he, with his broken soul and wretched memories. She deserved a man who could truly open his heart.

"Sorry for what?" She purred in his ear and covered his splayed palm with her own. He could feel her energy pulse within his own body; if he'd doubted her giftedness before, all that disbelief faded away as she touched him. He could feel the power radiating all through her—something she'd obviously held back when they'd kissed earlier. "Sorry for what, cowboy?" she repeated, whispering the word right into his ear.

He pressed his forehead against the glass, keeping his back to her, wishing that he weren't awash in so many bad memories. "Please … just accept my apology and leave it at that."

Mirroring his own earlier gesture, she ran her fingertips along the nape of his neck, and his cock tightened in deep reaction. "I'll time walk you, Jakob." She pressed a languid kiss against his neck, stroking his sensitive skin with the tip of her tongue. "I will give you that, but there's something you have to do for me first." Her fingers, spread atop his on the glass window, trembled. "There's a promise I need, if I'm going to open my gift to you like that."

His head swam with a thousand impulses and desires; she offered him the future, she promised him her body—but what, by the gods, did she want from him in exchange? Everything inside his mind told him to leave, to just get out of the car. "Anything, say the word," he heard himself mutter, silencing the warring voices within his head.

She planted a hot, needy kiss behind his ear, stroking his jaw with her fingertips, coaxing him to finally turn and look at her. "Make love to me, Jakob—"

He cut her off with a growl, sniffing at her face in a frantic effort to scent her, but she pushed at his chest, stopping him. "There's more," she explained.

"Anything." He tugged her against his chest, not letting her keep any physical distance. "I told you
anything
, woman," he rumbled in her ear.

"All right, then." Her warm hand slid between his thighs, outlining the ridge of his erection with a rough motion. Slowly she raised her eyes until their gazes locked meaningfully. "The promise is that you let me take the lead."

He released a prayer to All, begging for mercy, because he suspected this pretty little medic had just purchased his soul.

S
helby lowered herself onto
Jake, who she'd pushed onto his back right there in the front seat of the pickup. With all his stops and starts, she knew damned well that she had to take the lead—and she also knew her heart would be in far less danger this way. She couldn't help smiling at the image of Jake, so aching and ready that he didn't mind having his head mashed up against the door handle. Didn't care that his boots were braced against the driver's side window, or that his uncontainable and massive body was contorted into a ridiculous posture just so she could straddle him.

"I make the rules," she had teased him as she'd forced him onto his back.

"Why's that so important? For you to call the shots?" He sucked in a startled breath when her palms slid beneath his T-shirt, dragging it upward to reveal his rose tattoo. The one she'd first seen on his abdomen back at base when he'd been stabbed. In the fading sunset light, she could see the silvery white line of a scar alongside the red bud of the rose, and traced both marks with her fingertips.

"So your man, Jake"—she caressed the stem of the rose suggestively, his abdomen muscles jerking in reaction—"must've been into the Dead. That's why he got this tattoo."

"Not … now. Gods in heaven, don't mention that bastard … now." He arched slightly beneath her, his hips riding upward.

She bent low over him, stroking the day's growth of beard that covered his jaw, that shadowed the area above his full upper lip. "Just remember, I'm a nurse. I have a pretty good idea of what it is you need."

A wicked, half-cocked grin formed on Jake's full lips. "You're going to dress up in a nurse's uniform for me? Give me medicine, huh, Shelby? I can play doctor with the best of 'em." He clasped her by the waist, tugging her forward abruptly; she landed flat atop him, both elbows sprawled on his chest "Or are you just going to tend to my bodily comforts? Please don't spank me if I'm a bad boy."

With a raspy, sensual laugh, he leaned his head up enough to kiss her, one hand anchored behind her head so that she couldn't squirm out of his grasp. The other skimmed down her back, lifting her halter-top until his flat, rough palm met her bare skin. He stroked her mouth with his tongue—he stroked her back with his fingertips, winding them lower until he found the waistband of her miniskirt. Nothing stopped him, and his large hand cupped her bottom, squeezing and urging her farther up his body until that same thick ridge along his thigh, the one she'd felt earlier, was fitting between her legs.

Good lord, he had all the control; despite his promise, he'd taken total charge over her body and over what he was doing to it. His kiss grew rougher as he thrust his tongue deeper and deeper into her mouth, battling with her. That hand on her bottom slid inward, then down between her sweaty thighs until calloused fingers were parting her legs, finding their way into the slick folds that ached for him so desperately.

"You promised," she murmured as their kiss broke briefly and they gasped for air.

He shook his head, forcing her legs wider apart, which gave her even less balance and control from her position atop him. "I promised to make love to you." A first and then a second finger pushed up inside of her, stroking the tender place behind her wet opening, rubbing and tantalizing until she buried her face against Jake's chest so he wouldn't hear her cry out.

"Let me go," she murmured weakly, enthralled and terrified all at once by the drumbeat of his heart beneath her cheek. "You promised to let me call the shots."

"Control is my sexual trademark, sweetheart. Relax, I'll give you what it is"—he tickled her lightly between her legs, grinning at her like the devil himself—"you so very clearly need."

She began to tremble against him, a swell of unexpected energy invading her body; it had to be from him.
His
energy. His power. Of course, he was an Antousian-human hybrid; sex with him would be totally different than sex with one of her species. She'd forgotten about that. Shelby began to shiver from the way his pure, unbridled energy poured into her, and from the knowledge that, in a sense, she was sleeping with her enemy.

Panting, she sat up, planting both palms against his chest. "I—I won't time walk you if you don't keep the bargain," she stammered. "Y-you won't get what you want."

All at once, Jake bolted upright in the seat, pushing at her. He seemed angry, a terrible scowl turning the corners of his lips downward. They were in an awkward, tumbling heap, and it was a battle just to get untangled, what with his rangy legs and thick torso pushing against her. Finally, she scooted back behind the wheel and reached for the door handle, staggering out onto the dusty road where they'd parked.

In the past moments the sun had almost set; all that remained were faint fingers of pink and angry red in the distant sky. She slammed the door behind her, wondering what had just transpired between the two of them; she'd wanted him—excruciatingly so. And she'd had such a brilliant plan in mind, one that he wouldn't be able to shake off or shut down from. But somehow, in some way that made absolutely no sense to her, he'd wound up with every ounce of control. He had dominated her, overpowered her.

Leaning against the closed door, she undid her hair clip since it had slipped halfway down her neck. She made a great show of sweeping the ponytail back into its flip, tugging at it, and then slowly turned to evil eye Jake inside the truck. His response to her glare was to lift one eyebrow. She put her back to him, folding both arms angrily over her chest. Good lord, at least she could breathe again, something of an improvement.

Jake slammed his door, and then there was the sound of his cowboy boots crunching heavily on rock and sand. She leaned back against her own door, trying to appear relaxed even though her entire body was tighter than the fists she clenched at both her sides.

Jake rounded on her, wiping his brow. "How do you know what I want? What I really want?"

"You're the one who said you wanted me to time walk you."

"Because I didn't believe you, sweetheart. It was a ruse."

She blinked, her lips parting as he loomed over her. It was the first time they'd stood so close together, and it was finally clear to her that Jake was perhaps six foot five. She tilted her head upward, meeting his stare, and said, "Whether you believe me about the time walking or not, I
do
know you want Jake Tierny dead."

His jaw ticked, something wild flashing in his eyes, visible even in the darkness. "Maybe I want you more."

She shrugged, lowering her lashes coquettishly. "Maybe you can't have me, not really."

"And if I let you have your godsforsaken control?"

She snaked her arms about his neck, leaning into his body, molding herself to him. "I'll take you places that you haven't been in a very long time—places you may never have even thought about."

His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed hard. "What do I have to do?"

"Get back in the truck, face forward, and watch."

"T
hey've left Hell."

"Hell's Creek," Thea corrected him from the other end of the line. Marco just muttered back at her. The truth was that the little town where Jake had last made camp really
did
feel like hell to him, with his empathy going haywire from the onslaught of so many negative emotions and sensations.

"I just want to get out of here, baby. It doesn't feel right."

"You're sure they're gone?" He could hear the note of wifely concern in her tone. She of all people knew the toll a place with such bad energy could take on his psyche—and on his body.

"The motel room where he's been staying was empty, and I can't get Shelby on her cell. It seems to be either missing or the battery is dead."

"Love her." Thea laughed softly. "Definitely love that woman, but I never thought she was the right choice to bring him back."

Marco smiled despite himself. Jared had been the one who insisted that Medic Tyler take the duty, speaking cryptically about something his intuitive gift had shown him. Marco sensed the same thing whenever he tried to hone in on the missing pair: They had a deeply personal synergy, even the possibility of making a love match, but only if they could get past the barriers in their respective hearts. At the moment, however, he was more annoyed with Shelby and her errant cell phone.

"You're definitely sure they're together?"

"They are." Marco had used his own intuition to determine that much, although their current location had been hazy at best.

"No luck pinpointing them with your gifts?" He could hear the concern in his mate's voice. "I don't like you roaming around off base for this long. It's not safe."

"See what you can do, baby. See if you can put me back on course; then, I'll get the transport to drop in for me again."

J
ake's hands clutched at the
dash; he felt his flesh tingle, his groin tighten—yet all he could do was watch. Watch Shelby Tyler through the windshield as she climbed atop the hood of the truck, facing him. At first all he could see were her knees, then her pair of strappy sandals dropped onto the hood with a thud; just the sight of something so racy and feminine had nearly caused him to lose it before she'd gotten started.

The little exhibitionist! She was quite the seductive minx, he thought as she dropped low, planting both palms against the windshield, licking her lips as she stared at him through the thin sheet of glass that separated them.

"Got your full attention, soldier?" Her words were muffled, but he still understood. Swallowing hard, he nodded obediently. "Turn up the volume," she added, gesturing toward the radio where someone named Christina someone-or-other blared huskily.

Rising to her feet again, she gave him a full-on view of her shapely, sexy legs. He noted an ankle bracelet dangling low along her right foot, something he hadn't seen before. His hands itched to take that slip of gold and unfasten it, to lick and nip at her ankle with his mouth, dragging the gold chain right between her legs until its cool, metallic surface drove Shelby Tyler wild.

As the music hit its major chorus, words about "no other man," Shelby's plan hit overdrive—she was dancing, just for him, and atop the hood of the pickup no less. It was like his own personal lap dance, with the glass windshield as their chaperone. Her petite hips swung back and forth, dainty palms sliding downward along her thighs, and then piece by piece, all of her clothing began to vanish.

First, that damned miniskirt pooled about her ankles, easily kicked aside with a deft movement of Shelby's toes. She dropped low, planting a hand on the glass, making sure he could see as she reached behind her neck, licking her lips as she allowed the halter to fall away from her chest. With a tantalizing pirouette, she moved for him, gloriously naked beneath the rising moon. He couldn't help himself, couldn't hold back, he slipped a large palm between his legs and began to rub, hard. But even that wasn't enough, not watching Shelby's gyrations, so gypsy-like and maddening. With a fumbling, awkward gesture he managed to unfasten his jeans, giving a jerk to the zipper until his pants fell open about his waist.

With a greedy gesture, he got his hand about his cock, rubbing in time to Shelby's frenzied dance atop the hood. Gods, he would come into his own hand if she didn't let him touch her soon. He hardly cared; it hardly mattered.…

Shelby! Save my scoundrel's soul!

She halted mid-sway, dropping to her knees as if she planned to pounce through the glass and onto his lap. Blonde locks of hair swept across her eyes and she made no effort to brush them away. Jake's hand clutched and clawed at the dash; with his other, he stroked himself shamelessly. Shelby's gaze followed his gesture, a smile of vixen's approval forming on her swollen lips.
Help me, Shelby. Help … me
. He swallowed the words, keeping them tucked within his crazed mind, increasing the mad friction of his hand about his erection.

In reply, there was nothing, nothing but sweet Shelby Tyler, staring at him like a tigress. Her chest rose and fell; her fingers constricted against the glass, and she mouthed just one word:
Now
.

Jake was out of the truck and upon her faster than any shape-shifter. For a moment, Shelby wondered if the guy had used his Antousian gifts of spirit-slipping because one moment he was in the car, wild-eyed and desperate as he gaped at her, the next he had her sprawled atop the hood, her ass cool in contrast to the warm metal ticking beneath her.

"Come here." Jake growled. It wasn't going to take this boy more than a minute to climb atop the hood right with her.

With a forceful pull, he dragged her across the smooth surface of the hood, positioning her right at the edge. With his massive hand he forced her legs wide apart, but she clasped him by the shoulders. "Don't forget the rules, soldier boy."

His massive chest pulled at the air between them, agitated puffing sounds escaping his lips until finally he managed, "I thought you … were going to dress up and … n-nurse me." His jeans slid down his hips, revealing that just like her, he'd gone commando.

She blinked, feeling a wash of uncontrollable emotions crest through her body. This man was excruciatingly beautiful; from his long-lashed ethereal eyes, to his rough-hewn, sculpted body, to his coarse way of needing sex … he overpowered her. Angling her hips, she slid backward on the hood like a little naked crab, but his beefy hands shot out, tugging her by the calves until she was right flush against him.

"Open to me," he ordered, his full lips parting slightly as he stepped up onto the front bumper. "I'm taking you here. Now."

She meant to argue, good lord, she really did. She shook her head slightly, but then the lovely giant took another step onto the front of the truck and wrapped her legs about his naked torso. Pushing his lips against the base of her throat, he sucked in a long scent of her, and his hands began to tremble where they held her by the thighs. "I'm going to do things to you that you've never even thought of, sweetheart. Now lean back."

Again she tried to protest, shaking her head weakly. She'd never intended to lose so much control, wasn't even sure how by the gods it had happened. All she knew was that, her soul be damned, the alien had her half pinned beneath his large torso, his wide, sensual hips already rocking against her. The expected satiny hardness stroked at her opening, and she gave a slight whimper. "Jake, I—I can't …"

He pushed her fully onto her back, bracing both elbows about her neck. "Can't lose control? Already done that, sweet girl. Already done it."

She clutched and clawed at his shoulders, needing him, so hungry for him, but terrified out of her mind. "I want you so badly." She moaned, arching upward against him, feeling the bending metal of the hood complain slightly beneath her back. With another moan, she murmured, "There's no stopping this."

"You had no idea who you were really taking on." He laughed wolfishly in her ear, plunging deep within her, and her body convulsed in immediate reaction. "Now you do." He immediately withdrew, until only the swollen tip of his cock remained inside of her. With a small cry of frustration, she clasped his bottom in both of her greedy hands, squeezing him closer.

"Don't pull away!" She chased after his hips. "Please, Jake … come back."

He leaned on one elbow, suddenly languid and relaxed. "You mean like this?" he teased, sheathing himself inside of her, as deep as any man could possibly go.

She licked her lips, nodding. Panting.

"Sweetheart, you are one hell of a woman." Those were his last words before he plunged his tongue deep within her mouth, seizing her in the same way his body already had.

Jake's knee was killing him, braced as it was against the front grate of the truck, but nothing could compare to the ache between his legs, the sweet heaven of plunging deep and deeper still inside Shelby. He loved teasing her, loved shattering her sexual barriers. Nobody would ever dominate him, least of all a little slip of a Texan alien.

Thrusting, he sped their rhythm, glancing up at the moon. It was all he could do to tamp down his need to howl, to let his mating needs known to the empty world around them. Shelby leaned back, her hair spread like fairy wings about her face, all golden and shimmering beneath the moonlight; he planted kiss after kiss on her lips, teasing her hips into a faster rhythm. He'd make her come, and he'd do it repeatedly.

Wrapping both of those shapely legs about his hips, she nestled him deeper inside of her grasping warmth. It was all he could do not to fucking lose it … while fucking her. He laughed softly against her neck. "You'll be the death of an old man like me."

Her calves tangled about his lower back, embracing him like a strong pair of arms. "Deeper. Deeper, Jake. Please." She panted hungrily, her fingernails dragging harshly across his shoulders, scoring the flesh.

That was the moment when he almost lost control. He nearly shape-shifted right there and entered her in his ethereal state. It was a sexual thrill that he and Hope had given into hundreds of times … but something held him back. Shelby didn't know what all he could do, his many forms and abilities. He was alien to her, an enemy. The thought of her natural disdain for his hybrid nature only sped him into a sexual frenzy, and he pumped harder, harder, faster.

Shelby's body trembled, shattered by orgasms. In reaction, his own erection spasmed, shooting his seed up inside her. Dim thoughts hounded him about protection, but he couldn't be bothered at the moment. Jets of his warmth filled her to overflowing, slowly seeping outward, trickling along her open thighs. Still he kept pumping, riding her throaty little cries like he would a massive tidal wave.

When at last he grew slack, he buried his head against her chest. "In All's name, you've got a gift all right, and it sure as hell isn't just time walking."

"I'm … on top of a truck." She giggled, threading her fingers through his hair.

His breathing grew a little more even, and he rolled halfway onto his side. "Don't worry. It's a new one for me, too, sweetheart."

Her clear blue eyes fluttered open, locking on him. She gave him a half smile. "You've got one hell of a pistol on you, baby. Glad you like firing it." Her words were pure Texas drawl.

"You saying you'll be my firing range whenever I need a little practice?" He nuzzled her, tickling her behind the ear.

She ducked out of his grasp, sitting up. "Jake the Snake …" At least she laughed when she said it. "Think that's what I'll call you from here on out."

"Have you seen my thigh yet?"

She wrinkled her brow, then smiled devilishly. "Thought I'd seen most of you by now, honey."

He didn't reply, just rolled flat on his back and tugged his jeans halfway down his legs until
it
came into view: reason number ten thousand why he hated the body he'd stolen from Jake Tierny. "Ugly as sin, I know."

"I wasn't thinking that." Shelby reached gentle fingers to the place where his right hip met his muscular thigh.

"What
were
you thinking, then?"

In a serpentine trail, she outlined the dark green snake that coiled about his right thigh. The tattoo was grotesque, hideous, some gleaming demonic monster that had been grafted onto his body. "I was wondering why, if you think this tattoo's so horrible, you made such a point of showing it to me." She lifted her eyes briefly, then dropped her gaze again.

"Figured it's better you knew what you were getting into, that's all."

"Don't forget," she laughed, "I know you a lot better than you think I do—even though you just barely know me. Thanks to Scott's stay down in the medical area. Yep, I know your ins and outs, baby, and that's a pretty good situation for a girl like me."

"Because you have all the power."

She gave him a smug smile. "Told you, control. That's the ground rule, pistol boy."

He slid off the truck cautiously, careful with his knee. It was already aching enough after the day's long drive. "We better spend the night here. Get a few winks before we hit the road again."