Tainted Hearts (17 page)

Arching into his touch, she wrapped her hand
around the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. His mouth moved
against hers, his tongue thrust and chased. Beneath her bottom she
could feel the hardened ridge of his cock, straining against his
jeans. An echoing pulse throbbed deep in her feminine core.

“Take this off, now,” he rasped out.

His hand moved to her face, while she
fumbled with the hidden fastenings at the side of the blouse. He
continued to kiss her until she pulled the top off over her head.
The movement loosened the last precarious anchor in her hair and
the curling mass spilled onto her naked shoulders.

He stared at her, mutely shaking his head.
“You are so beautiful,” he said after a long pause. “Your skin is
perfect. Your breasts are perfect.
You
are perfect.”

She grinned. With his heated gaze searing
her skin, she felt perfect. She stretched like a lazy cat, enjoying
his muffled groan and the way he fidgeted beneath her. He caught
her upper arms and pulled her upward, his mouth fastening onto one
breast. The forceful suction made her gasp and launched tingling
darts of sensation deep into her belly. Her entire abdomen
quivered.

Relaxing against the chair’s arm, she
threaded her fingers through his hair, while he stroked her breasts
with his fingers, mouth and tongue. He took his time, exploring not
just her nipple, but the entire mound.

“Shouldn’t we go to the bedroom?” she
whispered, restless and anxious to see what else Marc had in
store.

“Not yet.” He carefully worked her nipples
into hard little knots. “Stand up and take off your panties.”

She swung her legs to the floor, smiling
when they wobbled beneath her. Reaching under her skirt, she
slipped off her panties and turned to face him. He’d taken off his
shirt, but still wore his jeans.

“Now it’s up to you,” he said. “Take it off
or leave it on, but I’m going to touch you, like I did before.”

Confusion creased her brow as she looked at
the obvious bulge in his jeans. “That’s not all you’re going to do,
is it?”

He held out his hand and smiled. “We’ll take
care of me soon enough, but you’ve got some catching up to do.”

Blushing to the roots of her hair, Tuesday
took his hand. “I said I never had an orgasm with Leo, that doesn’t
mean… There are other ways… Oh, for God’s sake, just kiss me.”

He eagerly obliged. As his mouth claimed
hers, he guided her onto his lap. Her knees tucked neatly into the
corners of the chair and her butt rested on his thighs. Pressing
her breasts to his bare chest, his hands ran the length of her
back, then dipped beneath her skirt to stroke her hips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and
angled her head, losing herself completely in the intimacy of their
kisses. His long fingers skimmed her inner thigh, making her
squirm.

“Let me,” he whispered.

Relaxing her legs, she allowed his hand
between.

“That’s right. You’re so soft.” His mouth
migrated along her throat, across her shoulder and onto the upper
swell of her breast. “Rise up a bit, so I can reach you.”

She thought he meant her nipples, but when
she rocked up onto her knees, his fingers gently parted her
delicate folds and circled her entrance. Her core tingled. The
throb became a rhythmic pulse, demanding penetration.

“Oh, Marc,” she murmured. “I don’t think I
can wait. I want you inside me now.”

He nipped her and chuckled deep in his
chest. “We’ll explore exactly how much your body can take another
day, but for now, you are going to come for me or I’m not going to
make love to you.”

Holding tightly to the arms of the chair,
she arched her back and closed her eyes. His mouth drew firmly on
her breast, while his fingers stroked over, around and against her,
but not into her, never into her. She trembled. She needed him
there, inside her, but he wouldn’t fill her until she surrendered
to this. His fingertip circled her clit and she gasped. “Yes!
There. Please, there.”

He kept sliding forward and back against,
but not into her as his thumb took up the gentle circular motion.
She arched and moaned. Tension built. He closed his teeth around
her nipple and sent her over the edge. Her fingernails dug into the
fabric of the chair, while her body shook with wave after wave of
blessed release.

She collapsed against his chest, panting
harshly.

“Now was that so hard?” he whispered into
her hair.

Her hand eased between their bodies and she
laughed. “Still feels pretty hard to me.”

“Ready to do something about it?”

Pushing away from his chest, she smiled into
his eyes. “I never thought you’d ask.”

He laughed, empowered by her enthusiasm. “Do
you want our first time in bed or are you feeling adventurous?”

She licked her lips and his cock jerked
against his jeans. Damn, he’d love to explore that thought, but not
tonight.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Lift up again, so I can make a small
adjustment,” he coaxed.

She raised her weight off his lap and he
quickly unfastened his jeans, shoving them down past his knees.
He’d done it all under her skirt, so she had yet to see his cock,
which was probably a good thing. She was still incredibly tight.
Unless it had been years since “the bastard”, he was betting Leo
had been using cruelty to compensate for substandard equipment.

He let her relax against him, the heat of
her sex settled directly over his aching erection. Distracting her
with gentle kisses, he eased himself into position and then
stopped.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered against his
mouth.

“Nothing. This just feels so good. I don’t
want it to end and I know as soon as I get inside you, I’m not
going to last very long.”

“Then, we’ll take a shower, sleep for a
while and do it all again.”

He groaned, his head resting against the
chair’s high back. He shifted his hips, sinking into her. She
gasped and shuddered. “Did I hurt you?”

“You’re… I feel really… Are
you—enhanced?”

Holding her steady with one hand, he gently
stroked her with the other. She was ready for him; she just needed
to relax and let her body stretch. Lightly circling her clit, he
waited for her inner muscles to accept him. Slowly, inch by
agonizing inch, she sank down onto his shaft.

He continued to stroke her, even after she
had him completely inside her. The rippling spasms of her inner
muscles felt so erotic, he wondered if he needed to move at all.
Maybe he should just make her come and let her orgasm trigger his.
He had no doubt he could do it. Just when he had convinced himself
he would spare her the discomfort of thrusting, she lifted her
hips, dragging herself up along his entire length.

“Oh, Tuesday,” he gasped.

She lowered herself with more force.

“Don’t—if it hurts.”

“It hurts if I don’t,” she replied.

He wasn’t about to argue. Steadying her
hips, he showed her the rocking motion that created the most
tingling friction. She trembled, moving her hands to his shoulders.
He urged her on, but allowed her to determine the depth and speed
of each thrust. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she clung to him,
massaging him so tightly he wanted to die—and die happy.

Her breasts heaved and quivered as she moved
more vigorously. He cupped both, passing his thumbs over the
nipples. Each time he flicked her, she tightened around him. The
discovery made him anxious to explore all her triggers, find every
spot that made her tremble, every point that made her burn.

Dragging her face to his, he sealed his
mouth over hers and mimicked the motion of their joining with
sweeping penetrations of his tongue. She groaned, her fingernails
digging painfully into his shoulders, and he knew she was almost
there.

He concentrated on the clench and release of
her core, the heat, the motion. He wanted to rut like a madman, but
this was enough. For now, this was enough.

Tension gathered, tighter, painful. Then,
pleasure burst, pounding through him, pouring from him, sweeping
him away.

The PURE stronghold looked more like an
office building than the military fortress Tuesday had expected.
Reflective windows protected the privacy of Job’s disciples, but
there were no high security fences or armed guards stationed in
perimeter towers. She chuckled softly; she was actually
disappointed.

“Job’s hold on these people is psychological
and financial, not physical.”

As usual, Marc had easily guessed her
thoughts. She bristled. Weren’t women supposed to be intriguing and
unpredictable? She’d have to work on that. “I understand
psychological, but what financial hold does he have over his
followers?”

“To become a True Believer you must sell
your worldly goods and move to the PURE compound. They become
worker bees in Job’s maniacal hive.” Her steps lagged the closer
they drew to the main entrance. Marc pulled her to one side of the
wide double doors, his hands lightly resting on her shoulders. “You
don’t have to do this.”

She touched the side of his face and managed
to produce a smile. “Yes I do. I just didn’t get a lot of sleep
last night. I don’t want to do something stupid.”

Turning his face, he kissed the palm of her
hand. “Regrets?”

“Not at all.” They had finally made it to
the bed, but only after he made love to her on the living room
floor. Tingles zinged through her just thinking about the things
they had done together, the ways he had touched her, the ways she
had touched him.

“More naughty thoughts?”

She smiled. “Naughty memories.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “We’ve barely begun
to be naughty.”

Heat suffused her skin at the promise in his
throaty tone. She had to pull herself together and stop thinking
about last night. She had a job to do! “Enough. Let’s get this over
with.”

He pulled the door open and she stepped past
him into the lobby of the PURE stronghold. Discreetly concealed
behind mirrored domes, surveillance cameras recorded them from
every angle. The lobby was large and welcoming, plans for the
“Controlled Community” prominently displayed across one wall.

They approached the information desk and a
young woman with big brown eyes smiled at them. “Welcome to PURE.
May I help you?”

“I’m Tuesday Fitzpatrick. Job is expecting
me.”

She nodded and spoke softly into her
audiocom. “You’re cleared to proceed through those doors, but your
companion will have to submit to a screening if he wishes to
accompany you.”

Her gaze shot to Marc as panic rolled
through her. “I just want to speak with Job,” she insisted. “I’d be
much more comfortable if my friend came with me.”

“Is he tainted?” The receptionist’s eyes
were suddenly cold.

“Barely,” Marc muttered. “My rating is
2.0.”

“No one with a rating higher than 0.9 is
allowed beyond the lobby.” She shrugged and looked at Tuesday.
“There are no exceptions to the rule. You’re welcome to enter, but
he stays here.”

“Could you give us a moment, please?” She
moved closer to Marc and they turned their backs on the woman.

“I don’t like this,” he grumbled. “I should
have anticipated it, but I sure as hell don’t like it.”

“Give me an hour inside. If I haven’t
returned by then, contact—”

He silenced her with a quick kiss. “No
names,” he whispered against her mouth. “One hour.”

A sandy-haired man with light blue eyes
approached as she passed beyond the lobby. The common arrangement
of his features couldn’t mask the shrewd intelligence in his gaze.
Dressed in black trousers and a white knit shirt bearing the PURE
logo, he could have been an executive assistant at any conventional
business.

Without a word, he escorted her through a
set of security doors. They emerged in a small courtyard, cluttered
with benches and tables. A couple glanced up as he led her toward
another secured door. No one spoke. Was the entire compound this
somber?

“How can you stand it?” The man paused and
faced her.

“Stand what?”

“You’re a 0.0. How can you tolerate the
touch of one who is tainted?” He’d seemed indifferent as they
walked along, but fury lit his gaze and his hands balled into
fists.

His indignation caught her by surprise. “Why
is it any of your business? I don’t even know your name.”

Without responding, he turned and resumed
his trek down the corridor. Tuesday fell in line. Such a delightful
sort. After opening the elevator door with a thumb scan, he
depressed one of the pads on the control console, then quickly
stepped out before the door closed.

“Cute,” she muttered. Rocking subtly, the
car announced its ascent. Moments later the door slid open,
revealing an elegant foyer. Cautiously, she poked her head out and
looked in either direction. A hall stretched off to her left and a
spacious salon was offset to the right. No one was in sight.

“Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Fitzpatrick.
I’ll be with you momentarily.”

Job’s disembodied voice made her jump and
move fully into the foyer. Slightly distorted by the intercom, his
tone was still familiar.

Job. She shuddered.

Two steps took her down into the salon, but
she was too nervous to sit. Instead, she crossed to the massive
windows and looked out over the complex. Two towers, identical to
the one in which she stood, formed the points of a triangle. The
bottom six floors connected around the courtyard, and halfway up
the towers another section of connecting floors stabilized the
structure.

“Spectacular view, don’t you agree?”

She shifted her focus from the scene below
to Job’s reflection in the window. He stood behind her, one hand in
the seam pocket of his slacks. She started to control her
expression, then realized there was no need. It was to her
advantage that he believe she was upset.