Primal Elements (8 page)

“We wouldn’t want that to happen.” She was feeling naughty, not like her normal cautious self. She leaned in and placed a kiss at the base of his throat. “I might have to punish you.”

He moaned low and deep in his chest. She tried to look in complete control as she smiled and stepped away. She turned her attention to the artifact and hoped she could rid her mind of the images of making love to Ben.

Cautiously, she approached the object, making mental notes of its position and the environment around it. She should have grabbed her camera.

“Matt said no one knows what it is. Even your assistant.” He said the last with a note of distain. “It looks like the explosion caused some serious damage though.”

Squatting beside it, Jenna began to brush away some of the ash off the scorched metal. Her head began to buzz, like her brain was itchy.

“A probe?”

“Maybe. But I’m not sure if Sanderson is the right person for this job after all. He’s on his way. I figure the least he can do is guess.”

Something caught Jenna’s eye. “Come take a look at this.”

She waited until Ben squatted beside her before she pointed.

“Look at the soil. Those crystals look like they have grown straight out of the ground.”

“Any chance it’s a result of the explosion?”

“Possibly. I’d have to run some tests to be sure.”

When she hesitated, Ben nudged her with his knee. “But?”

51

The brief contact jolted her. Images of Ben tied naked to his bed bombarded her mind. She needed him now. She had to concentrate to force the air to move into and out of her lungs. Her panties were soaked with her desire. One touch was all it would take for her to explode.

“Gods,” she whispered.

“What was that?” He kept his eyes fixed on hers.

Jenna’s mind began to race. She had to push back her desire and force her mind to concentrate.

“I have a theory.”

Ben stood and adjusted his groin. “I’m all ears.”

Her face grew hot and she had to turn her head away. With him standing she was at the perfect level to take his shaft into her mouth.

“Climb out of the crater for a minute,” she said the words a bit too quickly.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t think with you standing so close to me,” she snapped. “Just trust me. Climb out and stand on the edge.”

He gave her a puzzled look before he made his way up and over the sandy hill to the surface.

With her eyes closed, Jenna felt the tension drain from her body with each step away that Ben took. The air lightened, and the pounding in her head stopped.

“What the hell?”

She looked back at him. “I feel it too.”

“Feel what?”

Roger had come up from the west and jumped down beside Jenna before she’d realized he was there. She stiffened, expecting her body to react in much the same way it had with Ben.

Her shock and surprise must have been obvious. Roger scrunched his nose up as he looked at her.

“What?”

“Do you,” she hesitated, not knowing how to ask. “Do you feel anything?”

He stared blankly into space for a minute before he shrugged. “Hungry.”

“Nothing else?” Ben called from above. His voice sounded strained, a note of annoyance clear.

“What a jerk,” Roger whispered under his breath. “No. Care to enlighten me?”

Jenna knew he wouldn’t be able to handle the idea of her sudden and intense attraction to Ben in the vicinity of the probe. She patted him on the shoulder and stood.

“I’d like to keep my theory quiet right now. Until I get the proof I need.”

A discreet glance at Ben and she knew he saw the connection. They needed to talk.

52

Her legs screamed as the circulation returned after her extended squat. She had to give them a minute before she’d be able to walk out of the crater. The buzzing in her head increased and she had to give it a shake to try to clear it.

Help.

“Did you hear that?” Jenna asked, spinning around.

“Hear what?” Roger answered, giving the probe a kick.

Help!

“You can’t hear her? It sounds like a woman’s in trouble.” Jenna turned to Ben. “Do you hear her?”

Ben turned to look behind him. “Everyone seems to be back at the base. I don’t hear anything else.”

Find him please.

“I must be more tired than I thought,” she muttered and began to make her way out of the crater. Hearing voices was never a good sign. Everyone would want her to go home and lie down, blame it on stress. But it didn’t feel like stress. Jenna pushed the odd feelings away for now and headed over to Ben.

Every step jolted the pins and needles through her legs as she tried to scramble up the hill, away from whatever the thing in the crater was. Roger was close on her heels, muttering curses none too quietly under his breath.

“Jenna, will you slow down? What’s going on here? I don’t like being kept out of the loop, especially since corporate boy is now on duty,” Roger bit out beside her.

“You’re being an ass. Stop it and play nice for once,” she said and continued up out of the crater. Ben was there to lend her a hand up and out. Something she noticed he didn’t do for her assistant.

Roger tried to pick his way up the hill, but lost his footing and slid back to the bottom. He punched the sand before making a successful second attempt. The trio stood on the edge, looking down at the unassuming object that had caused the massive explosion. Jenna still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more here than an alien device. She needed to spend some time alone with the device so she could get her head around what was going on.

“I need to get that back into the lab. I have a theory that I’d like to test.” Jenna turned to Roger. “What are the chances that we can get a crane here?”

“Zero until morning. Even if we could find one, it will take a full crew to properly secure it. I don’t want to take any unnecessary chances.”

Jenna nodded. “It might be easier if I conduct some preliminary tests where it is. It should give me enough to confirm a theory. Do we still have a test kit?”

“Nope. Blew with everything else. I have one back at the university. But I don’t have a vehicle. Mine was damaged.”

“I can have Matt drive you. He can get you there and back in forty,” Ben said.

53

Roger jumped, and Jenna couldn’t imagine how he’d forgotten Ben was standing beside them. Roger gave Ben an odd look but nodded his agreement. She knew her assistant took some time to warm up to people, but he was being hostile even for Roger.

Something else she’d have to deal with later.

“I’ll meet him out front. The limo, I assume.”

“I’ll tell Matt you’re on your way,” Ben said and pulled out his PCD to do just that.

Jenna watched her friend walk away until she was sure he was out of earshot. Ben stepped up beside her as he slipped his communicator back into his pocket.

“He means well. Roger is better with test results than people. Once you know how his mind works, he grows on you.”

“Like a mold, I’m sure.”

She turned on Ben, ready to defend Roger, until she looked into his eyes. Humor shone bright and he was waiting to see if she’d take his bait. How could she disappoint him? She leaned in so she was only an inch away. His body heat pulled her closer with the promise of warmth. Careful not to draw attention, she slipped a hand under his jacket and caressed the hard muscles of his stomach.

“Roger has been known to get under people’s skin.” She lightly raked her nails over the linen of his shirt.

“Reminds me of someone else I know.”

He sucked in a breath when she dipped a finger under his waistband. She smiled but pulled her hand away.

“There’s nothing I’d rather do than go back to your place. But I’m not sure how much energy that thing has left in it. If I don’t run these tests it may stop. Then we lose all chance of understanding what happened.”

“I said it would take them forty minutes. You need the kit to conduct your tests. We have time.”

Her face heated again. Damn, she hated that she turned into a schoolgirl at the slightest hint of something inappropriate with him.

“There must be a tent, somewhere private where we can talk,” he said in a voice full with the promise of something exciting. She even giggled when he surveyed the research camp for a suitable spot.

Every sensible part of her mind was warning her that this was a bad idea. But whether it was due to her proximity to the artifact, or if her early experiences with Ben were too fresh in her mind, she didn’t care. She wanted him.

“I think I know a place. Follow me.”

54

Ben’s couldn’t believe how fast his heart was racing as Jenna led him into the supply shed.

“This actually feels a bit sordid,” she whispered in the half-light.

“Haven’t you always wanted to have sex in a shed?”

Jenna giggled in the dark before she bumped her knee on workbench they couldn’t immediately see when they entered the room.

“Son of an earther!”

“Such language from a lady. I may have to wash my ears out later.”

He pulled her arm back so she was forced to turn and face him. Without breaking contact, he slid his hand up her bare arm and over her shoulder until he found her neck and face. Once he found the smoothness of her cheek, he leaned in and kissed her hard on the lips. She moaned into his mouth, her fingers bunching his shirt into a twisted ball.

“This is such a bad idea,” she whispered before returning his kiss even harder.

“Scared Roger might find us?”

Jenna’s fist connected with his biceps, leaving a stinging sensation behind.

“Vicious. I may have to tie you up again.”

“Promises, promises.”

Instead, Ben found the edge of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, exposing her breasts. The white bra underneath was barely visible in the half-light of the shed.

Not that he needed to see to know what he was doing. With unerring accuracy, he pushed the thin fabric away, bent his head and laved her nipple with his tongue.

Jenna moaned and buried her fingers into his hair. She push-pulled him against her.

The scent of her desire was heady in the confines of the small shed. Sweat from her skin tasted salty in his mouth and added to his desire.

The workbench behind them provided the support he wanted. Ben grabbed Jenna’s ass, lifted her up and carried her over.

“Perfect,” he whispered in her ear.

“That’s what I like about you. Always thinking.”

He set her down, giving him better access to the buttons of her pants. He was almost defeated by the small barriers before she slapped his hand away.

“Always thinking, but not very coordinated.”

“Jenna.” His warning quickly turned into a moan.

55

Instead of answering, she leaned in and captured his face in another kiss. She gasped against him when he tried to pull her pants down over her hips. His stomach sickened.

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean…I just want you so bad.”

“I’m fine. But let me.”

Within a flash, she had her pants down and off, and then set to work on his. When her cold fingers wrapped around his cock he sucked in a breath. She wet her fingers in her mouth and began to stroke him. His body shuddered and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep things up too long.

Never before had he responded like this to a woman. As good as his stamina was, normally a third round in one evening would be out of the question. It had to be that damn machine buried out there. Jenna reached down with her free hand and cupped his balls. The chill of her hand caused his sac to tighten and sent a pulse of blood though his cock.

He had to give his head a shake to regain some degree of control over his desire. He broke her contact by lifting her once again onto the workbench. Her pussy was now at the perfect height for him to drive into. Ben slipped his thumb into her mouth. Her tongue slid and flicked around it, moistening it for what he had planned.

When he pulled it from her mouth he heard her chuckle for the briefest of moments before he began to rub her clit. Slowly at first he circled the stiffening nub, encouraged by her low moans. Cream from her pussy covered his hand when he pushed two fingers into her cunt. Jenna leaned in and bit his shoulder lightly. The mix of pleasure and pain almost made him come on the spot.

“Ben, please.” She grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand out of the way. “I want you in me.”

His heart began to race. Ben flexed his fingers against her thighs and tugged her to the edge of the bench. His cock twitched as he pressed up against the wet opening of her pussy. He didn’t slow, but pushed into her with a hard thrust until he couldn’t go any further.

Jenna wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. Her head fell back as she bucked in unison against him. Her muscles clenched and unclenched around his shaft, squeezing and teasing him in ways no other woman ever had.

“Fuck.”

“Too fast.”

They both calmed, coming to a sudden stop as they held each other in the dark. Ben felt his breathing syncing up with hers. Her heartbeat echoed against his chest and he could feel her pulse beating in her throat when he bent his head to lick her neck.

Without words, they both pulled back enough to look into each other’s eyes. Ben searched for…something. A sign that this was just another quick fuck, like he’d had with women in the past. But it wasn’t.

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He pushed his cock forward hard, driving deep into Jenna. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t look away. Instantly, they fell into a slow, steady rhythm in and out. Each time he pushed as far as he could, Jenna tightened her muscles around his cock for a second before releasing him to withdraw.

“You like it when I fuck you like this. Don’t you?” he managed a hoarse whisper.

“Yes. Don’t stop.”

Over and over he pulled back until he was almost out of her pussy, only to thrust back into her hard. Each time the coil of pleasure tightened inside him. Jenna moaned as she sucked on her lower lip. His male pride swelled. His hands slid down her back to cup her ass, kneading her soft skin. He pulled her forward and tight against him.

“Mine,” he growled against her neck.

Jenna reached forward as well and lightly raked her fingers down over his shoulder blades. It was his turn to swallow a moan. Gods, he loved it when she did that. Again she teased his back with her nails, at the same time she sucked his earlobe and ran her tongue over the ridge of his ear. It was perfect. She was perfect.

He pushed her back so Jenna could lie on the bench. A powerful desire to taste her hit him hard. With her on her back it was easy to suck her nipple into his mouth. He nipped at her with his teeth and flicked his tongue quickly over the tight bud.

“Ben,” her voice was soft and full of desire.

His balls tightened as her muscles tightened around him. He pulled himself away from her breast and kissed her. Her body tensed underneath him and he could barely hold on to her as she cried out. Jenna’s moans didn’t stop as he pounded into her unrelentingly. Ben felt his own orgasm rush from him and his cries echoed in the small shed. He thrust into her over and over, needing Jenna to feel every ounce of pleasure.

Of both their pleasures.

The cool breeze from outside licked though the crack under the shed door and chilled Ben’s sweat-soaked back. He tried to wrap Jenna under him to protect her from the chill. He slid his arm under her head and nuzzled her neck.

“That was…”

“I know,” he said softly against her.

“It’s like you knew how to touch me. Right when I needed you to.”

She ran her fingers lightly up and down his back along his spine. Ben shivered and instinctively thrust into her again, even though his cock was rapidly softening.

“You seem to have that knack yourself.”

Jenna tapped him on the shoulder. “Sit up.”

He tightened his grip on her.

“Ben, please.”

He nipped at her neck, but pulled back. Jenna continued to lie on the bench, her half naked body glowing in the faint light. Ben felt his cock twitch for the briefest of seconds 57

before he gave it a hard squeeze. Jenna didn’t look like she was up for another round.

He couldn’t believe he was even considering it.

She looked at him hard for a moment, her eyes moving up and down his body. He straightened, giving her as good a view as possible. Ben knew he wasn’t as fit as he had been seven years ago, but he hadn’t heard any of his female acquaintances complain before. Still, it mattered that Jenna was happy with what she saw.

“When we left your place,” she paused and pulled herself to a sitting position.

“When we left, I thought things between us were over.”

Ben felt his shock like a punch to the stomach. “I told you I reserved the right to woo you after.”

She seemed to consider this. “Yes, but I don’t imagine having a quickie in a work shed is how you normally court your girlfriends.”

His normal flip comeback got stuck. “Not normally.”

“It’s odd.” She sat up and placed her hand on his chest. “I was so angry with you when we left earlier, I figured after seeing the artifact tonight I’d be able to avoid you for the rest of this project. But when we were in the crater, all I wanted to do was throw you to the ground and have my way with you. I didn’t care if anyone saw us.”

Ben reached up and placed his hand over hers. “I felt it too. When our knees touched, it felt like—”

“Like a shot of electricity went through us.”

He searched her eyes for some sort of answer. “You didn’t feel like that with Roger, correct?”

“No,” her voice cracked. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

He pulled her close in a hug. “Let’s get dressed and see if we can figure it out.”

“I have a theory.”

Ben heard the note of doubt in her voice. He gave her a squeeze and helped her down from the bench.

“Then I’m not worried. You’ll figure it out and we’ll know what we need to do.”

Ben watched Jenna come to some sort of conclusion. She nodded stiffly and retrieved her shirt.

“Let’s do this.”

In the five minutes it took them to get dressed, he was amazed at how quickly she changed from lover to scientist. Her complexity definitely attracted him, but he wasn’t sure how to react. In so many ways she did feel like his perfect match. Not that he believed for a second that there was such a thing. No one was perfect. Least of all him.

Jenna carefully made her way to the door and cracked it open a notch.

“It looks like we’re clear. I’ll head to the main tent first and wait for Roger there. If you want to follow in a few minutes, it shouldn’t attract too much attention.”

Ben leaped across the small space, banging into the hidden object on the floor, to 58

catch Jenna’s arm before she left the shed.

“What? Why not go together?”

Jenna’s face contorted into a look of pain. “I need to have the respect of my team if I’m going to lead them with this. You’re an outsider to them. An unknown. If they see me with you…” she trailed off and shrugged.

“They won’t respect you for being with me? Their loyalties are that fickle?”

“No, your reputation preceded you.”

Ben dropped her arm. “I wonder how that happened.”

At least Jenna looked guilty. “I’m sorry. When I heard you were backing the project, I thought it was going to happen all over again. I was angry, I guess. And a bit scared.”

So much for the perfect relationship.

“I did what I did for good reason. Your theory at the time had flaws and it wasn’t worth the financial risk to investigate further.”

He pushed the door open and walked past her into the courtyard. He drove his clenched fists into his pants pockets and kept his stride long and fast. He hadn’t even talked to her and she’d judged the project based on his name being attached to it. It was amazing she’d agreed to their date at all.

“Ben!”

He stopped dead and turned to face her. She stumbled to a stop herself a few steps away. Her hair was a wreck, her lips were swollen, looking very well kissed. And as much as he wanted to take her back to his place and forget this insanity he couldn’t. He had no intention of making this easy for her. He refused to break eye contact or give her any prompting. It would drive her nuts.

“I’m sorry,” she said clearly. Her arms were opened, palms facing him. “But you’re not an easy man. You only give people enough to know your surface, and block any attempt at anything deeper.”

“I never asked for that,” he struggled to speak in a steady voice.

She shook her head. “Didn’t you?”

Never.
He never asked for, or wanted, that kind of relationship. A date, the occasional round of great sex and maybe some light conversation. That’s all he looked for. That’s all he needed. It had been all he’d needed for years.

Jenna laced her fingers behind her back as she walked to him.

“Ben, I’m the first to admit I’m over my head here. I’m going to need the support of every single member of my team to help me figure this out. It’s my fault that they don’t have a very high opinion of you. It will be my job to fix that.”

She reached for his arm and pulled it out of his pocket. She poked her fingers into his fist until he relaxed.

“But I can do all the talking in the world and it won’t change their minds. They need to trust you.”

59

A trickle of voices came from behind them and Ben looked up when he recognized Matt’s. His head began to pound as the muscles of his neck tensed.