Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) (20 page)

Without waiting for her reply, he got to work, taking the radio apart and using the tools he’d bought to make adjustments. Observing him, Jen admired the frown of concentration on his brow, the hard planes on his face, and the wide set of his shoulders. Was there nothing this man couldn’t do when it came to electronics?

“Do you really just repair communications equipment when you’re not a Drift Lord?”

“Yes, that is my job.”

She heard the challenge in his voice and didn’t question him, but it disturbed her that he was so accepting of his lot when his skills qualified him for much more.

Striding to the nearest queen-sized bed, she gave a weary sigh. She’d unpack the goods in her bags before taking a shower.

She had just finished sorting through the pile of makeup, toiletries, and clothes when Paz straightened.

“It’s done.” He stuffed his tools into one of the backpacks. As the wind howled outside, he pointed to the window. “Sounds nasty out there.”

A weather report on TV drew his attention. His brow wrinkled as he listened. “Jen, I hate to tell you, but flights have been canceled. The storm is expected to hit here directly, and the airports are closed.”

“Oh, no.” Her heart sank. “I thought we were supposed to get just a few rain bands.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Not anymore. We’d better call the front desk and ask for an extension.
Smark
, and I’d wanted to check out Manga World tomorrow.”

Jen called her father while Paz went in the shower. Her dad wasn’t happy about the delay but told her to stay safe. She wondered how that was possible when she couldn’t trust anyone except Paz.

****

Paz’s loins stirred as he watched Jen emerge from the washroom. She wore a towel around her torso, her loose hair damp down her back. He’d put on his briefs but now they felt taut. Part of his anatomy swelled as he glimpsed her deep cleavage, long and shapely legs, and bare feet. By Odin’s grace, it took all his willpower to restrain his need for her.

She caught him watching, and her face flushed.

“Turn around. I have to put my nightshirt on.” She stopped by the far bedside, a pout on her lush mouth.

“Don’t bother on my account.” He gave her a lazy grin.

Her chin lifted. “You just want insurance against the Trollek touch.”

Females were all alike. They needed reassurance that his desire was for them alone. While his technique had earned him many happy memories, this time he hesitated. He didn’t want to mingle with her just to satisfy his lust. He wanted to lie with her because she was a beautiful woman whose resourcefulness and courage would warm any man’s heart.

With several quick strides, he reached her.

Paz tilted her face toward him. “It’s true that I’m dying to taste you, but not only because you offer protection.”

He stroked along her prominent cheekbone, across her chin, and over her lips. Her scent invaded him, enticing him to lean closer until their mouths almost touched.

“I can’t get enough of you.” His voice came out a husky rasp. “I want to explore you all over, to find the hidden spots that drive you wild, and to watch you as we break the crest together.”

He grasped her, yanked her close, and melded his mouth to hers. She moaned into his kiss and thrust her leg between his thighs. His frenzy grew. He plunged his tongue inside her, claiming her for his own. Even if she cast him aside later, she’d remember their mingling.

He kissed her until his breath came short. Her hair felt moist under his fingers. Breaking off, he stepped back.

“Let me dry your hair. Turn around.”

When she faced away from him, he unwound the towel from her body and ministered to her hair. His pulse beat a staccato in his neck as he viewed her bare bottom, straight back, and slender shoulders. When he’d dried her hair enough so it wasn’t dripping wet anymore, he tossed the towel aside.

His hands found her breasts, and he caressed her gently.

“Oh, God, that feels good.” She swayed against him.

As her nipples swelled, he brushed his thumbs across them. With an answering moan, she reached back and grasped his shaft. Her touch on his sensitive skin drove him wild. He kissed her hair, her neck, and down one arm. Then he spun her around to plunder her mouth while nudging her toward the nearest bed.

She wasn’t the sort of woman for casual encounters, and never the type he thought he’d end up with some day. Yet he could no more stay away from this woman than a bee could avoid nectar. Why she wanted him didn’t matter. Likely because he was there, offering comfort and security, and that’s probably all it meant to her. For now, it was enough.

****

Jen tumbled onto the bed alongside Paz, aware of where this was leading and not caring. She’d meant to get a good night’s rest, but with the typhoon trapping them, time lengthened and offered opportunities.

She ran her hands over her warrior’s well-defined muscles, savoring the hardened planes of his back, the firm contours of his arms, and the width of his shoulders. When he rolled on top, she spread her legs, a warm languor stealing through her. Surrendering to the right person could be so divine.

As his mouth blazed a trail of kisses down her front, she writhed under his ministrations. He tickled her inner thigh, stroked one finger across her
there
, and then planted his lips on the spot. She gasped, unable to think clearly, as her spiral to ecstasy blocked all else from her mind.

Then he was atop her, probing her entry, and easing himself inside. His mouth found hers again, and their breaths fused as they found a common rhythm. Her perception narrowed until she was only aware of her body racing toward a climax. They floated in a weightless plane where nothing else existed. She felt cocooned in a place of light and warmth and something indescribable but infinitely pleasurable.

Her explosive release came as a cataclysm of delight. His finale followed, his breathing labored until he sagged on top of her. Their sweaty bodies pressed close until he rolled off to sprawl on his side. He kissed her shoulder then splayed out flat on his back, naked and spent.

After her pulse rate slowed, she leaned up on an elbow to regard him. He’d closed his eyes, and for a rare instance, she glimpsed the man with his guard down. She couldn’t help brushing a stray lock of hair off his forehead. He always appeared so strong and capable, but even strong men needed a good woman to care for them.

Was he the right man for her, or was he merely a convenient hunk whom she needed for protection? Actually, that worked both ways. But did their connection extend to anything more?

His sexy dimples, scruffy jaw, and devilish gleam were enough to turn her on. His magical mouth and hands added to the equation, driving reason from her mind when he touched her. But could sex sustain a lasting relationship?

She already knew the answer.

If you fall for him, you’re destined for heartbreak.

Chapter Fourteen

Two days later, Paz allowed Jen to go first through the turnstile at Manga World.

“I’m an idiot for coming along,” she said, waiting for him on the other side. “I should have caught another flight instead of going with you.”

Paz grinned as he joined her. “Fate intervenes when it is least expected. Little did you know the storm would close the airport, and that flights would be booked solid when it reopened. You’re meant to be with me.”

At a wide plaza, Jen snatched a guide map in English from an information kiosk. Bending her head so he couldn’t read her expression, she studied the colorful diagram.

She hadn’t said a word about their lovemaking all day yesterday when the storm had raged outside their hotel window. Presumably, he’d just been a handy body offering comfort.

That might not be such a bad thing, considering how he’d never wanted attachments from the women he met at various ports. But even if he cared enough for Jen to admit it, an attractive, worldly woman like her wouldn’t settle for a man who lived such an unsettled life. His innate ability made him a Drift Lord. He couldn’t deny the trait that had condemned him to this role.

Plus she didn’t approve of his regular job. Being a repairman who fixed space comm relays wasn’t good enough for her. He’d noticed how her nostrils flared when she mentioned his work. Her disdain might not be as obvious as his father’s, but he sensed it nonetheless.

Striding back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, he considered revealing his dream. He hadn’t yet built a prototype, but he knew his invention would work. That wasn’t the problem.

His new system would challenge the monopoly propagated by his employer. Because his design was non-proprietary, it would support competing platforms. More importantly, his revolutionary project would bring interstellar communications into real time, eliminating the current lag. Imperial Space Command would be interested in the advantages it could bring them. So would their enemies.

One wrong move on his part could see his research stolen or destroyed. Better Jen should regard him as a low level worker, the image he’d chosen to project, than to expose her to further danger.

She’d drawn her black hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a pair of slim fitting jeans with a smoke patterned tank top and a stone gray sweater she’d ruched up at the arms. Sturdy but stylish boots added sex appeal.

Paz gritted his teeth and glanced away. The woman could wear a sack, and she’d look magnificent. His body stirred, wanting her again, craving the silky smoothness of her skin and her womanly scent.

To distract himself, he adjusted the backpack straps across his shoulders. They’d each stuffed their meager belongings into a sack. He wished he’d had time to buy more serious weapons but at least he had a blade.

His nape prickled. Jen’s wristwatch would be a beacon to the Trolleks. General Morar might already be aware of their location.

“What’s wrong?” Jen adjusted her sunglasses while tourists strode by them with determined expressions. “You look worried.”

“I feel like we’re being watched.” He peered around, his eyes narrowed. “What is this Manga? The figures on those signposts look like children.”

She tilted her head. “I’m not a big fan myself, but it’s a respected art form in Japan that has become popular in the States. Comic books and graphic novels are its mainstay.”

“Then it’s a type of literature?”

“I suppose so. You can buy it in magazine or book formats. There are many long-running series that have been translated into different languages. It’s a very stylized form of art. The characters are distinctive with their large eyes.”

She waved the brochure. “I recognize some of these character names from the stories. Then there’s Anime, which is Japanese animation based on Manga. That’s represented here as well.”

Paz watched a family of four heading toward a food vendor. “I don’t understand why children are permitted in this park.” His forehead creased. “The Trolleks don’t usually confound the young. Maybe I’m mistaken about this location being a recruitment center.”

Jen’s lips pursed. “Parents bring their kids here, but many of these rides have height restrictions. You have to be an adult to go on them. All it takes is one touch from a Trollek to subvert someone, right?”

“True. The beasts confound people and then send them home to wait for further orders.”

“Orders to do what?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps to bring forth the disaster called Ragnarok.”

Her face blanched. “That’s the darkness we’re supposed to avert according to the prophecy?”

He nodded, falling silent as someone jostled them. They shouldn’t talk about these things here. Park guests strode by, chatting happily. They looked normal, likely because they hadn’t been confounded yet, but it was better to be cautious.

“I’ve studied Viking history to inspire my designs, you know.” Jen kept her voice low as they moved on. “Ragnarok was the final battle between the giants and the gods. The giants were the original inhabitants of our universe, and they got angry when the gods relegated them to the underworld.”

Paz glanced at her. “The Trolleks are like the giants, forced from their homes. Now they, too, gather allies in preparation for battle.”

Her intelligent gaze met his. “They’re doing more than confounding people at these recruitment centers, though. Algie has plans of her own, and I don’t want to be part of them. Let’s finish our business here and leave. Dad expects me to catch the first available flight home. He wasn’t happy about another delay until I told him I’d met a man.”

Paz’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you now?”

She elbowed him. “Don’t get ideas, Drift Lord.”

He sobered. “Our objectives are two-fold. We have to confirm the Trolleks are recruiting humans at this locale. That’ll be your goal. Drift World was set up as a role-playing adult theme park. Guests attended an orientation session to learn about their pretend jobs. As each person entered, a Trollek shook his hand.”

“So you want me to scout for Trolleks? It shouldn’t be too hard to recognize their ugly faces.”

“Not if they’re dressed up as theme park characters. And remember, their females look normal.” His glance skittered away.

“Okay, what aren’t you telling me?”

“General Morar knows we’re in Hong Kong. He’s probably put out an alert for us.”

She glanced around. “It’s not like we’re hard to notice among these Asians. We’re obvious targets in that case.”

He met her level gaze. “If we split up, I can’t protect you.”

Her face eased into a soft smile. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. What will you do while I’m looking for their recruitment station?”

“I hope to find the portal from Togura Island. If it has a reverse function, I’ll return to Shirajo Manor and take more readings of the inter-dimensional gate.”

“Are you crazy?” She gaped at him, her eyes wide.

His mouth tightened. “I have to determine how they are keeping the gateways open. My last scan was inconclusive. This time, I’d like to get a reading from inside the rift itself.”

He’d fine-tuned his scanning device to collect particles at the quantum level. The data he’d acquired before might still prove useful, but there was nothing more accurate than direct observation.