Second Chance (19 page)

94 Second Chance

Their com-links went off almost simultaneously. Laci tried to concentrate on what was being said and their terse replies, but her mind was a little slow to clear from the haze of desire they had created. One thing was certain, something wasn’t right.

“We have duty to see to, lovely one. Much as we would love to linger with you, we’ll have to find our usual after-dinner pleasure later.” Darion stood slowly.

Her brain may have been fogged by their kisses and maddening touch, but she wasn’t an idiot or deaf. She had heard the words “remind you” in both of their conversations. They never needed reminding or started anything that they couldn’t finish. Then she remembered the plan she had suspected them of following. Her eyes narrowed and she looked around the room.

Laci’s eyes fell on several of the women dining with the men who had claimed them. She saw the women’s expressions as well as the satisfied glow on the men’s faces and knew that this was no coincidence. It didn’t take many wits to decipher their plan. She had just been used as an object lesson. She turned fiery eyes to the two men.

They probably wouldn’t even deny it. Her body was on fire, pulsing with desire they had ignited. Her anger hadn’t made a dent in it. The slight breeze from the air vents tormented her oversensitive body. She glared at them, growing more furious by the moment. They weren’t even going to give her satisfaction after using her, just so their men could make progress with their women.

Darion helped her out of the seat. She waited until they were out in the hallway before she vented her anger. They walked nonchalantly beside her as if they had done nothing. She stomped hard on Darion’s foot and drove her elbow into Alek’s unprotected ribs. She leaped forward and spun to face them.

“Next time, try asking for my help. I’m generally fairly reasonable,” Laci stormed before she stalked off—or tried to.

Darion stopped her by simply grabbing the trailing black braid of her long hair. Laci took a step back and turned to face him. She grabbed her braid and tugged on it, but he wouldn’t release it.

“I swear I’m going to cut that,” Laci muttered.

“Better not, we like it.” Darion’s grin was unrepentant.

“It’s my hair.” Laci narrowed her eyes. She would take a lot from them, but she wouldn’t let them dictate to her. “Say what you have to say.”

“It will also be your ass.” Alek smiled. “You have a point about the way we handled this. We could have asked.”

“Arrogant, presumptuous, self-important and blind,” Laci muttered beneath her breath. “You could try giving them a little time. They just got out of a horrible situation.”

“
Be’rai
, relax. We’ll talk about this later. We have to attend to our duties.” Darion’s voice was pitched at a soothing rumble.

95 Rebecca Airies

Laci shot them both a glare. She was frustrated and more than ready to vent it on them. “Well, go to your duties. I think you’ve harassed me enough.”

“
Be’rai
, your way with words has me wanting to give you a lesson in the proper respect owed to your mates.” Alek’s voice was low, but the laughter in his eyes and the smile on his face belied the words.

“When my mates deserve respect, they get it. When they are undeserving of it, I certainly don’t give it,” Laci shot back. “Go to your duties. You’ve made me angry enough today.”

“You could get to be a bossy little woman if we let you. Luckily, we know just how to handle you.” Darion’s voice was confident as he stepped forward. “We’ll deal with your burgeoning arrogance later.” As he passed her, his hand landed a stinging smack on her buttock. That contact caused the muscles in her pussy to clench, heightening her arousal.

Laci found herself alone in the hallway. Her body was on fire, her clothing felt heavy and abrasive against her skin. She desperately needed some kind of release. They had deliberately taken her to the heights and known they wouldn’t be able to finish. By the Gods, they could have shown her a little mercy.

She headed for the recreation area. She needed to work off some of this frustrated desire. She knew the two men who were her mates very well by now. She wouldn’t get the chance to satisfy the hunger which raged within her. They were fairly predictable. If she went back to their room to finish it herself, someone would come to the door, needing assistance or seeking something before she could find satisfaction.

In spite of the anger she felt for their actions, Laci knew that she’d be back in their arms before the day was over. She couldn’t hold onto her anger when they touched her. She also knew that the way they acted, how they thought—it was all part of what drew her to them. If they were weak and biddable, if she could get them to do anything she wanted, she wouldn’t be half as interested in them. She accepted and loved them exactly as they were.

In the practice area, Laci took great satisfaction in pounding on the android opponent. The exercise and focus helped burn away the desire that her mates had so expertly fanned into a burning blaze. The next time Alek made a remark about not leaving her wanting, she was going to be sure to use this. Like them, she’d take any advantage she could get.

96 Second Chance

Chapter Twelve

Laci had the uneasy feeling that two hunters were circling her, closing in for the kill. Alek and Darion were getting impatient. They weren’t going to wait for much longer, before applying a little pressure. She’d seen it in their eyes. The intensity, the hunger burned in their eyes. That was a look that she knew well enough.

It didn’t take a mind reader to know what they wanted. They wanted that ceremony. Laci was uncertain. She didn’t know anything about it. She hadn’t asked when they’d first brought it up and now, it seemed too much like throwing raw meat in front of wild, starving animals. They’d take the subject and run. If she brought up the subject, the next thing she knew she would be in the middle of that ceremony.

It wasn’t that she objected to the ceremony itself. More and more she was coming to crave that permanent connection, but she wanted more from them. She wanted a declaration. Pulling that declaration from them would be the trick. With both of them in the room, she didn’t have much chance of directing the conversation.

Darion came into their quarters earlier than expected that night. Usually, he and Alek arrived at the same time.
Now, this is too much of an opportunity to waste
, Laci thought as she watched him take off his shoes.
With a little persuasion…

Laci smiled as she stood and walked over to Darion who looked a little tired, but very sexy in that form-fitting blue shirt that so deliciously outlined his arms and chest as well as the black pants that molded to his legs and buttocks. She couldn’t help but notice how that blue seemed to enhance the dark bronze skin and accentuate the ruggedness of his face.

She licked her lips in anticipation. She laced her fingers into his soft black hair and pulled him down for a long, slow kiss. By the Gods, he tasted good. That crisp taste of his that reminded her of a brisk morning and the forest made her feel almost drunk. Her lips clung to his before she drew back. She ran her hands over his shoulders.

“You’re tense,” Laci purred and forced her mind onto the matter at hand. “Is something wrong, Rion?”

“Nothing is wrong,
be’rai
,” Darion assured her, his hands moving beneath the silky material of her green shirt to stroke over the warm skin beneath.

Laci stepped back and grabbed one of the dark blue covers from the bed. She knew that if she was going to ask him any questions, she had to keep her mind clear. She had to keep him from touching or kissing her. “Come with me, Rion. I will give you a massage, loosen those tense muscles.”

She carried the satiny spread to a wide, clear spot in front of the chair and couches. She spread it and stepped back. She turned and was startled to find Darion right behind

97 Rebecca Airies

her.

“Lie down, Rion. I’ll be right back,” Laci urged him.

Darion raised his brows as she walked to the bathroom with a very slinky sway of the hips beneath that short black skirt. Laci turned back at the door and saw feral anticipation on his face. She frowned, turning back to her task as he began stripping of his clothes, flinging them onto the couch. She wondered if Darion was working on a plan of his own or if he just wanted her.

Laci came back to the bedroom with a bottle of lightly scented oil. She breathed in slowly, gathering her courage. Her plan, as quickly thrown together as it was, had solidified in her mind. She’d get him relaxed and sleepy and then hit him with her questions. If the answers were right, then the ceremony could occur without delay. If they were wrong, then there wouldn’t be a ceremony.

Darion was sprawled on his stomach, nude and waiting. His dark hair was pulled to the left side of his neck. His left cheek was pillowed by his arms. His eyes locked upon her the moment she came into view. The intensity in those brown eyes caused her to pause as she approached him.

“About time,” Darion lowered his lashes, veiling his eyes. “You promised me a massage. Get to it, woman.”

That move, those thick lashes sweeping down over his eyes caused alarms to ring in Laci’s head. The man didn’t have a bit of shyness in his body. “Where’s Alek?” She bit her lip, nervously.

“He was held up with some details in the engine room,” Darion said. “My muscles are still tense.”

Laci chuckled, eyeing the expanse of taut, deep brown skin in front of her for a moment before moving to straddle him. She pushed away her worries and focused on him. He was a beautifully formed man, all sculpted muscle and hard planes.

She poured oil into her hands and rubbed them together before smoothing them up his dark bronze back. Her strokes were long and firm. She moved to the muscles of his broad shoulders. On those tightly bunched muscles, her thumbs rubbed circles as she tried to ease the tension there. She kept moving her hands over his muscles working every bit of tension out of his back and arms.

“That feels good,
be’rai
.” Darion’s voice was thick.

He sounded slumberous. Laci smiled with glee and satisfaction, glad he couldn’t detect her plan. If he was relaxed almost to the point of sleep, it shouldn’t be too hard to ask her questions. She wouldn’t have to phrase them as carefully.

“Rion,” Laci whispered softly, leaning close to his ear. Her mind whirled as she tried to phrase the question in a way that would elicit a clear answer, yet not alert him to the reason why she asked the question. She wanted no doubts about what he felt. “Do you want me?”

“Always want you,
be’rai
.” His muscles bunched under her hands, then slowly

98 Second Chance

relaxed.

Laci frowned. Well, that hadn’t got the response she wanted. He was talking sexually. She wanted to know more than that his body desired her. That was obvious and had been from the first.

“Do you need me?”

“I couldn’t be without you, Laci. I love you.” Darion’s body tensed slightly under her hands. “My love for you came quickly. Almost from the day we found you I knew that you would own my heart.”

“I know you love me, Rion. I know that Alek loves me too.” Laci sighed. What was she going to have to ask to get the answer she wanted? “I’m just not sure it will be enough.”

Darion seemed to explode under her. Lifting his body with her still straddling him, he reached around, pulled her off him and deposited her under his body. Laci’s stunned surprise wore off within a breath. Scrambling backwards on her elbows, she tried to move away from his looming body. His hand grabbed her a moment later, halting her flight. She hadn’t gotten far. Darion was now leaning over her.

Darion reached over and pulled the com-link from his pants. He pushed on the end of it. “Alek!” he bellowed into it, then angrily tossed it away. He turned his gaze back to her and those brown eyes were shot with gold.

That wasn’t a good sign, Laci knew. She took a deep breath. Alek strode into the room only moments later, his expression thunderous. His long strides covered the distance quickly. He was just as angry as Darion.

“Did you hear that, Alek?” Darion’s eyes never left Laci. “If you’re just being stubborn, I’m going to spank your ass.”

“Yes, I heard.” Alek knelt at Laci’s side. “How do you know that we love you?”

Laci tried to sit up, but Darion placed a hand flat on her chest and glowered at her. Even without him applying any pressure, she couldn’t move. She narrowed her eyes angrily. They could let her sit up and face them. They knew how vulnerable she would feel in this position and they were using it.

“I’m not an idiot. Your actions, your words, the look on your faces, the way you care for me, all tell me that you love me. The actual words are nice to hear, but I knew without them.” Laci glared up at them. She felt like such a dunce. They’d planned this. All the while she’d been plotting and trying to pull answers from Darion, they had been waiting to close their trap.

“If you know we love you and you love us, then what is it that you need?” Alek frowned at Laci. “What more can you need to know if you know of our love for you?”

“I would never know the truth if I told you.” Laci shook her head. She wouldn’t take the chance that they would tell her what they thought she needed to know.

Both of the men growled and their stares became even more intense. She could feel their anger almost like a tide washing over her. Darion leaned closer to her.